Unit information: Narrative Interviewing in 2014/15

Unit name	Narrative Interviewing
Unit code	EDUCM0019
Credit points	10
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Dr. Reed
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	Introduction to Qualitative Methods in the Social Sciences
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Education
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

• Introducing key concepts and ethical issues in research conversations and interviews
• Identifying and exploring processes of eliciting, selecting and co-constructing narratives in, and from, conversations
• Providing experiential opportunities to engage in, and critique several narrative interview positions and practices, and
• Participating in ethical decision-making about appropriate interview practices.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this unit participants will be able to:

• Describe and critique a range of conversational narrative practices and positions, including the elicitation, selection and co-construction of individual and collective narratives
• Demonstrate and critically evaluate their own research interviewing practices
• Identify and explain a preferred approach to research interviewing within a specific context or study

Teaching Information

Teaching and learning opportunities will include tutor and student presentations, guided critical close reading of indicative texts, seminars, small group work, VLE and workshops

Assessment Information

• 1. Formative Presentation (15 minutes). Presentation/critique of narrative interviewing approaches
• 2. Summative assignment. Either essay of 2,000 words or multi-modal assignment of 1, 000 words plus equivalent digital/visual text or video-paper. The choice between summative assessment options will be negotiated with the Unit Tutor.

Reading and References

• Gubrium, J and Holstein, J (2003) Post-modern Interviewing, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
• Drewery, W (2005) Why we should watch what we say: Position Calls, Everyday Speech and the Production of Relational Subjectivity, in: Theory and Psychology 15(3): 305–324
• Jarvinen, M (2000) The Biographical Illusion: Constructing Meaning In Qualitative Interviews, In: Qualitative Inquiry, 6 (3) 370-392
• Kvale, S (2006) Dominance Through Interviews and Dialogues, Qualitative Inquiry, 6 (12) 480 - 500.
• Speedy, J (2008) Constructing Stories: Narrative interviews and conversations with Donald, in: Narrative Inquiry in Psychotherapy, Houndmills: Palgrave/Macmillan
• White, M (2007) Maps to Narrative practice, New York: Norton