Part II: Qualitative research methods
In social science, qualitative methodology is primarily used to explore meanings, experiences, practices, and social processes that cannot readily be reduced to numerical data. Beyond this operational distinction, qualitative approaches are grounded in ontological and epistemological assumptions that differ from those associated with quantitative research. These differences have generated continuing debates over what constitutes scientific knowledge. Importantly, such debates are fundamental not only to qualitative inquiry but also to the critical evaluation of quantitative research.

For this reason, this eight-week course begins with an introduction to the qualitative research paradigm and its philosophical foundations. It then introduces major research methods, with particular emphasis on fieldwork and qualitative interviewing, to help students develop their own research plans.