In this course you will be introduced to the origin and philosophies behind the qualitative approach to empirical science. You will learn about data collection, description, analysis and interpretation in qualitative research. The qualitative approach often involves an iterative process. We will focus on the basic ingredients required for this process: data collection and analysis. A good qualitative analysis consists of a general strategy of analysis, clear analytic 'actions' and documentation of all the steps taken. An important analytical action is coding parts of the material. This forms the basis for the categorisation and interpretation of the data. In this course you will learn to use statistical software to perform the qualitative analysis. We will also discuss and compare different types of analysis and interpretation. The most important concepts in qualitative analysis will be discussed in light of these different types.