Qualitative Research Interest Group (QRIG)
The Center for Middletown Studies sponsors the Qualitative Research Interest Group to bring together Ball State scholars across academic disciplines and colleges to learn from and teach one another about a range of qualitative methods. Topics may include transcription and coding methods and technologies, focus group and semi structured individual interview protocols, participant observation, photovoice, free listing, and more. We plan a series of round tables, panels, and individual presentations based on the interests and expertise of those who attend.
If you need recordings of these events, please reach out to Prof. Jennifer Erickson at jlerickson@bsu.edu.
See the Center’s Research Blog for details about upcoming QRIG events and activities.
Details About the Group’s Recent Events
FREE-LISTING: A Semi-Quantitative Method for Rapid Model Building
A Webinar with Dr. Caitlyn Placek
October, 25, 2024, 1:00-2:00 PM
Free-listing is a rapid, semi-quantitative method commonly used in anthropology to quickly identify items within a cultural domain. In this session, participants will learn how to design and conduct free-listing prompt and analyze the resulting data using Excel.
Sight Beyond My Sight (SBMS): Session with Dr. Gabriel Tait
November 30, 2023 in BB 221 from 3:30-4:30 PM
This session introduces participants to Sight Beyond My Sight (SBMS) a visual research methodology created by Gabriel B. Tait. SBMS is a participant research method that employs photography as a way to understand culture and identity. This method provides a much-needed contextual lens to learn an insider’s perspective of the social and cultural issues within a specified community while also providing social scientists such as anthropologists, visual ethnographers, and health care professionals, a more informed understanding of contexts in partnerships with cultures they are encountering and impacting. Furthermore, the implications of SBMS is a more accurate representation of the identities of the people they are working alongside.
NORMALIZED ALTERITY: Visualizing Black Spatial Humanities: A Session with Dr. Darius Scott
Thursday, March 21, 2024 in BB 222 from 3:30 to 4:30 PM
Using qualitative data such as personal narratives, Scott’s research investigates intimate Black senses of place in typically rural and southern (U.S.) contexts of anti-black violence and sexual stigma. A long term aim is fostering connections between critical understanding of race and assessments of health and well-being. He engages with ongoing discussions in Black studies, queer studies, public health, and Black geographies. His work has been supported by the ford foundation, National Science Foundation (US), AND Social Science Research Council.
Qualitative Research Interest Group (QRIG): Workshop On Oral History
Thursday, October 19, 2023 in BB 221 from 3:30-5:00 PM
“Oral History” is all about learning about the past from the people who lived through it. Interviewing gives us data that we can’t find in other places. It’s an especially helpful methodology for learning about the people and communities who are often left out of traditional historical sources. In this workshop, we’ll learn more about oral history interviewing — how to set up a project, how oral history is different from other kinds of interviewing, and how we can use the information from these interviews to paint a broader picture. Dr. Emily Johnson is a historian with over 10 years of experience in oral history interviewing. She’s currently the director of the Muncie LGBTQ+ History Project.
The video recording of this workshop is available upon request. To access the video recording, please get in touch with Prof. James Connolly at jconnoll@bsu.edu.
Qualitative Interest Group (QRIG): Organizational Meeting
Friday, March 24, 2023
1:00 PM
Venue: BB309
This was the first meeting of the group arranged for the organizational purposes.