Spring 2019/Pasadena

PM845/545

Aasland

PM845/545: QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS FOR PRACTICAL THEOLOGY AND INTERCULTURAL STUDIES (6/4 Units: 385/160 hours). Erik Aasland.

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DESCRIPTION: This is a 6-unit required methods seminar for all PhD students in Practical Theology (and also available to PhD students in Intercultural Studies); at the 500-level, this is a 4-unit course available to a limited number of students as approved by the professor. This seminar introduces students to a wide range of social science research methods in order to prepare them to work with these methods within a practical theological or intercultural studies modality. Students will become familiar with major research protocols, methods, and strategies so they can proficiently analyze and critique the design, implementation, results reporting, interpretations, conclusions, and limitations of any social science research. There will also be training on the Schools of Theology/Intercultural Studies Human Subjects Review processes. In addition, each student will design and implement a qualitative research project and present their results to the class.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Upon successful completion of this course, students will have demonstrated:(1) Understanding of the process and methods involved in qualitative research, (2) competence with a limited set of ethnographic techniques, (3) Competence in drafting a human subjects research proposal (4) An introductory understanding of quantitative methods including their role as a complement to qualitative research (5) Familiarity with and ability to explain issues of epistemology related to qualitative and quantitative research.

COURSE FORMAT: This class meets once per week for three hour sessions for a total of 30 hours of classroom instruction for lecture and discussion plus 10 hours of directed learning activities for a total of 40 instructional hours.

REQUIRED READING: PhD/ThM students will read all required books; MA/MDiv students read the books marked with an asterisk (a minimum of 1,000 pages).

Bennett Zoë, Elaine L Graham, Stephen Pattison, and Heather Walton.Invitation to Research in Practical Theology. New York: Routledge, 2018. ISBN: 978-1138478565, Pub. Price $39.95. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [185 pp. assigned].

Cohen, Barry H, and R. Brooke Lea.Essentials of Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences (Essentials of Behavioral Science Series). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2003. ISBN: 978-0471220312, Pub Price $49.00. [274 pp. assigned].

*Cohen, I. Glenn, and Holly Fernandez Lynch.Human Subjects Research Regulation: Perspectives on the Future (Basic Bioethics). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 2014. ISBN: 978-0262526210, Pub. Price $35.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [PhD/ThM 250 pp. assigned; MA/MDIV 100 pp. assigned].

Creswell, John W. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. 3rd ed. Sage, 2009. ISBN: 978-1412965576, Pub. Price $75. [304 pp. assigned].

Emerson, Robert M, Rachel I Fretz, and Linda L Shaw. Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. 2nd ed. Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2011. ISBN: 978-0226206837, Pub. Price $22.00. [314 pp. assigned].

Lofland, John.Analyzing Social Settings: A Guide to Qualitative Observation and Analysis. 4th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2006. ISBN: 978-0534528614, Pub. Price $132.95. [304 pp. assigned].

*Merriam, Sharan B, and Elizabeth J Tisdell. Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation. 4th ed. John Wiley & Sons, 2017. ISBN: 978-1119003618, Pub. Price $50.00. [368 pp. assigned].

*Miller-McLemore, Bonnie J.The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Practical Theology. Wiley-Blackwell Companions to Religion. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2014. ISBN: 978-1444330823, Pub. Price $213.95. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [45 pp. assigned, Chapter 2].

Scharen, Christian, and Aana Marie Vigen.Ethnography As Christian Theology and Ethics. London: Continuum, 2011. ISBN: 978-1441155450, Pub. Price $35.95. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [304 pp. assigned].

Seidman, Irving.Interviewing As Qualitative Research: A Guide for Researchers in Education and the Social Sciences. 4th ed. New York: Teachers College Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-0807754047, Pub. Price $28.95 [192 pp. assigned].

*Swinton, John, and Harriet Mowat. Practical Theology and Qualitative Research, 2nd ed. London: SCM Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-0334049883, Pub. Price $40.00. Available as an e-book from the Fuller Library [160 pp. assigned, Section II].

*Wolcott, Harry F. Ethnography: A Way of Seeing. 2nd ed. Lanham, MD: Altamira Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0759111691, Pub. Price $41.00. [337 pp. assigned].

RECOMMENDED READING:

Miles, Matthew B, A. M Huberman, and Saldaña Johnny. Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, Califorinia: SAGE Publications, 2014. ISBN: 978-1452257877, Pub. Price $95.00. [345 pp.}.

Other papers, articles, and videos will be posted on Canvas.

It is assumed that students are familiar with a standard guide to writing research papers, such as Wayne Booth et al., The Craft of Research (2nd ed.; University of Chicago Press, 2003).

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

1. Read assignments as scheduled 3000 pages PhD/ThM ;1000 pages MA/MDIV and; interact on web as required; keep a reading log for submission; arrive ready to discuss readings (10% of grade). [200 hours PhD/ThM; 70 hours MA/MDIV].
2. For 1 of the 2 main textbooks Creswell or Merriam and Tisdell, write a 600-800 word paper that summarizes the conceptual framework (10% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1.] [6 hours].
3. Choose three articles and present analysis and critiques of methodology as a five-minute presentation (MDiv/MA, only 1 article) (15% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #1]. [9 hours PhD/ThM; 3 hours MA/MDIV].
4. Summary of the qualitative research project you choose, providing a 2-page outline that includes population, research question, method, and null hypothesis (5% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-4]. [7 hours].
5. Provide a ten-minute class presentation describing your study according to the template presented in class (10% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1, 2 and 3]. [5 hours].
6. Human Subjects Research Proposal (10% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #3]. [15 hours].
7. Ethnographic interview, participant observation, and card sort. Students will complete one analytic journal entry per assignment (15% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcome #2]. [10 hours of DLA and 20 hours for writing].
8. PhD/ThM students write a 8,000-word paper; MA/MDiv students write a 3,000-word paper (25% of grade). [This assignment is related to learning outcomes #1-5]. [115 hours PhD/ThM; 34 hours MA/MDIV].

PREREQUISITES: Master’s level students must have completed a minimum of 72 quarter units of course work and have permission of the professor. No auditors.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Elective; required for CATS Practical Theology students.

FINAL EXAMINATION: None.

NOTE: This ECD is a reliable guide to the course design but is subject to modification. Textbook prices are set by publishers and are subject to change. Copyright 2019 Fuller Theological Seminary.