Sociology 340: Research Methods
Instructor: Michael Abel
Office: Ricks 132F
Phone: 496-4156
E-mail: abelm@byui.edu
Office Hours: MWF 9:00-10:00 am, or by appointment
Course Website: See I-Learn
Texts: Selected Readings that can be found on I-Learn (I just saved you over $100).
___________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION
Everyone lives in a society that influences them in ways that they do not always realize. Everything
from language and the economy to our families and religion can impact our sense of individuality, our beliefs
and behaviors, and even our opportunities for success. These shaping forces result in general patterns of
behavior that can be observed and analyzed. Sociologists are interested in identifying and understanding
these types of patterns in society. Indeed, the primary goal of sociology is to comprehend human society by
studying it in a systematic way.
This class will provide you with the methodological tools used by sociologists to understand individuals,
groups and societies. We will start by reviewing the process of social scientific inquiry and the role of theory.
Then we will focus on how social scientists design studies and collect data. Finally, we will begin to explore
some ways in which data can be analyzed. Each of you will have the opportunity to apply what you learn as
you create a research plan and collect some data of your own as part of your research project assignment.
This experience should confirm the usefulness of the principles covered throughout the course and will allow
you to see first-hand how the scientific method can be used to learn about your own sociological questions of
interest. Of course, the success of this class depends on our collective efforts. As we learn together please
keep in mind the following course objectives and how effectively we are achieving them. These objectives
include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Learning to use the methodological tools of sociology to answer our own questions
Learning how to critique and evaluate existing research
Understanding the intersection between theory and method in sociological research
Further developing our social science research and writing skills
Writing an effective sociological research report
GENERAL POLICIES
Decorum and Etiquette: Since this class is more technical than most other sociology classes, I do not expect
too many wild controversies. However, sociology does address many complex issues about which people
have widely varying insights. I expect each member of the class to try to understand the perspectives of
others. Do not hesitate to simply think before you speak. Unless I say otherwise, NO LAPTOPS OR
CELLPHONES should be on or in use during class time. While your ring tone will basically tell me
everything I need to know about you, I would rather figure you out without hearing it.
Late Work and Make-ups: As a general rule, I believe it is unfair to students for me to accept late work. You
all have a syllabus and know the due dates and format of the class. You must arrange your own schedules in
a way that allows you to be in class every day and complete assignments on time. If you cannot do this, you
should reconsider taking the course. Late Half-Papers and Projects will be penalized 20% per day. If you
miss a Preparation Report, you receive a 0 on it.
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Students with disabilities: I will gladly provide accommodations for students with disabilities as
recommended by Disability Service Center (McKay 158, 496-1158). All services are coordinated with the
student and the instructor by this office. They can provide you with important information about
accommodations that may be available to you for this class.
Cheating and Plagiarism: While all students, especially those at BYU-Idaho, know it is wrong to cheat and
plagiarize, it still happens. There are specific skills students need to master in order to correctly cite sources,
especially in this new age of the internet. Each of you must read the Honor Code policies related to academic
honesty, including how the university defines and punishes this kind of academic misconduct:
http://www.byui.edu/studenthonor/academic%20honest.htm. Also, please review the examples of academic
misconduct noted at the following website:
http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm#misconduct. Finally, always remember what my
statistics teacher used to say—“Cheaters die!”
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Prepare
Preparation Reports: Effective preparation is crucial to your learning in this class. Each day there is reading
assigned on the Course Outline you are required to complete a Preparation Report (PR) on I-Learn
BEFORE you come to class. In this report you will evaluate the extent of your preparation for that day by
indicating whether or not you did the following:
1. In addition to reading and studying assigned texts, I looked up, read, and studied other materials that
solidified my understanding of the principles and procedures presented.
2. I took useful and detailed notes on everything I read and cited the sources I used next to the related
notes (using ASA format).
3. Applying and citing (in ASA format) specific ideas from the reading and my own research, I
completed the task listed on the Course Outline and explained why the task was done well.
You are required to bring all of your preparation to class and from time to time I will have you turn in
those materials. If your self-reported scores are inconsistent with your actual preparation, I will let you know
and will change your PR score accordingly. Each Preparation Report is worth 3 points. Failure to submit a
preparation report prior to class time will result in a 0 for that day.
Research Outline: In order to maximize your preparation for the Half-Paper and to get some feedback prior
to its due date, you are required to submit a Research Outline. This will be a one-page summary of the core
elements of your Half-Paper. An example of a Research Outline will be posted on I-learn. The Research
Outline is due on Wednesday, May 26th and is worth 10 points.
