The objective of this seminar is to introduce participants to qualitative field methods in the social sciences, more specifically to research conducted on migratory and transnational networks. Three aspects of field research will be primarily explored: observation (including participant observation); various types of interviews; description, writing notes and a field diary. Epistemological and practical issues related to academic writing (including construction and dissemination of data in reports, M.A. theses, Ph.D. dissertations, academic articles and books) as well as ethical questions that arise on the field will be discussed. The teaching is based on the assumption that the social sciences are not meant to discover a pre-existing object but construct their approach in a reflexive movement. The participants will be asked to conduct a small fieldwork among migrants in the Geneva region. The seminar will combine lectures on the various techniques of qualitative empirical work and discussions where participants will share their experiences in the field.
- Teacher: Minhua Ling
- Teacher: Graziella Moraes Dias Da Silva
- Teacher: Shuyue Wang