B02-01AM: Interpretive Research Methods

This course provides students with an introduction to interpretive methodology and to different interpretive methods including narrative methods and discourse analysis. The course is designed to teach and train students in mastering the typical steps of the research process from how to formulate interpretive research questions to how to present and document them. Students will learn to ‘read’ texts while becoming familiar with contemporary thinking about interpretation including research criteria for interpretive methods. During the course we will focus on the following interpretive methods and methodologies: Interpretive research design, narrative method, hermeneutics and phenomenology, hegemonic analysis and critical discourse analysis. The structure of a teaching day will be organised in lectures, group work and student presentations followed by after class individual feedback on students’ own work. Lectures will be based on available readings and empirical examples of how to carry out an interpretive research project. Group work and student presentations give students the opportunity to elaborate on their work while getting first hand feedback and inspiration to how to develop their work and solve potential challenges. To support our shared learning, the course will also include daily collective interpretative exercises.

This course provides students with an introduction to different interpretive methods. Students will learn to ‘read’ texts while becoming familiar with contemporary thinking about interpretation, narrative method, and discourse analysis. During the course we will focus on narrative method, hermeneutics, phenomenology, discourse analysis, and hegemonic analysis. The course is organized with the following six objectives in mind: (1) To examine the scientific criteria of interpretive research and to give students basic training in how to formulate interpretive research questions. (2) To expose students to issues of reading and coding interpretations, conceptualization, theory building, research design, and strategies of framing questions and selecting material and analytical units/cases.  (3) To assist students in how to organize and process material through interpretive coding strategies. (4) To provide students with knowledge about how to choose the best strategy of interpretation for the research question. (5) To introduce students to how to condense and present interpretations and finally (6) how to draw conclusions from interpretive analyses. 

The course will cover the basic techniques for collecting, interpreting, and presenting analyses. Throughout the course we will operate on two interrelated dimensions, one focused on the methodological approaches to various types of interpretive research, the other focused on the practical techniques of data collection, coding strategies and interpretive strategies of analysis, writing, and presenting findings. Methodological, the course considers questions such as the following: What is ‘interpretive’ research? What questions is it best suited for? By what criteria does it meet or fail to meet the standards of scientific evidence? What are the roles of concepts in interpretive research? Can interpretive methods verify hypotheses, or only generate them? Can interpretive research explain social phenomena, or only describe them? Do interpretive analyses have a small-N problem? In what ways is interpretive research “grounded”? 

Practically, the course considers questions such as the following: What scientific criteria apply for interpretive methods? How do researchers ask the ‘right’ question to the ‘right’ material? What collecting techniques can be used to enhance the quality of the material? What interpretive position should ground the research? What is the unit of analysis? How do researchers organize the material and how do they ‘read’ it? How can they make sense of their interpretations in a transparent, authentic, and inclusive way?  And how can they draw conclusions from their interpretive analyses? 

The course introduces a broad spectrum of interpretive approaches; however, the methodological focus will be on narrative method and discourse analysis. The explicit focus on these two approaches is chosen to expose students to methods which put rather different weight on inductive and deductive strategies of interpretation. This is expected to strengthen students’ general knowledge on interpretive methods as well as to give them a solid basis to choose the ‘right’ strategy of interpretation of their material. 

After the course students will have a basic knowledge of how to choose between interpretive methods, including insight into hands-on tools that can be used during an interpretive research process. 

Day-per-day-content:

Day 1

Introduction to interpretive methodology, interpretive research questions and material selection for interpretive research.

Day 2

Narrative methods and hermeneutical methodology, including methods of interpreting representations in trustworthy ways.

Day 3

Critical text analysis, reading and coding strategies from a deductive approach.

Day 4

Critical discourse analysis of different types of social constructed texts.

Day 5

Transparent presentation of (large amounts of texts and deep analyses) interpretive results, and course summary.

There will be daily group exercises and presentations.

This description is subject to change at the discretion of the Instructor

2 Credits

For completion of all work before and during the course, as outlined by the Instructor, and 90% participation and attendance of the course.

2 Additional Credits

Course specific extra assignments. These can include submitting assignments before the course, daily assignments, and/or a final assignment to be completed after the course as decided by the Instructor.