Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
10:762:395:05
RESEARCH METHODS
Fall 2012 COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Office Hours:
Debbie Borie-Holtz, Ph.D.
CSB Room 545, 33 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick
848-932-2968; 856.906.6554 (cell)
borieholtz@aol.com; dbholtz@rutgers.edu
Thursdays 10:30pm to 12:00pm; Wednesdays & Thursdays by appointment
(Check Sakai Sign-up Tool for additional weekly hours)
TA:
Office:
E-mail:
Office Hours:
Akira Drake, Ph.D. Candidate
Civic Square Building, 33 Livingston Avenue, Room 566
akirad@eden.rutgers.edu
Thursdays 2:30 – 4:00pm ; Mondays (Virtual)
Lecture:
Online - Available on Tuesdays
Lab Sessions: Thursday, 12:35pm – 1:55pm, Loree PC Lab 013
Course Description and Teaching Style
This course is designed to introduce students to research methods for public health, planning, and public
policy majors. Basically, the course is an introduction to the fundamentals of social science research.
The main goal is for you to learn to design and interpret research so you can solve problems and make
informed decisions. During this semester, you will learn how to ask questions, how to probe for
answers, and how to evaluate the answers we get as a result of research. The emphasis of the class is on
gaining the ability to think logically and critically about social science research. We will cover both
quantitative and qualitative methodologies, but more time will be spent on the former. I do not assume
any previous work in methodology and there are no prerequisites for this class. The goal of this class is
NOT to make you into expert statisticians or quantitative researchers, but into educated consumers and
critics of the research of others. Equally important, this class should give you a firm foundation upon
which to stand as you complete your capstone class for your major.
The class meetings are comprised of one weekly class lecture period and one weekly in-lab session;
however, a mixture of lecture and lab work may be incorporated into each session. The format for the
class lecture period will be mostly lecture and some facilitated discussion. I am a firm believer of active
learning; thus, I will attempt to use discussion in place of traditional lectures whenever possible and
encourage questions and expect class participation. Readings should be completed prior to the lecture. I
ask that you be physically and mentally present at every class session. The lab session will provide you
with another opportunity to ask additional questions and gain some hands-on practice with the concepts
we learn in lecture. Thus, the lab will be structured around cases, discussions, and homework
preparation.
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From time-to-time, it may be necessary to make adjustments to the schedule. In general, that means I
may extend a deadline. Please use the Sakai Schedule tool as the final authoritative source on all due
dates. We will have the semester schedule populated on the class site by the second week. All updates
will be made to the Schedule Tool - of course, any changes will also be indicated via an announcement.
Our teaching assistant for this semester will be Akira Drake. Akira is a Doctoral Candidate in the
Bloustein School. Akira will also be responsible for grading the lab assignments and midterm so if you
have a question regarding grading, please forward an email to her directly as your initial course of
action. Feel free to contact either of us with questions, but I ask that you only direct your queries to one
of us. We will be sure to share our feedback with each other.
Akira and I will also hold in-person office hours as noted on the syllabus. Akira will also hold weekly
online sessions on Monday. I am also available for meetings by appointment, in-person or online, with
advance notice. For all office hours held online, you can connect with us by clicking the Meeting Link
on the Sakai course site. If you have a webcam and/or built-in mic, you will be able to communicate
with us in this web format. Alternatively, you can use the chat room to type your questions and if you
have an internet connection with speakers, you will be able to listen to our response. It is highly
recommended that you use the Sign-up Tool in Sakai to schedule ALL office time and to limit wait times
for your questions.
If you desire a more immediate response, you can always send us an email or send me a text. Although
Sakai will be utilized for all official notices, we will use text alerts and our Facebook Group for sending
messages. It is IMPORTANT to sign-up for these tools ASAP.
We will always respond to emails within 24 hours. Later in the semester, we will also introduce a
project management tool that will be utilized during the final labs and paper assignments.
Course Objectives
The goal of this course is to provide students with
1) An understanding of the logic of scientific inquiry and how to measure concepts
2) An ability to develop a research hypothesis and a complementary research design
3) An awareness of different types of data collection and analyses – both qualitative and
quantitative
4) An introduction to analyzing quantitative data to test your own ideas about relationships between
concepts
Required Text
Schutt, Russell. 2012. Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research. 7th
Edition. Available at the main Rutgers bookstore, in downtown New Brunswick.
