SOC/CRJ 3610: Social Research, Fall, 2014 -- WRITING ENRICHED
Professor: Stephen
M. Marson, Ph.D., ACSW
Office: D. F. Sampson 217; 521-6475
Inclement
weather: (910) 521-6888
Office Hours:
Monday - 11AM; Tuesday - 1PM; Wednesday 4PM; Thursday at RCC - 5PM; Friday for
tutoring ONLY - 11AM
* Wednesday office hours will be in room 15 of the
Thomas Family Center for Entrepreneurship
.
Course
Prerequisite: SOC 1020 or SOC/CRJ 2400
Course Description:
This course is designed to develop an understanding of the basic research
methods available to social scientists. The principal purpose of this course is
to acquaint the student with these methods in order to aid the critical analysis
of social science research from academia, government agencies, the media and
other sources. The student will be given the opportunity to put into practice
what they have learned by conducting a survey, analyzing the data, and
presenting the results at the end of the semester.
This class utilizes Blackboard for communication, posting of electronic
readings, and turning in assignments. This
course is a writing enhanced course.
Overview
1.
As a
Writing Enhanced Course students will
gain experience in the employment of strategic writing skills which meets the
expectations of graduates from sociology and criminal justice.
2.
Gain insights into the groundwork associated with
thinking about social research methods.
3. Understand the
relationship between theory and research and the degree to which natural science
approach is an acceptable framework to study social science.
4. Understand the
fundamentals of social research design with emphasis placed on survey research,
case study research and experimental designs.
5. Comprehend the
"research question" in conjunction with the uniquely suited research design.
6. Will be able to
complete a review of literature.
7. Will comprehend
research ethics.
Quantitative
Methods
8. Understand the
components of quantitative methods including but not limited to: sampling; data
collection (interviewing, instrument construction, structure observations and
content analysis).
9. Understand the
non-technical aspects of selecting a method of analysis.
10. Will understand
how computers are used in data analysis (Excel will be emphasized).
Qualitative Methods
11. Understand the
components of qualitative methods including but not limited to: subject
selection, document selection and unit of analysis.
12. Comprehend
ethnography, participant observation, semi-structured & unstructured
interviewing, focus groups, conversation & discourse analysis, and document
examination.
13. Understand the
diverse research methods available for qualitative analysis.
14. Will understand
how computers are used in data analysis.
Comparisons of
Methods
15. Will comprehend
the differences between qualitative and quantitative methods.
16. Will understand
the uses of the Internet for the social sciences.
Course Outline and Reading Assignments:
|
Date |
Topic |
Requirements |
|
Week 1 |
Overview of course.
Assignments are laid out. We will explore ways in which social research
is located in a wider context which will demonstrate why social research
is complete in a particular manner. Much of what is addressed is an
overview of the entire course. The goal is to gain ground work for the
rest of the course. On
the second day of class, we will receive library instruction for
conducting a review of literature.
Instructions will be given in the correct manner to cite. |
Chapters 1 |
|
Week 2 |
A guide to starting one's first research project.
Strategies for constructing a research question and conducting a review
of literature is addressed. We will refer back to the presentation
offered by the librarian. The principle task at this stage includes
reviewing ideas and research related to one's area of interest.
Examples of
reviews of literature are provided.
|
Chapter5
|
|
Week 3 |
|
Chapter 10, 11, 13 & 14 |
|
Week 4 |
|
Chapter 3 Review of Literature due and MUST be loaded into SafeAssignment--Draft 1 |
|
Week 5 |
Qualitative research emphasized words rather than
analysis of data. An examination of non-probability sampling and
acquisition of research material. Ethnography and participant
observation is included. |
Chapter 17, 18 & 19.
|
|
Week 6 |
We will examine the nature between theory and
research and the degree to which a natural science model is appropriate.
