Comments on: 4: Up On a Pedestal—Qualitative or Quantitative? http://courses.johnmjones.org/ENGL605/2012/09/16/4-up-on-a-pedestal/ ENGL 605, WVU, Fall 2012 Wed, 14 Nov 2012 02:44:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4 By: Jillian Swisher http://courses.johnmjones.org/ENGL605/2012/09/16/4-up-on-a-pedestal/#comment-190 Jillian Swisher Tue, 18 Sep 2012 14:49:48 +0000 http://courses.johnmjones.org/ENGL605/?p=447#comment-190 I absolutely agree that Charney's negativity overshadowed her arguments (arguments with which I also agree) a bit. While reading this article, I kept noticing a defensive tone in her writing, like in the statement, "Certainly some social scientists who use objective methods are uncaring and arrogant but so are some ethnographers and some critical theorists" (291) and others. I almost wonder if Charney's "morality, personality, and epistemology" (291) were once attacked because of her methodological choices; this article is at times far too emotional <em>not</em> to be coming from a place of self-defensive. I absolutely agree that Charney’s negativity overshadowed her arguments (arguments with which I also agree) a bit. While reading this article, I kept noticing a defensive tone in her writing, like in the statement, “Certainly some social scientists who use objective methods are uncaring and arrogant but so are some ethnographers and some critical theorists” (291) and others. I almost wonder if Charney’s “morality, personality, and epistemology” (291) were once attacked because of her methodological choices; this article is at times far too emotional not to be coming from a place of self-defensive.

]]> By: AshleighP http://courses.johnmjones.org/ENGL605/2012/09/16/4-up-on-a-pedestal/#comment-179 AshleighP Mon, 17 Sep 2012 15:29:58 +0000 http://courses.johnmjones.org/ENGL605/?p=447#comment-179 Even though I'm inclined to agree with her arguments, I feel that Charney's polemical tone sometimes works to undermine her stated goals, including demonstrating that we need both quantitative and qualitative methods (297). The attacks on the other side do seem hyperbolic at times. Although she works to demonstrate the validity of qualitative approaches, her portrayal of the researchers who use those methods is overwhelmingly negative. Even though I’m inclined to agree with her arguments, I feel that Charney’s polemical tone sometimes works to undermine her stated goals, including demonstrating that we need both quantitative and qualitative methods (297). The attacks on the other side do seem hyperbolic at times. Although she works to demonstrate the validity of qualitative approaches, her portrayal of the researchers who use those methods is overwhelmingly negative.

]]> By: cseymour http://courses.johnmjones.org/ENGL605/2012/09/16/4-up-on-a-pedestal/#comment-175 cseymour Mon, 17 Sep 2012 14:38:21 +0000 http://courses.johnmjones.org/ENGL605/?p=447#comment-175 Hi Rachel, I enjoy your last paragraph. I agree that Charney's tone and summaries of the qualitative side of things was at times hyperbolic and presumptuous. I think that tone is attributed to her anger about the situation. She says in her introduction to the article that she usually has a lot of trouble and takes lots of time to write a paper, but this one just flowed out of her, writing sections on notepads wherever she found herself. Such fluidity of writing process evidences that she had some injustice she felt she was acting against (and she did), but I think her anger sometimes exaggerates the claims made by the "other side." If nothing else, her piece says what it wants to say with the mood it wants to say it with, and I found that entertaining. But I had a trust issue here and there with some of her more extreme claims, like the one you pinpoint. Hi Rachel, I enjoy your last paragraph. I agree that Charney’s tone and summaries of the qualitative side of things was at times hyperbolic and presumptuous. I think that tone is attributed to her anger about the situation. She says in her introduction to the article that she usually has a lot of trouble and takes lots of time to write a paper, but this one just flowed out of her, writing sections on notepads wherever she found herself.

Such fluidity of writing process evidences that she had some injustice she felt she was acting against (and she did), but I think her anger sometimes exaggerates the claims made by the “other side.” If nothing else, her piece says what it wants to say with the mood it wants to say it with, and I found that entertaining. But I had a trust issue here and there with some of her more extreme claims, like the one you pinpoint.

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