QUALITATIVE AND MULTI-METHOD RESEARCH SHORT COURSES AT APSA 2012

The Qualitative and Multi-method Research Section will co-sponsor two short courses at the APSA annual meeting in New Orleans: SC1 Multi-Method Research; and SC2 Designing and Conducting Field Research. The descriptions follow below.

Short Course 1: Multi-Method Research

Co-Sponsors: Qualitative and Multi-Method Research Section and International History and Politics Section

Instructors: David Collier, University of California, Berkeley; Thad Dunning, Yale University; Jason Seawright, Northwestern University; Sheryl Zaks, University of California,

Wednesday, Aug 29, 2011, 9:00 AM-1:00 PM

Attention has increasingly focused on how qualitative methods can be linked to other analytic tools, including large-N quantitative analysis and formal modeling. To this end, methodologists have urged scholars to "nest" their case studies within small- to medium-N comparisons, and/or within large-N quantitative analysis. Given that many political scientists are now convinced that good research necessarily employs multiple methodologies, how can different approaches be combined to maximize analytic leverage? How useful are alternative multi-method strategies? Is it sometimes better to stick with one method, and to focus on using it with great skill? This short course explores alternative strategies and examples of multi-method research, with the goal of addressing these questions.

Short Course 2: Designing and Conducting Field Research

Co-Sponsors: Qualitative and Multi-Method Research Section and International History and Politics Section

Instructors: Diana Kapiszewski, University of California at Irvine, dianakap@uci.edu; Naomi Levy, Santa Clara University, nlevy@scu.edu  

Wednesday, Aug 29, 2011, 2:00 PM-6:00 PM (with optional discussion section to follow)

This short course addresses a variety of field methods and data collection techniques, and aims to help scholars hone their empirical research skills. Two foundational premises of the course are that fieldwork "begins" long before one enters the field, and that the way fieldwork is carried out can have important ramifications for data-analysis and theory-generation. We will begin by examining different "varieties" of fieldwork and exploring how research design and fieldwork intersect -- since planning for the effective use of field methods and the efficient collection of data are crucial aspects of overall research design. The bulk of the course will focus on preparing for field research, including both logistical and intellectual planning; and conducting field research, including both conversational (interviewing, oral histories, and focus groups) and non-conversational (using archival sources, collecting documents and ephemera, and ethnographic study) forms of data collection. Finally, we will discuss challenges involved in managing, analyzing, and evaluating data both in and out of the field. Although field methods are usually associated with “studying politics abroad,” we discuss techniques that may be applied inside and outside the U.S. The course will include several hands-on activities.

Scholars typically initiate their projects by mapping out their analytic questions, thinking about how they will measure their variables and what evidence they will need to support their claims, and beginning to identify potential sources for the data they hope to collect. Yet even if the research is well planned and adequately funded, obstacles can arise. Key respondents may be unhelpful or unavailable. Valuable archives and other collections of primary materials may be accessible only on a limited basis or may be poorly organized. Data necessary for constructing sampling frames for formal or informal interviewing may simply not exist. Time or money may run out before essential data have been collected.

This short course will help analysts to anticipate and address many of the challenges involved in designing and conducting field research. We discuss strategies that will allow scholars to: (1) convert their research design into a “to get” list; (2) identify and begin to investigate data sources before leaving their home institution; (3) make optimal use of relevant technologies (e-mail, web, cell phones, portable photocopying equipment, scanners, digital cameras, and voice and video recorders); (4) respond to the availability of data not anticipated in the original research design, and to the inaccessibility of data that was originally to be collected; (5) organize and manage the potentially vast quantities of information gathered; (6) establish key contacts and interact constructively with actors of all types in the host community; (7) cope with professionally, politically, and personally uncomfortable situations; (8) make the transition from data collection to data analysis and writing in a timely manner.

Following the end of the formal class at 6pm, the instructors will hold a "workshop" in which short-course participants will have the opportunity to discuss their own research and the design and conduct of their own fieldwork in a smaller-group setting. We encourage students to stay for this more informal conversation, and to bring along questions about their work.

Participants will be provided with document templates that may be useful when carrying out field research, including sample correspondence. The course is valuable for students planning dissertation projects, for scholars who would like to develop or improve their data collection skills, and for those who teach classes on research methods.

COURSE MATERIALS

Powerpoint

Handout

Reference packet #1 Field Research Design Organizational Documents

Reference packet #2 Logistics

Reference packet #3 Sample documents

Reference packet #4 Sample interview and field notes

Reference packet #5 Resources and bibliography

If you find these short course descriptions helpful, you may also be interested in some of the symposia in previous issues of the Section's newsletter, which may be accessed via this link.