SOC 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Santa Barbara City College, Douglas Harper, Visual Sociology
Document Summary
Gain knowledge through understanding and analyzing individual"s interpretations of what you"re studying. Requires close personal interaction with whoever you are studying. Rich description of one experience more important that data on many variables. Observe individuals or groups in their natural environments. Ex: people participating in a mardi gras event. Recording notes without disturbing the natural setting. Sometimes also referred to as field research . Opportunity to ask follow up questions, improvise new questions. Opportunity to analyze participants" emotional reaction/body language/etc. Analyze any kind of written text or digital media. Observational techniques that rely on the use of photography, video, or film to supplement or further document social behavior that can be observed. Example: douglas harper uses photos of hoboes riding the rails of american freight lines to document and record a vanishing way of life. Interpret the cultural meaning behind text, media. Data, analysis comes before theory in qualitative research. Information provided by participants must remain confidential.
