Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
10:762:395:90
RESEARCH METHODS
Fall 2012 COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor: Debbie Borie-Holtz, Ph.D.
CSB Room 545, 848-932-2968
856.906.6554 (cell)
33 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick
Email: borieholtz@aol.com; dbholtz@rutgers.edu
Office Hours: Thursday 10:30am to 12:00noon and by appointment on Wednesdays/Thursdays
(Check Sakai Sign-up Tool for office hours)
TA: Akira Drake, Ph.D. Candidate
Office: Civic Square Building, 33 Livingston Avenue, Room 566
E-mail:akirad@eden.rutgers.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays 2:30 – 4:00pm; Mondays (Virtual)
Course Description and Teaching Style
In this course, you will begin your studies as students but finish the semester as researchers in your chosen
specialty of public health, planning, and public policy. Basically, this course introduces 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. You will be amazed to see how differently you look at the world by
the end of the semester. During this journey, you will learn how to ask questions, how to probe for answers,
and how to evaluate the answers. 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. The goal of this
class is NOT to make you into expert statisticians or quantitative researchers, but into educated consumers and
often critics, of the research of others. Equally important, this class should give you a firm foundation upon
which to launch your capstone class for your major, your internship.
Our teaching assistant for this semester will be Akira Drake. Akira is a Doctoral Candidate in the Bloustein
School. Akira will hold weekly office hours online as noted above as well as hours on Thursday at her Bloustein
office. Akira will also be responsible for grading the lab assignments so if you have a question regarding
grading, please forward an email to her directly as your initial course of action. Please always feel free to
contact either one of us with your questions, but I ask that you do not send simultaneous email to both of us.
We will be sure to share our feedback with each other.
Throughout the semester, Akira and I will hold weekly office hours at my on-campus office located in the
Bloustein School. 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.
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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.
Online Format
For many of you, this may be the first time you have enrolled in an online course. As such, it is important to
emphasize this course is offered in an asynchronous format, meaning you can log-in to view materials at any
time --- but there are specified deadlines for completing ALL assignments. So what are the expectations? Each
week, you are expected to complete the assigned readings -- we will generally cover at least one chapter per
week. The lecture slides are presented in both static and video formats and are intended to supplement your
reading of the text. You will not be able to access lab assignments until you review the slides and complete a
short quiz (on the weeks quizzes are offered). The quizzes are timed and must be completed within 20 minutes
of accessing it online. While the quiz is open-book, you will not be able to complete it within a 20 minutes
unless you have read the text and reviewed the slides. If you do not take the quiz by the specified deadline, you
will not receive any credit. Quizzes represent 5 percent of your final grade and the dates appear on the class
schedule below.
After completing the quiz, you are ready to complete the hands-on component of the lecture which consists of a
homework assignment OR a lab assignment. When the homework discussions are assigned, you generally have
to complete the assignment before the next lecture is posted. Global feedback comments will be offered to the
homework. The homework assignments are equally weighted. Homework assignments represent 10 percent of
your final grade. Full credit will be given for meaningful and thoughtful posts. All due dates are specified on
the Schedule Grid that follows. Unless specified otherwise on the Grid or in a Sakai Announcement, all quizzes
are due by Wednesday noon of each week. HW assignments AND Labs are due by 6pm on the Due Date posted.
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.
When labs are assigned, you will have a slightly longer time-frame in which to complete them as compared to
the HW assignments. Labs are a major portion of your assessment – treat them as mini-papers or tests. Please
be aware that you may have a previously assigned lab due on the same day as a current lecture homework
discussion, so schedule your time accordingly. Lab assignments account for 60 percent of your final grade. As
such, there is no midterm.
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
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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.
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. Your progress in the course will be measured in several ways. The
assessment is intended to test your ability to apply your knowledge, rather than test your memorization skills.
Quizzes will be used to help assess your comprehension of the text and slide material each week. The
homework assignments, in part, replace the labs attended by students enrolled in a traditional class format.
Additionally, the lab assignments also replicate the traditional labs but because they are individually submitted,
they also serve as a form of assessment. As mentioned above, there is no longer a midterm exam assessment for
the online course.
Detailed instructions will be provided for each assessment; however, the components and weights are
highlighted below. As in the traditional classroom setting for this course, you will also complete a Final
Analysis Paper.
In order to successfully complete this course, you should plan to commit about 10 hours per week. This is the
time you will need to review the lectures, do the readings, complete the quizzes, homework and lab
assignments.
