Social Research Methodology and Technique - modulo 2 (2008/2009)

Learning outcomes

Through an analysis of classical and recent research, the course is aimed at illustrating/demonstrating the application of ethnographic tools to the worlds of welfare organizations, marginality and deviance. The goal is to show to some future social assistants how an ethnographic sensibility could help them in deepening their cultural understanding of the sense of their organizational actions.

Each research presented will be analysed in terms of its single steps of realisation: field access policies; identity negotiation process between researcher and natives; data collecting strategies; different types of field notes; interpretation of the field material. Moreover, researches results will be discussed in their details, thus trying to make appear those structure presiding over the cultural life of an organization.

From the reading list, available on the teacher’s web page, students will select - following their her own interests - a section not shorter than 30 pages that will be discussed during the oral test.