Effective nursing practice in contemporary healthcare services requires a robust theoretical and philosophical foundation; one that identifies both the unique disciplinary contribution of nursing to the care process and further advances the rigour of nursing science. This module focuses on qualitative research as an important way of engaging with, and critically exploring, current issues in healthcare politics, social policy, and professional practice. Qualitative inquiry is an umbrella term that embraces a range of perspectives and approaches, where the defining feature is an interest in understanding the human actor in her/his socio-cultural context. In this module the student will be afforded an opportunity to explore a number of methodological positions in the practice of ‘real world’ research; integrating intellectual traditions with the pragmatic issues of study design, data collection and data analysis. It will be suggested that qualitative research is congruent with the humanistic, and holistic, values of nursing practice and signals an emancipatory and empowering potential for service-users, carers, and vulnerable populations. Central to this process is accessing the ‘lived experience’ of individuals through observation, narrative, story-telling, and discourse, in a naturalistic setting. Module content will explore the role of social research, within a global nursing community, in promoting ethically sensitive and professionally relevant knowledge(s). Teaching is facilitated by the use of lectures, workshops and tutorials, the module is assessed by completion of a 5,000 word assignment.