This short course will equip students with key qualitative research skills – surveying, interviewing, focus groups and discourse analysis. These skills will be taught with content centred on regional Australia. Lecture content focuses on regional development, internal migration, resource management and cultural industries. The regional field school (in Bathurst) links lecture and workshop material to real world examples and provides hands on experience in the application of research methods in the field. This course is indispensable for those students (undergraduate and postgraduate) who will need to conduct any type of social and qualitative research in their careers. Note: this course involves a field trip at additional expense to students to cover the costs of transportation, accommodation and meals.