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410.712.01
Theory and Practice in Qualitative Data Analysis and Interpretation for the Social and Behavioral Sciences

Location
East Baltimore
Term
3rd Term
Department
Health, Behavior and Society
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2024 - 2025
Instruction Method
In-person
Class Time(s)
M, W, 10:30 - 11:50am
Auditors Allowed
No
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Prerequisite

410.710 Concepts in Qualitative Research for Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description
Prepares students to articulate and address core theoretical and methodological issues of qualitative inquiry. Develops students’ capacity to engage in critical qualitative research, including understanding the role of power and social position (race, gender, health status) in data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Introduces narrative, content, discourse, and life history analysis, and institutional ethnography. Considers analysis of both textual (e.g., interview transcripts) and visual (e.g., observations, images) data. Prepares students to select an analytic approach that is appropriate for particular research questions. Explores multiple ways in which health-related phenomena can be analyzed and interpreted. Uses a publicly available data set on women and substance use to provide students with hands-on data analysis and interpretation experience. Introduces students to MAXQDA, a qualitative data management and analysis software.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Explain the relationship between qualitative research questions, data collection, analytic method, and interpretative approach
  2. Distinguish different qualitative analytic traditions
  3. Conceptualize the role of the researcher in data analysis and interpretation
  4. Justify a decision regarding use (or not) of a qualitative analysis software package
  5. Develop and apply a coding framework to qualitative data
  6. Evaluate the quality and rigor of published qualitative research
  7. Explain how data collection, transformation, and management processes affect data analysis and interpretation
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
  • 21% Participation
  • 15% Written Assignment(s)
  • 44% Assignments
  • 20% Final Paper