Week 1: Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods

Homework

Week 1: Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods

Shahira Fahmy (2004) “Picturing Afghan Women: A Content Analysis of AP Wire Photographs During the Taliban Regime and after the Fall of the Taliban Regime” International Communication Gazette 66 (2): 91–112

Julie Billaud (2009) “Visible under the Veil: Dissimulation, performance and agency in Islamic public space” Journal of International Women’s Studies 11 (1): 120–135

Laura Shepherd (2006) “Veiled References: Constructions of gender in the Bush Administration discourse on the attacks on Afghanistan post 9/11” International Feminist Journal of Politics 8 (1): 19–41

Task 1

For each of the three compulsory readings this week, please note down:

• What was the research question/s that the author was trying to answer?
• What data did she use to answer the research question?
• What technique/s did she use to answer the question?

Task 2

Now please formulate and note down a research question that you would like to answer using texts or images. This could be for your dissertation, but don’t worry, we won’t hold you to it!

Task 3

Finally, please write down the types of qualitative data you would collect and use to answer this research question. (Try to focus on texts and/or images.)

Week 2: Ontologies, Epistemologies, Methodologies

Task 1

Thinking about this week’s readings, try to fill in the following table, filling in the key features of the ontological and epistemological assumptions, the main methodologies used within the approach and the way and the way such research should be evaluated. (Hansen writes about “rational”, “standpoint” and “poststructuralist” – you can assume that this means the same thing as “positivist”, “interpretivist” and “poststructuralist” for the purposes of the exercise.)

	Positivist	Interpretivist	Poststructural
Ontology	Reality exists independently us of knowledge of it	The ways we make sense of the world shapes the world in important ways	Representations of reality are ways of making reality
Epistemology	Knowledge should be as objective as possible. Hypothesis-driven research usually preferred. Concepts (and the relationships between them) should be operationalized for measurement/observation. Generalizable explanations preferred.	Attention to context and experience including people’s ‘own words’ Knowledge is a form of interpretation not measurement	Knowledge is always bound up in power Attempt to produce knowledge that is critical and self-aware about basic condition
Methodology	Content analysis	Netnography Immersion and interpretation of texts and images	Dicourse analysis
Evaluation	Validity Reliability	Reflexivity Transparency	Transparency Relevance/Usefulness Reflexivity

Task 2

Focusing on a topic that interests you, have a go at formulating three research questions focusing on this topic: one positivist, one interpretivist, one poststructuralist. Try to choose a question you could answer using texts or images.

Task 3

Considering the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and your own personal interests and preferences, choose one of your research questions and write down:

1. what data you would collect to answer your question and how you would analyse your data.
2. How would you know if your design is any good? What criteria would you use to evaluate data collection and analysis strategy? Why?

Week 3: Ethics and Values in Political Research

Task 1

Choosing one of the research questions you wrote down last week and the data collection strategy you proposed, list all the possible ethical issues that might arise in gathering and using data to answer this question. If you do not foresee any ethical problems at all, state why not.

Task 2

Write a paragraph explaining how far your values influenced your choice of research question and how far you believe that values will play a role in how you answer it.