290087 PS Introduction into Qualitative Data Collection (2006W)

Over the last few years qualitative methods have gained importance within geography as well. With the new curriculum of 2002 this short, hands-on introduction into the main qualitative methods of data collection is being held as a compulsory course for all geographers within the basic methodology block. It aims at enabling students and practitioners to set up their own qualitative research into visual, verbal and textual data. With this goal in mind, this course focuses on methods of open observation and open interviews, and their documentation.
In the years 2003 to 2005, these methods have been applied within a research project with and on Slovak, Hungarian, Polish and Czech students at Vienna's universities. This took the form of narrative interviews and participant-observation reports on shared trips to Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. In 2002 we looked at urban graffiti and did interviews with managers who were about to close down their business - often looking back on decades of professional activity. The topic of this year's empirical research will be announced when the term starts.