An introduction to theoretical and methodological approaches to structuring, collecting, analyzing, and reporting qualitative data. The course explores the various theoretical perspectives on critical thinking and analysis relevant to designing and implementing research, including post-positivist, social constructivist, phenomenology, and critical theory. Research approaches studied in this course include ethnography, phenomenology, case studies, grounded theory, naturalistic inquiry, thematic synthesis, and mixed-method techniques. Various data types used in qualitative analysis are considered, including textual, visual, and observational data. In the lab sessions, students will conduct qualitative analysis to address research questions and solve practical, real-world issues through the implementation of qualitative software. Prerequisite: PSYC 251.