Interdepartmental Research Studies (RESCH-GE)

This course is focused on understanding social science research methods. The course provides the following: 1) an introduction to the relationship between theory and research; 2) a broad introduction to research logics in social sciences; 3) critical awareness about methodological choices and issues when conducting research; and 4) exemplars of various methodological approaches. The course encourages students to become knowledgeable consumers of empirical educational research that is theoretically informed.

This course will help students strengthen the writing competencies they need to produce quantitative and qualitative method dissertations that will convey research findings in a clear, objective style. Course content will position students to begin contributing writings in their scholarly communities. Sequences assignments will address various writing forms and allow students feedback on their work.

The purposes of this inquiry course are to: (a) examine the nature, purposes, theories & methods of qualitative research; (b) introduce several approaches to inquiry, including: ethnography, case study, phenomenology, grounding theory, & narrative inquiry to name a few; (c) practice the art of interviewing, observing, & making meaning of social settings; (d) explore a variety of methods for analyzing qualitative data such as thematic analysis, narrative analysis, & discourse analysis to name a few, &; (e) learn how to assess the quality & trustworthiness of interpretive research.

Conceptual and methodological activities build on and extend those begun during the previous semester in E10.2140. Strengthening fieldwork skills. Second half of the fieldwork project to be completed with an emphasis placed on emergent, complex data analyses. Various ways of writing up results for presentation in dissertations and other publishable forms are examined. Guidelines for qualitative, field-based dissertation proposals are reviewed.

A practicum in semi-structured interviewing and participant observation -- primary modes of qualitative data generation in the social sciences. Students learn these techniques by using them to gather novel empirical data. The course provides instruction on note-taking, data organization, preliminary analysis, and the ethics and politics of research with human subjects.

Introduction to various approaches to Action Research with an emphasis on approaches that encourage the participation of stakeholders. The course will cover action research traditions, issues of positionality, methodology, validity, and ethics. Students will engage in various field exercises to practice data gathering skills.

This course focuses on data collection. This includes a focus on gaining access to a field site, selecting a case, matching a research question with a methodology, and the nuts and bolts of taking and writing field notes. The course is designed primarily for doctoral students who would like training in this method for their dissertation work.

This graduate-level seminar is primarily intended for doctoral students and reviews the fundamentals of data analysis for qualitative and ethnographic fieldwork projects, specifically focused on the analysis of ethnographic and observational data and the integration of coded data into write-ups in articles, reports, and dissertation/book chapters. Students enrolling in this course must have original data that they have collected during Fieldwork: Data Collection (or, by prior approval of the instructor, for other projects such as dissertations).

It should be noted that independent study requires a minimum of 45 hours of work per point. Independent study cannot be applied to the established professional education sequence in teaching curricula. Each departmental program has established its own maximum credit allowance for independent study. This information may be obtained from a student?s department. Prior to registering for independent study, each student should obtain an Independent Study Approval Form from the adviser.

Course focuses on the development of the doctoral dissertation proposal. Emphasis is placed on understanding & defining the logical relations between elements in a proposal including the problem statement, conceptual/theoretical framework, literature review, research design & methodology. Teaching-learning strategies are design to promote critical/analytical thinking & scholarly discourse.

This seminar is designed for advanced students working with interview data or narrative texts and asking psychological questions. The listening guide method will be taught in a workshop format covering the research process from asking a question to writing up findings. Psychodynamic and cultural factors impinging on what can and cannot be spoken will be discussed. Students may work with their own data or with interviews conducted as part of the class. Weekly exercises and a final paper are required.

This seminar is intended for advanced doctoral students who wish to explore in greater depth questions of theory & method raised by the Listening Guide.

This course offers a survey of discourse analytic approaches to research in education and related areas of inquiry. Considers discourse analysis through interdisciplinary lenses and various disciplinary traditions. Designed as a research methods course for doctoral students in social sciences such as education, human development, art performances, media, and culture, it engages students in learning about and practicing discourse analytic approaches to explore important questions in their respective discipline at the intersections of language, discourse, and power.