Foundations of Qualitative Methods: Introduction and Overview

This module is part of the Social Science Research Methods Centre training programme which is a shared platform for providing research students with a broad range of quantitative and qualitative research methods skills that are relevant across the social sciences.

Introducing students to the general philosophical debates concerning scientific methodology; assessing their ramifications for the conduct of qualitative social research. To critically evaluate major programmes in the philosophy of sciences, considering whether there are important analytic differences between the social and natural sciences; and whether qualitative methods themselves comprise a unified approach to the study of social reality.

• Mphil and PhD students from participating departments taking the Social Science Research Methods Centre training programme as part of their research degree

Number of sessions: 2

• Session 1: Epistemological Foundations of Qualitative Social Research Part I
• Session 2: Epistemological Foundations of Qualitative Social Research Part II

• To critically evaluate major programs in philosophy of science; considering whether there are important analytic differences between the social and natural sciences; and whether qualitative methods themselves comprise a unified approach to the study of social reality.

• To introduce students to general philosophical debates concerning scientific methodology
• To assess the ramifications for the conduct of qualitative social research

Presentations only

• Chalmers, A.F. (1982). What is this Thing Called Science?: an Assessment of the Nature and Status of Science and its Methods. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
• Bourdieu, P. & Wacquant, L.J.D. (1992). An invitation to Reflexive Sociology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
• Weinberg, D. (ed). (2002). Qualitative Research Methods. Malden:Blackwell

• To gain maximum benefits from the course it is important that students do not see this course in isolation from the other MPhil courses or research training they are taking.
• Responsibility lies with each student to consider the potential for their own research using methods common in fields of the social sciences that may seem remote. Ideally this task will be facilitated by integration of the SSRMC with discipline-specific courses in their departments and through reading and discussion.

Two sessions of one and a half hours each.

Once a week for two weeks.