INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY & ENVIRONMENT ID 30291 Qualitative Research Methods For International Development & Social Change Spring 2017 Instructor: Dr. Amber Murrey Email: amurrey@clarku.edu Office: 4 th floor IDCE, Rm 41 Phone: 508-421-3839 Class meets: T, 2:50-5:50 Classroom: TC 112 (in the Traina Center for the Arts) Office Hours: M, W 8:30-10:30am Through readings, practicums, and in-class discussion, this course will help students become acquainted with the methodological skills necessary to carry out rigorous, thoughtful, and independent qualitative social science research. I constructed this syllabus with the direct input of students (via a voluntary electronic survey). Emphasizing the practice of qualitative methods alongside a thorough examination of the issues of place, power, politics, self, and representation, the course is designed to create a supportive and encouraging environment in which graduate students will think seriously and critically about negotiating and implementing qualitative methods for graduate-level research but also have room for experimentation and error. The focus will be on providing students with the critical tool-set necessary to conduct their own qualitative research projects and the space in which they can put into practice methods that are directly relevant to their own eventual projects. To provide this foundation, our discussions will focus on the theories, logics, and practices of qualitative research, as well as specific methodological, political and ethical issues associated with studying people and society. Expected Learning Outcomes At the conclusion of this component students should be able to: • Feel confident in planning and eventually conducting their independent research, using a range of research designs and methods. This means that students will apply the course materials to their own research. • Be active in the process of analyzing, studying, and writing about the social world. • Describe important methodological and design issues underlying qualitative research, including the ability to conceptualize a study, conduct observations, prepare for and conduct interviews, and analyze data. • Describe and attend to intricate politics of research (including reflexivity, positionality, power, responsibility, permission, etc.). • Demonstrate critical thinking skills by considering multiple viewpoints and perspectives (this is shown in class discussions, in-class writing, group work, and through course assignments).