Syllabus

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After successfully completing the course, students will be familiar with the core methods of qualitative research today. They will be able to carry out basic research activities, such as organising, undertaking and analysing different types of interviews, and observing, intervening and participating in different social worlds as part of academic research. The course underscores the importance of selecting appropriate methods and media throughout the process of working with data, and of recognising the limitations but also the benefits of different methods in qualitative enquiry.

Students will be able to think critically but constructively about what 'data' is and how generating and analysing it are intertwined.

Students will gain confidence in carrying out data collection and analysis, and gain some experience of adjusting existing methods to their own research fields and topics.

Credits: 6

Schedule: 28.02.2024 - 22.05.2024

Teacher in charge (valid for whole curriculum period):

Teacher in charge (applies in this implementation): Eeva Berglund

Contact information for the course (applies in this implementation):

CEFR level (valid for whole curriculum period):

Language of instruction and studies (applies in this implementation):

Teaching language: English. Languages of study attainment: English

CONTENT, ASSESSMENT AND WORKLOAD

Content

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  The course includes seminars, independent research and presentations. Contact sessions will consist of introductory lectures and seminars, and presentations.

  Seminars and lectures will  address:

  • The principles and key strengths of qualitative research
  • Observational techniques
  • Different types of interviews
  • Visual materials 
  • Ethnographic approaches
  • Feminist methodologies
  • Decolonising research
  • Inventive and interventive methodologies
  • Key methods of qualitative analysis, e.g. content, semiotic, discourse analysis

Assessment Methods and Criteria

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Students are expected to attend at least 80% of the total number of classes. Active participation in class discussions and exercises and timely submission of assignments is also required. These will include reporting on individual and group exercises (e.g. interviews) and a final paper of c. 2 500 words.

  Assessment is based on a criterion-referenced scale 0 5 for individual and pass-fail for group work.

Workload

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Approximately 162h:

  Lectures and seminars 26h, reading 46h, independent and group work 90h

DETAILS

Study Material

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  These will be uploaded to MyCourses.

Substitutes for Courses

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Substitutes for Courses

Prerequisites

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Prerequisites

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Information

• valid for whole curriculum period:

  Teaching Language : English

  Teaching Period : 2022-2023 Spring III - V
  2023-2024 Spring III - V

  Enrollment :

  Minimum number of participants: 8
  Maximum number of participants: 20

  Registration for courses: Sisu. Priority order to courses is according to the order of priority decided by the Academic committee for School of Arts, Design and Architecture, https://www.aalto.fi/en/services/registering-to-courses-and-the-order-of-priority-at-aalto-arts 

Description