Qualitative research procedures may be characterized by the practice of empiricism that is sensitive to individual perspectives of reality. The many techniques that may be used are malleable and situation-specific in their design--contingent on those aspects of social phenomena that are chosen to be studied. Practical curriculum design for teaching qualitative methods can be viewed within two major thrusts of pedagogical goals: to channel the efforts of student field study into the practice of procedures related to the instructor's own empirical endeavors, and to maximize student interests in the phenomenal world. The major content characteristics of the qualitative methods course are typically lecturing, training within the experience of the phenomenal world, and evaluation of the student's performance based on observation notes, formal writing, and participation in class discussions drawn from field experiences. The format can vary but is likely to include five major areas: (1) the prefieldwork literature survey of phenomenological philosophy, field ethnographies, and general overview of qualitative research techniques; (2) field entry and consideration for matching technique to social phenomena; (3) field disengagement and the ethics of debriefing and information disclosure; (4) data analysis; and (5) the elemental write-up and presentation of results. (HOD)