SEMINAR(QUALITATIVE METHODS IN PSYCHOLOGY)1

概要

The field of psychology has been characterized by an emphasis on experimental methodology which helped establish its identity as a hard science as well as legitimacy as a discipline. Yet from the beginning, observations of behavior, first person accounts, and written and spoken texts have formed the very basis of the field of psychology. This seminar examines the philosophical foundations for conducting qualitative research in psychological settings, and discusses the various methods for data analysis. The analysis of narrative is particularly suited for the study of process in the development of identity, emphasizing how “personal” stories are historically and culturally situated. Topics covered will include: Representations of masculinity/femininity, body and gender, social class, liminal identities, race and ethnicity; regional, national, and transnational identities. Prerequisites: Either Cultural Psychology 1, Cultural Psychology 2, Psychology of Discrimination, 立場の心理学:マジョリティの特権を考える Active learning will be incorporated through small group discussions, pair-work, and submission of reaction papers.

目標

This course is a discussion-based seminar course and active participation is expected. One important component is the research project requirement in which students are expected to develop a research question and carry out a small-scale qualitative study. The culmination of this course will be the presentation of the student research in class at the end of the semester. The course will also examine critically the positivistic assumptions behind the quantitative methodology used in psychological research and will expose students to an alternative approach, namely qualitative methodology, which is gaining wider acceptance today and is especially important in cultural psychology. Course objectives • To think critically and analytically about the methods used by psychologists to describe, explain, and predict human behavior. • To practice expressing thoughts and ideas in writing and to become acquainted with qualitative research methods and application of qualitative methods. • To understand the process of doing original academic research.

授業外の学習

Students in their fourth year are expected to present their research in the poster session at the SIETAR Japan annual conference (October or November 2023). In addition to weekly readings, students are expected to engage in their own research project or group project which involves coming up with a research question that can be answered through qualitative methods, to conduct interview or content analysis, and then to analyze the data and write up the research in a final paper. Each week, a student will summarize and present the reading and prepare discussion questions.

所要時間: 190min/week. See Moodle course page for details. Breakdown of 190 minutes includes 120 minutes of reading, 70 minutes of writing reaction papers, completing assignments, and note-taking.