Syllabus

Course Description

This course introduces students to an array of quantitative and qualitative research methods used by social scientists when they conduct research. In most sociology courses, we tend to focus on the substantive findings of social research: the effects of divorce on children, American feelings and responses toward new immigration, impact on communities of moving jobs overseas, how new technologies affect the workforce, impact of institutional racism on the lives and life chances of different groups, etc. We generally pay less attention to how social scientists came to these findings in the first place. This latter topic is the central focus of this course; one of the main objectives of this course is to help you gain knowledge of different methods used by social scientist for gathering empirical data. As you become more familiar with different “methodologies,” you'll also gain a better understanding of how theory and research work in conjunction with each other.

Even if you don't become researchers yourselves, you are still surrounded by social research. Newspapers, magazines, and television (as well as other media) report regularly on social phenomena. Once more, as you gain a better understanding of different research methods, you'll also begin to understand how to critically evaluate a study or report. You'll become better equipped to critically judge the scientific merit of a study based on its methodology; to what degree should the results of a study be trusted or do I accept a study's findings simply because it confirms what I already believe?

Course Objectives

Here are the five main course objectives; students should
become familiar with different research methods employed in the social sciences gain a better understanding of the relationship between theory and research
develop skills for critically analyzing research
gain better understanding of planning, organizing, and conducting their own research project
improve research writing skills.

Assignments & Evaluation

Written Work (65%)

• 5% Draft Research Proposal
• 15% RP#1 (Quantitative Method response paper)
• 15% RP#2 (Qualitative Method response paper)
• 15% Annotated Bibliography (summary 3 articles)
• 15% Research Proposal

Other Work (35%)

• 5% In-class discussion about research proposal
• 5% In-Class discussion - Quantitative Methods
• 10% Quantitative Method exercise
• 5% In-Class discussion - Qualitative Methods
• 5% In-class discussion about research proposal & methods
• 2% Library day
• 3% Attendance

Detailed instructions for each assignment will be provided.

Instructor Expectations & Policies

Emailing Me

Please see the post on our website to see how you should email me.

Attendance & Tardiness

Come to class on time; arriving late to class is disruptive and shows a lack of respect for our time together and for your fellow classmates. Serial tardiness is NOT acceptable.

Attendance is required. I struggled with this requirement for some time. As you are all adults, I believe that you should be allowed to make your own decision about whether or not to attend a class. However, I also believe that it's important that you come to class. So, I've made Attendance worth 3% of your grade. Although seemingly small, that 3% can often mean the difference between a C+ or a B- for example.

You are allowed to miss 4 classes— no questions asked, no email or excuses required. Typically, jobs offer you about 6 paid personal/sick days; any days you take after that usually are unpaid. I’m only giving you 4 days— use them as you wish, anyway you wish; if you miss more than 4 days (for whatever reason), you will earn a 0 for Attendance.

Choose carefully if you plan to skip days. For example, we have many in-class activities in this class. If you miss days where there are in-class activities, you will receive a 0 for that day’s assignment and your absence will count toward your 4-absence allowance. Clearly, it’s better to miss days where no in-class assignments are scheduled. In another example, you may decide to skip 3 classes and then you suddenly become ill and miss even more classes; all these absences would count toward your 4-day allotment!

Class Preparedness

Readings

I expect that you will have read the assigned materials PRIOR to the class and that you will be ready to discuss the readings in class.

Class Website

I will post handouts and extra readings on our class website. It is a class requirement that you check our website regularly for announcements and other handouts.

Late Assignments & Extra Credit

Late assignments are NOT accepted. You will receive a 0 for any assignment that is not turned in ON TIME.

There is NO extra credit.

Academic Honesty

Cheating and/or misrepresenting other people's work as your own will result in immediate FAILURE and disciplinary action. Plagiarism or cheating in any form is not tolerated at Hunter and I am required to report you. Please see me if you have any questions as to what constitutes dishonest practices.

In addition, you are expected to write using the American Psychological Associations (APA’s) Writing Style. Documents not written with APA style will be returned without a grade. If you are unfamiliar with APA style, you will learn about it in the coming term!

A Final Word on Writing

Having the bess idias in the world is no good if u kant communikate that id 2 nobody.

Hunter has numerous resources available to assist you with your technical writing skills. Good writing is a craft, not a gift; great writers aren’t born great writers, rather, they work hard at their craft. Never turn in something that has not been proofread!