Sociology 301 Syllabus Fall 2008

Sociology 301 Introduction to Methods and Research Dr. Stephen Sills [email protected]

SOC 301 02 WI Instructor: Stephen J. Sills Office: GRAM 320 Office Hours: M W 9:00-12:00 Email: [email protected] Location: GRAM 424 Class Times: T R 2:00 -3:30 Required Texts: Earl R. Babbie The Basics of Social Research Thomson-Wadsworth 4th Edition ©2008 William M.K. Trochim 2006 Research Methods Knowledge Base http://www.socialresearchmethods. net/kb/contents.htm

Catalog Course Description: SOC 301 Introduction to Methods and Research (3:3). Pr. 101 and one additional sociology course; or permission of instructor SOC majors only. Topics include the function of theory in research, concept formation, study design, data collection, and analysis strategies. (Fall & Spring)

Goals and Objectives: This course is intended to be a practical survey of research methods. Instruction will take the form of lectures, discussions, and an applied research project. This semester the theme will be on integration and incorporation of the immigrant community in the Triad. We will use observations, interviews, and surveys to gather data from those who work in institutions serving the immigrant community including: administrators of local social service agencies; Center for New North Carolinians Americorp members, interpreters, research fellows, and staff; ESL teachers in Guilford County Schools; members of the UNCG Spanish-American Latino Students Organization (SALSA); and the UNCG International Student Association (ISA). This course will teach you the basics of social research. After completing this course you should be able to: • Critically read and evaluate a research article

• • •

Engage in basic qualitative and quantitative data collection (interviewing and surveying) Provide simple descriptive analysis of quantitative and qualitative data Write a research report

Evaluation: Evaluating what you understand will happen in individual research assignments, exams and your group project. There are 1000 pts available. Grades are will be calculated as the sum of: • Homework 10% (100 pts) • Individual Assignments 45% (450pts) • Group Report 20% (200 pts) • Online Quizzes 20% (200 pts) • Attendance 5% (50 pts) Homework: You are expected to read all of the assigned articles and chapters. Homework will be assigned for most chapters in the text. Students will be expected to answer multiple choice questions reflecting information from the readings. These questions will be available through the UNCG Blackboard website and should be completed prior to class. The homework assignments are randomly generated from a pool of questions supplied by the publisher. Some of these questions may appear on your quizzes. You will receive 10 pts for each completed assignment for a total of 100 pts (10% of the overall grade). Assignments received after the class will be considered late and penalized 10% each day. For example a 10 pts assignment turned in 3 days late would be worth a maximum of 7 pts. AFTER TEN DAYS NO CREDIT WILL BE POSSIBLE. After ten calendar days, no credit will be given. Students will be required to discuss the reading materials and should come prepared. Quizzes: There will be four timed quizzes administered online. Each quiz is worth 25 pts. Quizzes will cover the information from readings, lectures, discussions, and assignments. The quiz format includes multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. These quizzes are designed to evaluate your basic knowledge of research methods. You will have one hour in which to complete them. You may not log off and on. Quizzes must be completed in one sitting. If you have inconsistent internet connections, I suggest going to a lab on campus. You will not be allowed to collaborate, though you may use the text and online resources. However, plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students will be required to acknowledge the UNCG Honor Code before beginning the quiz. You may see the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy at http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu/complete/ for details. A study-guide will NOT be provided (don’t ask). Your homework should serve as very effective preactice for questions derived from the text and your notes will cover what we discuss in class. There is no excuse for missing a quiz as they are offered online and with a 48 hour window. Assignments:

This course is organized around participation in a research team. You will work individually on assignments that will be combined together to produce a final group report. Each member of the team will be evaluated on the individual assignments as well as receive a grade for the group report. Following are the breakdown of research groups. Additional information on these assignments will be provided in class. Guiding Research Question: What needs to be done to facilitate immigrant integration and incorporation in the Triad? In order to answer this research question we will collect data from the following populations: Group Group Group Group Group

1: 2: 3: 4: 5:

Members of the SALSA Mentoring Program UNCG Faculty and CNNC Research Fellows Administrators of Community Social Service Agencies Guilford County ESL Teachers & Teachers at the New School CNNC Americorp Members and Interpreters

Individual Assignments Complete each of the following individual assignments by their scheduled due dates (see course schedule). These assignments are designed to supplement the text and lectures and train you for the tasks of the group project. Scoring rubrics and additional information will be provided in class. 1. NIH Certificate for Human Subjects Research (100 pts. Due Sept 9) Complete the computer-based CITI Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative Basic Course at https://www.citiprogram.org. This may take some time, so plan accordingly. Once registered you may return to the site over several sittings to complete the course. Once you have successfully answered the quizzes at the end of each module, you will be given on option to print a certificate of completion. Print two copies of the certificate; keep one for your records and bring the second to class. 2. Annotated Bibliography Assignment (100 pts. Sept 25) You will select five articles for review from the list of approved articles (or relevant approved academic journals you find on your own and submit for approval) These articles are based on empirical research for evaluation and assessment of mentoring or ESL programs. Read the articles with special attention to the methods and findings. DO NOT RELY ON THE ABSTRACT ALONE. You will write an annotated bibliography (see http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm). Your annotation should include the following information and should be no less than 300 words: • Citation in ASA Style; • research question; • population characteristics; • research method; • primary findings; and • critique or comments. 3. Nonparticipant Observer Assignment (50 pts. Due Oct 9) We will be conducting observations of the International Student Association Friday

