| Course Description |
This class will provide an overview of qualitative research methods to help you develop an applied and advanced understanding of the possibilities that qualitative research offers. In this course you will practice designing a qualitative research study, and collecting, coding and analyzing data. Further, you will read methods literature and qualitative studies as well as critique qualitative work.
Course lectures will begin with foundations in the principles and practice of social science research in public health using qualitative research methodologies. The course will then proceed with a focus on the main types of qualitative data collection: ethnographic methods, interviewing focus groups, and mixed methods. It will introduce you to the idea of emergent themes, including a grounded theory approach. It will explore the importance of triangulation and other strategies for improving validity and reliability in qualitative research. Several classes will be dedicated using Atlas.ti programming. You will collect and analyze qualitative data in this course and participate in live classroom-based exercises (e.g. interviewing, focus group, coding) in smaller groups that allow time for discussion and re-doing.
The course will further emphasize the art of coding, thematic analysis, and written presentation of the results of qualitative analysis. This is an applied course, emphasizing hand-on work gathering and analyzing qualitative data and skill building appropriate for research positions, further graduate study, or applied public health settings where learning from observation or speaking with people is important. This course builds on the Qualitative Foundations of the Core and Intro to Sociomedical Science Research Methods (P8774).
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