Here are the grading criteria:
5 percent – Quizzes assigned with most lectures (equally weighted)
10 percent - Homework Assignments (equally weighted)
60 percent - Lab Assignments (all assignments weighted at 10 points each)
25 percent – Final Analysis Paper
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Letter grades will be assigned as follows:
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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 during all online class discussions. Class members should consider
themselves colleagues who will collaborate to help each other develop a solid understanding of materials and
concepts. This includes online discussions.
Participation in all online sessions is expected.
If any questions or concerns arise, please come email me or make an appointment. 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.
Assignment & Final Paper Schedule
Assignment
Assignment 1: Indices
Assignment 2: Research
Design Excel Skills
Assignment 3: Focus Groups
Assignment 4: Surveys
Assignment 5: Design &
Hypotheses
Assignment 6: Cross Tabs
Final Paper Exam
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Distribution Date
September 13th
September 27th
Due Date
September 27th
October 11th
October 18th
November 1st
November 15th
November 1st
November 15th
November 27th
November 15th
November 15th
December 4th
December 14th at Noon
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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 12-point 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”.
A Few Words to the Wise
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
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Come to class prepared as if you were physically in class! Complete readings prior to lecture dates.
Seek help early! Don’t wait till the last minute if you are having difficulties.
Build a study team through our Facebook Group -- ask each other questions! Actively participate online!
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Lecture, Quiz, Homework Exercise and Reading Schedule
Date
Lecture Topic
Date
(Quizzes are timed and must be taken
by Wed. Noon)
Lab Exercise
Readings Due
(*HWs: Due at by Thursday at 6pm - unless
otherwise specified for 2 part HWs)
(prior to lecture)
Introductions and course overview
9/6
9/10
Intro to Qual & Quant Lecture
9/13
Sign-up Group Facebook & Text Alerts
HW 1: Vocab Puzzle & What Would
You Do? (Due 9.15 @ 6pm)
Distribute
syllabus; course
layout
Chapters 1 and 2
Chapter 3
Research Ethics Slides
9/17
Conceptualization and
Measurement
9/20
Quiz 1: Due 9.19 Noon
9/24
Research Design and Causation
9/27
Assign Lab 1: Deconstruct an
Indices
HW2: From concept to measurement
(Part 1 Due: 9/19 at Noon)
HW2: From concept to measurement
(Part 2 Due: 9.21 at 6pm)
HW3: Access Data & Define Central
Tendencies
Quiz 2: Due 9.26 Noon
Due: Lab 1
10/1
Experiments
Quiz 3: Due 10.3 Noon
10/8 Non-Probability Sampling &
Qualitative Methods: Part 1
(Interviews & Observations)
10/15 Qualitative Methods: Part 2
(Focus Groups, Ethnographies,
Case Studies, Other Methods)
Quiz 4: Due 10.17 Noon
10/22 Probability Sampling
Quiz 5: Due 10.24 Noon
10/29 Survey Research: Designing
Surveys
10/4
Assign Lab 2: Research Designs
Skills with Excel
HW 4: Conduct an Experiment
10/11 HW 5: Interview Guide
Due: Lab 2
10/18 Assign Lab 3: Recruit a Group &
Develop Guide
Chapter 6
"Define a
Problem" Slides
Excel Jings
Chapter 7
Chapter 5: TBD
Chapter 9:TBD
Chapter 9: TBD
Chapter 10:
TBD
10/25 HW 6: Who Wants to be a Millionaire
Chapter 5:
remaining pgs
11/1
Chapter 8
HW 7: Question Wording Drills
Due: Lab 3
Assign Lab 4: Critique Survey
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"Define an
Indices” Slides
Chapter 4
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11/5 Survey Research: Fielding
Surveys & Ethics
11/8
11/12 Univariate & Bivariate Analysis
11/15 Due: Lab 4
11/19 Introduction to SPSS
Assign Final Exam Paper & Labs
11/20 Practice SPSS
11/26 SPSS Workshop
12/3
Lab 3 Due: Analysis Plan
(11.27 @ Noon)
SPSS Workshop
Lab 4 Due: Interpreting &
Analyzing Cross Tabs
(12.4 @ Noon)
12/10 Wrap-up Lecture
SPSS Final Paper Workshop
TDB
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FREE PASS
Chapter 14;
Supplemental
Slides & Jings
Intro to SPSS
Guidelines; Jing
videos
11/29 Review Assignment 5: Mandatory
office/virtual appt if you receive less
than a "B" on lab assignment
(Extra hours to be posted)
12/6 Review Assignment 6: Mandatory
office/virtual appt if you receive less
than a "B" on lab assignment
(Extra hours to be posted)
Final Exam
Paper Due:
12/14 at Noon