Research Methods in Urban Studies

Instructor: Dr. Ziming Li  

Office Hours: Wednesday 13:00-17:00 pm.

Credit: 3

 

Course Overview

When studying cities or city life, it is challenging yet interesting to walk through diverse and complex phenomena to see the systematical connections between individuals, communities, policies, cultures, and institutions. This course empowers students who intend to do research relevant to urban affairs to design their individual or group research. Through a learning-by-doing approach, students will access theories and applications of quantitative and qualitative methods adopted in urban studies across the world. The degree of difficulties will be flexible, ranging from introductory to advanced levels in different weeks. The course will be adjusted to the needs of enrolled students according to individuals’ study enthusiasm and acceptance. This course is open to all undergraduates and graduates, but above third-year undergraduates are more encouraged to register. Students will have a better understanding of how to start academic research, how to select proper research methods, and how to evaluate the others’ work, compared with individuals’ previous experience and level.

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Course Objectives

• To understand how to choose diverse methods to investigate urban issues at different scales

• To increase awareness of how contemporaneous patterns of race, class, gender and other forms of identity influence the structure, problems, challenges, and policies of cities and social life in cities 

 

Basic Learning Outcomes

• The ability to develop a research question

• The ability and skills for choosing the proper research methodology

• The ability to evaluate the research critically and utilize them successfully

• The understanding of research process, rules, and ethics

• The ability to communicate effectively the results of individual research in a written form consistent with the practices and skills in quantitative and qualitative analyses

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Required Reading before the Class in Each Week (labeled with *)

Abrahamson, M. (2017). Studying Cities and City Life: An Introduction to Methods of Research 1st Edition. London and New York: Routledge.  

Flick, U. (2014). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis. London: Sage.

Treiman D. J. (2008). Quantitative Data Analysis: Doing Social Research to Test Ideas

Recommended Reading

Booth, W.C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (2003). The Craft of Research, 2nd Edition. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press. Available at http://sir.spbu.ru/en/programs/master/master_program_in_international_relations/digital_library/Book%20Research%20seminar%20by%20Booth.pdf

Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (ed.) (2018). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research, 5th edition. London: Sage.

Gorman, G.E. & Clayton, P. (2005). Qualitative research for the information professional: A practical handbook, 2nd edition. London Facet Publishing.

Glaser, B.G. & Strauss, A.L. (1967). The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago: Aldine Pub. Co.

Minkler, M. & Wallerstein, N. (eds.) (2003). Community-Based Participatory Research for Health. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.  

Oregon Health Authority (2014). The Institute for Community Research’s Youth Participatory Action Research Curriculum. Available at

https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/HealthyPeopleFamilies/Youth/Documents/CurriculumYPAR2014.pdf

 

 

Note: New reading for each student or each research group will be further added after they propose their research questions. The reading without link attached here will be uploaded in the course reserve folder.