This course explores a number of traditions of qualitative inquiry from both Indigenous and Western perspectives. The course begins with an overview of several methods of Western qualitative inquiry, with an emphasis on interpretive research methodologies, including interpretive phenomenology, (participatory) action research, and grounded theory. Interpretative methodologies are particularly suited to examining Indigenous ways of knowing given their reliance on narrative data and goal of interpreting the meaning-making of participants. Next, it introduces the growing body of Indigenous methods of qualitative inquiry and contrasts the two approaches. The course culminates with a research proposal where students identify a research question and select the approach most applicable to its examination while exploring potential areas for cultural bias and/or misunderstanding.
P: FNED 800.