(Please note the 6th edition of the book is acceptable. We have prepared a concordance comparing the
two editions which appears on Sakai at Resources > Syllabus & Text. It is your responsibility to ensure
you have read the appropriate material if you choose to read a different book.)
Supplemental readings will be distributed in class or posted to the class website on Sakai.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: You will also need to have access to SPSS to complete the final paper. SPSS, a
statistical software package, is available in all Rutgers labs (not the library computers); as an alternative,
you may choose to purchase a student copy with the text book. You can also obtain a trial version of the
software for a limited period OR access it for FREE online through Scarlet Apps. We will provide more
information regarding SPSS as the semester progresses.
Grading
The totality of your grade is 100 percent. The components and weights are:
20 percent on midterm exam
-- This will be a take-home exam in lieu of a lecture class.
40 percent on your lab assignments (10 points each)
-- Assignment 1 - Define an indices
-- Assignment 2 - Survey design and question wording critique
-- Assignment 3 - Hypotheses & analysis plan
-- Assignment 4 – Interpret and analyze a cross tab
5 percent on quizzes*
-- Quizzes will be equally weighted; expect 4-5 quizzes
-- Quizzes are generally scheduled to ensure readings are completed timely
10 percent on homework*
-- Homeworks will be equally weighted
25 percent on the final exam
-- This will be a research analysis paper.
*Quiz and HW schedule will be posted during first week of class.
Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
A = 90 - 100; Excellent or Superior
B+ = 86 - 89; Very Good
B = 80 - 85; Good
C+ = 76 - 79; Solid Overall, but some flaws
C = 70 - 75; Average
D = 60 - 69; Significant problems in the work in terms of understanding, effort or writing
F = 59 or below; Failing
Expectations
Collegial and respectful conduct is expected in class. Class members should consider themselves
colleagues who will collaborate to help each other develop a solid understanding of materials and
concepts. To facilitate this process and your learning, we will adhere to some basic rules:
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Attendance at all classes is expected. If you expect to miss a class, please use the University absence
reporting website (https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra /) to indicate the date and reason for your absence.
An email is automatically sent to me. A link appears on our Sakai home page.
My policy for missed classes is very restrictive since we do not have many in-person meetings. Quizzes
cannot be made up - so if you are not in class on-time, you cannot take the quiz. One homework
assignment may be submitted after the class ONLY if you advised of your absence in advance and/or
register your absence through the online reporting system.
Class will start and end on time. Although I understand emergencies occur, timely arrivals and
departures should be the norm. Regular and frequent lateness will be treated as an absence.
Please turn off your cell phones and other electronic devices during class. You may only use a laptop if
you are taking notes for this class.
Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his
or her abilities should contact me as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to
ensure full participation and to facilitate your educational opportunities.
Academic Integrity
Cheating, plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. For further
information about academic misconduct and a full explanation of the University’s policies,
Please see the University’s Policy on Academic Integrity for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
located on the web at http://ctaar.rutgers.edu/integrity/policy.html.
Exam and Assignment Schedule
Assignment
Assignment 1: Indices
Take-home Midterm
Assignment 2: Surveys
Assignment 3: Design &
Hypotheses
Assignment 4: Cross Tabs
Final Paper Exam
Distribution Date
September 13th
October 29th
November 8th
November 20th
Due Date
September 27th
November 1st
November 15th
November 27th
November 20th
November 20th
December 4th
December 14th at Noon
All lab assignments must be completed on time. Assignments delivery will vary: some may be due in
hard copy BUT all assignments will be submitted as an electronic submission as designated. The
electronic version will be used to time-stamp your submission. All assignments should be typed in 12point font and submitted in hard copy. Late work will be penalized. One letter grade per week will be
deducted from the final grade for lateness. Assignments will not be accepted any later than two class
periods after the due date; missed assignments will receive a “0”.
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Late submissions for the take-home midterm and the final paper are not permitted. Both of these
assessments are given over a multiple-day period so there is an expectation that students are working on
the exams prior to the final submission day. If an unanticipated emergency occurs and a student is
unable to complete the exam, you will be asked to submit all work completed on your exam (from the
date of distribution through the date of the emergency) to determine if an exception is warranted.
A Few Words to the Wise



