Advanced qualitative sociology seminar
This course explores ethnography as a key methodological approach in sociological research. It introduces students to foundational and contemporary ethnographic texts and engages with the craft of ethnography, its different “versions” and traditions, the role of theory in ethnographic research, and central methodological debates.
The aim of the course is to provide students with a deep understanding of how ethnographic approaches can be used to investigate social life, collective order, and social change. Particular attention is given to how meaning-making, including symbolic and social categories, inequalities, identities, and lifestyles, can be studied across diverse social, cultural, and place-specific contexts through ethnographic research.
The course provides students with deeper insight into the methodological foundations, analytical possibilities, and current frontiers of ethnographic research. It covers key aspects of ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation,urban ethnography, visual ethnography, questions of positionality and reflexivity, and methodological debates. Throughout the course, students critically engage with how ethnographic knowledge is produced and pay close attention to the relationship between empirical material, theoretical concepts, and sociological explanation.
Teaching Format
The course is taught over 10 weeks on a half-time basis. It consists of advanced seminars with student-led discussions of the required course literature. In-person attendance and active participation is required. The course is designed to encourage active student participation through student-led seminars focused on the course literature. Reading the required literature in advance of the seminar and seminar attendance are mandatory. Up to two absences may be compensated with supplementary assignments.
Assessment
Assessment is based on performance in the role of discussion leader for one seminar, active participation in all other seminars, and individual written assignments. To pass the course, students must complete all mandatory tasks, attend at least 75% of classes, and achieve at least an E grade on the final course paper. Grades are awarded on a seven-point scale: A–F.
