Sociology 280 is an introduction to sociological methodology and enables students to gain a more in-depth understanding of research. The course is designed to provide the learner with the knowledge and skills needed to conduct, evaluate, and utilize empirically based research. This is the first course in the sequence of statistics and research methods courses, and thus assumes no background in research methods, statistics, or mathematics. It provides a general overview of the research process, including the ways sociologists collect information about social phenomena and an elementary introduction to different forms of analysis, as well as the ethical concerns involved in conducting research. We will begin with an overview of the process of social research, including question formulation, conceptualization, causation and research design, and the systematic nature of data collection that leads to reliable and valid data that can be trusted. We will then explore different research designs and methods: surveys, experiments, field research, and evaluation research. Also, because there is a reason to go to Zimmerman Library other than to purchase a Starbucks, we’ll spend some time learning the intricacies of library research. Since libraries are transitioning to the Internet era, learning about library research will also involve use of the Web. One of the myths we will debunk is the one that says if you can surf the web, you can search the web.

  What students think about me -

I created and taught Sociology 481 for many years. This is the senior-level research methods course required for sociology and criminology majors. It is fair to day that over those years, I earned a reputation for how I taught this course. At the conclusion of every semester, I asked the students to write "advice to incoming students." This was based on the premise that their friends were going to take the course from me and sought their advice. Their advice was submitted and published without editing. Of course, this class is not 481, but what they said may give you some insight into me and how I teach research methods. Go here for the advice.

Grading -

                                        

I used to put this section of the syllabus later in the page, but most students are very concerned about how they will be graded, so I have moved the section up to the front.

Before moving on to describe how I will grade in this class, I provide my definition of the traditional A-F scale:

A - Clearly stands out as excellent performance. Has unusually sharp insight into material and initiates thoughtful questions. Sees many sides of an issue. Articulates well an writes logically and clearly, and integrates ideas previously learned from this and other courses and disciplines; anticipates next steps in the progression of ideas. Example: "A" work should be of such a  nature that it could be put on reserve for all students to review and emulate. The "A" student is, in fact, an example for others to follow. As you might imagine,  few "A" grades are awarded. The "A+" grade is even rarer, but does happen once in a while.

B - This student grasps subject matter at a level considered to be good to very good. Is an active listener and participant in class discussions. Speaks and writes well. Accomplishes more than the minimum requirements. Work in and out of class is of high quality. Example: "B" work indicates a high quality performance and is given in recognition for solid work; a "B" should be considered a high grade.

C - Demonstrates a satisfactory comprehension of the subject matter. Accomplishes only the minimum requirements, and displays little or no initiative. Communicates orally and in writing at an acceptable level and has a an understanding of all basic concepts. Example:"C" work represents average work. A student who receives a "C" has met the requirements.

D - Quality and quantity of work in and out of class is below the average and barely acceptable. Example:"D" work is not passing.

F - Quality and quantity of work in and out of the class is unacceptable. Example"F" work does  not qualify the student to progress to a more advanced level of work.

I do not grade on a curve.  Curve grading tends to foster competition, not cooperation, among class members.  The only relativism in grading exists because an "A" grade only has meaning since there is an "F" grade.  My assumption from the first day of class is that everyone has an "A" and it is yours to keep or lose.

Your final grade is determined by the weighted average of the following:

Research proposal             40%
Midterm exam                   30%
Chapter Exercises             30%
 
Extra credit will be given for the following:

• Oral presentation of research proposal
• Creation of a web page for your reaction papers, and research proposal (note that this must be a legitimate web page, not just one with a single link to MS Word documents. Additionally, it must include  dancing (singing is optional) bunnies - NOT the Playboy ones)
  

To anticipate your question, how "extra" is the extra? If you do both successfully and your final grade is on the bubble between two grades, you get the higher grade. Just to be clear, if your final grade is a D and you get extra credit for both, your grade does NOT jump to a B.


