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Qualitative Methods and the Study of Civil War
26-30 May 2008 at University of Oslo. This course is about the application of qualitative methods to the study of civil war.
Responsible: Department of Political Science, University of Oslo Professor Jeffrey Checkel
From: 2008/05/26 to: 2008/05/30
Place: University of Oslo
Fee: No fee. Accomodation and syllabus at own cost.
Link to full program: here
Short description:
This course is about the application of qualitative methods to the study of civil war.
Further information: Dagfinn Hagen
This course is about the application of qualitative methods to the study of
civil war. It begins with an overview of the cutting edge in qualitative
methods, intentionally casting its epistemological net broadly. We thus assess
methods inspired by positivism
(case studies, process tracing) and those more
interpretative in nature (discourse analysis, ethnography, textual analysis) -
the goal being to provide students with a robust set of tools for explaining and
understanding the dynamics of civil war. The course also reviews the promise
(and pitfalls) of methodological pluralism or so-called mixed methods.
The
stage set, we then explore applications of qualitative and mixed methods to the
study of civil war. Our focus is not so much what these studies say about civil
war; rather, we assess their use of qualitative methods. What slippage occurs
(and why) between the abstract methodological ideal and real world applications?
What counts as good process tracing in the context of civil war? Why are
interpretive qualitative methods - and the constructivist theorizing that
inspires them often absent in work on civil war? What are the special challenges
of employing mixed methods, and can or should one mix methods across
epistemological boundaries?
The course thus operates at two levels data and
epistemology. On the former, we explore the strengths and weaknesses of various
qualitative methods, and how they shape and influence data collection in the
special context of civil war. Epistemology brings us to the more foundational
level of how we come to know.‟ How does one‟s epistemological position influence
methodological choice, and why might this matter for students of civil war?
Call for Articles: Central European Journal of Public Policy
WP1: Network Council meeting 2008
