coms 855
Qualitative Research Methods in Communication STUDIES
spring 2011

Instructor

Dr. Nancy Baym nbaym@ku.edu
115 Bailey 785-864-9876
Office Hours: W 1 - 4 and by appointment
Mailbox: Communication Department Office, 102 Bailey

Course Overview and Goals

This course is intended to provide a broad overview of qualitative research methods with particular focus on communication. The goals are to:

• familiarize you with the theoretical grounding and aims of qualitative communication research.

• provide practical instruction in how to design projects, collect data, and make wise choices in qualitative research projects.

• promote critical thinking regarding the quality of qualitative research.

• encourage research leading to conference presentations and publication.

Readings

There is a reading packet for the course available in the front office (102 Bailey).

There are four required books:

Lindlof, T.R. & Taylor, B. C. (2010). Qualitative Communication Research Methods. Third Edition. Sage.

Silverman, D. & Marvasti, A. (2008). Doing Qualitative Research: A Comprehensive Guide. Sage.

Markham, A. & Baym, N. (2009). Internet Inquiry: Conversations About Method. Sage.

Gray, M. (2010). Out in the Country. New York: New York University.

Assignments

All of these assignments should work together to build your final project:

15% Initial Research Proposal. Length approximately 5-7 pages.

10% Conduct, write up, and be ready to discuss a Participant-Observation

10% Conduct, write up, and be ready to discuss an Interview

65% Research Proposal with Pilot Study. Write a full length proposal for a qualitative research paper that includes a modest pilot study. The paper should (1) discuss the research problem (2) review the literature to provide a rationale for and pose specific research questions (3) propose a design for the study to answer those questions and a rationale for that design that draws on lessons learned from the pilot version (4) identify the strategies you will use to analyze the data, again drawing from the pilot data. If you are already working on a qualitative project for a thesis or other major project, discuss with me how you might work with that data to write a journal submission for this course.

Course Schedule

Monday January 24: First Class Meeting

Wednesday January 26 Introduction to Qualitative Methods

Lindlof and Taylor (2011), Chapter 1 “Introduction to Qualitative Communication Research”

Silverman & Marvasti (2008), Chapters 1-3

Theoretical Assumptions of Qualitative Methodology

Monday January 31 - Wednesday February 2

Lindlof and Taylor (2011), Chapter 2 “Theoretical Traditions and Qualitative Communication Research”

Clifford G. Christians and James W. Carey (1989), "The Logic and Aims of Qualitative Research." pp. 354-374 in Guido Stempel and Bruce Westley, eds., Research Methods in Mass Communication. 2nd ed. New York: Prentice Hall.

Geertz, C. (1973). "Thick Description." In The interpretation of cultures. New York, NY: Basic Books, Inc.

Designing and Launching A Project

Monday February 7

Lindlof and Taylor (2011), Chapter 3 ”Design I: Planning Research Projects”

Silverman & Marvasti (2008), Chapters 4-7

Wednesday February 9

Silverman & Marvasti (2008), Chapters 8-11, 16

Lindlof and Taylor (2011), Chapter 4 “Design II: Implementing Research Projects”

Monday February 14

Hammersley and Atkinson (1983), Chapter 10 “Ethics” Ethnography: Principles in Practice , Tavistock Publications.

Sveningsson Elm, M. (2009). How do various notions of privacy influence decisions in qualitative internet research? Responses by Buchanan, E. A., Stern, S. R. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Eds.) Internet Inquiry: Conversations about Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Wednesday February 16

Guests: Mary Denning and Jan Butin, KU Human Subjects Committee

Monday February 21

Markham, A. (2009). How can qualitative researchers produce work that is meaningful across time, space, and culture? Responses by Lally, E. and Srinivasan, R. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Eds.) Internet Inquiry: Conversations about Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Gray, M. Appendix on methods, Out in the Country,

Wednesday February 23 Assessing Quality in Qualitative Research

Silverman & Marvasti (2008), Chapters 14 & 15 “Quality in Qualitative Research” “Evaluating Qualitative Research” and 26 “Effective Qualitative Research.”

