Geography 575: Qualitative Methods in Geography
Professor Michael Brown (he/him) 303e Smith Hall. Office hours: by email appointment
This course is a graduate seminar that introduces a range of qualitative methods and analyses from a social-science perspective. It pays particular attention to those techniques with Human Geography.
Course Objectives:
- To Introduce you to philosophy, ethics, and mechanics of knowledge production using qualitative methods
- To Explore different forms of qualitative data and its collection
- To Chronicle how Geographers, in particular, have used a variety of qualitative methods
- To Learn how to code and analyze qualitative data.
- To Apply what you have learned in this class to your current or prospective research.
Schedule:
Seminar will be Thursday afternoons 11:30-2:20 in Smith 409.
Assessment:
Paper (35%): For your final paper you may go broad or deep, but overall I ask that you reflect on what you have learned in this class, and build on it to use in your own (proposed) research. Broadly, you may consider each module's content and critically review how its lessons may or may not be useful for your own thesis or dissertation. Deeply, you may choose one of the modes of data collection and write up the methodology section of a research proposal. You may draw in other relevant works that go beyond or actually use the mode you choose.
Please submit a paper not longer than 12 pages, including references. The body of the paper should be double-spaced with a standard font and margins. The references can be single spaced. You may use whatever citation style you wish, so long as it is complete and consistent.
Weekly Journal (45%): Please provide a brief (not more than 2pp. double spaced) summary and reaction to the week's readings. Upload your journal before 11:59pm the Wednesday night before seminar. These will help me understand your reaction to the readings and guide discussion in seminars.
Engagement (20%): This includes regular attendance, participation in class discussions and debates in relevant and helpful ways to the intellectual community, and creating an environment of mutual support and education.
Topics
- General Introduction
- Philosophy and History
- Ethics & Politics
- Content and Discourse Analysis
- Archival Research
- Qualitative Interviewing
- Ethnography, Participant Observation
- Visual and Creative Methods
9 & 10. Processing, Coding, and Analysis
Readings: All readings should be available in Canvas. Please let me know asap if there is any issue. The HAY and ROS texts are available at the bookstore. Instructions for each week's readings can be found in the "Reading Instructions" page at the top of each module. Generally speaking, I ask you to read at least five (5) pieces for class and journal. If you would like to read something else for that week (or in addition to the listed readings), please let me know as soon as possible, and send me a copy of the piece. Readings will be drawn from the following texts:
DEL: deLyser, Dydia; Herbert, Steven; Aitken, Stuart; Crang, Mike; McDowell, Linda 2010 The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Geography (London: Sage).
EME: Emerson, Robert; Fretz, Rachel; Shaw, Linda (2011) Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, 2nd edition, (Chicago: UC Press).
GLA: Glaser, Barney; Strauss, Anselem (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory (New York: Aldine de Gruyter).
HAY: Hay, Ian; Cope Megan eds. (2016) Qualitative Research Methods in Human Geography, 4th edition, (Don Mills: Oxford).
HEN: Hennick, Monique; Hutter, Inge; Bailey, Ajay (2020) Qualitative Research Methods, 2nd edition, (London: Sage)
HNN: Henn, Sebastian, Migglebrink, Judith, Horschelmann, Kathrin 2022 Research Ethics in Human Geography (New York: Routledge).
KOV: Kovach, Margaret (2021) Indigenous Methodologies: Characteristics, Conversations, & Contexts 2nd edition, (Toronto: U of T Press).
LOV: Lovell, Sarah, Cohen Stephanie, Rosenberg, Mark; (2023) The Routledge Handbook of Methodologies in Human Geography (London: Sage).
MIL: Miles, Matthew; Huberman A. Michael; Saldana, Johnna (2020) Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook 4th edition (London: Sage).
ROS: Rose, Gillian (2016) Visual Methodologies, 2nd edition (London: Sage).
ROU: Roulston, Kathryn; Demarrais, Kathleen (2021) Exploring the Archives: A Beginners Guide for Qualitative Researchers (Gorham, ME: Myers Education Press).
STR: Strauss, Anselem; Corbin, Juliet (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research (London: Sage).
TRA: Tracy, Sarah 2020 Qualitative Research Methods, 2nd Edition (Hoboken: Wiley).
VON: Von Denzon; Holton, Mark; Wilkinson, Catherine; Wilkinson, Samantha (2021) Creative Methods for Human Geographers (London: Sage).