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Research in international affairs – whether academic or professional – calls for different methods for gathering information, interpreting data, drawing conclusions, and advancing arguments. Qualitative methods rely on direct observation, narrative forms, and tools such as interviews, archival sources, media, participant observation, ethnographic analysis and historical documentation. Qualitative approaches may draw upon inductive techniques (assessing evidence directly) and deductive reasoning (drawing on stylized or logical relationships) when identifying patterns and crafting propositions. The purposes of qualitative methods are broadly similar to those of quantitative methods: drawing inferences (resilient generalizations) from evidence, developing causal arguments about the sources and mechanisms of events, and testing propositions about political behavior. Qualitative methods are also frequently partnered with quantitative methods in 'mixed-method' research designs. However, the assumptions and procedures of qualitative methodology are distinct. This course will provide a general overview of the tools and assumptions of qualitative research methods, along with a survey of key literature and directions of inquiry.