Qualitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences

This course introduces students to social science research (from defining the research question to writing a report), with an emphasis on qualitative methods. It consists primarily of a field study on the general theme of urban nature management. It aims to introduce students to the social dimensions of environmental management issues, as well as to the methods of collecting and analyzing qualitative data in the social sciences. In this regard, it trains students to develop assessments of environmental management situations by focusing on three main types of skills: (i) Generating and analyzing diverse data (written, oral, observational), (ii) Analyzing multidimensional, complex, and unique situations, (iii) Communicating the complexity of these situations to an audience.

"-1. Understand the main characteristics of the epistemology of the social sciences

2. Implement an inductive-iterative approach

3. Understand the key assumptions of the sociology of organized action

4. Apply the theoretical framework of the sociology of organized action

5. Conduct a semi-structured interview."

Preparing for a Semi-Structured Interview

8. Describe and explain the gap between how an organization operates officially and how it actually operates, as well as the differences between organizations

9. Develop and present an argument based on qualitative data.

EU program led by AgroParisTech (shared with EPI)