Doing research with letters: lessons from the field
| Dates: | 8 November 2017 |
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| Times: | 13:00 - 14:30 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | School of Law |
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| Who is it for: | University staff, Adults, Alumni, Current University students, General public |
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| Speaker: | Dr Marion Vannier |
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CCCJ Seminar Programme 2017/18
(in collaboration with Methods@Manchester)
Doing on prisons is like looking through a keyhole: it is very difficult
to get reliable information about what is going on inside a corrections facility
(Schwirtz, 2015) Marion will be discussing her research methods exploring how
life imprisonment with no possibility of parole, the alternative to the death penalty,
had become normalized, using California as a case study. She received over
300 letters written from men and women serving life with no parole across the state.
The adventures, thrills, demands and frustrations of her research will be outlined.
She will highlight how research rarely goes to plan and how researchers are required
to adapt their approach by adopting an array of research tools; being creative when
using them; and more generally, remaining flexible and adjustable because the original
methodological frame is likely to change due to unexpected events and realities.
During this interactive workshop she will discuss the pros and cons of doing research using
prisoners’ letters, and will touch upon the emotions this form of data may provoke.
Speaker
Dr Marion Vannier
Role: School of Law
Organisation: University of Manchester
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
Hanson Room, Ground Floor
Humanities Bridgeford Street
Manchester
