This seminar will focus on qualitative research methods, with a specific focus on activist, engaged, and militant research. Students in this course will develop a foundation in qualitative research methods: what they are; how research methods relate to social theory; the factors involved in selecting certain methods; and how we enter and navigate “the field.” Drawing upon traditions of politically engaged and militant research, the following questions will guide our learning: How do we move from general research interests to specific topics and research questions? What is the relationship between the questions we ask, the theories we employ and the methods we engage? What are the ethics of research? What does accountability mean when it comes to researching inequality and injustice? How do we think through questions of positionality and reflexivity—and why do they matter? Through the course, students will examine the relationship of research and research methods to structures of power and social change, and learn about approaches to research rooted in Black studies, gender studies, indigenous studies, decolonial studies, and ethnic studies. Because one of the best ways to learn research methods is a praxis-oriented approach, students in this course will have the chance to learn through doing: to practice, apply, experiment, and develop our understanding of methods through a practicum. The practicum is structured through scaffolded assignments.