Fests (http://www.uncg.edu/ipg/fridayfest.html)1. In particular we would like to document cross-national interpersonal interactions. Before going to a fest, complete the readings on non-participant observations also look at “Setting up one's work site”. Follow Dr. Varenne's notes (especially III. Inevitably: field notes A. Types). Dr. Varenne provides examples from scratch notes to narrative field notes. In conducting your own observation you will take scratch notes You will later transform your scratch notes into proper field notes. See conventions on field notes: http://varenne.tc.columbia.edu/class/common/fldnt/fldnt_conv.html. Submit copies of your scratch notes (handwritten) and narrative field notes with personal observations/comments (electronic). We will use your notes in class for discussion on October 9th. 4. Interview Assignment (100 pts.) As a class you will help in developing questions to add to an interview protocol. Some class time will be devoted to developing questions pertinent to your group’s population. We will also practice the techniques of interviewing during class time. You will then be assigned a person to contact for an interview. You will receive a grade for three separate elements: A) questions for the protocol (25 pts due Oct 14); B) conducting the interview (25 pts due Oct ); and C) transcribing the interview (50 pts due Oct ). 5. Survey Assignment (50 pts) As a group you will refine and focus on some aspect of immigrant incorporation into the community (e.g. access to resources, English proficiency, jobs, housing, education, etc.). You will be allowed to contribute about five survey questions to an instrument that will be administered to the various groups being studied. We will compile these questions into a single paper survey. Once these are returned, each class member will be responsible for helping to enter the data into a spreadsheet on Google Docs (template to be provided in class). You will receive credit for: A) assistance in developing the questionnaire (10 pts); and B) performing data entry (40 pts). 6. Quantitative Analysis Assignment (50 pts) Using the dataset created in Assignment 5 you will generate a report using descriptive statistics. This will include the frequency distribution (see Ch 14) and averages (mean, mode, median). You will complete a worksheet in class that will help you compile a summary table of this information. Using the summary table, you will individually prepare in a brief narrative report (2-3 pages of text or approximately 600 to 900 words, example to be provided in class).

Group Report (Total 200 pts): Individual grades will be assigned by evidence of group participation (50 pts total from 25 pts. self evaluation in half page report of your role in your group’s report and 25 pts from an evaluation from other group members), by the quality of the final group research report (150 pts). The quality will be judged by the instructor’s review (100 pts) and the teaching assistant’s review (50 pts). The entire report should be between 25 to 30 pages of text (with additional figures and tables as needed). There are four to five authors in each group, thus you will need to discuss how to divide up the work of writing the paper. You will need to 1

Optionally you may observe any group that includes a mix of immigrants and native born persons interacting together. This could include a church group, a school organization, a club, a sports team, etc. You must ask first to have this option approved.

coordinate with one another on how to communicate and possibly meet outside of class. Report elements: Your report should be structured like a research article in the social sciences. This means it will have an introduction, a literature review, a review of methods, a presentation of findings, and a conclusion section: • Introduction: The introduction of your report will attempt to “hook” the reader, present the critical questions and hypotheses, and provide a synopsis of the remainder of the report. The introduction should be around 2-3 pages. • Literature Review: Building upon the annotated bibliographies of academic journal articles provided by your peers, your group will create a review of current social science research in your topic area. It is expected that your group will develop a well written, well researched review (around 5 pages) to be included in after the introduction of the class report. This review will be a synthesis of the existing literature. A few resources: o Review of Literature http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/ReviewofLiterature.html o How to Write a Literature Review http://library.ucsc.edu/ref/howto/literaturereview.html o The Literature Review http://www.deakin.edu.au/library/findout/research/litrev.php o The Literature Review: A Few Tips On Conducting It http://www.utoronto.ca/writing/litrev.html • Review of Methods: This section (around 3 to 5 pages) will detail the methods you’ve employed in your project (interviews, observations, surveys). You will also note the population studied and how they were recruited. Finally, you will discuss the strengths and limitations of the methods employed. • Findings: This section is the “meat” of your paper (anywhere between 10 and 20 pages). You will present the findings relevant to your research topic. You will need to provide findings from both your interviews as well as the survey. Weave these findings together to present an argument that either supports of refutes your hypothesis. Use quotes from interviews to support the more generalizable findings of the survey. Use graphs, charts, and figures judiciously. • Summary and Conclusions: This section (anywhere between 3 and 5 pages) reviews the significant points presented in the paper and draws conclusions relevant to the research topic. You may choose to discuss the importance of the findings, the problems with the findings, and the direction of future research. You may also discuss any implications or suggestions for the program you’ve studied.