Components:

Research Proposal - For this assignment, you will propose a research design for an original empirical research project of your choice. You will select a research topic, review relevant literature, construct hypotheses to be examined empirically, address concerns for scientific ethics and objectivity, and recommend a research design including measurement techniques. When finished, you will have carried out a study up to the point of gathering data.  I have placed on eReserves several examples of proposals from previous semesters. More details on the proposal are found here

Also, the text contains exercises at the end of each chapter devoted to developing a research proposal and some of these will be required and will constitute 20% of your grade.

The most important advice I can give you is to start the proposal as early as possible in the semester.

Midterm Exam - This exam is in-class and covers the material you have been assigned to read and think about previously in the semester.  The exam is relatively brief and is multiple choice.. Roughly 1/4 of the class drops after the exam.

Chapter Exercises - You'll note that each chapter of the text has a variety of exercises, from questions about the chapter to web exercises and tasks devoted specifically to the development of a research proposal. We will make use of some of these.

Blog Postings - ***please note that NO blog postings will be required this semester, so ignore the instructions below***

A link to our blog is provided from this home page. What makes this blogger unique is that you interact with it through email, and from any email program  - Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail and so on.   At your earliest convenience, go to the blog site and following the instructions, create your own blog.  Since the T.A. will be grading these postings, it is strongly recommended that you create a blog with your name so that it can easily be identified as yours. Once your blog is created, email the blog Internet address and the name you have chosen to the T.A.. You will want to create a blog password, because doing so allows you to choose your own subdomain name and I strongly recommend you use your first and last names as part of this subdomain.

Your blog grade is determined by both the quantity and quality of your postings and should reflect your observation and critical analysis  of  how social research  is  used in ordinary events. So, this is the one exception to my rule of using only academic resources. For this, you may consult virtually any credible source from print, television or the Web. For your postings, you should find political/social/economic/etc events that involve social research (polls, evaluations, assessments, surveys, etc..). For your post, briefly describe the event, the research behind it and your analysis of how well the research was done or reported as done.  

For example, CNN.COM had this  story. I'll quote just the beginning. "The prescription drugs allegedly found in Al Gore III's possession Wednesday are favorites among young people, according to drug abuse experts, who say prescription drugs may soon overtake street drugs in popularity. Some young people perceive that prescription drugs are safer than street drugs, experts say.

"I wouldn't be surprised if right now at this point in time, there are more kids abusing prescription drugs than abusing marijuana," said Joseph A. Califano Jr., chairman and president of CASA, the National Center on Alcohol and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Gore was arrested on charges of possessing -- in addition to marijuana -- Vicodin, Xanax, Valium and Adderall.

According to a CASA report, between 1993 and 2005 the proportion of college students abusing Vicodin and other opiods went up 343 percent, about 240,000 individuals. The numbers increased 450 percent, or by 170,000 students, for tranquilizers such as Xanax and Valium, and 93 percent, or 225,000 students, for stimulants, including Adderall. The prescription drugs allegedly found in Al Gore III's possession Wednesday are favorites among young people, according to drug abuse experts, who say prescription drugs may soon overtake street drugs in popularity. "

Critically evaluate this article in terms of social science research design. Perhaps look for the primary study. Ask questions about the method of data collection, sampling design, question construction, and so on.

Using weeks as the metric, blog grading on quantity is as follows:

• 7+   postings     = A
• 5-6 postings     = B
• 3-4 postings     = C
• 1-2 postings     = D
• 0 postings        = F

I will determine the quality of the posts, but the quantity and quality are related. Thus, if you make 4 incredibly wonderful posts, you still get a C. On the other hand, you could make 10 mediocre posts and get less than an A. The best advice is to pace your postings throughout the semester.

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ADA Policy

In accordance with University Policy 2310 and Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), any student who, because of a disability, may
require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements
should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make necessary
accommodations. It is the responsibility of the student to request
accommodation for individual learning needs. For further information,
contact the Accessibility Resource Center at 277-3506.


