Sociology 275, Section 01 -- Social Research Methods Spring 2007, MWF 2-2:50, Chavez 316

Instructor: Jeremiah Coldsmith Office: Social Science Room 426 Office Hours: 1-2 Monday and Tuesday Office Phone: (520)621-1089 Email Address: [email protected] Webpage URL: www.u.arizona.edu/~jeremiah

Course Description and Goals: The primary objective of this course is to introduce you to the purpose and techniques of social research. The basic goal of all social research is to gather evidence in order to answer questions about the nature of relationships between individuals, groups, institutions, and societies. This course is designed to give you a broad overview of the logic of social research, of the process of research design, and of the major types of data collection techniques and methods of data analysis. After completion of the course you should have a basic understanding of social research methods and have mastered a number of research skills that will be applicable for a wide range of undertakings.

Prerequisite: Soc 274 Social Statistics

Course Work and Assignments: 1. Reading Assignments: There is one required book for this course, in addition to a number of readings that will be made available on my website (listed above). Readings listed on the syllabus should be completed before coming to class on the day for which they are listed. The lectures and readings are organized to work together, so you need to stay caught up at all times. Additionally, the value of class discussions and your ability to be successful on the exams will depend on your having done the readings.

The book listed below is the required book for this course and is available at the bookstore:

Babbie, Earl. 2005. The Basics of Social Research (3rd Edition). Belmont, Ca: Wadsworth.

2. Class Attendance: Along with the readings, class discussions and lectures are a vital source of information about the course material. Attending class will be your primary opportunity to get clarification and elaboration of topics covered in the book and in previous classes. Participating in class will also reinforce the material contained in the readings. Class time is also set aside for discussion of each written assignment, so class attendance will help you with your research project as well. Finally, your full participation in class through asking and answering questions and expressing your own understandings is very helpful for everyone in the class and is strongly encouraged. 3. Written Assignments: You are required to write a 10-15 page research proposal on a topic of your choice (Due 4-30-07; worth 50 points). A research proposal has several important components including a statement of the research question, variable conceptualization and measurement, a review of previous studies regarding the topic, and a fully formed plan for data collection. To help make sure that you are moving forward on the right track with your research proposals, there are four written assignments during the semester related to specific aspects of the research proposal: a statement of your research question and rationale (Due 1-24-07 -- 5 points), a variable construction (Due 2-21-07 – 5 points), a literature review (Due 3-26- 07 -- 5 points), and a research protocol (Due 4-9-07 -- 5 points). Taken together these four assignments are worth 20 points. I’ll be giving you more detailed descriptions of each assignment as their due dates approach. Before you turn in your final paper, you’ll need to turn in a rough draft of the finished paper (Due 4-20-07). This rough draft should be an integration of your other four papers. You’ll be given more information about this assignment as it approaches.

4. Exams: There will be three exams consisting of 10 matching questions, 10 multiple choice questions, and 5 short answer questions. The three exams are not cumulative but will cover both lecture and reading materials from the sections in which they are given. Each exam is worth 25 points. Each of the questions is worth 1 point.

5. Final Exam: Unlike the earlier exams the final exam is cumulative. It will consist of 20 matching questions, 20 multiple choice questions, and 1 long essay. Each of the matching and multiple choice questions is worth 1 point. The long essay is worth 10 points. The final is thus worth 50 points.

Course Grade: Your grade in this course will be determined by your performance on the exams and the written assignments. There are a total of 200 points available during the semester and break down as follows:

Writing Assignment 1 5 pts. Writing Assignment 2 5 pts. Writing Assignment 3 5 pts. Writing Assignment 4 5 pts. Rough Draft 5 pts. Final Paper 50 pts. Exam 1 25 pts. Exam 2 25 pts. Exam 3 25 pts. Final Exam 50 pts. 200 total The grade distribution breaks down as follows: 180-200 A 160-179 B 140-159 C 120-139 D 119 and below E

While no portion of your final grade is reserved for participation and attendance, let me assure you that attendance and participation will be accounted for in your final grade, as attending and participating will help you better understand the material and thus help you perform better on exams and papers.

