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Kursusbeskrivelse

Kursusnavn (dansk):	Kvalitative metoder (AFLYST)
Kursusnavn (engelsk):	Qualitative Methods (CANCELLED)
Semester:	Efterår 2013
Udbydes under:	cand.it., digital design og kommunikation (ddk)
Omfang i ECTS:	7,50
Kursussprog:	Engelsk
Kursushjemmeside:	https://learnit.itu.dk
Min. antal deltagere:	12
Forventet antal deltagere:	24
Maks. antal deltagere:	24
Formelle forudsætninger:	There are no prerequisites for this course. Students enrolled in the DMD programme cannot attend this course because of overlap. Moreover the student must always meet the admission requirements of the IT University. -----
Læringsmål:	After successful completion of the course the student should be able to: 1. Identify precise questions and evaluate suitable qualitative methodological choices in relation to a given project. 2. Demonstrate competency with the generation of qualitative data based on a variety of methods, like participation, observation and interviews 3. Demonstrate competency with the organization and analysis of these data using analytical tools from Science and Technology Studies, anthropology and postmodern grounded theory. 4. Identify results from own data material and present these in oral and written forms, and discuss these results in relation to existing knowledge within the field. 5. Provide a considered reflection on the issue of ethics in research both generally and within any specific project. 6. Provide critical reflection on a given research process, including an analysis of the connections between methodological and analytical challenges and the read literature, as well as a discussion of the role of the researcher and the limits of a given data set.
Fagligt indhold:	This course will focus on examining various qualitative methods in social science such as interviewing, participant observation, focus groups, cultural probes, visual methods, and ethnography. Topics will range from “big issue” considerations like ethics in research or the challenges of research in online spaces to pragmatic issues around research design, identifying and formulating questions, data gathering, organization, and analysis. The course is relevant to both students studying computer games and those doing research on virtual worlds or other digital media. During the course studens will be introduced to methodological tools that direct attention to surprising events and connections, and to analytical tools that take complexity into account. A central starting point is that methods are never neutral tools, but take part in shaping the world under study. In natural sciences this is called ”bias”, in ethnography and STS it is considered a premise that the person who examines the world is situated in the middle of that world, where things are ocurring, and where the researcher uses his / her senses, experiences and interaction skills in the process of data generation. During the course we explore and discuss the implications of this premise of qualitative research. Soon after having started the course, students will be forming groups in which they will be designing and planning a short fieldwork. The aim is that students gain experience with designing and planning a fieldwork, and generating data material, as well as analysis of these data and bringing about out results in written form. It will also be welcomed to experience with presentation of research results in alternative forms (audio-visual, photo, audio, digital, models). Student projects will be carried out in ”real” organizations or sites, and the participants will gain experience with working in situations with several interests at work. This will bring about useful reflections on the strength and weakness of different methods, and about how methods intervene in the world.
Læringsaktiviteter:	14 ugers undervisning bestående af forelæsninger og øvelser The course consists of 14 weeks of teaching and will be taught via a combination of lectures, class discussions, and group exercises. Students are expected to attend all classroom sessions including exercise periods. ---- The schedule will be available shortly before the beginning of the term.
Obligatoriske aktivititer:	A mandatory mid-term assignment (due the 7th week of class) must be completed if the student wants to submit the final portfolio. The mandatory assignment will consist of a short written reflection on an ethical case provided by the teacher. It will also be included as part of the final portfolio.
Eksamensform og -beskrivelse:	X. experimental examination form (7-scale; external exam), 7-trins-skala, Ekstern censur Students will be responsible for producing a number of assignments using different qualitative research techniques that will be compiled and submitted as a portfolio for the course grade. The final exam consists of an individual written assignment that describes the fieldwork process, and treats one or several problems of methodological character. Portfolios can make up the main part of this final assignment.
Litteratur udover forskningsartikler:	Compendium. May, Tim. 2011. Social Research: Issues, Methods and Research, 4th ed., Birkshire: Open University Press.