Here the distinction between
qualitative and quantitative methods are first noted (repeated in
more detail later). |
Chapter 2 |
|
Week 7 |
One of the most complex components within the
quantitative model is sampling. |
Chapter 8 |
|
Week 8 |
Interviews that are employed within the
quantitative model differ from research interviews conducted within the
qualitative model. We focus on the quantitative interviews. |
Chapter 9
|
|
Week 9 |
|
Chapter 7 |
|
Week 10 |
Introduction to statistical analysis |
Chapter15 & 16 |
|
Week 11 |
Ethical issue arise at
variety of stage in social research. A NOVA film entitled
Do Scientists Cheat? will be
used as a basis for discussion and analysis. The films are available on
YouTube. An old but very important citation:
An old but very important
citation:
Environment, Heredity And Intelligence. Reprint Series No. 2. |
Chapter 6 |
|
Week 12 |
Unstructured and semi-structured interviews are
included. |
Chapter 20 |
|
Week 13 |
Focus groups are addressed |
Chapter 21 |
|
Week 14 |
Language of qualitative methods, documents assess
and general strategies for analysis |
Chapter 22, 23, 24 & 25 |
|
Week 15 |
Combining qualitative and quantitative methods |
Chapter 26. |
|
Week 16 |
Final Exam |
|
Final Exam: Go to for exam
schedule:
Since this is a 3 hour class, the above schedule affords this class to two
different exams times. On the first day of class, the students voted
for Monday at 1:30 PM.
Procedures:
Lectures and class discussion,
written assignments with
feedback, role-playing games and related active learning class
activities, occasional audio-visuals and guest speakers.
Required Texts:
Bryman, A. (2012).
Social Research Methods. NY: Oxford University Press.
About Computer Usage: Students are required to have an email account to
submit and receive assignments. All
students receive an email account from the university at the point of
application. Student email addresses are all of the form that ends in
@bravemail.uncp.edu. It is the student’s responsibility to check his or
her university supplied email account in order to stay current with university
communications. Following admission, his or her UNCP email account will be
closed after the first regular semester in which he or she is not enrolled.
Students are encouraged to store and backup all their assignments on the space
of the server that
Assignment: Due dates are
listed on the course outline (after first of class).
|
Task |
Purpose |
Grade Basis |
Proportion |
|
Article 1: Select article from the
approved list.
If you have an article you would prefer to review, show it to the
professor on the second day of class.
Each article must be reviewed by using the
approved outline.
An example
of how a final product should look is also available |
·
Practice
professionals writing.
·
Enhance
critical thinking skills
·
Apply
course content to real situation |
10% |
|
|
Oral Report will be short lasting no more that 3-5minutes. Each student will present their article. Students who fail to get advance notice for not attending on the day of oral reports will be awarded zero credit. |
Ability to synthesize |
Each student will
receive feedback from student and professor using the oral report
rubric. |
3% |
|
Every student will be required provide written
feedback using the departmental rubric for oral reports. |
Provide experience in giving and taking peer
feedback. |
Pass/Fail |
1% |
|
Using the same directions for the first article,
write a review for the
Koger article. |
·
Practice professionals writing.
·
Enhance critical thinking skills
·
Apply course content to real situation |
1% |
|
|
A research proposal is required for this course. A research proposal is defined as a document that describes the design, schedule and budget for conducting a research project. The paper should be 17 to 20 pages long (excluding title and abstract page). The required outline can be found by clicking the hot link. |
Apply and practice research skills. |
20% |
|
| In conjunction with the research proposal an oral report is required. The oral must be made without the use of notes and must present to total finding of the proposal. The report should be between 5 to 10 minutes. Students who fail to get advance notice for not attending on the day of oral reports will be awarded zero credit. |
· Enhance
critical thinking skills |
Oral Report Protocol | 5% |
|
Two (2) Quizzes |
Demonstrate level of knowledge from text, lectures
and assignments. |
Answers to items will be assessed individually |
20% (10%
each) |
|
Final Exam |
Comprehensive assessment of knowledge from text,
lectures and assignments. |
Answers to items will be assessed individually |
35% |
|
Attendance |
To demonstrate self-discipline |
5% |
Attendance and class participation are critical to the
learning and integration of materials.
Students are therefore encouraged to be mindful of absences and make
every effort to be in attendance. Students are expected to have read assigned
material prior to the class. Students are also expected to participate in class
discussion, exercises, “minute” papers, and any Blackboard discussions that may
be announced. Students are
considered in attendance only if present for the entire class. Arriving late or
leaving early is disruptive will be dealt with by the instructor.
