Please note that this syllabus should be regarded as only a general guide to the course. The instructor may have changed
specific course content and requirements subsequent to posting this syllabus. Last Modified: 10:00:22 12/17/2012
SC 516: Survey Methodology
Spring 2013
Thursday 9:30-12:00 pm
245 O’Neill Library
Professor: Sara Moorman
Office: 404 McGuinn Hall
Office hours: Tuesdays 10:00-11:00 am and Thursdays 3:00-4:00 pm
E-mail: moormans@bc.edu
About the Course
This applied course is designed for undergraduate students with a prior background in statistics
at the level of SC200 (Statistics) and for graduate students with a prior background in statistics at
the level of SC702 (Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis). The course will lead students
through the design, collection, and analysis of their own surveys. Major topics will include
research ethics, sampling, item selection, modes of response, interviewer effects, nonresponse,
and data management and analysis. Qualtrics and SPSS will be used to design internet surveys
and analyze the resulting data, respectively.
Academic Honesty
Your work must be your words and ideas. When writing papers, use quotation marks around
someone else’s exact words and identify whose words they are. If you come across a good idea,
by all means use it in your writing, but be sure to acknowledge whose idea it is. Failure to
comply will result in (a) automatic failure of the assignment, and (b) a report to the Dean and the
Committee on Academic Integrity. For further information, please review the College’s policies
on academic integrity here: http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/stserv/academic/integrity.html
Required Books
The bookstore has ordered:


Beam, George. 2012. The Problem with Survey Research. (ISBN 9781412846035)
Fink, Arlene. 2009. How to Conduct Surveys: A Step-by-Step Guide (4th edition). (ISBN
9781412966689)
These books are also available on 2-hour reserve at O’Neill.
Course Reserves Online
Access additional readings as .pdf files through the library website or through the link on the
course Blackboard page.
SC516: Survey Methodology
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Schedule
January 17: The Survey in Social Science Research
1) Fink Chapter 1
2) Lipka, Sara. 2011. “Want Data? Ask Students. Again and Again.” The Chronicle of
Higher Education, August 7. (http://chronicle.com/article/Want-Data-Ask-StudentsAgain/128537/)
3) Schaeffer, Nora Cate and Stanley Presser. 2003. “The Science of Asking Questions.”
American Sociological Review 29: 65-88.
4) Schaeffer, Nora Cate and Jennifer Dykema. 2011. “Questions for Surveys: Current
Trends and Future Directions.” Public Opinion Quarterly 75(5): 909-61. (READ
THROUGH PAGE 931)
January 24: Asking about Events and Behaviors I
1) Fink Chapter 2
2) Gill, Rebecca D., Sylvia R. Lazos, and Mallory M. Waters. 2011. “Are Judicial
Performance Evaluations Fair to Women and Minorities? A Cautionary Tale from Clark
County, Nevada.” Law & Society Review 45(3): 731-59.
3) Keefe, Francis J. 2000. “Self-Report of Pain: Issues and Opportunities.” Pp. 317-337 in
The Science of Self Report, edited by A.A. Stone, J. S. Turkkan, C.A. Bachrach, J.B.
Jobe, H.S. Kurtzman, and V. S. Cain. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
4) Pape, Hilde. 2012. “Young People’s Overestimation of Peer Substance Use: An
Exaggerated Phenomenon?” Addiction 107: 878-884.
January 31: Asking about Events and Behaviors II
1) Brenner, Philip S. 2011. “Exceptional Behavior or Exceptional Identity? Overreporting of
Church Attendance in the U.S.” Public Opinion Quarterly 75(1): 19-41.
2) Fink Chapter 3
3) Loftus, Elizabeth F. 2000. “Suggestion, Imagination, and the Transformation of Reality.”
Pp. 201-210 in The Science of Self Report, edited by A.A. Stone, J. S. Turkkan, C.A.
Bachrach, J.B. Jobe, H.S. Kurtzman, and V. S. Cain. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
4) Schaeffer, Nora Cate. 2000. “Asking Questions about Threatening Topics: A Selective
Overview.” Pp. 105-121 in The Science of Self Report, edited by A.A. Stone, J. S.
Turkkan, C.A. Bachrach, J.B. Jobe, H.S. Kurtzman, and V. S. Cain. Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.
SC516: Survey Methodology
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February 7: Asking about Opinions I
1) Bohner, Gerd and Nina Dickel. 2011. “Attitudes and Attitude Change.” Annual Review of
Psychology 62: 391-417.
2) Burstein, Paul. 2009. “Public Opinion, Public Policy, and Democracy.” Pp. 63-78 in
Handbook of Politics: State and Society in Global Perspective, edited by K. T. Leicht and
J. C. Jenkins. New York, NY: Springer.
3) Eaton, Asia A., Penny S. Visser, Jon A. Krosnick, and Sowmya Anand. 2009. “Social
Power and Attitude Strength over the Life Course.” Personality and Social Psychology
Bulletin 35(12): 1646-1660.
4) Perrin, Andrew J. and Katherine McFarland. 2011. “Social Theory and Public Opinion.”
Annual Review of Sociology 37:87-107.
February 14: Asking About Opinions II
1) Schuman, Howard and Stanley Presser. 1996. “Measuring a Middle Position.” Pp. 161178 in Questions and Answers in Attitude Surveys. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
2) Schuman, Howard and Stanley Presser. 1996. “The Acquiescence Quagmire.” Pp. 203230 in Questions and Answers in Attitude Surveys. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
3) Tourangeau, Roger and Mirta Galesic. 2007. “Conceptions of Attitudes and Opinions.”
Pp. 141-154 in The Sage Handbook of Public Opinion Research, edited by M. W.