Class Behavior: At all times you are expected to turn in your own and only your own work. Though discussing assignments with other students is reasonable and encouraged, the assignments must be written individually and represent your original work. The University is the final authority on policy and procedure for this course. You should refer to the Code of Student Conduct and to the Code of Academic Integrity, available online at: http://w3.arizona.edu/~studpubs/policies/cacaint.htm, if you have any questions about these matters.

Students with Disabilities: All reasonable attempts to promote and accommodate individual student learning will be enthusiastically pursued. Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations to fully participate in course activities or meet course requirements are encouraged to register with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) and to contact me to discuss and access the issues. Schedule of Topics and Assignments:

Week 1 January 10 Part I: Philosophy of Science Introduction to the class and Forms of Knowledge January 12 Forms of Knowledge Continued Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 1

Week 2 January 15 MLK Day – No Class January 17 Theory in the Social Sciences Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 2 Note: Writing Assignment 1 Handed Out and Discussed January 19 Causality in the Social Sciences Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 4, pages 92-104

Week 3 January 22 Causality Continued January 24 Group Discussions of WA1 Writing Assignment 1 Due January 26 Ethics in the Social Sciences Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 3

Week 4 January 29 An Example of Questionable Ethics Movie: Either Obedience AKA: “The Milgram Experiment” or Quiet Rage: The Stanford Prison Experiment AKA: “The Zimbardo Experiment” January 31 Exam Review February 2 Exam 1

Week 5 February 5 Part II: Designing a Research Project Research Design Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 4 Note: Last Day to Drop with No Record February 7 Discussion of Exam 1 and The Literature Review Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 15, pages 457 and 458 Note: Writing Assignment 2 Handed Out and Discussed February 9 Conceptualization Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 5, pages 120-135 Week 6 February 12 Operationalization Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 5, pages 135-144 February 14 Operationalization Continued February 16 Measurement Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 5, pages 144-151

Week 7 February 19 Measurement Continued February 21 Exam Review and Group Discussions of WA2 Writing Assignment 2 Due February 23 Exam 2

Week 8 February 26 Part III: Methods of Data Collection Experimental Methods Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 8 Note: Writing Assignment 3 Handed Out and Discussed February 28 Discussion of Exam 2 and Experiments Continued March 2 Discussion of an Experiment Reading Assignment: Drachman, David and Stephen Worchel. (1976). “Misattribution of Arousal as a Means of Dissonance Reduction.” Sociometry, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 53-59

Week 9 March 5 Sampling Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 7 Note: Last Day to Drop with a “W,” if Passing. March 7 Sampling Continued March 9 Sampling vs. Random Assignment

Week 10 No Class – Spring Break

Week 11 March 19 Surveys Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 9 March 21 Surveys Continued March 23 Discussion of a Survey Reading Assignment: Marler, Penny L. and C. Kirk Hadaway. (2000). “Being Religious or Being Spiritual in America: A Zero-Sum Proposition.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 289-300 Week 12 March 26 Group Discussions of WA3 Writing Assignment 3 Due March 28 Field Research Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 10 Note: Writing Assignment 4 Handed Out and Discussed March 30 Field Research Continued

Week 13 April 2 Discussion of Field Research Reading Assignment: Snow, David A. and Leon Anderson. (1987). “Identity Work Among the Homeless: The Verbal Construction and Avowal of Personal Identities.” The American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 92, No. 6, pp. 1336-1371 April 4 Exam Review April 6 Exam 3

Week 14 April 9 Discussion of Exam 3 and Group Discussions of WA4 Writing Assignment 4 Due April 11 Part IV: Data Analysis Quantitative Data Analysis – Coding Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 14 April 13 Quantitative Data Analysis – Data Cleaning and Missing Data Note: Writing Assignment 5 Handed Out and Discussed

Week 15 April 16 Qualitative Data Analysis Reading Assignment: Babbie Chapter 13 April 18 Qualitative Data Analysis Continued April 20 Group Discussions of WA5 Writing Assignment 5 Due

Week 16 April 23 General Comments about the Final Paper Note: I will be handing back your rough drafts at the beginning of class. April 25 Loose End Day April 27 No Class – Work on your Final Draft Week 17 April 30 Research Proposal Due May 2 Final Exam Review

May 4 Final Exam 2-4