Locations:

Session 1A: UC 326

Session 1B: UC 327

Session 1C: UC 330

Session 1D: UC 331

Session 1E: UC 332

Session 1F: UC 333

View the list of posters to be presented.

This talk explores the possibilities and challenges of conducting ethnographic research on contemporary social issues. The talk draws upon my experience teaching a research/service-learning course about hunger and homelessness for the past four years. Students in this course volunteer at Missoula’s Poverello Center, receive training in qualitative research methods and conduct their own qualitative research into hunger and homelessness in Missoula. I start with a brief introduction to qualitative social research, with an emphasis on participant observation and in-depth interviewing. I then discuss several challenges of this sort of research, including the unpredictability of human subjects, the emotional impact of investigating charged social issues such as homelessness, and the assumptions and biases of researchers. Finally, I introduce some of the promises of qualitative social research, including its potential to give a voice to marginalized members of society, its attention to individual stories and life experiences and its capacity to capture students’ interest and enthusiasm. Throughout the talk I’ll share excerpts from students’ field notes as examples of each of these points.

Locations:

Session 2A: UC 326

Session 2B: UC 327

Session 2C: UC 330

Session 2D: UC 331

Session 2E: UC 332

Session 2F: UC 333

View the list of posters to be presented.

Locations:

Session 3A: UC 326

Session 3B: UC 327

Session 3C: UC 330

Session 3D: UC 331

Session 3E: UC 332

Session 3F: UC 333