Course Syllabus
Contact Information
Course Details
This eight-week course tackles the fascinating but difficult task of learning to conduct and evaluate good qualitative research. The course adds to your earlier course work concerning research statements by helping you put them in a philosophical/theoretical perspective. Out of this exercise, no doubt a good problem statement will arise, including purpose, significance of the study, and research questions. Without a problem, there is no real justification for conducting the study. We will review a bit of material concerning literature reviews and interpretive lenses. Then the course focuses largely on five popular qualitative methodologies, phenomenology, case study, ethnography, critical social science, and grounded theory, methodology/methods that you can use to gather and analyze data, resulting in an answer to your research question. To that end, you will learn about all of the methodologies but are asked to become a quasi-expert in one. You will receive help from sample articles listed in the required course materials section of this syllabus when completing all of your assignments. Bring them to class when they are due, so we can refer to them in class discussions.
Course Format
Primarily, the course is online. We will have a one-hour live Zoom video meeting scheduled each Tuesday from 7-8 p . m . C entral T ime . It is crucial that you attend each session. This is a cumulative class ; it is important to stay on top of weekly content as the course will move quickly over eight weeks. Each week we will cover one module. After our Zoom meeting you should be poised to move into the uploaded material for that module and complete the assignment.
Course Materials
All required course materials will be available in the rel evant modules in Canvas.
Course Goals
- Collect a certificate stating a student has successfully passed the CITI education requirements through OU’s Institutional Review Board (IRB). Should students wish to present or publish, they should fill out a complete IRB proposal form.
- Increasingly understand qualitative research, read assigned parts of selected class material and/or PowerPoints and post responses to assignments regarding in the appropriate unit assignments.
- Bring discussion assignments to class for possible discussion.
- Know and apply the five parts of a research project.
- Demonstrate the difference between a theoretical lens and a literature review and how they are used in qualitative research.
- Produce a paper dealing with problem/purpose/question/significance of a study. Also, uses of theory are then introduced in this paper.
- Develop a knowledge of five qualitative research methodologies.
- Note the various interview types and how they conform to a particular paradigm’s philosophical assumptions.
- Identify multiple primary sources of data suitable to interrogate and therefore answer a project’s research question.
- Write a paper that may stem from the earlier paper but deals primarily with methodology/methods and an explanation of what philosophical paradigm seems best to describe your work.
- Improve writing skills.
- Provide meaningful insights regarding fellow students’ work.
Grades
Breakdown
This is a letter-graded course: A, B, C, D, or F. Students will be graded on:
| Activity | Points |
|---|---|
| Live Session participation (8 sessions x 10 points each) | 80 |
| Dissertation Problem Statement & Theory Analysis | 30 |
| Burk Interview Analysis | 25 |
| Paper 1: Problem Statement/Theory Assignment | 100 |
| Ethnography Artifact | 25 |
| Narrative Inquiry Summary | 25 |
| Grounded Theory Article Section | 25 |
| Paper 2: Methodology/Methods & Philosophical Paradigm Paper | 100 |
| Total Points | 410 |
Scale
| Points | Letter Grade |
|---|---|
| 369 – 410 | A |
| 328 –368 | B |
| 287 – 327 | C |
| 246 –286 | D |
| 245 and below | F |
Course Components
Problem Statement/Theory P aper
Launching the first paper consists of a problem statement, research question, purpose, and significance of the study. Also, include background to the study and some sort of relationship to theory, such as a literature review (about 10 pages).
Methodology and Philosophical Paradigms Paper
Summarize your earlier paper and then go into a detailed methodology/methods section. Follow the samples presented in this syllabus for the detail that is involved in this draft. Conclude with a discussion of philosophical paradigms and then go on to explain which one best guided your study (10 pages). Look back at Unit one and break down the ontology, epistemology, and axiology of your paper. Write a conclusion paragraph.
Participation
Live Sessions are required. Each week will list the information including the zoom link for how to join the class. Please have your cameras and sound turned on for the class sessions. Contact me via email if you have issues. Unless otherwise excused, missing class will lower your grade at my discretion.
Course Policies
Communication
Primarily, the course is online. We will have a one-hour Zoom video meeting scheduled each Tuesday from 7-8 p.m. Central Time where we will discuss the assignments. This is an excellent opportunity to communicate with others and ask questions. Attendance is mandatory and will based on active participation. I will have an agenda but welcome your input on subjects I may have overlooked. Also, rely on colleagues in Zoom sessions and an online discussion board to help each other through the course.
