Julia Sass Rubin CSB 276 732-932-2499, ext. 609 jlsrubin@rci.rutgers.

edu
Fall Office Hours: Mondays 4 5:30 and Wednesdays 4 5:30


Advanced Qualitative Methods: 833:628:12678
Wednesdays, 1:10 - 3:50,
Civic Square Building, Room 168

Course Description
This course is designed to familiarize doctoral and advanced masters students with the most
commonly used qualitative research methods. The course will prepare them to utilize these
methods in their own research, or to evaluate the qualitative work that others have done.

Course Requirements
In addition to regular participation in seminar discussions, course participants will be required
to write short, weekly response papers or fulfill assignments related to specific topics. These
will not be individually graded, but will count towards the overall grade. Class participants are
allowed to skip one response paper, with advance notification of the professor. Response
papers and assignments must be e-mailed to the professor by 3 pm on the Tuesday before
class. Any papers not received by then will not be accepted.

Additionally, participants will have to write a 25 - 35 page paper describing a field research
project that they conduct utilizing qualitative research methods, and orally present their
research proposals in class. Written paper proposals are due in class on Wednesday,
September 29
th
, and the paper itself is due by 5 pm. on Monday, December 13
th
.

Grading
Course grades will be based on class participation (35%), the weekly response papers
(25%), and the final paper (40%).

In addition to the following books (which can be purchased on-line from Amazon or Barnes
and Nobles and also are on reserve at Alexander), a number of readings will be available
from the course folder (Qualitative Methods) on the S drive or through Web CT.

Catherine Marshall and Gretchen B. Rossman
Designing Qualitative Research
Sage Publications, Inc.
Third Edition

Herbert J. Rubin & Irene S. Rubin
Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data
Sage Publications, Inc.

David L. Morgan
Focus Groups As Qualitative Research
Sage Publications, Inc.
Second Edition

Norman K. Denzin & Yvonna S. Lincoln (Eds).
Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials
Sage Publications, Inc.
(Readings from this book also are available through the class folder)

David M. Fetterman
Ethnography: Step by Step
Sage Publications, Inc.
Second Edition

Robert K. Yin
Case Study Research: Design And Methods
Sage Publications
Third Edition

Anselm Strauss and Juliet Corbin
Basics Of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures And Techniques
Sage Publications, Inc.
Second edition

Norman K. Denzin
Interpretive Biography
Sage Publications, Inc.
First Edition

Clark Moustakas
Phenomenological Research Methods
Sage Publications, Inc.
(Readings from this book also are available through the class folder)

Week 1: September 8

Introduction and Course Overview.


Week 2: September 15

Designing Qualitative Studies

Catherine Marshall and Gretchen B. Rossman, (1999). Designing Qualitative Research.

In-class research design exercise


Week 3: September 22

Oral presentation of paper proposals in class

No response paper due this week


Week 4: September 29

Data Collection: Interviews

Herbert J. Rubin & Irene S. Rubin, (1995). Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data

Written paper proposals due in class


Week 5: October 6

Data Collection: Focus groups

David L. Morgan, (1997). Focus Groups as Qualitative Research. Sage Publications.

Course file:
Richard Zeller. (1993). Focus group research on sensitive topics: Setting the agenda
without setting the agenda. Pp. 167-183. In David L. Morgan (1993). Successful
Focus Groups: Advancing the State of the Art.
Benjamin F. Crabtree, et al. (1993). Selecting individual or group interviews. Pp.
137-149. In David L. Morgan (1993). Successful Focus Groups: Advancing the State
of the Art
Shively (1992). Cowboys and Indians: Perceptions of Western films among American
Indians and Anglos. American Sociological Review, 57:725-734.
Kline, Kline and Oken (1992). Minority women and sexual choice in the age of AIDS.
Social Science Medicine. 34:447-57.

Focus group assignment due in class

In-class focus group exercise

No response paper due this week



Week 6: October 13

Data Collection: Direct observation, participation, use of images, and analysis of documents

Norman K. Denzin & Yvonna S. Lincoln (Eds). Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative
Materials, (1998)
Chapter 3: Patricia A. Adler & Peter Adler, Observational Techniques
Chapter 4: Ian Hodder, The Interpretation of Documents and Material Culture
Chapter 5: Douglas Harper, On the Authority of the Image
Chapter 6: Personal Experience Methods

Data collection assignment due in class

No response paper due this week


Week 7: October 20

Data Collection: Ethnography

David M. Fetterman, (1998). Ethnography: Step by Step. Sage Publications.

Course file:
Stephen R. Barley. (1990). Images of Imaging: Notes on Doing Longitudinal Field
Work, pp. 220-247.
John W. Creswell, (1997). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among
Five Traditions. Appendix E.

Ethnography assignment due in class

No response paper due this week


Week 8: October 27

Case Study

Robert K. Yin, (2002). Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 3
rd
edition.
Sage Publications.

Course file:
Kathleen M. Eisenhardt. (1989). Building Theories from Case Study Research.
Academy of Management Review, October, 14:4, pp. 532-550.
John W. Creswell, (1997). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among
Five Traditions. Appendix F.


Week 9: November 3

Grounded Theory

Anselm Strauss and Juliet Corbin, (1998). Basics of Qualitative Research. Sage
Publications.

Course file:
John W. Creswell, (1997). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among
Five Traditions, Appendix D.


Week 10: November 10

Phenomenology, Ethnomethodology and Interpretive Practice

Course file:
Norman K. Denzin & Yvonna S. Lincoln (Eds) (1998). Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry.
Chapter 6: James A. Holstein & Jaber F. Gubrium, Phenomenology,
Ethnomethodology and Interpretive Practice
Clark Moustakas, (1994). Phenomenological Research Methods, pp. 1-119 (skim rest
of book)
John W. Creswell, (1997). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among
Five Traditions, Appendix C


Week 11: November 17

Biographical and Historic Methods and Action Research

Norman K. Denzin, (1989). Interpretive Biography. Sage Publications.

Course file:
Norman K. Denzin & Yvonna S. Lincoln (Eds) (1998). Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry.
Chapter 9: William G. Tierney, Undaunted Courage: Life History and the Postmodern
Challenge
Norman K. Denzin & Yvonna S. Lincoln (Eds) (1998). Strategies of Qualitative Inquiry.
Chapter 11: Stephen Kemmis and Robin McTaggart, Participatory Action Research
John W. Creswell, (1997). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among
Five Traditions, Appendix B


Week 12: December 1

Data Analysis and Representation and Using the Computer for Data Analysis

Norman K. Denzin & Yvonna S. Lincoln (Eds). Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative
Materials, (1998).
Chapter 7: A. Michael Huberman and Matthew B. Miles, Data Management and
Analysis Methods
Chapter 9: Peter K. Manning and Betsy Cullum-Swan, Narrative, Content, and
Semiotic Analysis
Chapter 11: Norman K. Denzin, The Art and Politics of Interpretation
Chapter 12: Laurel Richardson, Writing: A Method of Inquiry

Specific data analysis strategies also are available in Denzan for biography, Moustakas for
phenomenology, Yin for case studies, Strauss and Corbin for grounded theory and Fetterman
for ethnography. Additionally, Matthew B. Miles and A. Michael Hubermans classic
Qualitative Data Analysis, (Sage Publications, 1994), is a very good overall resource.


Week 13: December 8

Evaluation Research

Norman K. Denzin & Yvonna S. Lincoln (Eds). Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative
Materials, (1998).
Chapter 13: Jennifer C. Greene, Qualitative Program Evaluation: Practice and Promise
Chapter 14: Ray C. Rist, Influencing the Policy Process with Qualitative Research