Policies Attendance: Attendance is required. Attendance is vitally important for the understanding of the material and participation in the class discussions. Participation in the reading discussions is mandatory. Evidence of reading and contribution to the conversation are required.

Religious/Cultural Holidays: You have the right to observe major religious/cultural holidays without penalty. At least one week before the holiday, you should submit a written statement that includes both the date of the holiday and the reason why class attendance is impossible. Prior arrangements must be made. If prior arrangements have been made, you will not be penalized. Illness: If you are absent due to personal illness, or illness of a dependent, you must provide written documentation to that effect. Acceptable documentation includes doctor’s note (on office letterhead), hospital record, or records from a recognized medical/healthcare agency. Extra Credit: You will be given the option of up to four 10 pts extra credit assignments (40 pts total or +4% to final grade). Throughout the semester there will be the possibility of writing 2-3 page (typed) reaction papers for outside lectures and presentations, special TV programs, and other events that will be announced in class. Special Needs and Considerations: Please let me know at the beginning of the semester if you have a physical or learning disability that may need accommodations. The college will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students should also notify Student Services of any special needs. Cell Phones & Laptops Please turn your cell phones off. Please do not answer cell phone calls in class. If for some reason you must have a cell phone on, advise me before class and switch the phone to silent mode. Laptops are encouraged in class. However, chatting, checking e-mail, surfing, etc. are to be discouraged. If your are not using your laptop for legitimate class activities, please turn it off.

Course Schedule Date

Lecture Topic

What is social research? 8/26 Introduction to the course 8/28 What is science? 9/2 9/4

The language and philosophy of research Reality, intersubjectivity, and theory building

Readings

HW #

Assignments

Babbie Chapter 1 Trochim Foundations Language or Research Philosophy of Research

1

-

-

-

Babbie Chapter 2 2 Babbie Chapter 3 & Trochim Foundations - Ethics in 9/9 The ethical social scientist Research Complete Quiz #1 Online between 9/12 and 9/15 Where do we begin? Designing the research Babbie Chapter 4 & Trochim 9/11 project Design 3

Assignment #1 Due

Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement

Babbie Chapter 5 & Trochim Conceptualizing 4 Pan Preparing Literature Reviews Chapters 3 & 5 (on 9/18 How to search the literature Blackboard) Babbie Chapter 15, How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography, & Literature Literature Reviews & Reviews for Applied Research 9/23 Annotated Bibliographies (Chapter 5 only) 5 Complete Quiz #2 Online between 9/26 and 9/29 Preparing for the field 9/16

9/25

Qualitative Field Research

9/30

Observations -The Basics Observations - Field notes/ Practice Observation

10/2

Babbie Chapter 10 Schensul, Schensul, & LeCompte. Essential Ethnographic Methods: Observations, Interviews, and Questionnaires Chapter 5 [Blackboard]

-

6

Assignment #2 Due-

-

-

Varenne Fieldnotes Schensul, Schensul, & LeCompte. Essential Ethnographic Methods: Observations, Interviews, and Questionnaires Chapter 7 10/7 Interviews - The basics [Blackboard] In-depth Interviews on Interviews - Sensitive Topics Emotionally Sensitive Topics: and Probing and further Guidelines and Assignment #3 10/9 elicitation Considerations DueComplete Quiz #3 Online between 10/10 and 10/13 Entering the field Class time to develop Assignment #4A 10/14 interview protocol DueClass time to practice 10/16 interview protocol Assignment #4B - Conduct your interviews between 10/16 and 10/23 10/21 NO CLASS - FALL BREAK Collecting generalizable data 6: Indexes, Scales, and Babbie Chapter 6 & Trochim Assignment #4C 10/23 Typologies Scaling 7 DueBabbie Chapter 7 & Trochim 10/28 7: The Logic of Sampling Sampling 8 Babbie Chapter 8 & Trochim 10/30 8: Experiments Types of Designs 9 Babbie Chapter 9 & Trochim 11/4 9: Survey Research Survey Research 11/6 NO CLASS Complete Quiz #4 Online between 11/07 and 11/10 Assignment #5A 11/11 Class time to develop survey instrument Due11/13 Class time to finalize survey instrument Understanding the Results

11/18 11/20 11/25

13: Qualitative Data Analysis 14: Quantitative Data Analysis Lab Time

Babbie Chapter 13

10

Babbie Chapter 14 -

-

11/27 NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING BREAK Writing the report 12/2 Lab Time 15: Reading and Writing Babbie Chapter 15 & Trochim 12/4 Social Research Write-up 12/9 Lab Time 12/9

Reading Day

NO CLASS

Assignment #5B Due-

Assignment #6 DueFinal Draft of Report