Teena and Terry (and all),
Oliver Sacks, the renown neurologist, has almost single-handedly restored the case history/case study method in medical research to public prominence (well, most medical researchers would still be hostile to the method, but at least it is being given serious attention again). Dr Sacks' neurological case histories include The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat (1985), Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (2007) and The Mind’s Eye (2010). (And his 1973 book, Awakenings, about a group of patients who had survived the encephalitis lethargica epidemic of the early 20th century, was the basis for a film of the same name in 1990.)
There is a wonderful interview with Sacks by the American radio programme Radiolab, on the occasion of his 80th birthday, where he eloquently recounts his experience with the case study/history -- how and why he came to decide that this was the method he wanted to follow, to devote his career to (there are some quite funny stories in the interview as well, about his not-so-successful very early career as a laboratory scientist).
Here's the link to the interview (you can stream it or download): http://www.radiolab.org/story/305470-happy-birthday-good-doctor-sacks/
Please enjoy,
Jack
On 12 Dec 2013, at 05:10, Terence Love <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Hi Teena,
It will be interesting to see what comes out of your research. Where will
you publish it?
As I understand it, the history of the case study approach began as the
primary research method in engineering design (since B.C.). Since the 1800s,
it is increasingly replaced by mathematical modelling. It remains, however,
one of the core research methods of engineering design. They remain the
mainstay of research into failures, critical incident analyses, and root
cause analyses. Engineering design in all its flavours offers the largest
resource of case studies, except they are usually titled with the subject
of study (e.g. 'Adoption of high speed roller bearings in blade rotors in
the Hundhammerfjellet wind farm') and do not include the words 'case study'.
Similarly, the 'case study' method as an analysis based on a real
situation, appears around 400B.C in Greece and Persia and is central to
research, theory making and analysis in political studies, history,
philosophy and many other disciplines that followed from that time. Before
that, an echo of the case study approach can be seen in Mesopotamian
documents from around 1750 BC (e.g. Gilgamesh and Code of Hammurabi), in
the Upanishads of India (e.g. the Mahabharata).
Following the use of the 'case study' method in engineering and other
disciplines, the social sciences started to adopt the 'case study' method
in the 1800s (around the same time that engineering design started its
transition to mathematical modelling). As I understand it, the application
of the phrase 'case study' to the method originally occurred in Social Work
around the turn of the 19th century and referred to social worker's 'case
work' (see, e.g. Platt, J (1999) A History of Sociological Research Methods
in America 1920-1960. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 46). It
wasn't, however, until the 1960s that case studies became formally commonly
used in social science research. Rather I suspect, 'case studies' were as
widely in use in social sciences as earlier in engineering but they came
into public focus and began to be named 'case study' because of research
methodologists of social sciences starting to publish books about the term.
The etymology of the term 'case' is interesting as it appears to come into
Middle English from two different roots - 'cas' as chance and a situation,
and 'cas' as a physical box: both of which might apply but in differing
ways.
There seems to be a transition pathway, perhaps circular, over time from
'abstract rules/laws/ideas' -> 'case studies' -> 'mathematically-based
models' (and then perhaps to 'case studies' again??).
On the teaching side:
https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/engineering-ethics/approach
es-to-teaching-engineering-ethics
http://sciencecases.lib.buffalo.edu/cs/collection/websites.asp
http://www.cirtl.net/files/CaseStudiesinInclusiveTeaching.pdf
http://www.materials.ac.uk/guides/1-casestudies.pdf
http://www.engineersmedia.com.au/journals/aaee/pdf/AJEE_15_1_Boles.pdf
In engineering design, case studies are increasingly automated and
computerised so the intrinsic understanding and knowledge can be used
directly by other automated design software (think, e.g. Adobe Photoshop,
AutoCad, SolidWorks). This area of case study started around 3 decades ago
and is known as 'case-based reasoning'. As an example, see
http://web.media.mit.edu/~jorkin/generals/papers/Kolodner_case_based_reasoni
ng.pdf
Best wishes ,
Terry
---
Dr Terence Love
PhD(UWA), BA(Hons) Engin. PGCEd, FDRS, AMIMechE, PMACM, MISI
Honorary Fellow
IEED, Management School
Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
ORCID 0000-0002-2436-7566
Director,
Love Services Pty Ltd
PO Box 226, Quinns Rocks
Western Australia 6030
Tel: +61 (0)4 3497 5848
Fax:+61 (0)8 9305 7629
[log in to unmask]
--
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask]
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Teena Clerke
Sent: Thursday, 12 December 2013 7:09 AM
To: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related
research in Design
Subject: Re: Design Practice Research PhD Case Studies
At long last I am delighted to launch the open access Case Studies in
the Use of Design Practice by PhD Researchers (DPR Case Studies) web
site
Dear Mark,
congratulations on your achievement. I am currently doing a lit review of
case studies as both a research method (for generating and analysing
research data) and a teaching method (exemplars for classroom discussion,
and simulations and games for practical learning - historically based on
Harvard Law case studies)
I have Robert Yin's books on case study method and examples, and another
French author whose name escapes me as I type. Other than that, it will be a
google search and reference list search.
Do you have a theoretical or practical rationale for why you are calling
them case studies, and/or can you and any any other listers recommend
methodological or pedagogical literature on case studies?
cheers, teena
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]> Discussion of PhD
studies and related research in Design Subscribe or Unsubscribe at
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------
Jack Whalen
Adjunct Professor, Design and Ethnographic Research
School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Department of Design
Aalto University
PO Box 31000
FI-00076 AALTO
FINLAND
Hämeentie 135C
00560 Helsinki
mobile Finland: +358 50 4427996
mobile USA: +1 415 819 5728
-----------------------------------------------------------------
PhD-Design mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
Discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design
Subscribe or Unsubscribe at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/phd-design
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
