Instructor: Bruce Mork Class Meets MWF 7.45-8.50, Cina 214 Office hrs: 9.30-10.30 MWF Phone: 726-6369 Office: Cina 203 E-mail: bmork@d.umn.edu
Schedule: A detailed schedule is available online at: http://www.d.umn.edu/~bmork/2155/2155schedulefall2007.htm. You may want to print out a copy, but you should be aware that there may be changes during the semester, so you will want to consult the online version from time to time.
Texts:
Chambliss and Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World: Methods of Investigation, 1st edition, 2006
Smith and Kornblum, In the Field
Computer Use and Access: In this course we will be making some use of a statistical package called SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). The full version of SPSS is going to be available to students based on a site license negotiated by ITSS, probably via a download. I'll have instructions on how to get that software onto your own computers early in the semester.
Course Description: Principles/practice of research design, sampling, data collection including field observation and surveys. Data management, analysis, and reporting of quantitative/qualitative data. Ethics/administration in sociological research. Introduction to SPSS statistical software. Lab.
Course Objectives/Outcomes:
1. To know the logic of sociological explanation, including the relationship between theory and research, and an understanding of variables, theoretical models, and hypotheses.
2. To understand issues related to appropriate measurement of sociological variables, including levels of measurement and the distinction between between concepts and their indicators.
3. To understand basic sampling procedures and to have the ability to critically evaluate the sampling designs of others.
4. To know the strengths and weaknesses of various techniques of sociological research, including qualitative research, surveys and evaluation research.
5. To be able to use library resources for research, including the library's own catalog and periodicals collection, its electronic databases, and its access to materials from other libraries.
6. To understand the basic protections of human subjects implicit in professional ethics codes and in the safeguards of the University's Institutional Review Board; to know how to complete a "Request for Approval for the Use of Human Subjects in Research" form.
7. To understand how qualitative data is generated and organized.
8. To know how to use basic methods of organizing and presenting quantitative data, including measures of central tendency and dispersion, as well as tables, graphs, and simple measures of association.
9. To be able to use computer software, in particular, SPSS, to do simple data analysis (up to cross tabulation with just two variables).
10. To improve your ability to convey the results of sociological investigation to other people, including the use of appropriate writing skills as well as public speaking and presentation skills (and the use of PowerPoint software)
11. To improve your ability to work in groups.
My Expectations: I expect you to arrive on-time, to treat your fellow class members and me with respect, to have done the reading that is assigned for the day, to bring your questions and ideas about the material we are covering, to make me aware of any problems you are having with course materials. In return, I pledge to be prepared and organized, to communicate clearly my expectations of you, to evaluate your work promptly, to listen to your concerns, to respect your point of view, and to treat you as a person of value.
Student Academic Integrity : A violation of UMD's Academic Honesty Policy (behavior which is also referred to as Scholastic Misconduct) such as cheating, plagiarizing or any other "act which violates the rights of another student in academic work or that involves misrepresentation of your own work will result in penalties up to and including an F for the course. For University of Minnesota policies and practices relating to academic honesty, see: www.d.umn.edu/assl/conduct/integrity.
Grading: Grades will be determined as follows:
| Exam One | 100 points |
| Exam Two | 100 points |
| Exam Three | 100 points |
| Group and individual projects/reports/exercises/quizzes | 175-225 points |
Grading standards : A, 93-100; A-, 90-92; B+, 87-89; B, 83-87; B-, 80-82; C+, 77-79; C, 73-77; C-, 70-72; D+, 67-69; D, 63-67; D-, 60-62; F, below 60.
Incompletes : To receive an incomplete at the end of the semester, you must have completed at least 2/3 of the coursework and have given me good reason why you cannot complete the course in a timely way. It is very important that you stay in close touch with me if you have to miss a significant amount of courseworik.
Exams: Exams will include multiple choice and essay questions, along with problems to solve.The first two tests will each cover about a third of the course, and the final will be at least partially cumulative, in that it will include the most important materials from the earlier portions of the course. I will provide a study guide for each test.
Quizzes: There will periodically be quizzes on the readings, which may take a multiple choice or short essay format.
Extra Credit: Option 1: A maximum of 15 points extra credit will be available, with up to 5 points for each short paper submitted in person or via e-mail based on sociologically relevant campus presentations. I maintain a list at http://www.d.umn.edu/~bmork/homepagestuff/extracredit.htm
Student Conduct Code. Student behavior is governed by a conduct code that has been adopted by the Board of Regents for all campuses.
Special Arrangements/Facilities: If you have a physical or cultural condition, either permanent or temporary, which you believe makes it difficult for you to participate in and/or complete the requirements of this course in the time and manner prescribed, please let me know by the end of the first week of instruction. Adaptation of methods, materials, or testing may be made as required. It is your responsibility to contact the Access Center for advice regarding adaptations .
Research Proposal and Research paper. In groups of 3-4 people , you will develop a proposal for a research topic suitable for investigation by survey research. This will include a review of relevant research literature, as well as the actual survey instrument. We send those surveys out to the class via the internet (using a service called SurveyMonkey) and you will need to analyze the results of those surveys and and as a group, write a research report on those results and present those results to the class. Your study will have to include at least two independent variables and one dependent variables. In addition, to qualify for an A, the survey will also have to include at least one control variable and an index.
Presentations : Class members will make presentations in groups of 2-3 on readings from In the Field . You will be expected to use PowerPoint software. Presentations will be graded on both content and presentation skills, with each aspect counting for half the grade. Following are some general guidelines about doing presentations and why presentation skills are so important. .
Presentation skills: Most teachers will tell you that they never understood a subject matter so thoroughly as when they began teaching it to others, so that your presentation is part of the process of really mastering the content of your book. In addition, in a survey of people who graduated from our deparment between 1985 and 1996, 53% identified presentation skills as highly important and another 33% as moderately important in their subsequent jobs. While whole courses are devoted to the development of speaking skills, I think a few basic guidelines should give you a sense of direction as you develop your skills in this area:
1. Audiences have more confidence in speakers who don't rely heavily on notes; the ideal is to speak more or less extemporaneously but with a clear structure to your remarks.
2. Lots of eye contact with individual members of the audience increases a speaker's effectiveness; don't just make eye contact with the teacher, or with students on one side of the room.
3. You should always use visual aids in presentations. In this course, you need to use the Powerpoint presentation software that is avaible in the UMD computer labs. People have different learning styles and having visual aids helps some members of your audience get a better understanding of the material.
4. If the author(s) use extensive quotations from the people they are studying, you should use a few quotes to give more of the flavor of the reading. .This is one of the real strengths of much qualitative research--the ability to hear directly from the actors in a particular social setting.
5. If there are audience questions, regard that as an opportunity to customize your presentation to the interests and concerns of your audience. Sometimes this can be the best part of a presentation.
But isn't it all right to be shy? A student in a previous course told me in the evaluation session at the end of the quarter, "You don't seem to realize there's nothing wrong with being shy." Of course there isn't, but in school, as in the job world, you have assignments that aren't a perfect fit with your temperament and interests. Taking account of your shyness, how can you best present a set of ideas to an audience; perhaps you will need lots of practice to get to a B-level on your presentation. But I'd hate to see any of you restrict your contribution, whether on the job or in voluntary organizations, by virtue of your shyness. I have had one student pass out during a presentation; if there's any risk of that, I suggest that you talk from a chair or stool and also alert me to the possibility. I'd also suggest that you not announce to the class that you are nervous; many times that isn't apparent if you don't announce it. If you are worried about being very nervous, be sure you have a written copy of your presentation that you can read if necessary.