KGLM 2050 - Qualitative Methods for Urban Studies

This course provides students with a practical introduction to a variety of qualitative methods used in urban research. Through lectures, in-class discussions and practicums, this methodological class will equip students with the necessary tools to understand and conduct in-depth research on a variety of urban issues. Covering the entire life-cycle of qualitative research design, students will grapple with how to elaborate a research question in relation to both theoretical and empirical sources and work collectively to conceive and implement a qualitative research project. They will learn about and practice a range of methods including: discourse and document analysis, ethnographic observation, interviewing, and focus groups; which are regularly mobilized in both academic and applied urban research. Finally, students will learn how to analyze data and present qualitative findings to academic and policy audiences. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: - Understand when, why and how qualitative research is appropriate to study urban issues - Assess and critically analyze qualitative studies; - Design and conduct qualitative data collection and analysis This is a hands-on course where you will learn by doing. Students are therefore expected to read all assigned readings, regularly attend class, actively take part in the seminar discussions, and most importantly, commit to working in small “inquiry groups" to conduct field research in Paris.

Manisha ANANTHARAMAN

Atelier

English

Choose 1 of the following books below to read during summer Gopakumar, G. (2020). Installing automobility: Emerging politics of mobility and streets in Indian cities. MIT Press. available open access Fredericks, R. (2018). Garbage citizenship: Vital infrastructures of labor in Dakar, Senegal. Duke University Press. Miraftab, F. (2016). Global heartland: Displaced labor, transnational lives, and local placemaking. Indiana University Press. Elyachar, J. (2020). Markets of dispossession: NGOs, economic development, and the state in Cairo. Duke University Press. Millar, K. M. (2018). Reclaiming the discarded: Life and labor on Rio's garbage dump. Duke University Press. Levenson, Z. (2022). Delivery as dispossession: land occupation and eviction in the postapartheid city. Oxford University Press.

Autumn 2025-2026

In-class participation: 20% Graded on the basis of regular participation, references to reading materials, questioning, group work, and capacity for self-reflection. Comparative urban research field project (80% of which ~ 40% is GROUP WORK): This semester-long-field project will help you design and conduct a field-research study on a specific urban challenge, exploring it in Paris and in another city which you have familiarity with. The goal of this project is not necessarily to produce a comprehensive and structured research study (indeed, this will be impossible to achieve in the short space of 12 weeks) but rather for you to practice the various qualitative methods that might be used in studying urban challenges. This project will have both individual and group components as described below. You will work in groups of 3-4 (inquiry groups). You will work with your instructors to identify an urban challenge that you would like to explore for your fieldwork. Here are some guidelines to help you think this through: By an “urban challenge” we are referring here to a specific governance challenge that cities and their authorities are often faced with, that might have immediate impacts on the daily lives of urban residents and/or urban environments, and that is a domain of public policy and planning interventions. Because the goal of the assignment will be to help you think about how an urban challenge might manifest and be addressed differently in different contexts, we recommend that you choose something that matters in “most” cities: e.g. mobility, housing, food, green space, heat etc. Your next goal is to find a specific area/neighborhood in Paris where you can explore this urban challenge. We recommend looking for an area where urban challenge is currently being addressed through some type of planning, consultation or community process. This neighborhood will be your home base for your field observations. Next, you will choose a city you are familiar with and explore how this type of urban challenge is being perceived and tackled by planners, policymakers and community members in that city. Each student will be encouraged to choose a city that they are interested in and have strong familiarity with (including the language skills needed to do interviews in that city), resulting potentially, but not necessarily, in multiple comparisons per group. The ultimate goal of this qualitative project will be to gather insights from diverse stakeholders using a range of methods, analyze the data to identify themes and patterns, interpret findings through the theories you are learning in your other classes, and synthesize your analysis to assess the challenge. Your Professor will help you choose your case studies and we will be in dialogue throughout the project! We will finalize groups and your topic by WEEK 2. Once you have chosen your urban challenge and the specific area/neighborhood in Paris, as well as your comparison city, where you will investigate it, you will carry out the following assignments: Research memos (10%): INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP WORK, These short 300 word assignments will not require you to write much but they will require you to think critically about how you plan to structure your research work. For specifics of what is expected of you for each memo, see the descriptions after each week's listing of reading assignments. Some of these memos will be in-class writing exercises. These will be graded on a Pass/Fall basis, i.e. full credit if you show up to class and complete the work. Participant observation and informal interviews with diverse stakeholders (residents, business owners, workers, others) in Paris neighborhood (20%): INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP WORK DUE WEEKS 4-8 Prepare field observation guide and observation plan, receive feedback and revise (group- 5%) Conduct observations Submit field notes and memo following instructions here (group - 15%), Interview with planner/policymaker in Paris and/or comparison city (30%): INDIVIDUAL WORK DUE WEEKS 10 and 11 Prepare the interview guide, submit for review (10%) Conduct the interview(s) and transcribe the interview Code the interview using themes developed inductively and deductively (individual) Produce an analytical memo based on your coding Final presentation (20%) Each group of 4 students will present the research portfolio of their group in a slide-deck of about 30-40 slides (bibliography excluded). Your research findings should take the following structure Present the research topic that your group worked on; how you arrived at your topic, and how each of you connect to it (positionality and interest statement) Provide an overview of the “cases” you chose for your research: which cities, what projects/initiatives, why? Explain the different methods (participant observation, interviews) you mobilized and how to answer your research question. Include any photos as well as snippets of your data analysis. Present your main findings: what did you learn about your urban issue through these different methods and case studies? Based on this grounded theory project, what is the central concept that is emerging from your observations and interviews? What is it an empirical generalization of? Critical reflection: what challenges did you face in the research process? How did you reconcile your individual interests and capacities to work as a group? How do you view your work now that you have done it? Conclusion: how can your research inform planning practice? What further research is needed?