This course will provide students an advanced training in qualitative research methods in criminology and criminal justice. It will cover different ways of thinking between qualitative and quantitative methods, how to integrate qualitative and quantitative methods in a research project, how to do ethnography, interview and qualitative data mining in social sciences, how to manage and analyze qualitative data, how to appreciate and write a qualitative research paper, and strategies in publication. The lecture will draw extensively from my over one decade firsthand research experience in applying various qualitative research methods. Students will be encouraged to practice classroom knowledge and “get your hands and pants dirty” (Robert Park) in real research.

CILO-1: Describe qualitative research methods used in criminology and criminal justice. CILO-2: Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative methods, and discuss advantages and limitations of each of methods. CILO-3: Discuss and evaluate appropriate qualitative methods for a selected research question. This includes conducting interview, analyzing qualitative data, and writing a qualitative research paper.