6 ECTS credits
150 h study time
Offer 1 with catalog number 1021096BER for all students in the 2nd semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.
The course ' Qualitative Research' is taught to students in the 2nd year of the Bachelor programme of Political and Social Sciences. This course functions as the foundation for students who want to apply qualitative research for their BScSS (and if applicale later: MA) thesis.
The main goal of this course is to introduce to students the basic principles and techniques of qualitative research as applied in the social sciences so that they can critically evaluate qualitative research and adequately develop and carry out basic qualitative research projects. Through lecturers, guided exercises and a group assignment students will develop insight into the process of qualitative research. The following themes are central to this course: epistemological principles of qualitative research, sampling, negotiating access to settings and sources of data, ethical issues, the main data-collection (the qualitative interview, focusgroup interviews and (participant) observation), and analysis techniques (such as Grounded Theory approach, Narrative Analysis, Qualitative Content Analysis and/or Thematic Analysis) and the process of writing qualitative research. A key goal of this course is to acquire and to some extent apply knowledge and skills that are essential in doing qualitative research in practice.
There will be no English language handbook this year for this course, but students will be offered detailed PP presentation slides and selected chapters.
The following subjects will be covered:
The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 50% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 50% of the final mark.
Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:
A written (closed book, MC) exam (50%) and a group assignment (50%).
In the written exam (multiple choice), students will be asked to test their knowledge of different approaches to qualitative data-analysis and particular forms of data-collection. Through a group assignment, students will learn to develop appropriate research questions in qualitative research, select a theoretically relevant sample, develop appropriate interview questions and conduct and evaluate their own interview practice and that of their peers and evaluate their own and their peers' functioning in a group.
Every student will obtain an individual evaluation for this course based on their score on their written exam (50%) and their group assignment (50%). In relationship to the group assignment, each group will receive a group-score based on the submitted assignments and documentation. Students' final score for their group assignment can be changed based on the outcome of students' confidential peer evaluations of their group members, which have to be submitted electronically after the submission of the group assignment.
Students have to pass for both the group assignment and the MC exam to pass this course. Students who fail either the exam or the group assignment, will have to take this again in the retake exam period. If they pass the exam, but not the group assignment, they only have to retake the group assignment. If they pass the group assignment, but not the exam, they only have to retake the exam.
(!) Students who fail to register for the group assignment before the start of week 24 (VUB Academic Calendar) cannot enroll in a group and will have a score of 0 for the group assignment. These students will have to make an individual/group assignment to be submitted during the retake examination period; the format and timing of which can vary and will be communicated by the lecturer / TA.
This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Communication Studies
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Political Sciences
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Sociology
Bachelor of Social Sciences: Startplan