SVF-3102 The crossing view - the qualitative research process
20 Study points

Objectives:
This unit form a compulsory part of the Master`s in Visual Cultural Studies.

Course description:
This course will focus on ethnographic theory through discussions of the student’s own practical exercises (that is partly given in conjunction with SVF-3101). The overall aim for this course is to explore qualitative research methods with related theory. During the course the students conduct several practical exercises in which Norwegian and International students work together. Through collaboration in “cross-cultural” pairs (and with visual tools) the students learn about challenges in cross-cultural communication. The pairs conduct a two-week fieldwork, collecting data for the paper and the rushes for the film.

The course focuses on research as process, and the students will deal with core theoretical ideas about qualitative methods. The construction of theories in ethnographic research relies on all steps taken in the research process: how do you focus your theoretical interest on social matters situated in time and place? What do you observe and what do you make a note of, and from which perspectives? How do you record your findings? How are your records interpreted? And what kind of relationships do you build with the people involved, and how should they be included in the research-mediation process?


Focusing on the above questions, the course aims to give basic training in qualitative research, especially on issues related to:

• How to identify a field of interest that can be explored using qualitative methods.
  
• How to raise research questions that are of such a nature that they can be applied or operationalised.
  
• How to develop cooperation skills and be aware of your own role as researcher
  
• How to use analytical tools and concepts.
  
• How to write an essay that reflects the field of interest of the fieldwork, and apply theories to gain an ability to give possible explanations of social processes.
  

The course is both practical and theoretical, and many of the challenges of doing qualitative research will be re-discovered, as the students get involved in their own projects. The central effort is to reveal the process of carrying out ethnographic description, where the researcher meets the field, and later develop theories to meet social realities. What kind of information should be given to mediate understanding, and how can this understanding be used to explain social processes? Questions concerning representation of reality, knowledge and power are raised through this process.

Teaching
The course is divided into two sections; a) The Ethnographic Text, and b) The Qualitative Research Process. The Ethnographic Text includes an introduction to the ethnographic project, the ethnographic description/account, a presentation of analytical discourses/tools within processes, and culturally oriented paradigms. The Qualitative Research Process prepares the students for fieldwork through practical exercises (together with SVF-3101) and methodology lectures. Within this course fieldwork is conducted, rushes and experiences from fieldwork presented, and then writing up the material in an exam paper.

The course runs for 14 weeks. Course attendance is mandatory.

Syllabus: 
Approx. 1000 pages. See: Reading list for SVF-3102:

Examination:
Requirement: The project description must be revised and re-submitted following feedback from teacher.
 For the final exam the students write a paper based on their fieldwork experience with a camera, exploring theoretical issues implied in this kind of research.