Announcements

November 8, 2016 at 3:45 pm

Spring 2017 | Qualitative Methods Seminar Offered for Graduate Students

by Matt McCullough ’17

Graduate students can take advantage of the qualitative methods seminar being offered by Sociology & Anthropology in Spring 2017.

SOC 6010  Graduate Seminar: Qualitative Research Methods

Thursday, 4:35 to 7:15 p.m.

Course Description: This course provides an introduction to qualitative social science research methods, focusing primarily on participant observation and intensive interviewing. Students engage in fieldwork data collection techniques, qualitative data coding and analysis, and writing of qualitative research reports.

What are Qualitative Methods?

Qualitative research skills are important to any scientist, but especially social scientists. Having skills in qualitative methods is invaluable on a résumé.

The seminar is taught by Dr. Ursula Castellano, who has spent much of her career using ethnographic research methods to critically examine alternative to incarceration programs.

Castellano encourages students to take the class if they are interested in conducting their own research and gaining professional research experience.

“The course is modeled on experiential learning, which means students identify and maintain their own field sites for the entire semester and share their work during the weekly seminar,” Castellano says.

Why Take this Course?

While it may sound intimidating, it is exciting and offers students an opportunity to develop and complete their own research project.

“I loved that class. I think one of the best parts about taking that class was the active learning of qualitative methods that Dr. Castellano had us participate in,” says Lauren Wright, ’10 Sociology and Psychology, ’14M Sociology.

“Designing and conducting our own qualitative research was not only fun, but also helped prepare me for my dissertation,” she said. “It definitely helped me understand the methods of qualitative research better, which, in turn, gave me a better understanding of the field of sociology.

“They’re so different than the quantitative methods that you almost have to develop an entirely new set of skills, which that class definitely helps do,” adds Wright, who is currently a doctoral student and Graduate Teaching Associate at the University of Central Florida.

Research methods, whether qualitative or quantitative, are essential skills for social scientists. It often sounds intimidating, but it is, after all, the primary tool for social scientists.

Last spring semester, alum Ski Bailey ’13 spoke with students about his job at Rugby USA, a sports-based youth development nonprofit organization, and he emphasized the importance of his statistics and methods education in doing what he loves to do.

“I directly contribute much of my success in my chosen field to the fact that I studied sociology at Ohio University, and that education gave me a platform to understand the dynamic social structures of community, team, and the ranges of individuals within those structures,” he said.

“It also gave me an educational base in statistical analysis and understanding data even though while I was an undergrad I asked myself, ‘When will I ever use any of this stat work?’ Little did I know where I would end up!”

As a youth development mentor, “I have various roles including my office position of Monitoring & Evaluations Manager, where I do qualitative and quantitative research design and implementation capturing the benefits for our participants and beneficiaries to enhance our programming and report to key stakeholders and possible donors.”

Signing Up

The seminar is valued at four credit hours and meets once a week.

The only prerequisite to this course is status as a graduate student. The course has a capacity of 18 students and can be found by searching “SOC 6010” in Course Offerings. Enrollment is by permission only, so contact Castellano for a green slip – or questions.

Qualitative research methods are an important skill for any social scientist.

Courses like Castellano’s seminar give students the necessary skill sets to compete in the local and global job markets.

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