The module aims to provide an introduction on qualitative research techniques and tools for social research. Qualitative research techniques are recognized as an indispensable tool for social research, mainly because they are able to provide accurate and rich narrative reports which help to identify, understand and verify causal processes. The course briefly summarizes the four steps to carry out qualitative research: (1) Elaboration of the research design; (2) Data construction; (3) Data analysis; (4) Textualization and reporting of results. Moreover, some hints are made about the process leading to the identification of a research question and the definition of a methodological itinerary capable of allowing the elaboration of a sociologically grounded answer, which is thus capable of being accepted within the community to which the researcher refers.
The module consists of three meetings in which the following specific aspects concerning the qualitative research are explored: (1) Discursive interviewing; this is one of the most widely used data construction tools in social research. During the meeting the main types of interviews, their purposes, interactive contexts, the definition of the interview outline and the procedures for profiling interviewees are described and discussed; (2) Ethnographic observation and shadowing techniques; they are the main techniques for studying social interaction and they allow researchers to observe what people do (while almost all the other empirical methods are limited to reporting what people say about what they do). During the meeting the main features and aims of the research tools, as well as the different forms of participation, the observer’s roles and the observed - observer relationship are described and discussed; (3) The case study; it is an empirical inquiry that investigates socio-economic phenomena within their contexts. During the meeting, the different types of case study and the relations with qualitative research techniques are explored and discussed.
In general, the course provides theoretical and methodological knowledge and skills through the study and discussion of texts and exercises.

Suggested readings:

• Cardano M. (2020). Defending Qualitative Research. Design, Analysis, and Textualization, London: Routledge.
• Cardano M. and Gariglio L. (2022). Metodi qualitativi. Pratiche di ricerca in presenza, a distanza e ibride. Roma: Carocci editore.
• Czarniawska B. (2007). Shadowing and other techniques for doing fieldwork in modern societies. Copenhagen: Liber.
• Emerson R.M. (2001; Ed.). Contemporary Field Research. Perspectives and Formulations. Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press.
• Sena B. (2024). The Case Study in Social Research: History, Methods and Applications. Routledge.