Graduate Assistant - There is no G.A. for this semester, so I will be grading all of your work.

                                                    

      
                                                            

Required Texts - Russell Schutt, Investigating the Social World: the Process and Practice of Research., Pine Forge Press, 7th edition, 2012.

Bookmark the student web site that accompanies the text: www.sagepub.com/schuttisw7e/main.htm

Part of the course requirements may involve completing web exercises and this site contains the web exercises with accompanying links.  There are also additional resources at this site which you may find useful.


                                                  

In addition to these rules, there are other matters of course administration:

  Attendance -

I don't take attendance. Well, that's not exactly true.  My assumption is that you and I both show up where and when we are supposed to and if for a legitimate reason (medical, car trouble, etc.), we can't make it, we inform each other via email with as much advance notice as possible.  As long as this works, fine, but when the day comes that I notice you are simply not coming to class, I take attendance. From that day on, if I record five absences for you, I will drop you from the class or impose a severe grade penalty of two letter grades.

  
Class Listserv -

This section of Sociology 280 has an official Listserv discussion list which is used by me to notify the class of changes in the syllabus, cancellation of class and the like. The list may also be used by the class to ask questions about course content or to engage in discussions with class members. The name of the list is soc280-L and details of how to subscribe and post to the list follow.

Everyone in the class MUST subscribe to the Listserv by the end of the first week of class.

You may subscribe to the list by sending an email message to:

listserv@maillist.unm.edu

Leave the subject field blank.

In the body of the message type (with no other text):

subscribe SOC280-L Firstname Lastname

Once I have approved you, a notification will be emailed to you.

Once you have been approved, to communicate with the class simply address email messages to SOC280-L@unm.edu

Do NOT send messages to listserv@maillist.unm.edu - this address is reserved for you to use in making requests such as subscribing, unsubscribing, reviewing the list members and so on.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, pay close attention to where the mail is being sent if you use the "reply-to" function. Every semester, students are embarrassed to discover that the message they though was being sent to the original sender was, in fact, being sent to the entire class.

  What do I expect of you? -

Lets not kid ourselves: while there may be one or two of you out there taking this course as an elective or are really interested in the subject matter, most of you are captive and have to take this course in order to get the degree. But, this doesn't have to mean that the class cant be enjoyable. To accomplish this, I need your cooperation. Specifically, I need your participation, not your passivity. I know the class is too large for many informal conversations, but there is nothing you nor I can do about it. However, we can make an effort to keep the class alive by reading the material in advance and asking good questions. I don't want to spend the semester lecturing any more than you want to spend the semester just listening and taking notes.

  Ereserves -

By the first week of the semester, I'll send the course password to the soc280-l list. I will re-send it to the list for several more weeks. The Ereserves repository for this class is dynamic and changes often, with the addition of lecture notes, Powerpoint slides, or other material relevant to the class. Most importantly, it contains sample research proposals from previous semesters.  It is your responsibility to check Ereserves at least weekly.

  Research Proposal Prospectus -

Around the middle of the semester, you are asked to turn in a prospectus for the research proposal. This is a 1-2 page document which outlines your intended research proposal. It should contain :

•   Statement of the problem being researched

•   Identification of the dependent variable

•   Identification of possible independent variables

•   Hypothesis for each independent variable

  Three references to demonstrate you can find background literature on the topic

The prospectus is graded "OK" or "RR" for revise and resubmit.  You cannot turn in a final research proposal until your prospectus is graded "OK." Once your prospectus receives an "OK," you may change proposal topics without resubmitting another prospectus.

  Submitting Materials -

I expect all materials, research proposal and reaction papers to be submitted electronically. There are two ways to accomplish this: create a web page containing all of the materials and email me the URL; or email me, or the Graduate Assistant,  the materials as they are due. In either case, my email address is: stgeorge@unm.edu

NOTE: Assignments received up to a week after the published due date and without prior permission from the professor, will lose one letter grade.  Assignments received after one week and without prior permission from the instructor, will receive an F grade.