Late Policy
Assignment due dates are listed above. The course website has specific instructions on how to complete them. And, of course, we will deal with any questions or issues concerning them in our Zoom sessions. Should you need more time, please contact me three days in advance, and we can negotiate a new due date. You will lose no points for excused late work but will forfeit 10 points for each component of the assignment if you do not contact me.
Discussion Board
Please communicate with other students on the discussion board. There is no specific way to do this. Just be respectful.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Course Catalog
Search the OU Course Catalog .
Student Handbook
Please familiarize yourself with the OU Student Handbook.
Online Library
Access digital materials and other resources at OU Libraries .
Academic Misconduct
In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook.
It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the definitions, policies, and procedures concerning academic misconduct. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and is contained in the Student's Guide to Academic Integrity .
This site also defines misconduct, provides examples of prohibited conduct, and explains the sanctions available for those found guilty of misconduct.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding in the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism.
For more information about plagiarism, watch this video and then take this short course offered by University Libraries.
Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities
The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course should contact their professor as early in the semester as possible.
Students with disabilities must be registered with the Disability Resource Center before receiving accommodations in this course.
If you have a disability and you would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation, please see the Graduate Student Handbook or get in touch with the Accessibility and Disability Resource Center .
Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues
Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your options. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Learn more about the rights of pregnant and parenting students by consulting the FAQ sheets provided by the Institutional Equity Office .
Title IX Resources
For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24/7, counseling services, mutual no-contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office at 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates at 405-615-0013 (24/7) to learn more or to report an incident.
Religious Holidays
It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays without penalty. It is the responsibility of the student to make alternate arrangements with the instructor at least one week prior to the actual date of the religious holiday.
Copyright Policy
It is illegal to download, upload, reproduce, or distribute any copyrighted material, in any form and in any fashion, without permission from the copyright holder or his/her authorized agent. The University of Oklahoma expects all members of its community to comply fully with federal copyright laws. If such laws appear to have been violated by any user, the university reserves the right (1) to terminate that user’s access to some or all of the university’s computer systems and information resources and (2) to take additional disciplinary actions as deemed necessary or appropriate. Repeat offenders will be sanctioned and their privileges terminated.
Registration and Withdrawal
If you choose to withdraw from this course, you must complete the appropriate University form and turn the form in before the deadline. If you stop attending the course and doing the coursework without doing the required paperwork, your grade will be calculated with missed homework and examination grades entered as zero. This could result in receiving a grade of F in the course. Deadlines are shown in the Academic Calendar , which is available from the Office of the Registrar.
Student Grievances
In addition to any policies outlined related to submitting an informal or formal grievance by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook for more information about the process of submitting a formal grievance.
Course Calendar
| Date | Topics | To Read, Watch & Due | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Module 1 |
Philosophical Paradigms |
Read: Pragmatism, critical social science, post-positivism, and interpretive/constructive paradigms |
Introduction Discussion Board |
|
Module 2 |
Understanding the role of theoretical lenses, frameworks, and literature reviews |
Read: Five Parts of a Study (PPT) Read: Vasquez (2010); Lopez & Vaughn (2015) and Collier, Phillips & Iedema (2015).
|
Problem statement and theory assignment (due Sun.) |
|
Module 3 |
Phenomenology |
Read: Interview (PPT). Read: parts of Alexander (2013) and Gammil (2016). |
Burk interview analysis (due Sun.) |
|
Module 4 |
Case study |
Re-read: Interview (PPT). Read: Coding and Theming (PPT) Read: Cate, Vaughn & O’Hair (2016). |
Problem statement/Theory paper (due Sun.)
|
|
Module 5 |
Ethnography |
Read: Guell, Shefer, Griffin & Ogilvie (2016) and Collier, Phillips & Iedema (2015). |
Artifact assignment (due Sunday) |
|
Module 6 |
Narrative inquiry |
Read: Wilbur (2009) |
Narrative inquiry summary (due Sun.) |
|
Module 7 |
Grounded theory |
Read: Sbaraini, Carter, Evans & Blinkhorn (2011). Read: Oliver (2011) |
Grounded theory article selection (due Sun.) |
|
Week 8 |
Tying the bow |
Work on the second paper and prepare for class discussion. |
Second paper (due Sun.) |
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|