Baym, N. K. (2009). What counts as quality in qualitative internet research? Response by A. Markham, A. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Eds.) Internet Inquiry: Conversations about Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Monday February 28 Field Relations

Silverman & Marvasti (2008), Chapter 17

Kendall, L. (2009). How do issues of gender and sexuality influence the structures and processes of qualitative internet research? Responses by Sundén, J. and Campbell, J. E. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Eds.) Internet Inquiry: Conversations about Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Wednesday March 2

1^st PROPOSAL PAPER DUE

INITIAL PROJECT PRESENTATIONS

Participant Observation and Ethnography

Monday March 7

Lindlof and Taylor (2011), Chapter 5 “Producing Data I: Participating, Observing, and Recording Social Action”

Hine, C. (2009) How are the boundaries of a project defined? Responses by Kendall, L. and boyd, d. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Eds.) Internet Inquiry: Conversations about Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Wednesday March 9

Philipsen, G. (1992) Speaking in A Cultural Context. In Speaking Culturally, pp. 3-17. SUNY Press: Albany

Fonarow, W. (2006). “The Zones of Participation” in Empire of dirt: the aesthetics and rituals of British Indie Music. Middleton, CT: Wesleyan University Press.

Monday March 14

Humphries, L. (2005) Cell phones in Public: Social interactions in a wireless era. New Media & Society 7(6) 810-833.

Leonardi, P. M. (2009). Why do people reject new technologies and stymnie organization changes of which they are in favor? Exploring misalignments between social interactions and materiality. Human Communication Research, 35, 407-441. Available through KU libraries: http://pdfserve.informaworld.com.www2.lib.ku.edu:2048/725179_918013388_904260265.pdf

Wednesday March 16 Studying New Media

Baym, N. & Markham, A. (2009). Introduction: Making Smart Choices on Shifting Ground. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Eds.) Internet Inquiry: Conversations about Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Orgad, S. (2009). How does a researcher grapple with the issue of online versus offline in collecting information or making sense of it in qualitative internet analysis? Responses by Bakardjieva, M. and Gahhala, R. In A. Markham & N. Baym (Eds.) Internet Inquiry: Conversations about Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

SPRING BREAK

Monday March 28 Participant Observation Reports Due. Discussion Day

Interviewing

Wednesday March 30

Lindlof and Taylor (2011), Chapter 6 “Producing Data II: Qualitative Interviewing”

Monday April 4

Rawlins, W. (1982). Openness as problematic in ongoing friendships: Two conversational dilemmas. Communication Monographs, 50(1), 1-13.

Kelley-Romano (2006). Mythmaking in alien abduction narratives. Communication Quarterly, 54(3) 383-406.

Wednesday April 6

Hummert, M. L. & Morgan, M. (2001). Negotiating decisions in the aging family. In M.L, Hummert & J. F. Nussbaum (Eds.) Aging, communication and health: Linking research and practice for successful aging (pp. 177-201). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

D’Enbeau, S., Buzzanell, P. M., & Duckworth, J. (2010. Problematizing Classed Identities in Fatherhood: Development of Integrative Case Studies for Analysis and Praxis. Qualitative Inquiry. published online 22 June 2010 DOI: 10.1177/1077800410374183

Monday April 11 Interviewing Reports Due. Discussion Day

Wednesday April 13 Discourse, Objects and Texts

Van Dijk (1997), The Study of Discourse, in Discourse as Structures and Processes. Sage.

Lindlof and Taylor (2011), Chapter 7 “Producing Data III: Analyzing Material Culture and Documents

Monday April 18 Analyzing Qualitative Data

Lindlof and Taylor (2011), Chapter 8 “Sensemaking: Qualitative Data Analysis and Interpretation”

Silverman & Marvasti (2008), Chapter 12 “Developing Data Analysis” & 13 (by Clive Seale)

Wednesday April 20 Writing Qualitative Research

Lindlof & Taylor (2011). Chapter 9 “Writing, Authoring and Publishing.”

Silverman & Marvasti (2008), “Part 5: Writing Up” and Chapters 27 and 28.

Monday April 25 - Monday May 2: Grey, M. Out in the Country.

Wednesday May 4- Wednesday May 11 FINAL PRESENTATIONS

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Final paper due Wednesday May 18