202: SOCIOLOGY INTRODUCTION TO RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIOLOGY 2:00 3:15 PM Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2309 Art-Sociology Building Fall Semester 2005 Prof. Steve Martin 3125 Art-Sociology, 301-405-3464 Office Hours: Tu 9 - 11, Th 11 - 1, or by appointment
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TA Betsy Thorn 3110 ASY, 301-405-6039 Office Hours: Tu 12 1, Th 3:30 4:30
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Subject Matter and Objectives: In this class you will learn some systematic approaches used by social scientists to investigate the social world. Using these approaches, you will design, conduct, and communicate your own social science research. You will also critique published social research and the work of your fellow students. The skills you learn in this class will be formal and precise to allow you to interact with the community of social science research, but they will also have more general uses that will help you share social knowledge with future coworkers and the general public. The class is structured around two main activities. The first activity includes the lectures and class discussions, and is oriented toward the midterm and final. The second activity includes the labs, and is oriented toward the development of a research project based on secondary data analysis.
Prerequisite: Sociology 201 (Statistical Methods). Required Text: Babbie, Earl. 2005. The Practice of Social Research. 10th Ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. You will not need to use the accompanying CD, so you may buy a used textbook (10th edition) if the CD is missing, and you can leave the CD intact if you are planning to sell your text. You will also be assigned readings from online sources, some through the university library, and others from publicly accessible websites. Midterm and final questions based on these readings will be clearly identified.
Website: Lecture outlines, lab assignments, and other course materials will be posted online as the semester progresses. My website for classes is http://www.bsos.umd.edu/socy/smartin/
Labs: Labs are on Monday and will take place in Le Frak Computer Lab #4, room 231, beginning September 12. You may not switch out of your assigned lab section. Lab assignments are due at the beginning of the next weeks lab. Each assignment will receive a score of 1 point, 0.8 points, or 0 points; there are no intermediate grades. You may resubmit lab assignments, but late or resubmitted assignments can receive no more than 0.8 point. Working together: I would like you to form lab teams of two or three students. Each member will turn in their own assignment. It is okay to reform teams from week to week.
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Lectures: Lectures cover topics in the text as well as some topics not in the text. Outlines for each lecture will be handed out at the start of each lecture. Class participation: To encourage class participation and attendance, I will assign a very brief written assignment at the end of each lecture, to be turned in at the start of the following lecture. Breaks During Lectures: Lectures run from 2:00 to 3:15, and few people can concentrate for that long without a break. We will take a quick three-minute break around the middle of each lecture. Missing lectures, leaving early, arriving late: If you anticipate any of these problems, you need to rely on other students to help cover missed materials, so make arrangements in advance. If you must come late or leave early, plan your entry and exit so that it wont disrupt us.
Accommodating students with disabilities: If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss accommodations, please contact me by the second class session.
Students requiring religious accommodation: If you need academic accommodation by virtue of your religion (e.g. missing a class, rescheduling an examination), please see me as soon as possible to discuss your needs.
Examinations: There will be one midterm on October 6 and a final on December 19. Exams will be short answer questions, drawn from a large list of potential questions I will distribute a week before each exam. Cheating on Examinations: I encourage you to study for examinations with other students, and I understand that your answers may look similar (but not identical!) if you have studied together. Once you enter the classroom for the test, I will enforce two strict rules: 1.) Do not write from other students examinations. 2.) Do not read notes of any kind during the examination. Read the undergraduate catalog to understand the universitys strict policies toward cheating.
Term Project: The term project will actually consist of four separate assignments a project proposal, a rough draft, a term paper, and a poster presentation. I will distribute full for instructions the term project later in the semester. Cheating on Written Assignments: Term projects and labs must be your own work. Read the undergraduate catalog to understand the universitys strict policies toward cheating, and contact me in advance if you have any questions.
Grading: 26% of your grade will be based on the thirteen lab exercises, 25% on the midterm, 25% on the final, 20% on the different parts of the term project, and 4% on class participation. I will assign grades as follows: 90.0 100 = A or A80.0 89.9 = B+ or B or B-
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70.0 79.9 = C+ or C or C60.0 69.9 = D+ or D or D0 59.9 =F Plus- or Minus- grades do not affect your GPA, but they help other professors assess your performance. For students who are on the border between two letter grades, I will take special account of class participation and exceptional lab work. If you disagree with a grade you received on a lab exam or paper, please come to my office hours. Your grade will represent my best evaluation of the quality of your work, based primarily on the exams. Your grade will not reflect how hard you worked, how much you improved, or how good a researcher I think youll be. I do take notes about how hard you work and how much you improve. I share this information with other professors who ask about you, and I incorporate it into letters of recommendation (which I will be glad to write for you). Incompletes: I can give incompletes for students who have unexpected circumstances that prevent them from finishing the class on time. Please avoid incompletes if you can; students who take incompletes seldom do as well as if they had completed the course on time.
Calculator policy: You will need a calculator for lectures, labs, and perhaps for exams (I havent decided yet).
Teacher evaluations: In addition to the standard evaluation at the end of the term, I will be asking for brief mid-term evaluations from you. I also welcome unsolicited observations, as long as youre polite about it.
OUTLINE OF LECTURE TOPICS The order or coverage of these topics may change as we move through the semester!
BACKGROUND Week 1 (9/1): Topic: Syllabus, class introduction. Reading: The Last Sociologist by Orlando Patterson (class handout). Topic: Human inquiry and science, Core Reading: Babbie Chapter 1. Topic: Theory. Core Reading: Babbie Chapter 2. Topic: Concerns in research with human subjects. Core Reading: Babbie, Chapter 3.
Week 2 (9/6, 9/8):
Week 3 (9/13, 9/15):
Week 4 (9/20, 9/22):
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METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES Week 5 (9/27, 9/29): Topic: Research design Core Reading: Babbie, Chapter 4. Topic: Conceptualization, operationalization, measurement. Core Reading: Babbie, Chapter 5. We will devote part of this lecture to the midterm review. Midterm Examination. Topic: Reading and writing social research. Co...