RESEARCH METHODS FOR THE STUDY OF CONTEMPORARY RELIGION
AN INTENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAMME
Monday 17rd - Friday 21st March 2014
Department of Religious Studies, University of Kent
This training programme is available for doctoral students (or post-doctoral fellows) registered at any higher education institution in the UK/EU. It is based on previous training developed by the Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society, funded by the AHRC, which led to the development of the Religion Methods website, and aims to provide students with a core training in fieldwork approaches to the study of religion.
Topics covered by the training will include:
· Conceptualising religion for research
· Key elements and processes of research design · The role of theory in social research · The politics and ethics of research · Sampling · Rigour and validity in research · Using quantitative data-sets for research on religion · Ethnographic approaches in theory and practice · Visual methods · Developing research interviews · Using qualitative data analysis software · Researching objects and spaces · Producing research proposals
To attend this training programme, students not registered at the University of Kent will be required to pay a £100 registration fee, which would cover attendance at all sessions and the costs of training materials. Delegates would need to make their own arrangements for accommodation, and there is a wide selection of affordable B&B provision in the Canterbury area. For those planning to commute on a daily basis, Canterbury is now less than an hour from London St Pancras on the high speed train link.
Space on the programme is limited and the deadline to register your interest to attend this programme is Friday 10th January. To register your interest, please email Ruth Sheldon (R.H.Sheldon@kent.ac.uk) with a short statement (no more than 250 words) stating the university at which you are studying, the project you are undertaking and the relevance of this training programme for your work and academic development.