Qualitative Approaches to HCI

Lectures:

Goals:
The course will discuss the intellectual and pragmatic yields qualitative approaches, particularly ethnography, can have for the study of human-computer interaction. The course is inteded to help students become more competentin assessing the reserach of others. By looking at the strengths and weakness of this body och literature, it will also help student design andargue for their own research and research agendas.

Prerequisites:
Graduate student status.

Contents:
This graduate seminar course will introduce students to qualitative approaches to HCI. As such there will be no prerequisities. The readings will start with Suchman's Plans and Situated Actions (1987) and will run chronologically through some of the HCI literature. The course would cover some of the Scandinavian and N. American approaches to HCI. The course will also treat current developments and research in HCI as development out of HCI's earlier history and paradigms. Given the breadth and depth of the HCI literature, the class will focus on the CSCW research literature. One topic that the course will discuss is participatory design. The course will look at Scandinavian (Bodker, Kensing/Simonsen) and N. American (Blomberg) approaches to participatory design as a practical research activity. In particular, the course will look at the contributions ethnography can make to participatory design.

Literature:
Selected readings.

Teachers:
James M. Nyce.

Examiner:

Schedule:
Spring 1999, intensive course.

Examination:
Class work will include assigned readings, seminar participation (2 points) and one research paper (1-3 points). Course credit may be changed.

Credit: 2 + 3 credits.

Page responsible: Director of Graduate Studies