The document discusses key concepts in qualitative research methods for studying culture and social reality. It contrasts subjectivist and objectivist approaches and notes that researchers occupy positions along the spectrum between these extremes. Four common qualitative methods are described - observation, textual analysis, interviews, and transcripts. The document also discusses some principles of ethnography, including a preference for natural data collection over experiments, understanding meanings from participants' perspectives, and acknowledging the researcher's role in knowledge production.