Research Methods
Research Methods
Second Semester 2010
Graduate Diploma in Social Science
Nepā School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Second Semester 2010
Graduate Diploma in Social Science
Nepā School of Social Sciences and Humanities
Instructor: Bandita Sijapati
Course Description
This course on Research Methods is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of social research including research design, data collection, data analysis, questions of validity, and ethical issues that must be considered while conducting research in the social sciences. The course is divided into three substantive sections: (a) theory and methods; (b) quantitative research methods; and (c) qualitative research methods.
Our examination of these topics will provide students with an introduction to both theoretical as well as applied tools in each of these topics. We will begin the course with discussions about the general logic of scientific inquiry, mainly, the relationship between theory, research methods, and social understanding.
In sections two and three, we will discuss in greater detail qualitative and quantitative research methods while concentrating on the basic techniques of conceptualizing a research project, development of various research instruments, data collection, identification of respondents, data analysis, and the presentation of findings. In doing so, we will focus on analyzing the comparative strengths and weaknesses of each method while bearing in mind the general rule in research methodology that research questions should drive the research methods and data collection—not the other way around.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students are expected to be familiar with the following:
• Principles of scientific inquiry in social science research, fundamentals of quantitative and qualitative research tools and the epistemological and methodological debates concerning different research methodologies including positivist theory, feminist analysis, Marxist analysis, grounded-theory, critical theory, etc.
• Understand the practical application of research techniques administering surveys, conducting interviews, and writing fieldnotes along with the processes of sampling, data collection and data analysis.
• Gain an understanding of the main methods used by qualitative researchers in the social sciences such as ethnographic research, in-depth interviews, oral histories, participant observation, and archival research.
Course Requirements
In general, readings for each week are primarily divided into two parts. The first set of readings will provide students with the theoretical underpinnings of research methodology/ research tools. The second set of readings which are mostly based on Nepal, are intended to serve as supplements that will illustrate the theoretical principles presented in the former. While reading the second set, which I hope students will be able to skim through quickly, please pay attention to the methodology used and not so much to the content of findings/analysis. In order to help students navigate through the reading materials, each week, I will provide a set of “Reading Guidelines” that will contain questions/issues that students should bear in mind as they read these materials.
The final grade for the course will be based on the following:
Participation: The final grades for participation will be based on attendance and quality participation in the class discussions and lectures on a regular basis. By quality participation, I basically mean that students are able to demonstrate that they have read the material for discussion and are able to effectively contribute to the discussions. Participation grade will account for 20% of your final grade for the class.
Reflection Papers: There will be three reflection papers (approximately 2-3 pages) spread throughout the semester that will require students to analyze the theoretical precepts of research methods. Collectively, these reflection papers will account for 30% of your final grade. The topics as well as due dates for these reflection papers are as follows:
1. Reflection Paper based on the Readings and Class Discussions from Week 1
Due Date: 1st Class of Week 2
2. Reflection Paper critiquing/comparing the methodologies used in “Nepal Contemporary Political Situation: Opinion
Poll Report” and/or “Land and Social Change in East Nepal.”
Due Date: 1st Class of Week 3
3. Reflection Paper comparing two of the different the different methodological approaches covered in the course (i.e.,
Due Date: 1st Class of Week 3
3. Reflection Paper comparing two of the different the different methodological approaches covered in the course (i.e.,
Ethnography, Historiography, Critical Theory, Feminist Methods and Marxist Analysis)
Due Date: 1st Class of Week 6
Group Projects/Assignment: To provide some experience in research methods, students will be divided into groups of three/four to conduct small projects that will require the application of some of the research tools and techniques that will be covered in class. These assignments will account for 30% of your final grade.
1. Assignment 1: Basic Statistical Analysis of Census Data using Technology
Due Date: 1st Class of Week 9
2. Assignment: Application of research tool, fieldnotes, and memos (reflections on experience)
Due Date: 1st Class of Week 14
Final Paper: In addition to the short assignments, students will be required to submit a final paper (approximately 5 pages) that will be due at the end of the semester. The students may choose their own topic for the paper but will have to be approved by the instructor. The final paper will account for 20% of your final grade.
