In the Classroom and on the Streets: How to Teach Qualitative Field Research to Criminology/Criminal Justice Graduate Students

Abstract

This paper presents a method for delivering a graduate seminar in qualitative methods specific to criminology/criminal justice with a goal of providing a course that is balanced between classic readings and time in the field. We provide an overview of the course structure, a sample reading list, and the means to carry out an in‐class fieldwork project over the course of a single semester, including research topics that have a proven track record for first‐time fieldworkers. Also discussed are bureaucratic challenges to fieldwork, physical and mental challenges, and potential dangers of fieldwork.

Notes

1. As of 15 September 2009, the link to the training website is http://cme.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learning/humanparticipant-protections.asp. Some universities may require certification from a different organization, such as CITI. NIH provides certificates at the close of the course that can be printed out; CITI, on the other hand, may take time to send a certificate. Instructors should keep this in mind when requiring students to become certified under time constraints.

2. This is a quote from Robert E. Park quoted in Gomm and McNeill (1982).