Syllabus
SOCB05: The Logic of Social Inquiry
Fall 2019
Instructor: Professor Rania Salem
Lecture Time & Location: Thursdays 3-6 pm, SW 143
Office Hours & Office: Thursdays 1-2 pm (or by email appointment), room HL 454
Email: rsalem@utsc.utoronto.ca
Teaching Assistants:
Jason Pagaduan jason.pagaduan@mail.utoronto.ca
Paul Pritchard paul.pritchard@mail.utoronto.ca
Course Description & Objectives:
This course introduces the logic of sociological research and surveys the field’s main quantitative
and qualitative methodologies.
In this course you will learn to:
 Critically read and evaluate research conducted by others.
 Define and apply concepts such as induction, deduction, conceptualization,
operationalization, reliability, validity, probability and non-probability sampling, causality,
generalizability, and independent and dependent variables.
 Develop a research question and select an appropriate methodology to address it.
 Design your own research project.
Prerequisites:
SOCA01 and SOCA02
Purchasing Course Materials:
Textbook
Custom Edition. This textbook for SOCB05 is a custom copy created specifically for this
course, and is available both under course reserves in the library and at the bookstore:
Babbie, Earl and Lucia Benaquisto. 2014. Custom Publication: Fundamentals of Social Research.
Toronto: Nelson Education.
3rd Edition. The original source book on which our custom copy is based is the 3rd Canadian
edition of Fundamentals of Social Research. The 3rd edition is available digitally as an ebook
at:http://www.nelson.com/catalogue/productOverview.do?Ntt=fundamentals+of+socialresear
ch||840872836156668966114583145611242132747&N=197&Ntk=nelson%7C%7CP_EPI&N
tx=mode+matchallpartial For those of you who purchase the 3rd edition ebook, there is a
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document available under the “Textbook” module in Quercus detailing how this differs from
the custom version.
2nd Edition. In previous years, the 2nd Canadian edition of Fundamentals of Social Research has
been used for this course. We advise against purchasing this edition, as we unfortunately do not
have a list of how it differs from the custom version.
i<clickers
Purpose. i<clickers will be used throughout the lectures to gauge your understanding of key
ideas. Starting from week 3, you can earn extra credit towards your midterm and final by
answering all the multiple choice questions presented in lecture.
Purchasing i<clicker. Please be sure to have made your purchase by week 2. You have two
options if you choose to use an i<clicker:
Your first option is to purchase a physical i<clicker remote from the bookstore for roughly
$47.50 (depending on demand, you can sometimes sell the i<clicker back to the bookstore at the
end of the semester for up to 50% of the original price). To register, you may go to the Quercus
course page, then click on “i<clicker registration” in the left-hand menu, then click on “Remote
Registration.” When registering, enter your student UTORID in the field for student ID.
Your second option is to purchase the i<clicker app (REEF polling, which you can use from
your smart phone, laptop, or tablet in class) for roughly $15 per semester. In this case, please go
to the bookstore and purchase an access code (if you purchase through the i<clicker website,
you will pay in US dollars, and this will be more costly). To register, follow the instructions
found in the “i<clicker” module in Quercus. When registering, enter your student UTORID in
the field for student ID.
Requirements & Evaluation:
Lecture Participation (Extra Credit)
Lecture Purpose & Timing. Lectures will review textbook material, provide examples
illustrating ideas presented in the textbook, and indicate the topics that will be emphasized on
the exams. Lecture slides will be posted in the “Lecture Slides” module of Quercus one hour
before lectures begin. Each lecture will include a short break halfway through, and occasionally
guest speakers will be invited to present complementary material. Most lectures will conclude at
5:30 pm, although occasionally they may extend to 6:00 pm. Please plan accordingly.
Lecture Etiquette. By attending lectures, you are signaling your commitment to refrain from
disruption. If you cannot adhere to this commitment, you are encouraged to watch lectures
through WebOption in lieu of attendance (see below). Disruptions include entering the lecture
hall after the lecture has begun, leaving before the lecture has concluded, talking out of turn
during lecture, and using personal devices for purposes other than clicker responses or notetaking. To avoid distraction to others, those who wish to use laptops for note-taking may only
sit in the chairs closest to the right- and left-hand walls.
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Lecture Slides & Recordings. PowerPoint files containing the lecture slides will be posted
two hours before lecture under the “Lecture Slides” module within Quercus. Lectures will be
video recorded and can be viewed online by clicking on the “WebOption” link on the left side
of the course Quercus page. The online videos will be posted 24 hours after class, and will
expire 4 weeks later.