Come to class prepared! Complete readings prior to lecture.
Seek help early! Don’t wait till the last minute if you are having difficulties.
Get missed notes from a classmate! We will not hold individual meetings to provide summaries
or repeat class material.
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Lecture, Quiz, Homework Exercise and Reading Schedule
Lecture
Lecture Topic
Lab
Lab Exercises
(Quizzes are timed and must be
(*HWs: Due at beginning of lab)
Dates:
Dates:
Monday
taken by Wed. Noon)
Thursdays
9/6
9/10
Introduction to Qualitative &
Quantitative Research
9/13
HW 1: Vocab Puzzle
9/17
Conceptualization and
Measurement
9/20
Intros & course overview
Sign-up for Group Facebook
and Text Alerts
 Research Ethics
Module
 Group Exercise: What
would you do?
 Assign Lab 1:
Deconstruct an Indice
 Group Exercise: Tweet
Part 1 &
Define Concepts Part 2
Readings Due
(complete prior
to lecture)
Distribute
syllabus; review
course layout
Chapters 1&2;
Chapter 3
"Define an
Indices” Slides
Chapter 4
Quiz 1: Due 9.19 Noon
9/24
HW2: From concept to
measurement (Part 1)
Research Design and
Causation
9/27

Quiz 2: Due 9.26 Noon
10/1
10/8
10/15
HW3: Access Data & Define
Central Tendencies
Experiments
Quiz 3: Due 10.3 Noon
Non-Probability Sampling &
Qualitative Methods: Part 1
(Interviews & Observations)
HW 4: Interview Guide
Qualitative Methods: Part 2
(Focus Groups & Other
Methods)
HW 5: Recruit a Group
Quiz 4: Due 10.17 Noon
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
Group Exercise:
Practice Excel
Correlations & Test
Hypotheses
Due: Lab 1
Chapter 6
"Define a
Problem"
Slides
Excel Jings
Chapter 7
10/4

Class Experiment
10/11

Prepping for a Depth
Interview: Role
Playing
Chapter 5:
TBD
Chapter
9:TBD
10/18

Conduct a Focus
Group
Chapter 9:
TBD Chapter
10 TBD
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10/22
Probability Sampling
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10/25

M & M Sampling
Exercise
11/1

Exam Due
11/8

HW 6: Who Wants to be a
Millionaire
10/29
Quiz 5: Due 10.24 Noon
Take-Home Exam Available
Survey Research: Designing
& Fielding Surveys
11/19
Introduction to SPSS
11/20




11/26
SPSS Workshop
11/29

Class Exercise:
Practice Question
Wording & Order
Assign Lab 2:
Critique a Survey
Lab 2 Due
Practice Frequencies
Practice Cross Tabs
Assign Final Paper
Requirements
Review Assignment 3
12/3
Lab 3 Due: Analysis Plan
(11.27 @ Noon)
Practice SPSS
12/6

Review Assignment 4
12/10
Lab 4 Due: Interpreting &
Analyzing Cross Tabs
(12.4 @ Noon)
Wrap-up Lecture
11/5
11/12
HW 7: Question Wording
Drills
Univariate & Bivariate
Analysis
SPSS Final Paper Workshop
TDB
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
11/15
Chapter 5,
remaining
pages
Chapter 8
Chapter 14 &
Supplemental
Slides
Appendix F;
Jing videos
Final Exam
Paper Due:
12/14 at Noon