Due Date: 1st Class of Week 6
Group Projects/Assignment: To provide some experience in research methods, students will be divided into groups of three/four to conduct small projects that will require the application of some of the research tools and techniques that will be covered in class. These assignments will account for 30% of your final grade.
1. Assignment 1: Basic Statistical Analysis of Census Data using Technology
Due Date: 1st Class of Week 9
2. Assignment: Application of research tool, fieldnotes, and memos (reflections on experience)
Due Date: 1st Class of Week 14
Final Paper: In addition to the short assignments, students will be required to submit a final paper (approximately 5 pages) that will be due at the end of the semester. The students may choose their own topic for the paper but will have to be approved by the instructor. The final paper will account for 20% of your final grade.
Detailed Course Outline
PART I: INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Week 1: Introduction to Social Science Research
Required Readings
Neuman, W. Lawrence, “Chapter 3: Theory and Research,” in Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 41-67.
McIntyre, Lisa, “Chapter 3: The Logic of Inquiry,” in Need to Know: Social Science Research Methods, McGraw Hill, New York, 2005, pp. 30-45.
Tilly, Charles, “Observations of Social Processes and Their Formal Representations,” in Sociological Theory, Vol. 22, No. 4, December 2004, pp. 595-602.
Mishra, Chaitanya, “Social Research in Nepal: A Critique and a Proposal,” in Essays on the Sociology of Nepal, Fine Print Books, Kathmandu, 2007, pp. 323-336.
Further Readings
Walliman, Nicholas, “Types of Research,” in Your Research Project: A Step-by-Step Guide for the First-time Researcher, Sage Publications, London, 2001, pp. 69-110.
McIntyre, Lisa, “Making Methodological Choices,” in Need to Know: Social Science Research Methods, McGraw Hill, New York, 2005, pp. 162-189.
Ruane, Janet M., “Designing Ideas: Research Strategies,” in Essentials of Research Methods: A Guide to Social Science Research, Blackwell Publishing, Malden (Mass.), 2005, pp. 92-103.
Assignment: Reflection Paper based on the Readings and Class Discussions from Week 1 is due on 1st Class of Week 2
Week 2: Positivist Theory and Grounded Theory
Required Readings
Crook, Charles and Dean Garatt, “Chapter 24: The Positivist Paradigm in Contemporary Social Science Research,” in Bridget Somekh and Cathy Lewin (eds.), Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Vistaar Publications, New Delhi, 2005, pp. 207-214.
Strauss, Anselm and Juliet Corbin, “Grounded Theory Methodology: An Overview,” in Norman Denzin and Yvonna Lincoln (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research (1st Edition), Sage Publications, California, 1994, pp. 273-285.
Sharma, Sudhindra and Pawan Kumar Sen, “Nepal Contemporary Political Situation: Opinion Poll Report,” Interdisciplinary Analysts, Kathmandu, 2005, p.11-17 and 22-42.
Caplan, Lionel, Chapters 2 and 3, Land and Social Change in East Nepal, Himal Books, Kathmandu, pp. 11-52.
Suggested Readings
Sharma, Sudhindra and Pawan Kumar Sen, “Political Opinion Poll in Nepal’s Context,” in Studies in Nepali History and Society, Vol. 10, No. 2, December 2005, pp. 321-358.
Assignment: Reflection Paper on Nepal Contemporary Political Situation: Opinion Poll Report and/or Land and Social Change in East Nepal is due on 1st Class of Week 3.
Week 3: Ethnography and Historiography
Walsh, David, “Doing Ethnography,” in Clive Seale (ed.), Researching Society and Culture, Sage Publications, London, 1998, pp. 217-232.
Tuchman, Gaye, “Historical Social Science: Methodologies, Methods and Meanings,” in Norman Denzin and Yvonna Lincoln (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research, Sage Publications, California, 1994, p. 306-323.
Cameron, Mary, “Introduction: Physical Realms, Sentient Beings” and “Low Caste Women’s Artisan and Domestic Work,” in On the Edge of the Auspicious: Gender and Caste in Nepal, Mandala Publications, Kathmandu, 2005, pp. 1-39, 119-134.
[Note: Skim through the chapter, “Low Caste Women’s Artisan and Domestic Work,” in order to understand how ethnographic methods used in the research project has helped arrive at the analysis presented in the chapter.]