There are no "re-dos" on assignments or the midterm.

  Anticipated Calendar of Events -

A syllabus is not a contract between us, just a guide to what I would like to cover by a certain date. But as in life,  all things change, so with this in mind:

WEEK ONE
January 17 - January 20

Introduction to course; discussion of requirements; administrativia (yes, I know this is not a real word). For Thursday's class, come prepared to answer the following question: for the most serious decisions in your life (illness, job, marriage, divorce, children, etc.) what is the ultimate source of authority to whom you turn for advice? Reading: text, Chapter 1, pp. 1-24 Ereserves: "Toward Sociology as a Science, Maybe" Proposal Exercise: Numbers 1-2 on page 24 of the text. This is due in 2 weeks, on Tuesday, January 31st Email this and all other weekly work to me at stgeorge@unm.edu or post it to your web site (has to have dancing bunnies on it) and email me the URL.

WEEK TWO
January 23 - January 27

The Process and Problems of Social Research Reading: Text, Chapter 2, pp. 26-62

WEEK THREE
January 30 - February 3

Research Ethics and Philosophies Reading: Text, Chapter 3, pp. 63-89 Ereserves: slides on the role of research and the article "BabbieonHumphreys"

WEEK FOUR
February 6 - February 10

Conceptualization and Measurement Reading: Text, Chapter 4, pp. 94-130 Ereserves: slides on measurement Discussion Question Number 2 on Page 131 (DUE February 21)

WEEK FIVE
February 13 - February 17

Sampling Reading: Text, Chapter 5, pp. 135-166

WEEK SIX
February 20 - February 24

Research Design and Causation Reading: Text, Chapter 6, pp. 171-193 Ereserves: slides Web Exercise Number 2 on Page 196 (DUE March 6) *** IN CLASS MIDTERM *** THURSDAY February 23

WEEK SEVEN
February 27 - March 2

Experiments Reading: Text, Chapter 7, pp. 198-225

WEEK EIGHT
March 5 - March 9

Survey Research Reading: Text, Chapter 8, pp. 229-273 Ereserves: slides on Survey Research

WEEK NINE
March 12 - March 16

                  

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WEEK TEN
March 19 - March 23

 

Qualitative Methods Reading: Text, Chapter 9, pp.280-315 Web Exercise Number 3 on Page 318 DUE April 3 (this exercise confuses nearly everyone. There are several parts to it. There is a compare and contrast report AND the data you collect from surfing the Web. Remember that you are to surf the Web, pretending you are a child. You choose the age of the child. ALSO, be sure to cite the Web sites you visit.) *** PROSPECTUS DUE THURSDAY, MARCH 22 ***

WEEK ELEVEN
March 26 - March 30

Evaluation and Policy Research Reading: Text, Chapter 11, pp. 358-384 Ereserves: slides on Evaluation Research

WEEK TWELVE
April 2 - April 6

Historical and Comparative Research Reading: Text, Chapter 12, pp. 387-408

WEEK THIRTEEN
April 9 - April 13

Secondary Data Analysis and Content Analysis Reading: Text, Chapter 13, pp. 413-441

 
WEEK FOURTEEN
April 16 - April 20

Quantitative Data Analysis Reading: Text, Chapter 14, pp. 446-486

WEEK FIFTEEN
April 23 - April 27

Review of Proposals

WEEK SIXTEEN
April 30 - May 4

This week is reserved for optional oral presentations of research proposals. You must have approval  for the presentation prior to this week. Research proposal is due no later than 5pm on Friday, May 5 Optional web site URLs are also due this day, emailed to stgeorge@unm.edu

    

END OF SEMESTER - APPLAUSE PLEASE!