This course will focus on semi-structured, or in-depth, interviewing, with a brief introduction to other qualitative methods, including observation. Semi-structured interviews are used in a variety of fields; this methodology is particularly strong in understanding complex social processes and in capturing the ways that respondents understand their worlds. We will examine the goals, assumptions, processes, and uses of interviewing and compare these methods to other related qualitative and quantitative methods in order to develop research designs appropriate to research goals. The course will cover all aspects of interviewing, including how to decide who to interview, how to ask good interview questions, and how to conduct successful interviews. We will examine the strengths and weaknesses of this methodology, particularly through discussion of some of the critiques of these methods.