Qualitative Social Research

The development of a research culture in human services is an important challenge for educators, managers, practitioners and students. The creative tension between research, theory and practice is a necessary aspect of human services work and study. A strong research culture contributes significantly to the development of knowledge and practice in human services. Standards of research and human service practice grow and develop in conjunction with field development. As the nature and scope of research activity and opportunity are diverse within the human services settings, this course aims to provide a basis from which students can begin to develop a research culture across the range of contexts. By introducing a range of qualitative research methods and enabling students to experience manageable research assignments, students will become increasingly familiar with the business of research and how it fits within complex and diverse human service systems.