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UNIVERSITY OF DAR ES SALAAM
COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PEUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
RP 601: QUALITATIVE RESEARCH METHODS FOR PUBLIC POLICY COURSE OUTLINE
ACADEMIC YEAR 2021/2022 SEMESTER 1
Lead Instructor: Respicius Shumbusho Damian, PhD
Office: CoSS Tower Block Floor 7, Room 707
Email: shumbusho35@gmail.com, Phone: +255 713 428 318
Consultation: Available on the LMS 08:00-20:30 hours. Students are advised to make appointment for
physical consultation time, which is Tuesday 12-:00-15:00 and Wednesday 13:00-14:00
Course description:
This course grounds students in qualitative methodology and methods for public policy. It falls
into three parts. In the first part, students are introduced to key issues in methodological choice
and research design. In the second part, students are introduced to, and gain practice in, some of
the foundational methods of qualitative research. In the third part, they learn about data coding
and data analysis.
Part One of the course, is taught in tandem with, Quantitative Research Methods for Public Policy,
will provide students with training in the fundamental principles of research design and
methodological choice. Part Two will provide students with training in foundational qualitative
methods, including archival, ethnographic, interview-based, action-research and power-analysis
methods. Part Three focuses on data coding, analysis, research proposal writing, qualitative
research writing.
RP 601 is a foundation course that provides a solid training in the most foundational qualitative
methods for students in all the three pathways namely Research Pathway, Mixed Pathway, and
Policy Pathway. For research students the course will provide grounding in the more advanced
methods to be taught in more depth under RP 606 during the second semester, and for policy
students, it will provide them with the basic knowledge to be able to recognise, appreciate, and
commission research based on a wide range of methods.
In addition, students are introduced to the basic principles of archival and desk based research, its
advantages and limitations, the range of different data sources available, and challenges of
objectivity and bias in using archival and desk-based methods. They will also practice these
methods in class exercises and extra-mural assignments. Some more specialised methods that are
linked to archival or desk-based methods, such as discourse analysis will be addressed under RP
606. Critical in the course will be a lengthy devotion to practicum, and the focus in those
practicum of applying research methods to public policy issues.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course students will be able to:
 Have a solid understanding of issues underpinning the choice of methodology and methods;
 Demonstrate a strong awareness of issues surrounding sample selection, research bias, etc.;

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 Practise some of the foundational tools of qualitative research, and they will also receive a
brief exposure to more specialised methods that are derivatives of those approaches. The aim
is to balance experience in practicing methods with the widest possible exposure to different
types of methods, for both the research and policy pathway students;
 Code and analyse qualitative data; construct a qualitative research proposal; write a high
quality research report.
Course Content
Topic Fundamental Aspects to be covered
Part One
1. Epistemological and
Ontological
Foundations of
Qualitative Research
 An introduction to some issues in the philosophy of social science;
 Methodology and method choice;
 The distinction between qualitative and quantitative methods.
 Doing research for policy –evidence informed policy making and
change.
2. The Relation between
Theory, Concepts and
Methods
 Knowing the theoretical background to a public policy issue;
 Conceptualising or framing a problem;
 Formulating research topics or hypotheses;
 Knowing what counts as data or evidence.
3. Qualitative Research
and Related Designs
 Case studies (strengths and weaknesses);
 Comparative or overview studies (strengths and weaknesses).
4. Principles of Case
Selection and
Sampling
 Different types of cases;
 When is a case an interesting case? (the logic of case
selection/comparison);
 What does a case tell us?
 Different types of sample;
 The logic of sample selection;
 Challenges of objectivity/bias (e.g. gender, class, or ethnic
bias; skewed sampling; Hawthorne effects);
 What does a sample tell us?
Part Two
5. Historical, Archival,
and other Desk-Based
Methods
 Principles of archival/desk-based research;
 When to use/not to use archival/desk-based methods;
 Different data sources and how to evaluate them;
 Challenges of objectivity/bias;
 Further ‘desk-based’ methods, e.g. discourse analysis.
6. Observational and
Ethnographic
Methods
 Principles of ethnography;
 When to use/not to use ethnography;
 Observation and participant observation;
 Challenges of objectivity/bias;
 Note-taking and writing;
 Further ethnographic methods, e.g. group ethnography.
7. Interviews and
Interviewing
Techniques
 Principles of interviewing;
 When to use/not to use;
 Some tips on interview technique;

