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Author Archives: Jenna Burrell
Analysis Exercise
Just a reminder to print out your fieldnotes, cut them up (incident by incident) and put each incident on a notecard in preparation for our analysis exercise today.
Women in Public Places, A Grounded Theory
An example of a ‘product’ of true grounded theory practice. This one is especially relevant to our fieldwork on public spaces: “Women Alone in Urban Public Places: Managing Approachability” by Janet Tokerud (1975) from Examples of Grounded Theory: A Reader.
Grounded Theory
What is ‘Theory‘ in Grounded Theory. An article by one of the two scholars responsible for developing this approach. Draws a very sharp distinction between grounded theory (GT) and qualitative data analysis (QDA). Useful to know and understand even if we don’t necessarily adhere to GT exactly as Glaser defines it.
Video That Wouldn’t Play in Class Today
On the broad theme of ethnomethodologically-inspired disruption and our study of “how people engage with technologies in public space”:
- The ‘Frozen in Grand Central Station‘ Flash Mob.
- Big Phone Guy
What Data Can’t Tell You About Customers
We’ll be talking about big data later in the semester, but here’s a piece on the Harvard Business Review blog about the difference between documenting trends and understanding meaning and motives. Refers to Clifford Geertz piece on “thick description” which is assigned for Thursday: Read it.
Slides Uploaded
Slides for sessions 1, 2, and 3 are now available on the Syllabus page.
Mentioned in class
From Tuesday:
Henrich, Heine, and Norenzayan. (2010) The Weirdest People in the World? Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 33: 61-135 [doi:10.1017/S0140525X0999152X] abstract excerpt: Behavioral scientists routinely publish broad claims about human psychology and behavior in the world’s top journals based on samples drawn entirely from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies. Researchers – often implicitly – assume that either there is little variation across human populations, or that these “standard subjects” are as representative of the species as any other population. Are these assumptions justified?
From Thursday:
‘Sampling and Census 2000: The Concepts‘, from American Scientist.
Do Cell Phones Affect Survey Research? A short piece (with some links to further reading) from the American Association for Public Opinion Research.
Lofland & Lofland, chapters 1 – 3
First three chapters from Lofland and Lofland are available for download for those of you who aren’t able to get a copy of the book by Thursday.
Course Description
Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30pm – 2pm
South Hall, Room 205
Professor Jenna Burrell (e-mail: jenna@ischool.berkeley.edu)
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 4pm-6pm, Room 312
This course will focus on the use of qualitative methods for research on the development, diffusion, and use of information technologies as well as information and management practices. Its core concern is with an epistemological question – how do we arrive at credible knowledge through qualitative research practices? The methods covered will include interviewing, focus groups, participant observation, and ethnography. Along the way we will confront the issues of quality, validity, and rigor.
This course has several goals: 1) to help students develop a better understanding of how data relates to knowledge 2) to negotiate the logistical limits and respect the ethical issues inherent in any research practice 3) to generate an awareness of the inevitable imperfections and alterations that are introduced by the structures imposed in any research design. 4) to give students hands-on experience with these methods.