What's this course about?

Transformative & Participatory Qualitative Research Approaches & Methods provides PhD candidates and early-career scholars conceptual and hands-on methodological engagement with transformative, participatory and action research approaches that use creative and arts-based research methods and techniques to foster the inclusion and engagement of diverse, often marginalised perspectives and to bring into focus, examine and transform narratives, representations and practices.

The course gives students the opportunity to practice using these methods with individuals and groups, as well as to examine and assess these methods relative to ethics of/in action-oriented engagement and the opportunities and challenges they pose for data analysis and (re)presentation.

What does this 4-ECTS course offer you?

• A fuller grasp of both the political implications and the analytical strengths/weaknesses of transformative, participatory and action research approaches
• The knowledge and skills required to design an ethicallyand analytically sound methodological strategy informed by these approaches
• The opportunity to prototype a set of creative and arts-based research methods and techniques suited to your specific research context and aligned with your own study needs
• The tools and space necessary to reflect on your role and the implications of being a researcher in a transformative, participatory and action research setting

Week-by-week overview

• Week 1: Mapping your research intentions and researcher positionality; examining the approaches relative to ethics, power relations, knowledge construction process ,representation and accountability
• Weeks 2-3: Investigating how the approaches get used in your field; experimenting with techniques for participant recruitment, facilitating participatory processes and data (co-)generation relative to different research purposes
• Week 4: Exploring closure and continuity in transformative & participatory research; designing and prototyping your own techniques with your peers and instructors

Learning outcomes

After successful completion participants are expected to be able to:

• Understand both the political implications and the analytical strengths/weaknesses of transformative, participatory and action research approaches
• Design an ethically and analytically sound methodological strategy informed by the above-mentioned approaches
• Develop creative and arts-based research methods and techniques suited to the student’s specific research context and aligned with his/her own study needs
• Reflect on their role and implications of being a researcher in a transformative, participatory and action research setting

Activities

Workshops with lectures & interactive learning; Exercises to practice specific methods & reflect on their effects; Self-study.

Assumed prior knowledge

Advanced Qualitative Research Design and Data Collection Methods (or similar)

Suggested prior knowledge: Qualitative Data Analysis (YRM 60806) PLUS EITHER Critical Perspectives on Social Theory (PhD course, thus no course code) OR Advanced Social Theory (CPT 55306)

Assessment

• Reflexive output (e.g., video, creative writing piece, collage, essay) on the political implications and the analytical strengths/weaknesses of transformative, participatory and action research approaches, relative to the student’s own research study context and role (50%)
• Curated and annotated reflexive portfolio of creative and arts-based research methods and techniques suited to the student’s specific research context and aligned with his/her own study needs (50%)

Registration

The maximum number of participants is set at 20, the minimum at 8.

Please make sure that you provide the most recent contact details so that in case of any changes you will be notified promptly. After your internet registration you will receive a short notification that your name has been registered.

Course fee 

Cancellation conditions:

The participants can cancel their registration free of charge 1 month before the course starts. A cancellation fee of 100% applies if a participant cancels his/her registration less than 1 week prior to the start of the course.

The organisers have the right to cancel the course no later than one month before the planned course start date in the case that the number of registrations does not reach the minimum.

The participants will be notified of any changes at their e-mail addresses.