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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

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. Google+ 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 google docs
  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

Four general grade inputs

  1. Quizzes (200 pts. total)
    1. Early in the quarter we will have a quiz each week that reviews undergraduate level methods
    2. Each quiz is based on content of Neuman's book
    3. Start reviewing the concepts now
  2. Research Summaries (200 pts total)
    1. Systematic summary and assessment of an empirical research paper. Described below.
  3. Mini Proposal (300 pts total)
    1. Described below
  4. Digital portfolio: (300 pts)
    1. An empirically based, descriptive self assessment of your performance and progress in the course.
      1. Four areas of assessment
        1. Knowledge: improvements and expansions of knowledge related to methods, methodology,
        2. Accomplishments: contributions to projects, papers, presentations.
        3. Skills: development of skills in methods, research design, digital tools and academic writing.
        4. Cooperation: evidence of collaboration and successful contribution to group work, in-class and online.

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? or "Science, how does it work?"
    1. Read for today: Sagan, Chapters 1,2, Feynman: Cargo Cult Science
      1. Readings here: http://soc654researchmethods.blogspot.com/2010/09/science-how-does-it-work.html
  4. Sociological imagination
    1. Example: Names
    3. Social scientific explanation
    4. Discussion: Different analysis strategies apply to different parts of the boat

Week 2: Basics of research; Neuman Chapters 1-5

  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 5. Review literature and conduct ethical studies
  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: Planning and Preparation; Neuman 6-8

  1. Readings:
    1. Ch 6. Strategies of research design
    2. Ch 7. Qualitative and Quantitative Measurement
    3. Ch 8. Qualitative and Quantitative Sampling
    4. Socio econonomic status updates
    5. Survey instrument, Brooks thesis
      1. See class drop-box
  2. To do:
    1. Quiz online
    2. Skype conversation with Brandon Brooks
    3. Class notes
  3. Look ahead:
    1. Coming chapters
    2. Application to thesis projects

Week 4: Quantitative Data Collection and Analysis

  1. Readings:
    1. Ch 9. Experimental research
    2. Ch 10. Survey research
    3. Ch 11. Nonreactive research and secondary analysis
    4. Ch 12. Analysis of quantitative data
  2. Example research:
    1. Content analysis, exploratory network visualization. "Self-Governance Through Group Discussion in Misplaced Pages: Measuring Deliberation in Online Groups"
      1. http://sgr.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/05/08/1046496411406137.abstract
    2. Non reactive research, linear regression, hypothesis testing: "The Diffusion of a Task Recommendation System to Facilitate Contributions to an Online Community"
      1. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2009.01491.x/full
  3. To do
    1. Quiz online
    2. Class notes
  4. Look ahead:
    1. Coming chapters
    2. Application to thesis projects

Week 5: Qualitative Data Collection and Analysis

  1. Readings:
    1. Ch 13. Field research and focus group research
    2. Ch 14. Historical-comparative research
    3. Ch 15. Analysis of qualitative data
    4. Example research:
  2. To do:
    1. Quiz online
    2. Class notes
    3. Draft of digital portfolio
  3. Look ahead:
    1. Choose article to review from next week's list
    2. Application to thesis projects

Week 6: Article Review #1

  1. Write a review of one of the following readings. Make a brief and informative presentation on the reading. Discuss reading as an example of quantitative sociological research.
  2. The readings to choose from:
    1. Kreager, Derek A. 2008. “Guarded Borders: Interracial Teen Dating and Difficulties with Peers.” Social Forces 87(2):887-910.
    2. Staff, Jeremy, and Derek A. Kreager. 2008. “Too Cool for School? Peer Status and High School Dropout.” Social Forces 87(1):445-471.
    3. Kreager, Derek A. 2007. “Unnecessary Roughness? School Sports, Peer Networks, and Male Adolescent Violence.” American Sociological Review 72(5):705-724.
    4. Kreager, Derek A. 2007. “When it’s Good to be “Bad”: Violence and Adolescent Peer Acceptance.” Criminology 45(4):601-631.
    5. Kreager, Derek A. 2004. “Strangers in the Halls: Isolation and Delinquency in School Networks.” Social Forces 83(1):351-390.
    6. Kreager, Derek A., Kelly Rulison, and James Moody. 2011. “Delinquency and the Structure of Adolescent Peer Groups.” Criminology 49(1):95-127.
    7. Kreager, Derek A. and Dana L. Haynie. Forthcoming. “Dangerous Liaisons? Dating and Drinking Diffusion in Adolescent Peer Networks.” American Sociological Review.
  3. Lessons from example research
  4. MA Thesis and Exam options
  5. Finding good research on a topic of interest to you.
    1. Sign up with your review option on google spreadsheet

Week 7: Research Summary #2 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 8: 1000 word proposal draft

    1. 60 Second Prezzies
      1. Discuss prezzies;
    2. Reflect on challenges in project development
      1. What was hard?
      2. What needs improvement?

Week 9: Better writing

  1. Discuss examples
    1. Kreager
    2. Papachristos
    3. Hechter
    4. Stark
  2. Writing issues
    1. Thesis statements
    2. Active voice
    3. Structure your arguments
  3. Reflect on your project idea:
    1. Who gives a frack?

Week 10: Proposal Prezzies

  1. Presentations
  2. Discussion
  3. Food and drink

Finals Week: Proposal Prezzies, final proposal paper due

  1. Presentations
  2. Discussion
  3. Food and drink

Assignment details

Quizzes

Quizzes will be due Sunday night by 9:00 pm. The content of the quiz will be based on the readings that are due the following Monday. The purpose of the quiz is to motivate engagement in the course materials prior to our discussion. This will allow us to move beyond the basic level of mastery in class and address more advanced issues and concepts. Question types include:

  1. Short answer
  2. Essay
  3. Multiple choice
  4. True / false


Structure of a research summary

The research summary is a type of analytic writing that will help you prepare for area exams and for completing a masters thesis. In short, as a graduate student you must review and digest a large quantity of extant literature. The works that are most importnat in your area or to your research deserve extra attention. Writing a systematic review is a great way to give important work extra attention.

Mini Proposal

A major goal of this course is to help you cultivate the capacity to design and describe worthwhile research plans. The mini proposal forces you to describe a research project from start to finish in a very brief format.

  • 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. The document should consist of a series of links and selections with brief commentaries.

In short, everything that we do in the course falls under the category of "things to be reported in the digital portfolio". 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.
Draft due: Week 5
Final due: Finals Week

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