Discussion 1: Qualitative Research: Making It RealAs you make your way through the readings and resources for this week’s Discussion, you begin to realize that social and political forces as well as scientific curiosity shaped the development of modern qualitative research. These readings also make it clear that qualitative research is not a single, homogenous endeavor. Rather, qualitative researchers:come from a variety of disciplines,engage their objects of study from multiple perspectives,present their results in numerous formats,extend scientific knowledge beyond the confines of the experiment or survey,engage the audience to be self-reflective, andpotentially illuminate opportunities for social change.This week’s course of study provides you with a contextual understanding of qualitative research, which will form the foundation for understanding the methods and rationale. These will also help you begin a thoughtful process for considering the choice of qualitative research as your methodology for your doctoral research.For this Discussion, you will explore the foundations and history of qualitative research methods. You also will consider the unique characteristics that distinguish qualitative research from other forms of inquiry.To prepare for this Discussion:Review the Learning Resources related to qualitative research and consider the reasons researchers choose qualitative research methods for exploring a phenomenon of interest.Use the Course Guide and Assignment Help in the Learning Resources to help you search for other books, encyclopedias, or articles that introduce and describe qualitative research.By Day 3Consider the statement:Qualitative researchers study people in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them.Using the Learning Resources and other academic sources you found, expand on this simple statement. In 3–4 paragraphs, explain several dimensions of this paradigm that make qualitative research interesting and unique. Be sure to use the terminology you are learning (including but not limited to “phenomena”, “constructivist,” and “naturalistic”), and provide historical context.Ravitch, S. M., & Carl, N. M. (2016). Qualitative research: Bridging the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Chapter 1, “Qualitative Research: An Opening Orientation” (pp. 1–31)Erickson, F. (2011). Chapter 3: A history of qualitative inquiry in social and educational research. In N. K. Denzin, & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of qualitative research (4th ed., pp. 43–58). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y.S. (2013). Chapter 1: Introduction: The discipline and practice of qualitative research. In The landscape of qualitative research (4th ed., pp. 1–44). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/17670_Chapter1.pdfYob, I., & Brewer, P. (n.d.). Working toward the common good: An online university's perspectives on social change, 1-25.Walden University. (n.d.). What kind of social change agent are you? Retrieved from Review this website and take the social change quiz to complete your Major Assignment 2 for this week.Walden University Library. (n.d.). Course guide and assignment help for RSCH 8310. Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/rsch8310Use this website to search for books, encyclopedias, or articles based on the requirements for the Discussion and/or Assignment.Document: Video Field Notes Guide (Word document)Use this guide to help you as you take notes for your Scholar of Change video.Document: Major Assignment 1: Developing a Research Topic for a Qualitative Study Overview and Guidelines (PDF)Use this document to guide you through your Major Assignment 1 for this course.Document: Major Assignment 2: The Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data Overview and Guidelines (PDF)Use this document to guide you through your Major Assignment 2 for this course.

Read the attached article and discuss what a commodity chain is, and how global elite affect both products and labor under modern production conditions.

There are two different future directions in which US agriculture in US is going. One is a movement toward organic food and locally grown food (often called "alternative agriculture"). Apply three concepts related to social movements from week 11, explain them, and apply them to the alternative agricultural/food movement.Whenever you refer to a concept from the lectures, be sure to provide a brief definition (preferably, in your own words, not simply copying over a definition from the lectures) and then use it to help answer the discussion question. In other words -- "define it and then apply it."A suggested length to your answer is 100-200 words. You may apply personal examples (about you, your family, your community, your friends and your society), but you must be sure that you link these examples to the subject matter of the lectures in this course. Otherwise, the examples are extraneous and will lower your grade.Our goal (the instructors) in this course is to respond to each of your posts. If we do not, it is either because we inadvertently skipped you or something has happened that has caused us to fall far behind in our work (we will try mighty hard to catch up). The longer into the week you wait to respond, the less likely we will have time to respond.Your grade (2 points)The rubrics for this discussion question, which is also stated in the syllabus, apply to how you will be graded. Here is a restatement of the rubrics:Connectedness-- The discussion post demonstrates an ability to cite/connect specific concepts, examples and content from the lectures when answering the discussion question;Relevance-- The discussion post shows how the topics relate to either/or your life, current events, or the content, concepts and examples from the previous two weeks of lectures in RS 1500;Thoughtfulness-- The discussion post exemplifies thoughtfulness, originality, and critical thinking. It is not merely a regurgitation or mimicking of the words in the lecture slides, but rather connecting the topic to course content and/or examples outside of class, using your sociological imagination; andQuality-- The discussion post shows you invested some time and effort in your answer. It addresses the discussion question fully. It is not full of typographical errors, misspellings, or poor sentence structure. A good idea is to write the post in Word with the spelling and grammar checker on, and then copy over for the purposes of posting on Carmen.We will grade your post based on how well you demonstrate that you have viewed/listened to the audio lectures on powerpoint.