Traugott and W. Donsbach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
4) Visser, Penny S., Allyson Holbrook, and Jon A. Krosnick. 2007. “Knowledge and
Attitudes.” Pp. 127-140 in The Sage Handbook of Public Opinion Research, edited by M.
W. Traugott and W. Donsbach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
February 21: Sampling I
1) Fink chapter 4
2) First half of Beam
February 28: Sampling II
1) Fink chapter 5
2) Second half of Beam
***March 7: Spring Vacation, no class***
SC516: Survey Methodology
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March 14: Participants’ Cognitive Processing
1) De Leeuw, Edith. 2008. “Choosing the Method of Data Collection.” Pp 113-135 in The
International Handbook of Survey Methodology, edited by E. D. De Leeuw, J. Hox, and
D. Dillman. New York, NY: Psychology Press.
2) Law, John. 2009. “Seeing Like a Survey.” Cultural Sociology, 3(2): 239-56.
3) Poulin, Michelle. 2010. “Reporting on First Sexual Experience: The Importance of
Interviewer-Respondent Interaction.” Demographic Research 22: 237-88.
4) Serota, Kim B., Timothy R. Levine, and Franklin J. Boster. 2010. “The Prevalence of
Lying in America: Three Studies of Self-Reported Lies.” Human Communication
Research 46(1): 2-25.
March 21: Designing Web Surveys in Qualtrics
1) Dillman, Don A. and Jolene D. Smith. 2007. “Design Effects in the Transition to WebBased Surveys.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 32: S90-S96.
***March 28: Holy Thursday, no class***
April 4: Ethics
1) Greely, Henry T. 2007. “The Uneasy Ethical and Legal Underpinnings of Large-Scale
Genomic Biobanks.” Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics 8: 343-364.
2) Machin, Jane E. and Gavan J. Fitzsimons. 2005. “Marketing by Mistake: The Unintended
Consequences of Consumer Research.” Pp. 81-95 in Applying Social Cognition to
Consumer-Focused Strategy, edited by F. R. Kardes, P. M. Herr, and J. A. Nantel.
Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
3) Wheeler, Michael. 1976. “Political Poll-Vaulting.” Pp. 176-200 in Lies, Damned Lies,
and Statistics: The Manipulation of Public Opinion in America. New York, NY: W. W.
Norton.
4) Wheeler, Michael. 1976. “Policing the Polls.” Pp. 245-269 in Lies, Damned Lies, and
Statistics: The Manipulation of Public Opinion in America. New York, NY: W. W.
Norton.
April 11: Nonparticipation and Missing Data
1) Johnson, David R. and Rebekah Young. 2011. “Toward Best Practices in Analyzing
Datasets with Missing Data: Comparisons and Recommendations.” Journal of Marriage
and Family 73(5): 926-945.
2) Lynn, Peter. 2008. “The Problem of Nonresponse.” Pp 35-55 in The International
Handbook of Survey Methodology, edited by E. D. De Leeuw, J. Hox, and D. Dillman.
New York, NY: Psychology Press.
April 18: Data Management and Analysis
1) Fink chapter 6
SC516: Survey Methodology
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April 25: Reporting Survey Results
1) Fink chapter 7
May 2: Class Presentations
-no reading-
Assessment
Grading scale
A+
none at Boston College
B+
87 – 89%
C+
77 – 79%
D+
67 – 69%
F
below 60%
A
B
C
D
93 – 100%
83 – 86%
73 – 76%
63 – 66%
ABCD-
Task
Due date
Participation
Throughout
10
Item selection
February 21
15
Sample selection
March 14
15
Beam rebuttal
March 14
10
Survey design
April 4
15
Ethics training
May 2
5
Class presentation
May 2
15
Final paper
May 9
15
90 – 92%
80 – 82%
70 – 72%
60 – 62%
Percentage of grade
More detailed information about each of these assignments will be forthcoming in class, but to
give you an overview of what we’ll be doing…
Participation: You’ll learn a lot from one another as we discuss the course readings and hold
workshops on your survey projects. At various points throughout the semester you will lead class
discussion and peer review other students’ work. Because these activities are part of being a
good “course citizen,” it is not possible to get an A in the course without doing your part.
Beam Rebuttal: George Beam has strong opinions about how social science research generally,
and survey research specifically, should be done. Some of you will agree with him and some of
SC516: Survey Methodology
you will not; however, all of you will write a short paper that rebuts his thesis. It’s good to learn
to identify the strengths and weaknesses of arguments, even those with which you agree!
Ethics training: Boston College is concerned that its researchers respect and protect the rights
and welfare of human participants in research. As a researcher and student of research methods
and ethics, you should be formally trained and certified. To that end, you’ll complete the online
CITI course on Human Subjects Research.
Your web survey: In this class, it’s important not only to learn theory, but also to get hands-on
practice designing, fielding, and analyzing your own web survey. You’ll do this in a series of
stages as we cover relevant topics in class. The stages include: writing the questions for your
survey, identifying a strategy for selecting your sample participants, designing how your survey
looks and works, collecting data and analyze them, and reporting your findings to others both
orally and in written form.
Assignment Submission
All assignments are due in hard copy in class, or if you must, by e-mail by 11:59 pm Eastern
time on the due date. Papers submitted after 11:59 pm on the due date are late and will lose a
letter grade a day. That is, a paper submitted on time is worth, at best, an A. A paper submitted
between midnight and 11:59 pm of the day following the due date is worth, at best, a B. If you
wish to avoid the late penalty, you must make arrangements with me in advance, or you must
provide proof of extenuating circumstances (e.g., doctor’s note, funeral program). If you e-mail
me a paper, I will respond confirming that I received it, can open the attached file, and am
grading it. If you haven’t received confirmation, then I do not have your paper.
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