Attendance will be used as a criterion in determining the final grade.
(Present 1 point; Tardy 1/2 point; Not present 0 points)
For more details see “Class Attendance” in The University of North
Carolina at Pembroke. WARNING: At the end of the semester, I do not negotiate
changes in the manner in which I record Not present or Tardy.
Students must review their record on the problematic day.
For example, if a student attends class but is tardy, one is well-advised
to check to make sure that the professor use a tardy marker rather than an
absent.
Grading Components Scale:
|
A 92-100 |
B 82-86 |
C 72-76 |
D 62-66 |
|
A- 90-91 |
B- 80-81 |
C- 70-71 |
D- 60-61 |
|
B+ 87-89 |
C+ 77-79 |
D+ 67-69 |
F 0-59 |
Students with Disabilities:
Religion Statement: The University of North Carolina at Pembroke has a
legal and moral obligation to accommodate all students who must be absent from
classes or miss scheduled exams in order to observe religious holidays; we must
be careful not to inhibit or penalize these students for exercising their rights
to religious observance.
To accommodate students’ religious holidays, each student will be allowed
two excused absences each semester with the following conditions:
1.
Students, who submit written notification to their instructors within two
weeks of the beginning of the semester, shall be excused from class or other
scheduled academic activity to observe a religious holy day of their faith.
Excused absences are limited to two class sessions (days) per semester.
2.
Students shall be permitted a reasonable amount of time to make up tests
or other work missed due to an excused absence for a religious observance.
3.
Students should not
be penalized due to absence from class or other scheduled academic
activity because of religious observances.
A student who is to be excused from class for a religious
observance is not required to provide a second-party certification of the reason
for the absence. Furthermore,
a student who believes that he or she has been unreasonably denied an education
benefit due to religious beliefs or practices may seek redress through the
student grievance procedure.
Cell Phone Policy: Students are not permitted to conduct phone conversations
during class time. Students are not
permitted to have cell ring during class time.
Students who use conduct a phone conversation or allow their phones to
ring during class time will be drop 10 points on the next quiz or 5 points for
their final exam. During
an exam, phones and hand held computers are not permitted in the room.
Tutoring
is available by subject with peer tutors who show
proficiency in courses and have been trained in effective tutoring strategies.
The tutoring sessions can host up to five students per session.
To get the most effective results students should sign up for tutoring as
soon as possible. Students should
also come to tutoring sessions with specific questions prepared regarding course
material. The more consistent the
attendance to tutoring sessions, the better students will understand the
material and perform at a higher level in class.
Sign up for tutoring in the Center for Academic Excellence office.
Supplemental Instruction (SI) is
available to assigned classes that present historically difficult material.
An SI Leader is an upperclassman, model student who has taken the course
and shown proficiency, and has been trained in effective Supplemental
Instruction leadership strategies.
An SI Leader is assigned to the course to attend all lecture sessions and host
at least three study sessions per week for students to attend voluntarily.
SI sessions will provide supplemental material for students to use to
improve their understanding of the course material.
SI sessions also provide an opportunity for students to ask questions,
and gain insight from their classmates.
Students are encouraged to attend as frequently as possible to review the
class material consistently. The
more frequent the attendance at SI Sessions, the better students will understand
the material and perform in class.
The
Resource Learning Lab offers computer based,
self-paced tutoring in basic writing skills from composing sentences,
paragraphs, and essays, to addressing common writing problems, basic reading
comprehension, and word problem dissection.
These programs are 4 – 8 weeks long and offer non-credit, collectable
test performance data on each student during their progression through our
programs. The Resource Learning Lab also offers tutoring that improves academic
study skills through self-help DVD’s, such as Values and Goals, Time Management,
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving, Active Listening and Note-Taking,
Researching, Reading and Writing, and Studying and Test-Taking.
These programs are designed to enhance college-level reading
comprehension and writing skills, and to improve the areas where students find
they have deficiencies. The
Resource Learning Lab is available to all students, whether right out of high
school or non-traditional students needing a refresher.