Onta, Pratyoush, “Creating a Brave Nepali Nation in British India: The Rhetoric of Jāti Improvement, Rediscovery of Bhanubhakta and the Writing of Bīr History,” in Studies in Nepali History and Society, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1996, pp. 37-76.
[Note: Read pages 37-54 thoroughly to understand the principles of historiography, and skim through the remaining pages to understand how through archival research Onta has been able to trace the making of Bhanubhkta a national icon of the Nepali nation.]
Week 4: Critical Theory, Feminist Methods, Marxist Analysis [two weeks or 3 classes]
Required Readings
Harvey, David L., “Introduction,” Sociological Perspectives, Vol. 33, No. 1, Spring 1990, pp. 1-10.
Cancian, Francesca M., “Feminist Science: Methodologies that Challenge Inequality,” in Gender and Society, Vol. 6, No. 4, December 1992, pp. 623-642.
Lafferty, George, “Class, Politics and Social Theory: The Possibilities in Marxist Analysis,” in Critical Sociology, Vol. 22, No. 2, 1996, pp. 51-65.
Blaikie, Piers et. al., “Centre and Periphery”, in Nepal in Crisis: Growth and Stagnation at the Periphery, Adroit Publishers, Delhi, 2007, pp.72-94.
Assignment: Reflection Paper comparing the five methodological approaches (i.e., Ethnography, Historiography, Critical Theory, Feminist Methods and Marxist Analysis) is due on 1st Class of Week 6
PART II: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Week 5: Unobtrusive Methods: Survey Research and Experimental Research
Required Readings
Neuman, W. Lawrence, “Chapter 10: Survey Research,” in Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 263-305.
Neuman, W. Lawrence, “Chapter 9: Experimental Research,” in Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 237-258.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 7: Producing Data: Sampling,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 175-190.
Central Bureau of Statistics, “Chapter One: Methodology,” in Nepal Living Standards Survey 2003/04: Statistical Report, Volume 1, Central Bureau of Statistics, Kathmandu, 2004, pp. 1-17.
Week 6: Analyzing, Exploring and Summarizing Quantitative Data: Part I
Required Readings
Neuman, W. Lawrence, “Chapter 12: Analysis of Quantitative Data,” in Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 331-360.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 1: Picturing Distributions with Graphs,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 3-21.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 2: Describing Distributions with Numbers,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 32-48.
Assignment: Basic Statistical Analysis of Census Data using Technology is due on 1st Class of Week 9
Week 7: Analyzing, Exploring and Summarizing Quantitative Data: Part II
Required Readings
Moore, David S., “Chapter 3: The Normal Distributions,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 56-74.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 4: Scatterplots and Correlation,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 79-94.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 5: Regression,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 104-107, 110-112 and 119-124.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 13: Confidence Intervals: The Basics,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 320-332.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 14: Tests of Significance: The Basics,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 340-359.
[Note: The readings for this week deal with advanced statistical analysis. While we will not have time in class to go through all these materials in depth, the purpose here is to introduce students to issues of statistical inference and less so on their application.]
Week 8: Questionnaire Design, Constructing Reliability and Measuring Validity
Required Readings
Fowler Jr., Floyd J., “Designing Questions to be Good Measures,” in Survey Research Methods (3rd edition), Sage Publications, New Delhi, 2002, pp. 69-93.
Ruane, Janet M., “Some Perfectly Valid Points: Measurement, Internal, and External Validity,” in Essentials of Research Methods: A Guide to Social Science Research, Blackwell Publishing, Malden (Mass.), 2005, pp. 32-45.
Glewwe, Paul, “Chapter 3: An Overview of Questionnaire Design for Household Surveys in Developing Countries,” extracted from Household Sample Surveys in Developing and Transitional Countries (Studies in Methods, Series F No. 96), United Nations, New York, 2005, 19 pages.
PART III: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Week 9: Introduction to Qualitative Methods
Required Readings
McIntyre, Lisa, “Chapter 12: Qualitative Research Methods,” in Need to Know: Social Science Research Methods, McGraw Hill, New York, 2005, pp. 206-230.
Varshney, Ashutosh, “Ethnic Conflict and Civil Society: India and Beyond,” in World Politics, Vol. 53, No. 3, April 2001, pp. 362-398.
