Sc. 210 Methods of Social Research
Dr. Paul S. Gray
S '11
MWF, 1-1:50 p.m.
Campion 010
My office is 429 McGuinn. Phone & Voice Mail, Ext. 24140; e-mail: gray@bc.edu
Office Hours: Mon 11:00 a.m. – noon; Fri 2-3:00 p.m., or by appt.
Teaching Assistant: Ms. Emily Barko. Her office is 410A McGuinn. Her cell is
508.736.9468. Office Hours: Thurs 1-3:00 p.m. (or by appointment)
Required text:
Gray, Paul S., et al., The Research Imagination: An Introduction to Qualitative and
Quantitative Methods. Cambridge, 2007. (RI)
Assignments and Requirements:
Midterm Exam (25%); Final Exam (25%); Exercises (50%)
#1 Foibles of Inquiry
#4 Surveying
#2 Conceptualization
#5 Interviewing
#3 Question-Writing
CALENDAR
Please have assignments and readings completed by the dates shown. I reserve the
right to make changes in the calendar, with due notice.
day date
Wed
Fri
Mon
Wed
Fri
Mon
Wed
Fri
1/19
1/21
1/24
1/26
1/28
1/31
2/2
2/4
Mon
Wed
Fri
2/7
2/9
2/11
topic/activity
Introduction
More Introduction
RI, ch. 1
Inquiry and Science
RI, ch. 2, HANDOUT EX #1
Research Design
RI, ch. 3
Research Design
Conceptualization/Operationalization EXERCISE #1 IS DUE
"
"
RI, ch. 4
Measurement
HANDOUT EX #2
Questions/Questionnaires
Questions/Questionnaires
Sampling
SC 210
day date
Mon
Wed
2/14
2/16
assignment
topic/activity
Sampling
Surveys
RI, pp. 130-138
RI, ch. 6, EXERCISE #2 IS DUE
HANDOUT EX #3a
-2assignment
RI, ch. 7
Fri
Mon
2/18
2/21
Surveys
Interviewing
EXERCISE 3a IS DUE
Wed
Fri
Mon
2/23
2/25
2/28
Interviewing
Review for Mid-Term
Mid-Term (short answer)
RI, ch. 8
Wed 3/2
Fri 3/4
Mid-Term (essays)
Quantitative Analysis
RI, ch. 18; HANDOUT EX #3b
Mon 3/14
Wed 3/16
Fri
3/18
Graphs and Tables
Causation
Explanation
EXERCISE 3b IS DUE
Mon 3/21
Wed 3/23
Fri
3/25
Indices and Scales
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Ethnography and Field Work
Mon
Wed
Fri
Mon
Wed
Fri
Mon
Wed
Fri
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VACATION
3/28
3/30
4/1
4/4
4/6
4/8
4/11
4/13
4/15
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"
"
RI, ch. 17
HANDOUT EX #4
RI, ch. 9
"
Experimentation
“
Content Analysis
Evaluation Research
Evaluation Research
Feminist Research
EXERCISE 4 IS DUE
RI, ch. 12
HANDOUT EX #5
RI, ch. 13
RI, ch. 16
Feminist Research
RI, ch. 10
VACATION
Wed 4/20
SC 210
-3-
day date
topic/activity
assignment
VACATION
Wed 4/27
Research Ethics
RI, ch. 5. EXERCISE #5 IS DUE
Fri
4/29
IRB
Review this site:
http://www.bc.edu/research/oric/human/irbreview.html
Mon
5/2
Social Context of Research
RI, Epilog
Wed
5/4
CONCLUSIONS
HAND OUT TAKE-HOME FINAL
Fri
5/13
FINAL EXAMINATION DUE IN MY MAILBOX, 426 McGUINN AT
12:30 p.m.