Internet Research Methods Syllabus Inquiry
Hi fellow AoIR-ers, I am building a shiny new course at the graduate level that aims to tackle the topic of Internet Research Methods. I am already swimming in more ideas than I can handle about this course, and thought I would turn to this savvy crowd for some advice. Have any of you taught an Internet research methods course? If you have, what were your primary goals in the course? Did you focus primarily on qualitative methods, quantitative methods, or both? Did you critically examine methodological challenges for Internet research or focus primarily on the how tos of Internet research? I ask these questions because I am a bit torn about how to proceed. The topic of Internet research methods is really broad. Textbooks on the topic that I have found focus either only on qualitative approaches, typically critically examining the challenges of qualitative approaches when brought to the Internet. Or if the textbooks focus on quantitative approaches, they are primarily recipe books, like how to suck up and count behaviors online (think "data analytics" or "data science"). I am also a bit torn about whether it is better if the students already have a fairly good handle on traditional "offline" methods before they come into the class. This term, there won't be any prerequisites, but I wonder how much background would be helpful for students to have of methods generally in order to understand the challenges of Internet research. Anyhow, any thoughts of any of this is most welcome. ~Jenny Associate Professor | School of Information Studies Syracuse University 220 Hinds Hall Syracuse, New York 13244 t 315.443.1823 f 315.443.5673 e jstromer@syr.edu w syr.academia.edu/jenniferstromergalley ischool.syr.edu
HI Jennifer Rob Ackland's book "Web Social Science" (Sage, 2013) covers both qualitative and quantitative approaches. It is based on his MA courses on online research methods and social science of the Internet. cheers, Mathieu ________________________________________ From: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] on behalf of Jennifer Stromer-Galley [jstromer@syr.edu] Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 8:58 To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Subject: [Air-L] Internet Research Methods Syllabus Inquiry Hi fellow AoIR-ers, I am building a shiny new course at the graduate level that aims to tackle the topic of Internet Research Methods. I am already swimming in more ideas than I can handle about this course, and thought I would turn to this savvy crowd for some advice. Have any of you taught an Internet research methods course? If you have, what were your primary goals in the course? Did you focus primarily on qualitative methods, quantitative methods, or both? Did you critically examine methodological challenges for Internet research or focus primarily on the how tos of Internet research? I ask these questions because I am a bit torn about how to proceed. The topic of Internet research methods is really broad. Textbooks on the topic that I have found focus either only on qualitative approaches, typically critically examining the challenges of qualitative approaches when brought to the Internet. Or if the textbooks focus on quantitative approaches, they are primarily recipe books, like how to suck up and count behaviors online (think "data analytics" or "data science"). I am also a bit torn about whether it is better if the students already have a fairly good handle on traditional "offline" methods before they come into the class. This term, there won't be any prerequisites, but I wonder how much background would be helpful for students to have of methods generally in order to understand the challenges of Internet research. Anyhow, any thoughts of any of this is most welcome. ~Jenny Associate Professor | School of Information Studies Syracuse University 220 Hinds Hall Syracuse, New York 13244 t 315.443.1823 f 315.443.5673 e jstromer@syr.edu w syr.academia.edu/jenniferstromergalley ischool.syr.edu _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
Hi Jenny - sounds like a nice course! In the spring, I'll teach first part in a specialization called Networked Cultures, which include (social) network analysis and digital culture. The spring term is about introducing the connected theories and methods, while the second part in the fall term goes more onto depths. Here, the students are required to do their own research projects. Regarding methods, I use Ackland's book for the quantitative part, and Kozinets' Netnography for the qualitative - and basically, the most important text is the third one, the AoIR ethics document! Please share your syllabus with the list (or at least with me) - I would like to get inspired too! :) Stine On 10/12/13 23.27, "Mathieu ONeil" <mathieu.oneil@anu.edu.au> wrote:
HI Jennifer
Rob Ackland's book "Web Social Science" (Sage, 2013) covers both qualitative and quantitative approaches. It is based on his MA courses on online research methods and social science of the Internet.
cheers,
Mathieu
________________________________________ From: air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org [air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org] on behalf of Jennifer Stromer-Galley [jstromer@syr.edu] Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 8:58 To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Subject: [Air-L] Internet Research Methods Syllabus Inquiry
Hi fellow AoIR-ers,
I am building a shiny new course at the graduate level that aims to tackle the topic of Internet Research Methods.
I am already swimming in more ideas than I can handle about this course, and thought I would turn to this savvy crowd for some advice.
Have any of you taught an Internet research methods course? If you have, what were your primary goals in the course? Did you focus primarily on qualitative methods, quantitative methods, or both? Did you critically examine methodological challenges for Internet research or focus primarily on the how tos of Internet research?
I ask these questions because I am a bit torn about how to proceed. The topic of Internet research methods is really broad. Textbooks on the topic that I have found focus either only on qualitative approaches, typically critically examining the challenges of qualitative approaches when brought to the Internet. Or if the textbooks focus on quantitative approaches, they are primarily recipe books, like how to suck up and count behaviors online (think "data analytics" or "data science").
I am also a bit torn about whether it is better if the students already have a fairly good handle on traditional "offline" methods before they come into the class. This term, there won't be any prerequisites, but I wonder how much background would be helpful for students to have of methods generally in order to understand the challenges of Internet research.
Anyhow, any thoughts of any of this is most welcome. ~Jenny
Associate Professor | School of Information Studies Syracuse University 220 Hinds Hall Syracuse, New York 13244 t 315.443.1823 f 315.443.5673 e jstromer@syr.edu w syr.academia.edu/jenniferstromergalley ischool.syr.edu
_______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
_______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
participants (3)
-
Jennifer Stromer-Galley -
Mathieu ONeil -
Stine Gotved