COMM 3710:
Introduction to Quantitative Communication Research
Fall 2014
Time: T, H 2:00pm – 3:20pm
Room: 1100 LNCO
Office Hours: W 10:00am – 11:00am
or by appointment
Sara K. Yeo
2612 LNCO
Phone: 801.581.6671
E-mail: sara.yeo@utah.edu
Twitter: @sarakyeo
Course outline
This course is a basic research methods course for those with little or no experience or course work in
communication research. The goal of this course is to provide you with a critical framework for
evaluating social science research and some hands-on experience in the process of conducting empirical
investigations. We will examine how research questions are translated into a research project.
Additionally, we will learn how to select appropriate research techniques, develop measures, draw
samples, interpret results, and write research reports. There are no assumptions about your previous work
in statistics or research methods. Fear of mathematics will not be a barrier to success in this course. This
course meets the University’s Quantitative Intensive (QI) designation. For more information about QI
courses, see here.
Key topics include:
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Formalizing hypotheses and research questions grounded in theory
Testing hypotheses and research questions
Conceptual and operational definitions
Measurement, sampling, and research design
Foundation in statistics
SPSS in communication research
Required text and readings
Babbie, E. (2013). The Practice of Social Research (13th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
The textbook is available for rent or purchase at Amazon.com.
ISBN-13: 978-1133049791
ISBN-10: 1133049796
SPSS
We will be using statistical software, SPSS, in this course. The software is available through remote
software access and in the Knowledge Commons at Marriott Library on campus. You are required to have
access to this software. You may also purchase SPSS from Software Licensing.
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Course requirements
Grades in the class will be based on each of the following:
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Quizzes (10%)
Mid-term exam (30%)
Final exam (30%)
Group project (30%)
Quizzes (10%). Quizzes will be administered weekly on Thursdays. There will be 10 quizzes. Quiz retakes are not allowed in this course. Quizzes will be based on assigned readings and lectures.
Exams (30% each). Exams will be held in-class. The mid-term exam will be held on Oct 9, 2014, and the
final exam will be held on Dec 11, 2014. Late exams are not administered. If you miss an exam for a
University-sanctioned activity or for an unforeseen emergency, you must receive my approval in advance
and you must take the exam before its scheduled date.
Group project (30%). For the group project, you will team up with other students in the class, explicate
a research problem, collect data you want to analyze, conduct basic data analysis, and report your
research. I will provide more detailed instructions for the group project as the semester progresses. Parts
of your project will be due throughout the semester. Due dates are listed in the schedule. Your completed
report will be due on Dec 15, 2014.
Course grading scale
A
AB+
93-100
90-92
87-89
B
BC+
83-86
80-82
77-79
C
CD+
73-76
70-72
67-69
D
DF
63-66
60-62
59 and below
Information on how letter grades affect GPA can be found here.
Course policies
You may use your laptop for note-taking purposes. Cell phones, MP3 players, and other electronic media
are not permitted in the classroom. I reserve the right to ask you to leave and/or deduct points if you are
disruptive to the class.
Academic misconduct will be punished to the fullest extent possible. Anyone found guilty of academic
misconduct should expect to fail this course. In addition, cheating, plagiarizing on assignments, papers, or
projects in this class may result in other penalties deemed appropriate by the university. Your rights and
responsibilities are outlined in Policy 6-400, the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. You are
responsible for obeying Policy 6-400. Ignorance of the policy is not an excuse.
In the event of a University-wide health emergency which prevents us from meeting face-to-face for a
period of time, students should continue to stay current with our schedule as posted in this syllabus.
During this time, you will only be responsible for the material in the readings and not for any additional
material that would only have been presented in class. If we have an exam or student presentations
scheduled during a time period when face-to-face meetings are suspended, the presentations or exam will
be postponed until after classes resume. Information about the status of assignments and other course
work due during this period will be addressed on the course website (if available) and by way of email. It
is critical that I have an email address for you that you check frequently. This same notification system
will be used to announce any changes to the currently expected course of action.
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Curriculum accommodations take two forms—schedule accommodations and content accommodations. I
am able to make schedule accommodations for those who have a conflict that involves religious
observances, University-sanctioned activities, and personal or medical emergencies, provided that you
submit the appropriate documentation. If you anticipate or when you experience a scheduling conflict,
please speak with me as soon as possible. In every case, it is your responsibility as a student to make
arrangements for any scheduling conflict.
I will not make content accommodations for this course. The material presented and assigned in this
course has been selected for its pedagogical value and utility in relation to the concepts we are engaging.