Clicker Extra Credit. Starting from the week 3 lecture, your i<clicker responses to in-lecture
learning exercises will count as extra credit for the midterm and final exams. So long as you
have responded to all of the i<clicker questions posed during lecture, you will get full
participation marks for that lecture (ie., incorrect answers will still earn you full credit).
In total, the best 3 out of 4 (for the midterm), and the best 5 out of 6 (for the final) participation
marks will be counted towards your extra credit. Because it is extra credit, make-ups will not be
accepted for any lecture absences.
Tutorial Participation (5%)
Components. One-hour tutorials led by TAs will be held each week of the semester with the
exception of week 1. Your mark for tutorials consists of attendance (2.5%) and participation
(2.5%), and the best 9 out of 11 marks will be counted towards your grade. Because the lowest
two marks will be dropped, excuses for tutorial absences will not be accepted.
Expectations. Students are expected to complete the reading thoroughly before each tutorial
meeting and to come prepared to actively discuss the reading. Your class participation will be
evaluated on the basis of the quantity and quality of your contributions to class discussion and
group activities, your ability to actively listen and engage with other members of the class, and
the level of understanding of the reading reflected in your contributions.
Quizzes (10%)
Purpose. Starting in week 2, a quiz will be administered on Quercus before each lecture to test
your comprehension of the week’s assigned readings. The best 10 out of 11 quiz marks will be
counted towards your final quiz grade. Because the lowest mark will be dropped, make-ups will
not be accepted for missed quizzes.
Timing & Format. Starting in week 2, you can access the quiz via Quercus between
Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. The quizzes will be time-limited, and you will have 10
minutes to complete 4-5 multiple-choice questions. The quiz will no longer be available for you
to take after 3:00 pm on Thursdays. After this point, you may view the correct answers on
Quercus.
First Assignment: Questionnaire Design and Analysis of Survey Data (15%)
Students will be asked to devise 2 questions by Sept. 19 for a survey questionnaire on a
predetermined topic. The questionnaire will be distributed online via Qualtrics. You will be
asked to respond to the survey by Sept. 26.
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The resulting data will be the basis of the first assignment, in which you will 1) come up with a
unique research question; 2) justify your research question using the available literature; and 3)
carry out simple analysis of the data to address your research question. More detailed
instructions will be distributed via Quercus. The first assignment (3-4 pages in length) will be
due on Oct. 10.
Midterm Exam (25%)
The midterm exam will include material from the textbook, lectures (including guest lectures),
and tutorials up to and including week 6. It will consist of multiple-choice and true/false
questions (approximately 60 questions overall). The midterm will be held outside of class hours,
with the date and venue to be announced once it is determined by the University.
Second Assignment: Research Proposal (20%)
In the second assignment, students will be given an opportunity to select their own research
topic and develop a research proposal for a qualitative or quantitative project that addresses the
selected topic (they will not be required to collect or analyze any data). More detailed
instructions will be distributed via Quercus. The first part of the assignment (5%, 3-4 pages) will
be due on Nov. 14 and the second part (15%, 8-10 pages) will be due on Nov. 28.
Final Exam (25%)
The final exam will include material from the textbook, lectures (including guest lectures), and
tutorials from weeks 7-12, inclusive. It will consist of multiple-choice and true/false questions
(approximately 60 questions overall). The final will be held outside of class hours, with the date
and venue to be announced once it is determined by the University.
Course Policies:
Communicating with the Instructors
Quercus Announcements. Announcements will periodically be made by email using the
Quercus system. Please be sure to check the email address you have registered on ROSI or
Quercus. Failing that, you should regularly monitor the “Announcements” section on Quercus.
TAs. The teaching assistant responsible for your tutorial should be your first recourse for any
issues that may arise. See the first page of this syllabus for TA email addresses.
Professor. Students are welcome to contact Professor Salem in person by dropping in on office
hours (see the first page of this syllabus), or by taking an appointment.
In the case of email, Professor Salem is able to respond to emails within 2 business days under
normal circumstances. Lengthy questions and in-depth feedback are better suited for face-toface meetings than they are for email messages, so please plan accordingly. Before you send
your message, please review the course materials carefully. If the answer to your question is not
there, please include SOCB05 in the subject of your email.
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Absences & Late Assignments
Missing Lectures, Tutorials, or Quizzes. There is a no make-up policy for lecture extra
credit, tutorial attendance and participation, and online quizzes (see relevant sections above).