Week 10: Methods of Collecting Qualitative Data: Field Research, Interviews, Participant Observation
Required Readings
Neuman, W. Lawrence, “Chapter 13: Field Research,” in Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 363-400.
Gerson, Kathleen and Ruth Horowitz, “Observation and Interviewing: Options and Choices in Qualitative Research,” in Tim May (ed.), Qualitative Research in Action, Sage Publications, London, pp. 199-224.
Liechty, Mark, “Chapter 3: Middle-Class Consciousness: ‘Hanging Between the High and the Low’,” in Suitably Modern: Making Middle-Class Culture in Kathmandu, Martin Chautari, Kathmandu, 2003, pp. 61-86.
Week 11: Doing Qualitative Research: Oral Histories, Case Study, Action Research
Shacklock, Geoff and Laurie Thorp, “Chapter 18: Life History and Narrative Approaches,” in Bridget Somekh and Cathy Lewin (eds.), Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Vistaar Publications, New Delhi, 2005, pp. 156-163.
Stark, Sheila and Harry Torrance, “Chapter 3: Case Study,” in Bridget Somekh and Cathy Lewin (eds.), Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Vistaar Publications, New Delhi, 2005, pp. 33-40.
Noffke, Susan and Bridget Somekh, “Chapter 10: Action Research,” in Bridget Somekh and Cathy Lewin (eds.), Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Vistaar Publications, New Delhi, 2005, pp. 89-96.
Banjade, Mani R. et. al., “Action Research Experience on Democratising Knowledge in Community Forestry in Nepal,” in Ram B. Chhetri et. al. (eds.), Knowledge Systems and Natural Resources: Management, Policy and Institutions in Nepal, Foundation Books and International Development Research Centre, New Delhi, 2007, pp. 110-134.
Week 12: Doing Qualitative Research: Focus Group Discussions, Content/Textual Analysis
Required Readings
Berg, Bruce L., “Introduction to Content Analysis,” in Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 1989, pp. 105-127.
Barbour, Rosaline S. and John Schostak, “Chapter 4: Interviewing and Focus Groups,” in Bridget Somekh and Cathy Lewin (eds.), Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Vistaar Publications, New Delhi, 2005, pp. 41-48.
Ahearn, Laura M., “Meeting by Way of a Letter: Shila Devi and Vajra Bahadur’s Courtship,” in Invitations to Love: Literacy, Love Letters, and Social Change in Nepal, Adarsh Books, Delhi, 2004, pp. 119-145.
Assignment: Application of research tool, fieldnotes, and writing memos is due on 1st Class of Week 14
Week 13: Gathering and Analyzing Qualitative Data
Required Readings
Altrichter, Herbert and Mary Louise Holly, “Chapter 2: Research Diaries,” in Bridget Somekh and Cathy Lewin (eds.), Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Vistaar Publications, New Delhi, 2005, pp. 24-32.
Emerson, Robert M. et. al., “Chapter 1: Fieldnotes in Ethnographic Research,” in Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1995, pp. 1-16.
Emerson, Robert M. et. al., “Chapter 4: Writing Up Fieldnotes II, Creating Scenes on the Page,” in Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1995, pp. 66-107.
Neuman, Lawrence W., “Chapter 15: Analysis of Qualitative Data,” Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 438-467.
Pettigrew, Judith, “Living between the Maoists and the Army in Rural Nepal,” in Michael Hutt (ed.), Himalayan ‘People’s War’: Nepal’s Maoist Rebellion, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 2004, pp. 261-283.
Additional Readings
Emerson, Robert M. et. al., Chapters 6 and 7, in Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1995, pp. 142-168 and 169-210.
Week 14: Ethics and Social Science Research
Required Readings
Punch, Maurice, “Politics and Ethics in Qualitative Research,” in Norman Denzin and Yvonna Lincoln (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research (1st Edition), Sage Publications, California, 1994, p. 83-97.
Neuman, W. Lawrence, “Appendix A: American Sociological Association Code of Ethics,” in Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 501-512.
Ortner, Sherry, “Chapter 1: Beginning,” in Life and Death on Mt. Everest: Sherpas and Himalayan Mountaineering,” Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2000, pp. 3-25.
