Qualitative methods in the Social Sciences
Assignment: Interview
Literature: Mandatory for the paper: The literature that is pointed out for interview must be used explicitly in the paper that the groups will present and discuss during. When referring to the literature you have to write the name of the author, the year for publication, and the page(s) that you used to refer the author. Example (Lamont & Swidler, 204, p 161)).
The literature that is to be used in the paper (for details, see Syllabus):
Lamont & Swidler, 2014
Miller & Glassner, 2011
Silverman
Description:
The students will work in groups. The group has to make a plan for the interviews together. This includes planning for how the interview will be conducted (themes, issues, questions), when the interviews are conducted, and transcribed. The group has also to make a schedule for when and where the group has meetings for the co-production of the paper. The overall theme for the interview is sustainable development. What is sustainable development according to the interviewee (how these persons think about it, do they act somehow in line with the ideas of sustainable development and in what respects and so on)? Response the paper (3 pages).
The task more in detail (observe, all steps in the assignment are mandatory ):
• After the group has planned for the timetable and how the interview will be conducted, each individual student in the group will have to
1) conduct an interview
2) transcribe the interview in verbatim.
This presupposes that the interview is digitally recorded.
• Each individual student will then in the next step choose 3 to 4 excerpts (examples) from the interview material (the transcription) that are of interest for the group's analysis of the interviews. (The chosen excerpts for each individual student must be supplemented in the group's paper as appendix).
• Discuss and compare your findings in the group. The group's paper will focus on following issues
1) Identify examples that show clearly how the interview could be seen as coproduction of meaning between the interviewer and the interviewee (use Miller & Glessner, and Silverman)
2) Describe the main results of what people think about when you posequestions about sustainable development and how would you interpret the results by usingMiller & Glessner, and Silverman?
3) How would you argue for doing interviews to study theissue (people's perceptions on and acts with respect to sustainable development), usingLamont & Swidler.
4) Reflect upon limitations with the interview method in your study on sustainable development.