Psychology 306

Qualitative Methods

Instructor: Michael Bamberg < mbamberg@clarku.edu >

Office: JC 316 ------ voice mail: 793-7135

 

[provisional schedule <comments welcome>]

 

FALL SEMESTER 1998 — Mo 12:00 noon - 2:25 pm

JC 343

 

<To place orders for Silverman (1997) and Tracy (1997) with the bookstore, please inform the Admin. Asst. in Psychology (Pat Pulda) by August 1st (at the very latest) of your interest in participating. — In addition, schedule + readings are provisional; if you have any suggestions re other topics + readings, please inform the instructor, and watch the syllabus developing on his web page <www.clarku.edu/~mbamberg/psychology306.html>

GENERAL GOALS / AIMS:

-- to give an overall overview of post-positivist methodological/theoretical developments

-- with central emphasis on discourse and narrative analysis

 

Classes will consist of two components: (a) discussion of assigned readings <heavy!>, and (b) discussion of data <light!>. The data will consist <initially> of ‘colloquium data’, giving the opportunity <toward the end of the semester> to bring in and discuss students’ own data from their own <ongoing> projects.

 

BOOKS used in class as text books:

Silverman, D. (1997) (Ed.). Qualitative research. Theory, method and practice. London, England: Sage Publications.

Tracy, K. (1997). Colloquium: Dilemma of academic discourse. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Company.

 

Supplemented with selected chapters from:

Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y.S. (1994). Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. (Chapters 6, 7, 22, 26, 29, 32, and a new manuscript for the forthcoming Handbook by Bill Tierney):

Clandinin, D.J. & Connelly, F.M (1994). Personal experience methods. In Denzin & Lincoln, 1994, pp. 413-427. <chapter 26>

Guba, E,G. & Lincoln, Y.S. (1994). Competing paradigms in qualitative research. In Denzin & Lincoln, 1994, pp. 105-117. <chapter 6>

Fontana, A. & Frey, J.H. (1994). Interviewing: The art of science. In Denzin & Lincoln, 1994, pp. 361-376. <chapter 22>

Manning, P.K. & Cullum-Swan (1994). Narrative, content, and semiotic analysis. In Denzin & Lincoln, 1994, pp. 463-477. <chapter 29>

Richardson, L. (1994). Writing: A method of inquiry. In Denzin & Lincoln, 1994, pp. 516-529. <chapter 32>

Schwandt, T.A. (1994). Constructivist, interpretive approaches to human inquiry. In Denzin & Lincoln, 1994, pp. 118-137. <chapter 7>

Tierney, W.G. (forthcoming). Undaunted courage: Life History and the postmodern challenge. In Denzin & Lincoln, forthcoming <new edition of handbook>.

 

Supplemented by the following articles / chapters:

Bamberg, M. (1997). Positioning between structure and performance. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 7(1-4), 335-342.

Bamberg, M. & Damrad-Frye, R. (1991). On the ability to provide evaluative comments: Further explorations of children’s narrative competencies. Journal of Child Language, 18, 689-710.

Bamberg, M. (In preparation). Methodology and transcription.

Berg, B.L. (1998). Qualitative research methods for the social sciences. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. <chapter 5: "Focus Group Interviewing"> (pp. 100-119)

Bochner, A.P. (1997). It’s about time: Narrative and the divided self. Qualitative Inquiry, 3, 418-438.

Buttny, Richard (1993). Social accountability in communication. London, England: Sage Publications. <chapter 4: "Account analysis: Methods and methodological issues"; chapter 5: "Blame-accounts sequences in couple therapy"; chapter 6: "Discursive affect in situations of social accountability"> (pp. 53-104)

Daiute, C. & Nelson. K. (1997). Making sense of the sense making function of narrative evaluation. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 7(1-4), 207-215 <click here for web version of paper>

Labov, W. (1997). Some further steps in narrative analysis. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 7(1-4), 395-415

Labov, W. & Waletzky, J. (1997/1967). Narrative analysis: Oral versions of personal experience. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 7(1-4), 3-38. <click here for web version of paper>

Miller, P.J. (1996). Instantiating culture through discourse practices: Some personal reflections on socialization and how to study it. In R. Jessor, A. Colby, & R.A. Shweder (Eds.), Ethnography and human development. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Mishler, E.G. (1986). The analysis of interview narratives. In T. Sarbin (Ed.), Narrative psychology: The storied nature of human conduct (pp. 233-255). New York: Praeger.

Mishler, E.G. (1995). Models of narrative analysis: A typology. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 5, 87-123.

Schiffrin, D. Stories in answer to questions in research interviews. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 7(1-4), 129-137.

Silverman, D. & Atkinson, P. (1997). Kundera’s immortality: The interview society and the invention of self. Qualitative Inquiry, 3,

Talbot, J., Bibace, R., Bokhour, B., & Bamberg, M. (1996). Affirmation and resistance of dominant discourses: The rhetorical construction of pregnancy. Journal of Narrative and Life History, 6, 225-251. <click here for web version of paper>

 

Tentative Schedule (for Fall Semester 1998)

week 1 Introduction; watching colloquium video

- Guba & Lincoln (1994), Schwandt (1994)

week 2 Observation

- Silverman (1997) chapters 2 & 3

- Tracy (1997) chapter 1

- continuing discussion of colloquium video

week 3 Texts + Transcription

- Silverman (1997) chapters 4, 5 & 6

- Clandinin & Connelly (1994), Bamberg (in preparation)

- Tracy (1997) Part I <chapters 2-5>

week 4 Discourse Analysis: Audio and Video

- Silverman (1997) chapters 10, 11 & 12

- Tracy (1997) Part II <chapters <6-9>

week 5 + 6 Interviewing

- Silverman (1997) chapters 7, 8 & 9

- Fontana (1994)

- Tracy (1997) Part III <chapters 10 & 11>

week 7 Focus Group Interviewing

- Berg (1998) chapter 5

- discussing video data

week 8 - 10 Narrative Analysis

- Labov & Waletzky (1997/1967), Labov (1997)

- Mishler (1986, 1995)

- Manning & Cullum-Swan (1994)

- Daiute & Nelson (1997), Bamberg & Damrad (1991)

- Buttney (1993), Talbot et al. (1996), Bamberg (1997)

- Silverman & Atkinson (1997)

week 11 Presenting Qualitative Research + Alternative Writing

- Richardon (1994), Bochner (1997), Miller (1996)

week 12-13 Projects Discussions

- catching up on the HEAVY schedule <above>

- discussing students’ and instructor’s ongoing research projects

week 14 Wrap Up Session

 

Instructor: Michael Bamberg mbamberg@clarku.edu

 

Psych 306 is following up on Psych 107 <"Interpretive Psychology">

which is taught on a semester basis to all majoring Psychology undergraduate students

<<see also related Psychology courses: Psych 210, 214, 253>>