ZX120 Doing Research in Developing Countries TEACHER- Jayakumara Shantha Mallika Arachchige (stud PřF MU), učo 419759 and RNDr. Petr Daněk, Ph.D. (GeogÚ VoZ PřF MU), učo 849, lecturer No of Credits- 03 Regular Classes- Wednesday 10.00-12.00 Students are not supposed to attend to class except the days of skype discussions. Three skype discussions will be held on 07.10.2015; 04.11.2015 and 25.11.2015 TEACHER’S E-MAIL- 419759@mail.muni.cz COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course provides and equips the students with most essential knowledge and skills on how to conduct studies on socio-economic aspects of third world countries; Students will understand how to successfully adjust, to diverse socio-economic and cultural lifestyles prevailing in the area, standard data collection methods suit to the field by reviewing data collection methods employed by successful studies carried out, field data analysis while staying in the field. In sum, this course will familiarize the students to the effective collection and analysis of data in the field and productive use of valid data and information in social studies in third world contexts. SYLLABUS: 1. Introduction to the course • 2. Cultures in Asia and ethics of research • 3. What logistics should be concerned in management of research: Safe traveling, Stay, Selection of interpreters, Payments, timing of surveys • 4. How to access the secondary information including maps; local institutions and office norms, bureaucracy, working times, holidays, corruption • 5. Social surveys (part-i); what are social surveys, getting familiarity to the field, questionnaire development • 6. Discussion on group assignment and individual assignment (Group assignments have to be handed over in the 12th, week and individual assignments have to be presented in the colloquium) • 7. Social surveys (part -ii): Training of research assistants, Quality control (pilot surveys, cross-checking, note taking, debriefing at the end of the day, possible data analysis in the field) • 8. Case studies (part 1); What is case study strategy, getting familiarity to the field, putting boundaries to cases • 9. Case studies (part 2): in depth interviews, focus group interviews, participatory data collection including mapping, data analysis in the field • 10. Critical reviewing of case studies (Study -i) • 11. Critical reviewing of case studies (Study -ii) • 12. Colloquium for individual assignment presentation • 13. Review and conclusion of the course REQUIREMENTS Ø Students will have to participate in the skype discussion once in three weeks. Usually, skype discussion will be arranged in the each third week as given the dates above. Ø Reading of assigned reading materials for each week Ø Once in two weeks, submission of the given assignment Ø Presentation of the assigned group work in week 12 Ø Final examination in 13 th, week. This will be a colloquium FINAL EVALUATION CRITERIA Ø For excellence of assignments- 30% Ø For excellence of group presentation - 20% Ø Score obtain at the colloquium-50% SCHEDUAL OF CLASSES FOR AUTUMN 2015 Week 1 (23.09.2015) 1. Introduction to the course · Clarification of organizational aspects of the course (students are advised to follow the all descriptions of the course from the IS system · Some aspects of geographic research in developing countries (research culture in developing countries, partnership between local and foreign researchers, local level challenges for research) Assigned reading: Ø Scott, S., Miller, F. and Lloyd, K (2005) Doing Fieldwork in Development Geography: Research Culture and Research Spaces in Vietnam. Institute of Australian Geographers. Geographical Research 44(1):28–40 (10 pages) Week 2 (30.09.2015) 2. Ethics of research · Perspectives of ethics from positivist and humanist approaches of geography · Research ethics at field level Assigned reading: Ø Proctor, J,D (1998) Ethics in Geography: Giving Moral Form to the Geographical imagination. Area 30.1, 8-18 (8 pages) Ø Resnik, D.B. (n.d ) Research Ethics Time Line (2 pages) Ø Desai, V and et al (2008) Doing Development/Global South, Dissertations: A guide for undergraduates- see pages from 16-20 (four pages) First Assignment: Deadline for submission of assignment will be 07.10.2015. Assignment will be sent in the second week. Students’ assignment will be marked and comment sent during a period of one week Week 3 (07.10.2015) 3. Field works in Cross Cultural settings · Positionality and power · Representation · Identity Assigned reading: Ø Mullings, B (1999) Insider or Outsider: Some Dilemmas of Interviewing in a Cross-cultural Setting. Geoforum 30 337-350. (13 pages) Week 4 (14.10.2015) 4. Secondary information in research · Distinction between primary and secondary data · Using of open government data (OGD) as a form of secondary data · Advantages and disadvantages of OGD Assigned reading: Ø Sharon Buteau and et al (2015) Open Data and Applied Socio-economic Research in India: An Overview (18 pages) Ø (Chapter 3) Secondary data (35-43) (8 pages) Second Assignment: Deadline for submission of assignments will be 21.10.2015. Assignment will be sent in the second week. Students’ assignment will be marked and comment sent during a period of one week Week 5 (21.10.2015) 5. Survey research in developing countries · What is survey research? · The best suited areas of survey research · Logistics for survey research in developing countries Assigned reading: Ø Park, A (n.d.) Survey and Secondary Data Sources: Using Survey Data in Social Science Research in Developing Countries. (pages 1-36) Read pages from 8-20 for this week Week 6 (28.10.2015- Holiday) Week 7 (04.11.2015) 7. Development of structured questionnaire for surveys Assigned reading: Ø Park, A (n.d.) Survey and Secondary Data Sources: Using Survey Data in Social Science Research in Developing Countries. (pages 1-36) Read pages from 1-20 for this week Ø Grossh, M and Glewwe, P (2000) Designing Household Survey questionnaire for developing countries: lesson from 15 years of the living standards measurement study. The World Bank (pages 1-27) Third Assignment: Deadline for submission of assignments will be 21.10.2015. Assignment will be sent in the second week. Students’ assignment will be marked and comment sent during a period of one week Week 8 (11.11.2015) 8. Discussion on group assignment and individual assignments (Group assignments have to be presented on 12th, week (09.12.2015) and individual assignments have to be submitted on 11.11. 2015 Assigned reading: · No reading for this week Week 9 (18.11.2015) 9. Social surveys (part -ii): Construction of a semi-structured questionnaire Assigned reading: Ø Park, A (n.d.) Survey and Secondary Data Sources: Using Survey Data in Social Science Research in Developing Countries. (pages 1-36) (I might change this material later) Week 10 (25.11.2015) 10. Case studies (part 1); · What is case study strategy? · Choice of a Case Assigned reading: Ø Curtis, S and et al (2000) Approaches to Sampling and Case Selection in Qualitative Research: Examples in Geography of Health. Social Science and Medicine 50. 1001-1014. Available online-http://utsc.utoronto.ca/~kmacd/IDSC10/Readings/sampling/approaches.pdf Week 11 (02.12.2015) 11. Case studies (part 2): in depth interviews and construction of an unstructured questionnaire · The staging an interview · Breadth and depth of questions and question formulation · Practical considerations Assigned reading: Ø Legard, R and etal (n.d) In-depth Interviews (page 139-165)- available online http://www.scope.edu/Portals/0/progs/med/precoursereadings/IEIKeyReading5.pdf Assignment: No assignment for this week, as students are supposed to prepare for group presentation Week 12 (09.12.2015) 12. Student group presentation Assigned reading: · No reading for this week Week 13 (16.12.2015) 13. Colloquium and end of the Course