Revision as of 19:27, 9 August 2011

Soc 654; Social Reseach Methods

Details

• 102 Bentley Annex
• Tuesday: 6:10-10:00 pm
• Fall 2010
• SOC 654 - Section Code: A01 - Call No: 06837

Contact

• Howard T. Welser, Ohio University Sociology, welser "at symbol" ohio.edu
• My Google profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/H.T.Welser#about
• OU Faculty Page: http://www.cas.ohiou.edu/socanth/faculty/welser.html

Intro

This course helps students cultivate the skills and sensibilities necessary for designing, implementing, analyzing, and reporting on social scientific research.

Course blog: http://soc654researchmethods.blogspot.com/

Using technology in graduate school

We use technology that helps us facilitate our collaborative work in the class.

1. Bring your laptop to class with you every week.
   1. Before class, open a tab for the syllabus, today's notes, and gmail.
2. Google Account create one for your professional career.
   1. Google documents. We will make extensive use of shared documents in the course.
   2. Gmail, chat. Handy for collaborating
   3. Google sites, blogger. Course updates.
   4. Profile: control your google juice
3. Misplaced Pages stuff: the syllabus is editable and on Misplaced Pages.
   1. Create an editor account at Misplaced Pages.
      1. Learn how to edit basic stuff using the sandbox.
      2. Make edits to the course page as necessary.
      3. Inspect pages on methods related to our course.
         1. Find room for improvement.
4. Google documents for daily class notes.
   1. we will keep weekly, in class notes on either google docs
      1. depends on which copes better with the editing task
5. Dropbox; use this to store course related files
   1. you can share some files with others, or simply have an accessible file storage system for your use from different computers

Readings

• Book: Social research methods.
  • William Lawrence Neuman.
  • Edition: 7th ed. 2009
    • or 6th ed. Publisher: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. 2006.
• Digital Readings
  • PDFs: readings, examples, etc.
  • Google docs of your classmates work.

Course work

Three general grade inputs

1. Research Summaries (100 pts each)
   1. Systematic summary and assessment of an empirical research paper. Described below.
2. Mini Proposal (150 pts each)
   1. Described below
3. Digital portfolio: (500 pts)
   1. An empirically based, descriptive self assessment of your performance and progress in the course.
   2. Four areas of assessment
      1. Knowledge
      2. Accomplishments
      3. Skills
      4. Cooperation

Course Schedule

Week 1: The purpose(s) of Science and Social Scientific Research

1. See google doc for detailed agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1sQnehCuwdVV-KE1O6Bx3YLQoRHko3iwX5rXKRS_bCqA&hl=en&authkey=CM232KgG
2. Your research background and goals
   1. Background
   2. Goals
3. Why research?
   1. Read for today: Sagan, Chapters 1,2, Feynman: Cargo Cult Science
4. Sociological imagination
   1. Example: Names
   2. Social scientific explanation
   3. Discussion: Different analysis strategies apply to different parts of the boat

Week 2: Basics of research; Neuman Chapters 1-4, 6

1. Readings:
   1. Ch 1. Why do research?
   2. Ch 2. Major types of social research
   3. Ch 3. Theory and research
   4. Ch 4. Meanings of methodology
   5. Ch 6. Strategies of research design
2. Things to do:
   1. Online Quiz
   2. Notes in-class
3. Look ahead
   1. Quiz and chapters for next week
   2. Applications to MA thesis examples

Week 3: Measurement, sampling, experiment and survey; Neuman 7,8,9,10

1. Readings
   1. Ch 7, Qualitative and Quantitative Measurement
   2. Ch 8, Qualitative and Quantitative Sampling
   3. Ch 9, Experimental research
   4. Ch 10, Survey research
2. To do
   1. Quiz online
   2. Class notes
3. Look ahead:

Week 4: Read example Thesis and Current Paper Draft

1. Discuss Readings
2. Collective Writing of Research Summary
3. Reflect;
4. Mini Lecture: Topic of choice
5. Look ahead:
   1. Plan research summary #1.
      1. Form Teams
      2. Agree on Papers

Week 5: Research Summary #1 presentations and discussions

1. Present and Discuss
   1. . . . as necessary, Present and Discuss
   2. What did you encounter that you need to learn more about?
2. Brainstorm research ideas
   1. Discuss
   2. Choose one for yourself

Week 6: 1000 word proposal draft

1. 1. 60 Second Prezzies
      1. Discuss prezzies;
   2. Reflect on challenges in project development
      1. What was hard?
      2. What needs improvement?
   3. Identify paper for research summary #2
   4. Mini Lecture: Topic of choice

Week 7: Research summary #2

1. 1. ## Present and Discuss
      1. . . . as necessary, Present and Discuss
   2. Reflect on your project idea:
      1. Who gives a frack?

Week 8: Working meeting; progress reports

1. 1. Interpretation: What will your findings mean? Who cares?
   2. Mini Lecture: Topic of choice

Week 9: Proposal Prezzies

1. 1. Presentations 1-8

Week 10: Proposal Prezzies

1. 1. Presentations 9-?
2. Finals week: Final proposals and portfolios due.
   1. Food and drink
   2. Wrap up slide show

Assignment details

Structure of a research summary:

1. See blog for current verstion: http://soc654researchmethods.blogspot.com/2010/09/article-review-instructions.html

1. Below is an old version.
2. Pithy title conveying the key thesis of your summary
3. Properly formatted bibliographic reference for the target paper.
4. Body of paper: Consisting of 600-800 words; google document; figures and references as necessary.
5. Any necessary references, formatted in ASA style

Necessary sections:

1. What will we learn?
2. Who gives a frack?
   1. Why?
3. What are the key ideas?
   1. What is the causal structure?
4. How will the research be done?
   1. Sample frame, etc.
      1. How are IRB issues dealth with?
   2. What are the key variables?
      1. How will they be measured?
   3. What data will result?
      1. How will they be analyzed?
5. What findings should we expect?
   1. What did we find?
6. What do the findings mean?
   1. How do findings matter?
7. What next?

Mini Proposal

• Version 1 due Week 6
  • Generally same structure as research summary
  • See handout
    • Presented in outline structured paragraph form, based on your thesis idea
  • 1000 words max
  • Provide feedback to group members
  • Two min presentation
    • 3 slides max
• Version 2, due Finals Week
  • 2000 words max
  • 7 min Presentation
    • 10 slide max
    • 7 min questions

Digital portfolio

The digital portfolio is a collection of what you see as you most important contributions to the course, including any of the possible means of contribution ranging from chat comments to projects. To consist of a series of links and selections with brief commentaries. I will fill you in on the details as we go along. In short, everything that we do in the course falls under the category of "things to be reported in the digital portfolio" except for the text versions of the proposals and the text two research summaries. Your digital portfolio is analogous to a C.V. in the sense that you draw attention to your best work, and also in the sense that it has types of data, upon each you must report. Your portfolio is worth half of your final grade, in other words 500 pts. Due: Final Exam meeting period.

Four areas of assessment

As we go along, we will flesh out many examples in each of the following categories:

1. Knowledge:
   1. Quiz
   2. ?
2. Accomplishments
   1. ?
3. Skills
   1. ?
4. Cooperation
   1. Commentary on partners' writing
   2. Contributions to in-class notes