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 Interview guide/questionnaire construction;
 Piloting;
 Note-taking, recording, transcribing;
 Challenges of objectivity/bias;
 Further interview methods, e.g. oral/life histories, focus group
interviews.
8. Action Research for
Public Policy
 Principles of action research;
 When to use/not to use;
 Some examples of how to do action research;
 Challenges of objectivity/bias;
 Further action research methods, e.g. PRA/RRA.
9. Power Analysis  Principles of power analysis;
 When to use/not to use;
 Some examples of how to do power analysis;
 Challenges of objectivity/bias;
 Further power analysis methods e.g. stakeholder analysis, SWOT
analysis.
Part Three
10. Data Coding  Qualitative software programmes;
 Data inputting and data coding.
11. Qualitative Data
Analysis Approaches
and Principles
 Principles of qualitative data analysis;
 Some techniques of analysis; thematic, content, etc.
 Challenges of objectivity/bias;
 Further content analysis methods, e.g. discourse analysis.
12. Writing a Qualitative
Research Proposal/
Call for Proposals
 Framing the problem;
 Choosing and defending a method;
 Delimiting the scope of the study;
 Describing the stages of research;
 Identifying research objectives/outcomes.
13. Qualitative Research
Writing
 Writing a research report/dissertation
Assessment:
The assessment of the course will entail the following:
• Participation in class activities e.g. data coding using software (hands-on) (15%)
• Group assignment on selected policy problems to be written throughout the semester (15%)
 Writing a short research proposal and report/term paper (20%)
 End of the Semester University Examination (50%)
Readings:
A list of some core reading has been provided. However, students are expected to consult a
wide range of materials on for qualitative methods and policy research. These include Working
Papers and publications of the SSRC’s Political Methodology Committee on Concepts and
Methods, or ODI’s Chronic Poverty Research Centre.
Core Readings

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Altorki, S. and El-Sohl, C. F. (Eds.) (1988) Arab Women in the Field: Studying your own
society, Syracuse: University Press.
Becker, H. B. (2007) Writing for Social Scientists: How to start and finish your thesis, book,
or article. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
Birks, M. and Mills, J. (2011) Grounded Theory: A practical guide. London: Sage.
Emerson, R. M., Fretz, R. I., et al. (1995) Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press.
Fairclough, N. (2010) Critical Discourse Analysis: The critical study of language. Second
edition. London: Longman.
Fife, W. (2005) Doing Fieldwork: Ethnographic methods for research in developing countries
and beyond. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Geddes, B. (2010) Paradigms and Sand Castles. Theory building and research design in
comparative politics. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan.
Gee, J. P. (2005) An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and method. New York and
Abingdon: Routledge.
George, A. L. and Bennett, A. (2005) Case Studies and Theory Development in the social
Sciences. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Gerring, J. (2007) Case Study Research: Principles and practices. Cambridge: CUP.
Gibbs, G. (2007) Analysing Qualitative Data. London: Sage.
Hammersley, M. and Atkinson, P. (1983) Insider accounts: listening and asking questions.
Ethnography: Principles in practice. M. Hammersley and P. Atkinson. London:
Tavistock.
King, G., Keohane, R. et al. (1994) Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific inference in qualitative
research, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
King, N. and Horrocks, C. (2010) Interviews in Qualitative Research. London: Sage.
Krishnan, K. (1987) Conducting key informant interviews in developing countries. AID
Programe Design and Evaluation Methodology Report, no. 13. Washington, AID.
Kvale, S. and Brinkmann, S. (2008) Interviews: Learning the craft of qualitative research
interviews. London: Sage.
Phillips, N. and Hardy, C. (2002) Discourse Analysis: Investigating processes of social
construction. London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Ragin, C. C. (1987) The Comparative Method: Moving beyond qualitative and quantitative
strategies. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Robben, C. G. M. and Sluka, J. A. (2007) Ethnograpic Fieldwork: An anthropological reader.
Oxford, Blackwell Publishing: esp Intro and chs by Malinowski, Berreman, Powdermaker.
Saldana, J. (2009) The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers. London, Sage.
Schatzberg, M. (2008) Seeing the invisible, hearing silence, thinking the unthinkable: the
advantages of ethnographic immersion. Political Methodology Committee on Concepts
and Methods Working Paper Series. Madison, WI (also available online), Social
Science Research Council.
Silverman, D. (2010) Doing Qualitative Research. Third edition. London: Sage.