410.690.01 ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELDWORK

Introduces students to the practice of qualitative research, including the design and conduct of a qualitative research study. Covers theoretical concepts and methods used in ethnographic and other types of qualitative research. Students design and conduct hands-on fieldwork projects in Baltimore. Classroom sessions include lectures, discussion, and intensive group work related to the fieldwork projects.

By the end of the semester-long course students should be able to: 1) formulate research questions that probe the connections between the public's health and the social worlds in which individuals and institutions are situated; 2) discuss some of the major concepts and theoretical developments that have shaped 'qualitative' and ethnographic inquiry from the mid-20th century to the present; 3) describe and use multiple methods for the collection and interpretation of 'qualitative' or ethnographic data; 4) articulate the relative appropriateness of different types of data and methods of data collection and analysis for a particular 'qualitative' or ethnographic study; 5) manage different sources of textual data collected in the course of a fieldwork project; and 6) critically read and evaluate archival materials and other 'qualitative' and ethnographic texts.