Charles Helm and Mario Morelli, “Stanley Milgram and the Obedience Experiment: Authority, Legitimacy, and Human Action,” in Political Theory, Vol. 7, No. 3, August 1979, pp. 321-345.
Week 4: Critical Theory, Feminist Methods, Marxist Analysis [two weeks or 3 classes]
Required Readings
Harvey, David L., “Introduction,” Sociological Perspectives, Vol. 33, No. 1, Spring 1990, pp. 1-10.
Cancian, Francesca M., “Feminist Science: Methodologies that Challenge Inequality,” in Gender and Society, Vol. 6, No. 4, December 1992, pp. 623-642.
Lafferty, George, “Class, Politics and Social Theory: The Possibilities in Marxist Analysis,” in Critical Sociology, Vol. 22, No. 2, 1996, pp. 51-65.
Blaikie, Piers et. al., “Centre and Periphery”, in Nepal in Crisis: Growth and Stagnation at the Periphery, Adroit Publishers, Delhi, 2007, pp.72-94.
Assignment: Reflection Paper comparing the five methodological approaches (i.e., Ethnography, Historiography, Critical Theory, Feminist Methods and Marxist Analysis) is due on 1st Class of Week 6
PART II: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Week 5: Unobtrusive Methods: Survey Research and Experimental Research
Required Readings
Neuman, W. Lawrence, “Chapter 10: Survey Research,” in Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 263-305.
Neuman, W. Lawrence, “Chapter 9: Experimental Research,” in Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 237-258.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 7: Producing Data: Sampling,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 175-190.
Central Bureau of Statistics, “Chapter One: Methodology,” in Nepal Living Standards Survey 2003/04: Statistical Report, Volume 1, Central Bureau of Statistics, Kathmandu, 2004, pp. 1-17.
Week 6: Analyzing, Exploring and Summarizing Quantitative Data: Part I
Required Readings
Neuman, W. Lawrence, “Chapter 12: Analysis of Quantitative Data,” in Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 331-360.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 1: Picturing Distributions with Graphs,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 3-21.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 2: Describing Distributions with Numbers,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 32-48.
Assignment: Basic Statistical Analysis of Census Data using Technology is due on 1st Class of Week 9
Week 7: Analyzing, Exploring and Summarizing Quantitative Data: Part II
Required Readings
Moore, David S., “Chapter 3: The Normal Distributions,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 56-74.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 4: Scatterplots and Correlation,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 79-94.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 5: Regression,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 104-107, 110-112 and 119-124.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 13: Confidence Intervals: The Basics,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 320-332.
Moore, David S., “Chapter 14: Tests of Significance: The Basics,” in The Basic Practice of Statistics (3rd Edition), W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 2004, pp. 340-359.
[Note: The readings for this week deal with advanced statistical analysis. While we will not have time in class to go through all these materials in depth, the purpose here is to introduce students to issues of statistical inference and less so on their application.]
Week 8: Questionnaire Design, Constructing Reliability and Measuring Validity
Required Readings
Fowler Jr., Floyd J., “Designing Questions to be Good Measures,” in Survey Research Methods (3rd edition), Sage Publications, New Delhi, 2002, pp. 69-93.
Ruane, Janet M., “Some Perfectly Valid Points: Measurement, Internal, and External Validity,” in Essentials of Research Methods: A Guide to Social Science Research, Blackwell Publishing, Malden (Mass.), 2005, pp. 32-45.
Glewwe, Paul, “Chapter 3: An Overview of Questionnaire Design for Household Surveys in Developing Countries,” extracted from Household Sample Surveys in Developing and Transitional Countries (Studies in Methods, Series F No. 96), United Nations, New York, 2005, 19 pages.
PART III: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS
Week 9: Introduction to Qualitative Methods
Required Readings
McIntyre, Lisa, “Chapter 12: Qualitative Research Methods,” in Need to Know: Social Science Research Methods, McGraw Hill, New York, 2005, pp. 206-230.
Varshney, Ashutosh, “Ethnic Conflict and Civil Society: India and Beyond,” in World Politics, Vol. 53, No. 3, April 2001, pp. 362-398.
Week 10: Methods of Collecting Qualitative Data: Field Research, Interviews, Participant Observation
Required Readings
Neuman, W. Lawrence, “Chapter 13: Field Research,” in Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 363-400.
