The course includes paradigm issues, qualitative epistemology, post-positivism, critical theory, constructivism, the relationship between truth, perception and reality, the position of various disciplines within the paradigm of qualitative research with special focus on psychology. Methods and strategies of qualitative inquiry include: ethnographic accounts, case study, content analysis, discourse analysis, projective technics, ethno-methodology, applied and action research, and clinically-based methodology. Fundamental questions to be addressed include: the role of the researcher, selecting a topic, negotiating access to the site, transforming ideas into researchable questions, ethical issues in qualitative research, and issues of credibility, reliability, validity, and generalizability. Methods of data collection in qualitative research methodology include: interview, observation, document/artifact, field notes, and critical review of descriptive and narration texts. Presenting and discussing the legal and ethical issues related to the professional practice of psychology, including confidentiality, ethical competence, non-judgmental super-vision, and impartial treatment, licensure and certification. Areas of ethical conduct include the clinical, counseling, and school practice of psychology: research, teaching and supervision; public service; policy development; social intervention; development of assessment instruments; conducting assessments; educational counseling; organizational consulting; program design, evaluation and administration. The course includes reviewing and discussing literature and writing a research report.