It is your responsibility to review the course materials to be sure that this is a course you wish to take.
More information on the University’s accommodation policy can be found here.
On learning strategies
One of the best ways to understand any subject is to actively try to make connections between a new topic
and information you already have stored in memory. The more connections you can make between new
material you encounter in this class and what you already know, the better you will be able to remember,
and ultimately apply, it.
The ultimate goal is “knowledge integration,” connecting the dots between what might appear to be
disparate concepts, but are ideas that fit together into a bigger picture, thereby providing a broader context
for understanding. The best way to achieve knowledge integration is to:
(1) Make sure you do all the reading before class, actively drawing out the implications of the
readings to thinks you already know, have read in the news, or are learning in other classes.
(2) Participate actively in class, challenging the propositions and evidence provided in the studies, by
me, or by other students; and asking questions about things you may not understand. Respectful
disagreement is good and encouraged in all my courses.
Office hours
My job is to facilitate your learning. Toward this end, I welcome conversations during and outside class.
Please feel free to come to office hours on a regular basis to talk about the course, readings, assignments,
current events or issues, or career prospects and opportunities. If you cannot make office hours, please
email me to schedule an appointment.
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Week 1 (Aug 26 & 28)
Babbie
Ch. 1: Human Inquiry and Science (pp. 2-29)
Ch. 2: Paradigms, Theory, and Social Research (pp. 30-59)
Week 2 (Sept 2 & 4)
Babbie
Communication research: A brief history
Why we do research the way we do
Research strategies: How do we do research?
What about communication research is different from other social
sciences?
Ch. 4: Research Design (pp. 85-119)
Ch. 10: Qualitative Field Research (pp. 294-328)
*Quiz #1
Week 3 (Sept 9 & 11)
Babbie
McLeod
General principles
How to get from an idea to a research project
Ch. 5 (part): Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement (pp. 123-146)
Concept Explication and Theory Construction (Part I): Meaning Analysis (pp. 2-17)
*Quiz #2
*Group project prospectus due on Sept 11
Week 4 (Sept 16 & 18)
Babbie
When is a measure reliable & when is it valid?
What is the difference between reliability & validity?
Ch. 5 (part): Conceptualization, Operationalization, and Measurement (pp. 147-156)
*Quiz #3
Week 5 (Sept 23 & 25)
Babbie
Sample surveys & questionnaire construction
It’s about what & how you ask
Ch. 9: Survey Research (pp. 252-293)
*Quiz #4
*Group project concept summary due on Sept 25
Week 6 (Sept 30 & Oct 2)
Babbie
ASA
Sampling
How 900 interviews tell us something about 320 million Americans
Ch. 7: The Logic of Sampling (pp. 185-226)
What is a Survey? What is a Margin of Error (pp. 63-68)
*Quiz #5
*Mid-term review on Oct 2
*Group project survey questions due on Oct 2
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Week 7 (Oct 7 & 9)
Sampling (continued)
MID-TERM EXAM (Oct 9, in class)
*Class survey opens on Oct 6
Week 8 (Oct 14 & 16)
FALL BREAK
*Class survey closes on Oct 16
Week 9 (Oct 21 & 23)
Babbie
Runge
Other methods
Using secondary data & content analysis
Ch. 11: Unobtrusive Research (pp. 329-357)
Tweeting nano
*Quiz #6
Week 10 (Oct 28 & 31)
Babbie
Experiments
Ch. 8: Experiments (pp. 228-251)
*Quiz #7
Week 11 (Nov 4 & 6)
Babbie
Data reduction & scaling
Now that we have data, what do we do with it?
Ch. 6: Indexes, Scales, and Typologies (pp. 157-184)
*Quiz #8
Week 12 (Nov 11 & 13)
Babbie
Ch. 14: Quantitative Data Analysis (pp. 413-440)
Week 13 (Nov 18 & 20)
Babbie
Analysis of data
Descriptive statistics
Analysis of data
Inferential statistics
Ch. 16: Statistical Analyses (pp. 459-496)
*Quiz #9
*Group project SPSS syntax and output due on Nov 20
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Week 14 (Nov 25 & 27)
Inferential statistics (continued)
THANKSGIVING
Week 15 (Dec 2 & 4)
Ethical considerations in research
Presenting research to diverse audiences
Babbie
Ch. 3: The Ethics and Politics of Social Research (pp. 60-86)
*Quiz #10
Week 16 (Dec 9 & 11)
Wrap-up & review
FINAL EXAM (Dec 11, in class)
*Final review on Dec 9
Week 17
FINALS WEEK (no class)
*Group project final report due on Dec 15
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