Gerson, Kathleen and Ruth Horowitz, “Observation and Interviewing: Options and Choices in Qualitative Research,” in Tim May (ed.), Qualitative Research in Action, Sage Publications, London, pp. 199-224.
Liechty, Mark, “Chapter 3: Middle-Class Consciousness: ‘Hanging Between the High and the Low’,” in Suitably Modern: Making Middle-Class Culture in Kathmandu, Martin Chautari, Kathmandu, 2003, pp. 61-86.
Week 11: Doing Qualitative Research: Oral Histories, Case Study, Action Research
Shacklock, Geoff and Laurie Thorp, “Chapter 18: Life History and Narrative Approaches,” in Bridget Somekh and Cathy Lewin (eds.), Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Vistaar Publications, New Delhi, 2005, pp. 156-163.
Stark, Sheila and Harry Torrance, “Chapter 3: Case Study,” in Bridget Somekh and Cathy Lewin (eds.), Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Vistaar Publications, New Delhi, 2005, pp. 33-40.
Noffke, Susan and Bridget Somekh, “Chapter 10: Action Research,” in Bridget Somekh and Cathy Lewin (eds.), Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Vistaar Publications, New Delhi, 2005, pp. 89-96.
Banjade, Mani R. et. al., “Action Research Experience on Democratising Knowledge in Community Forestry in Nepal,” in Ram B. Chhetri et. al. (eds.), Knowledge Systems and Natural Resources: Management, Policy and Institutions in Nepal, Foundation Books and International Development Research Centre, New Delhi, 2007, pp. 110-134.
Week 12: Doing Qualitative Research: Focus Group Discussions, Content/Textual Analysis
Required Readings
Berg, Bruce L., “Introduction to Content Analysis,” in Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 1989, pp. 105-127.
Barbour, Rosaline S. and John Schostak, “Chapter 4: Interviewing and Focus Groups,” in Bridget Somekh and Cathy Lewin (eds.), Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Vistaar Publications, New Delhi, 2005, pp. 41-48.
Ahearn, Laura M., “Meeting by Way of a Letter: Shila Devi and Vajra Bahadur’s Courtship,” in Invitations to Love: Literacy, Love Letters, and Social Change in Nepal, Adarsh Books, Delhi, 2004, pp. 119-145.
Assignment: Application of research tool, fieldnotes, and writing memos is due on 1st Class of Week 14
Week 13: Gathering and Analyzing Qualitative Data
Required Readings
Altrichter, Herbert and Mary Louise Holly, “Chapter 2: Research Diaries,” in Bridget Somekh and Cathy Lewin (eds.), Research Methods in the Social Sciences, Vistaar Publications, New Delhi, 2005, pp. 24-32.
Emerson, Robert M. et. al., “Chapter 1: Fieldnotes in Ethnographic Research,” in Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1995, pp. 1-16.
Emerson, Robert M. et. al., “Chapter 4: Writing Up Fieldnotes II, Creating Scenes on the Page,” in Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1995, pp. 66-107.
Neuman, Lawrence W., “Chapter 15: Analysis of Qualitative Data,” Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 438-467.
Pettigrew, Judith, “Living between the Maoists and the Army in Rural Nepal,” in Michael Hutt (ed.), Himalayan ‘People’s War’: Nepal’s Maoist Rebellion, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 2004, pp. 261-283.
Additional Readings
Emerson, Robert M. et. al., Chapters 6 and 7, in Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1995, pp. 142-168 and 169-210.
Week 14: Ethics and Social Science Research
Required Readings
Punch, Maurice, “Politics and Ethics in Qualitative Research,” in Norman Denzin and Yvonna Lincoln (eds.), Handbook of Qualitative Research (1st Edition), Sage Publications, California, 1994, p. 83-97.
Neuman, W. Lawrence, “Appendix A: American Sociological Association Code of Ethics,” in Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, 2003, pp. 501-512.
Ortner, Sherry, “Chapter 1: Beginning,” in Life and Death on Mt. Everest: Sherpas and Himalayan Mountaineering,” Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 2000, pp. 3-25.
Charles Helm and Mario Morelli, “Stanley Milgram and the Obedience Experiment: Authority, Legitimacy, and Human Action,” in Political Theory, Vol. 7, No. 3, August 1979, pp. 321-345.