Please be sure to attend or complete each of these course components early in the semester in
case circumstances arise later that force you to miss them.
Exam Absences. Absences from exams will not be accepted except in the case of illness
(University of Toronto Illness Verification Form required
http://ctl.utsc.utoronto.ca/home/sites/default/files/Verification-of-Illness-or-Injury-form-Jan22-2013.pdf) or similar emergencies (appropriate documentation required). Students must
contact Professor Salem within 24 hours of missing an exam.
Late Assignments. Written assignments will be marked down for late submission, and will not
be accepted after the date noted in the assignment handout. It is students’ responsibility to
retain a copy of their Turnitin.com submission receipt, as well as copies of original and marked
assignments in case we need to refer to these later.
Disputing a Mark Received on an Assignment
Students who would like a grade reconsidered must contact the TA who marked their
assignment within a week of receiving their marked assignment. Students must demonstrate that
points were deducted although they correctly followed the instructions for that portion of the
assignment by taking the following steps:
First, draft an email quoting the requirement stated in the assignment guidelines, and quoting the
corresponding portion of your paper that you feel fulfills that requirement. Explain why you
think points should not have been deducted. Second, attach the grading rubric and marked-up
assignment to the email. Third, email the TA who marked your assignment by the one-week
deadline stated above. The TA’s initials are on the bottom of the grading rubric (see the first
page of the syllabus for your TA’s email address).
If you are unable to reach a satisfactory resolution after contacting the TA, then you may contact
the professor. However, bear in mind that if the professor re-marks your assignment the
resulting grade may be higher or lower than the original grade you received, and the resulting grade
is final.
Turnitin & Academic Honesty
Turnitin. Normally, students will be required to submit their written assignments to
Turnitin.com for a review of textual similarity and detection of possible plagiarism. In doing so,
students will allow their essays to be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference
database, where they will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism. The terms that
apply to the University’s use of the Turnitin.com service are described on the Turnitin.com
website.
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Students have the choice to opt out of Turnitin.com. If you wish to do so, however, you must
email Professor Salem at least 10 days before each assignment deadline to justify your request
and to make alternative arrangements for submission.
Academic Honesty. Students must familiarize themselves with the University’s code on
academic honesty before sitting for exams and submitting written assignments for this course.
Plagiarism is one type of academic offence that, if suspected, instructors are required to report to
the University. If you have questions about what constitutes plagiarism and how you can avoid
it, please inquire at the Writing Centre or visit their website: https://utsc.utoronto.ca/twc/ If
you need further clarification, feel free to get in touch with the teaching assistants or with
Professor Salem.
Academic Services at UTSC
Students are encouraged to make use of the excellent academic resources available on campus.
For instance, the Writing Centre provides support in the form of writing workshops, writing
clinics, drop-in hours, individual appointments, and online tips (https://utsc.utoronto.ca/twc/).
Accessibility
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course. If you have a
disability or health consideration that may require accommodation, please feel free to approach
Professor Salem and/or AccessAbility Services. AccessAbility Services staff (room SW302,
ability@utsc.utoronto.ca, https://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~ability/ ) are available by
appointment to assess specific needs, provide referrals, and arrange appropriate
accommodations. The sooner you let us know your needs, the quicker we can assist you in
achieving your learning goals in this course.
Course Timetable:*
Wk
1
Date
Sept.5
2
Reading
Ch.1, 8
Notes
No tutorials this week
Sept.12 Defining & Measuring Concepts
Ch. 5
First tutorial this week
3
Sept.19 Sampling Logic
Ch. 6
Survey questions due
4
Sept.26 Research Design & Causation
Ch. 4
Complete survey
5
Oct.3
Quantitative Data Analysis
Ch. 14, 16 Tutorial in computer lab
6
Oct.10
Ethical Issues in Research
Ch. 3
First assignment due
Oct.24
Reading Week
Experimental Designs
Ch. 7
No lecture or tutorials
Midterm exam (date TBA)
7
Topic
Intro & Writing Survey Questions
6
8
Oct. 31 Paradigms, Theory, & Research
Ch. 2
9
Nov.7
10
Nov.14 Unobtrusive Methods
Ch. 9
11
Nov.21 Qualitative Data Analysis
Ch. 13
12
Nov.28 Evaluation Research
Ch. 12
Field Research & Qualitative Interviewing Ch. 10, 11
*The course timetable is tentative and is subject to modification based on class progress.
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Second assignment (p.1) due
Second assignment (p.2) due
Final exam (date TBA)