Methods Seminar
2025-26 Seminar Schedule
September 26, 2025, 10 - 11 a.m
Survey Data Collection in Polarized Times: Insights from Viewpoint Alberta
Dr. Feo Snagovsky and Evan Walker will be discussing surveys, which remain one of the most widely used tools for studying how people think and act. They will examine the strengths and limitations in understanding political attitudes and behaviours, particularly in contexts of high political polarization.
October 28, 2025, 10 - 11 a.m
Community-Engaged Research: The What, the Why and the How -POSTPONED
Dr. Bethan Kingsley will provide a simple overview of community-engaged research for those who may be new to it and/or unfamiliar with this approach to research. Specifically, we will review the purpose of community-engaged research and its core principles along with examples of some projects that use a community-engaged approach
November 18, 2025, 11a.m - 12:15 p.m.
Integrating AI Into the Qualitative Analysis World: Methodological Implications
AI is now a potential feature of every stage of qualitative research activity. What does this mean for how we make design decisions, frame analysis, navigate ethics, or even describe what we do? In this session, we will together watch a short webinar, Integrating AI into the Qualitative Analysis World, by Dr. Christina Silver, an expert in computer-assisted qualitative data analysis. Following the video, Dr. Silver and Dr. Maria Finnsdottir from the UA Digital Research Service will have a conversation about what it means to be and remain “methodologically-grounded” in the context of AI.
December 2025
No seminar
January 2026
To be announced
February 2026
To be announced
March 2026
To be announced
April 2026
To be announced
Integrating AI into the Qualitative Analysis World: Methodological Implications
Tuesday, November 18, 2025, 11am -12:15 pm (MT)
Hybrid Seminar
In person: T 1-61 ( Tory building, University of Alberta) | Virtual: Zoom link
Add event to calendar
Register for the event
AI is now a potential feature of every stage of qualitative research activity. What does this mean for how we make design decisions, frame analysis, navigate ethics, or even describe what we do? In this session, we will together watch a short webinar, Integrating AI into the Qualitative Analysis World, by Dr. Christina Silver, an expert in computer-assisted qualitative data analysis. Following the video, Dr. Silver and Dr. Maria Finnsdottir from the UA Digital Research Service will have a conversation about what it means to be and remain “methodologically-grounded” in the context of AI.
Panelists
Christina Silver
Associate Professor (Teaching), Sociology; Director of CAQDAS Networking Project; University of Surrey, UK
Dr. Silver has been working with the CAQDAS Networking Project (CNP) since 1998 and now manages the project. The CNP provides platforms of debate concerning the use of Computer Assisted Qualitative Data AnalysiS (CAQDAS) packages. Dr Silver advises and trains research teams on their use of CAQDAS software. Dr Silver has been commissioned to carry out research projects for a number of independent organisations, including a collaborative Action Research Project between East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, the Centre for the Development of Health Care Policy and Practice (CDNPP) at Leeds University and the Facilities Management Graduate Centre (FMGC) at Sheffield Hallam University. Dr Silver came to Surrey and obtained an ESRC-funded PhD comparing the development of school-based sex education in England and Wales and the Netherlands in 2002.
Maria Finnsdottir
Humanities & Social Sciences Specialist, Digital Research Services, University of Alberta
María Sigríður Finnsdóttir is the Humanities & Social Sciences Specialist with Digital Research Services at the University of Alberta. She is also the chair of the Digital Research Alliance of Canada’s national humanities and social sciences team. Prior to this position with the U of A, María held a postdoctoral fellowship on the Borders in Globalization project at the University of Victoria. María holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Toronto, awarded in 2024. Her research interests are in political communication, gendered representation, far-right and populist politics, and computational social science.
Community-Engaged Research: The What, the Why and the How - POSTPONED
Thursday, October 28, 2025, 10 - 11 a.m.
Hybrid Seminar
In person: T 1-61 ( Tory building, University of Alberta) | Virtual: Zoom link
Add event to calendar
Register for the event
This seminar will provide a simple overview of community-engaged research for those who may be new to it and/or unfamiliar with this approach to research. Specifically, we will review the purpose of community-engaged research and its core principles along with examples of some projects that use a community-engaged approach.
Panelists
Bethan Kingsley
Rresearch Associate at the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI)
Dr. Bethan Kingsley is a Research Associate at the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute (WCHRI). She completed her PhD using a community-engaged approach to explore issues relating to accessibility and marginalization in sport and recreation for young people living with lower incomes. Following her PhD she did a postdoctoral fellowship with the Community-University Partnership (CUP) for the Study of Children, Youth and Families, working on the Evaluation Capacity Network with Dr. Rebecca Gokiert along with a number of community partners from non profits, government, and funding agencies. Prior to moving to WCHRI, she also worked with Dr. Maria Mayan on a research program to explore the development of inclusive economies in partnership with End Poverty Edmonton and Drayton Valley.
Survey Data Collection in Polarized Times: Insights from Viewpoint Alberta
Friday, Sep 26, 2025, 10 - 11 a.m.
Hybrid Seminar
In person: T 1-61 ( Tory building, University of Alberta) | Virtual: Zoom link
Surveys remain one of the most widely used tools for studying how people think and act. This session examines their strengths and limitations in understanding political attitudes and behaviours, particularly in contexts of high political polarization. We will consider the practical and methodological difficulties of online survey research, including recruitment, response bias, data quality, and tracking attitudes over time. Drawing on evidence from Viewpoint Alberta, a large, multi-year survey project examining the political attitudes and behaviours of Albertans, we will discuss lessons for designing surveys that balance rigour with feasibility in contemporary political research.
Panelists
Feo Snagovsky
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
Dr. Feo Snagovsky is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta. His research focuses on the comparative analysis of elections and political behaviour – particularly in the role that political elites play in shaping identity and public opinion. His work has been published in Party Politics, Parliamentary Affairs, Government and Opposition, Electoral Studies, the Canadian Journal of Political Science and the Australian Journal of Political Science. His current research examines conspiracy theory belief and support for democracy.
Evan Walker
PhD student, Department of Political Science, University of Alberta.
Evan Walker is a PhD student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta. Having completed his Master's studies at the U of A, Evan’s research interests centre around populism, political behaviour, and occasionally political economy. Evan aims to mesh his background in Political Science, Economics, and Geography to help better understand public opinion.