Qualitative Research Methods

SOC3047: Qualitative Research Methods & Theory

This course introduces the methodological and theoretical foundations of qualitative and conceptual research in sociology.

The course is structured into three main sections:

  • Part I: Thinking about Theory
    Philosophy of social science, the meaning of theory, and theoretical toolkits.

  • Part II: Ethnography
    Fieldwork methods including interviewing, participant observation, autoethnography, and digital ethnography.

  • Part III: Historical Research
    Textual and historical approaches such as discourse analysis, historiography, and comparative methods.

The course also features guest lectures by active researchers, covering:

  • Research planning
  • Administrative protocols
  • Data collection
  • Writing and publishing
  • Academic feedback and audience reception

Core Texts

  • Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., & Shaw, L. L. (2011)
    Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes (2nd ed.)

  • Hesse-Biber, S. N. (2017)
    The Practice of Qualitative Research (3rd ed.)

  • Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & DeVault, M. (2016)
    Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods (4th ed.)

Part I: Thinking about Theory

Week 1

  • Introduction

Week 2

  • Doing theoretical research in sociology

Part II: Fieldwork

Week 3

  • Introduction to fieldwork
  • Sampling and saturation
    Reading
    • Taylor et al. Ch.2

Week 4

  • Participant Observation
    Reading
    • Taylor et al. Ch.3; Emerson et al. Ch.2–3

Week 5

  • Interviewing
    Reading
    • Hesse-Biber Ch.5

Week 6

  • Memoing & Coding
    Reading
    • Emerson et al. (selected pages, Ch.6)

Week 7

  • We will have TWO guest lectures, one for the offline session, and one for the online session.
  • Offline: Guest speaker: Dr. Lee Minsoo at Hallym University.
    • Topic: Analyzing field notes from a year-long fieldwork in a Cambodian media organization.
  • Online: Guest speaker: Dr. Eran Shor at McGill University;
    • Topic: Incest taboo in the Israeli Kibbutzim.

Week 8

  • Grounded Theory vs. Extended Case Method

Week 9

  • Guest speaker: Dr. Kim Gwi Ok at Hansung University
  • Topic: Studying RoK army “comfort” women during the Korean War.

Week 10

  • Midterm Exam

Week 11

  • Autoethnography & Digital Ethnography

Part III: Historical Research

Week 12

  • Narrative Theory
  • Historiography & Narrative Analysis

Week 13

  • Path Dependence
  • Historical Causation
  • Counterfactuals & Process Tracing

Week 14

  • Comparative-Historical Research
  • Difference vs. Sameness Explanations
  • Goldsmith’s Critique

Week 15

  • Social Science through Literary Texts

Week 16

  • Final Exam