Qualitative Methods

Postgraduate course

ECTS credits
10
Teaching semesters
Autumn
Course code
GOV353
Number of semesters
1
Teaching language
English
Resources
Schedule

Course description

Objectives and Content

The aim of this course is to provide students with advanced skills in the most important techniques and recent developments within qualitative methods in the social sciences. Through a combination of introductory lectures and practice workshops, the course will enable students to carry out qualitative research and make sound methods choices when writing their MA thesis. The course will provide students with an advanced practical introduction to collecting and analyzing textual and interview data, including the use of qualitative data analysis software. Students will practice qualitative research for selected research questions from their field of study, by conducting, transcribing, and coding some interviews, or by sampling and coding official documents. This involves knowledge of software packages used for qualitative data analysis, such as NVivo or MaxQDA. The course also addresses ethical considerations in qualitative research, such as interviewing people in vulnerable positions.

Learning Outcomes

A student who has completed the course should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence.

Knowledge

The student has advanced knowledge of

  • ontological and epistemological perspectives that form the foundation of qualitative research
  • different data sources, data collection and data analysis methods used in qualitative research
  • key design choices, ethical standards and quality criteria relevant for qualitative research

Skills

The student can

  • design a feasible research study that utilizes qualitative and mixed methods
  • collect, code, analyze and present qualitative data, also utilizing relevant software packages
  • apply and integrate different qualitative methods in empirical analysis

General competence

The student can

  • argue for the strengths and weaknesses of qualitative research in general, and specific qualitative approaches in particular
  • identify and manage ethical and scientific standards of qualitative research
  • present and defend their qualitative research projects orally and give constructive feedback on other students´ projects

ECTS Credits

10 ECTS

Level of Study

Master

Semester of Instruction

Autumn
Recommended Previous Knowledge
GOV351, GOV352
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
  • AORG323A (10 ECTS)
  • AORG323B (10 ECTS)
  • GOV323 (10 ECTS)
Access to the Course

The course is open for students who have been accepted to Master programmes at the Department of Government.

Exchange students at master level may be accepted upon application. Applications may be rejected due to capacity.

Teaching and learning methods
Introductory lectures, seminars and practice workshops where students learn to apply qualitative methods; self-organised student meetings to progress with group work; independent study.
Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

Full attendance to no less than 80% of the class meetings, presentation of the exam draft and giving feedback to one other student during seminar sessions are required to be able to sit for exam.

The assignments in the seminars must be completed in order to take the exam. Approved compulsory assignments are valid in the current and following two semesters.

Forms of Assessment

Written individual report on qualitative research, 5000 words (+/- 10%, excluding the title page, table of contents, references, tables, and all attachments).

The exam will be given in the language in which the course is taught.

The exam answer can be submitted in English.

Grading Scale
Graded A-F
Assessment Semester

Assessment in teaching semester.

Students with valid absence as defined in the UiB regulations § 5-5 can apply for an extended submission deadline to studieveileder.gov@uib.no. The application must be submitted before the deadline for submission has expired. A maximum of 3 days' extension can be granted.

Reading List
The reading list will be ready before 1 July for the autumn semester
Course Evaluation
All courses are evaluated according to UiB's system for quality assurance of education.
Programme Committee
The Programme Committee is responsible for the content, structure and quality of the study programme and courses.
Course Administrator
The Department of Government at the Faculty of Social Sciences has the administrative responsibility for the course and the study programme.

Course description

Contact information

studieveileder.gov@uib.no
Department of Government