Learning outcomes: After the course, the students are familiar with different ways of conducting interviews, have a thorough understanding of the contextual nature and key features of interaction in interviews, and are able to critically evaluate studies based on interview data.

Course description:
Interviewing is one of the classic means of data collection. Recently, it is often framed more in terms of an interactional encounter instead of simple data gathering or collection.  This course consists of four days of contact teaching, lectures from researchers with extensive expertise of various forms of interviews as well as workshops, in which the students have the chance to introduce their own research projects. The course covers key elements pertinent to data generation through interviewing as well as expert lectures on one-on-one interviews, focus groups, and interviews in narrative and ethnographic research. The workshops, based on student presentations on their ongoing doctoral thesis, provide a joint discussion platform to develop key questions, open up questions on various steps of the interview process, and to raise special questions linked with different data generation traditions.  The discussions provide students the opportunity to share joint problems, and to receive feedback and new ideas from fellow students and lecturers on their research designs and analytic procedure.

Teaching: Contact teaching covers 24 hours (13 hours of lectures and 11 hours of workshops).

Preliminary schedule:

Mon, Oct 3, in room D13 (Main building)
10.15 – 11.45        Introduction, Ilkka Pietilä
11.45 – 12.30        Lunch
12.30 – 14.00        One-on-one interviews, Pirjo Lindfors
14.00 – 14.30        Coffee break
14.30 – 16.00        Seminar papers 1 and 2

Tue, Oct 4, in room C5 (Main building)
10.15 – 11.00        Interviews in ethnographic research, Laura Huttunen
11.00 – 11.45        Case 1: Ethnography in a hospital, Riikka Lämsä
11.45 – 12.30        Lunch
12.30 – 13.15        Case 2: Ethnography in the military service, Anni Ojajärvi
13.15 – 14.00        Seminar paper 3
14.00 – 14.30        Coffee break
14.30 – 16.00        Seminar papers 4 and 5        

Mon, Oct 10, in room D13 (Main building)
10.15 – 11.45        Cross-cultural interviews, Nelli Piattoeva
11.45 – 12.30        Lunch
12.30 – 14.00        Focus groups, Ilkka Pietilä
14.00 – 14.30        Coffee break
14.30 – 16.00        Seminar papers 6 and 7        
    
Tue, Oct 11, in room C5 (Main building)
10.15 – 11.45        Interviewing ‘special groups’, Tarja Pösö
11.45 – 12.30        Lunch
12.30 – 14.00        Seminar papers 8 and 9
14.00 – 14.30        Coffee break
14.30 – 15.15        Seminar paper 10
15.15 – 16.00        Discussion and feedback

Pre-assignment: Before the course, accepted course participants are expected to write a one page description of their own doctoral research, introducing research topics and questions, data utilized, and possible analytic methods in use. The pre-assignment should also include each participant’s prior ideas and potential concerns regarding generating interview data. The students will reconsider these ideas and concerns in their reflection papers that are prepared after the contact teaching period. Detailed instructions will be made available to enrolled students through Moodle.

Course reading: To be announced

Enrolment in NettiOpsu. At the maximum 25 students, selection method is draw. The student has to check the selection from NettiOpsu (Courses > Enrolments) after the enrolment period.

10 students will have an opportunity to introduce their own research project to other participants. Priority is given to those participants who have started to collect their data or who are at the stage of data analysis. Selection will be made on the basis of pre-assignments.

Study credits: Students introducing their own research in the workshops will receive 5 ECTS and other students 3 ECTS.

Mode of Completion: For completing the course all students are expected to conduct the pre-assignment, actively participate in contact teaching, and prepare a reflection paper (3-5 pages) focusing on how the course has improved their skills to plan and conduct interviews as well as increased their understanding of data generation and analysis of interviews. Students’ presentations in workshops will consist of 10-15 minutes’ talks and a written summary (1 page) of the project. In addition, each presenter is also supposed to act as a discussant for another student’s presentation.