Teach One Another
Participation: If you properly prepare, you will come to class with a good understanding of the principles and
procedures we are trying to learn and will have already attempted to apply that knowledge to your own work.
Consequently, class time can be focused on addressing specific questions and further developing our ability
to conduct and evaluate research. During class we will most often be engaged in activities that require you to
discuss, contemplate and further apply the information you are studying. Each participation activity will be
worth 5 points and many of them will be graded. Part of the grade will be based on how effectively you
apply your preparation materials, so make sure you always bring your preparation to class.
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Ponder and Prove
Half-Paper: You will be required to further develop and formalize the first half of the project you have been
working on over the past two courses. This is your chance to prove your understanding of all the principles
and methods we learn during the first part of the course. Your Half-Paper should follow the format indicated
on the Half-Paper Guidelines sheet and will be worth 50 points. The Half-Paper is due on Monday, June
7th. Failure to turn in this assignment will result in a failing grade for the course.
Group Research Project: Applying the directions given on the Research Project Guidelines sheet, each of
you in a group will be expected to apply the methodological tools learned throughout the course to a specific
question of interest that can be researched by surveying BYU-Idaho students. Each group will be expected to
turn in a paper that is no longer than 10 pages on Friday, July 16th. Your group must also prepare a 15
minute presentation designed to relate the findings of your research. Directions for the presentation are
included on the guidelines sheet. While I hope these presentations will be enjoyable and interesting, they
must also be professional and respectful. Your paper and presentation will be worth 50 points. Failure to
participate in this project will result in a failing grade for the course.
Group Grade: Each person in the class will be given the opportunity to evaluate the contributions of their
fellow group members. Since I cannot know how much you participated in the group project, it seems only
fair that those who do know have the power to determine your grade. Each member of your group will grade
your contribution to the project on a scale of 0 to 5. The proportion of points out of 5 you are given by your
group members is the same proportion of the final project grade you will earn. This should motivate you to
be a good group member. Of course, I would hope you would work hard for your group simply because it’s
the right thing to do.
GRADING
Your grade will be calculated by adding up all of your points and converting them into a
percentage. The percentage will be rounded to the nearest whole number and can be interpreted as
follows:
Percentage
Grade
Meaning
90-100
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
60-69
Lower than 60
A
B+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
Outstanding Understanding
Considerable/Significant Understanding
Sufficient Understanding
Poor Performance and Initiative
Failure in the Course
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COURSE OUTLINE AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
Required Reading
Day
Date
Wed
04/21 Syllabus
Cheating and Plagiarism Links
Fri
PR#1
Due
Mon
PR#2
Due
Wed
Fri
PR#3
Due
Mon
04/23
Assortment of News Articles
Babbie 2004, Chapter 4 (pages 86-90)—Purposes of Research
Justify why the research you are doing should be done.
04/26
Pyrczak and Bruce 2007, “Writing Introductions and Literature Reviews”
Giarrusso et al. 2008, “Working with Sources”
Write at least 2 paragraphs of your own introduction/literature review.
04/28
No Reading—Finding Out What Others Already Know
04/30
Chris Olsen on Library Resources
Stark and Roberts 2002, “Steps in the Social Scientific Process”
Babbie 2004, Chapter 4 (pages 107-114)
Outline each step of your own research project.
05/03
No Reading—Discussion of the Research Process
Wed
PR#4
Due
Fri
05/05
Giarrusso et al. 2008, “Framing a Question”
05/07
Compose your own research question.
No Reading—Discuss Half-Paper and Organize Project Groups
Mon
05/10
No Reading—Peer Feedback
Wed
05/12
Bring 3 Copies of Introduction Draft to Class
Babbie 2004, Chapter 5 (pages 119-131)—On Conceptual Definitions
Pyrczak and Bruce 2007, “Writing Definitions” (pages 63-66)
PR#5
Due
Fri
PR#6
Due
Mon
PR#7
Due
Wed
PR#8
Due
Fri
PR#9
Due
Define the concepts you are using in your own research.
05/14
Stark and Roberts 2002, “Concepts and Theories”
Compose the theoretical proposition of your own research.
05/17
Babbie 2004, Chapter 4 (pages 90-101)—Causality and Reasoning
Compose an effective explanation of your theoretical proposition.
05/19
Babbie 2004, Chapter 5 (pages 132-140)—On Operational Definitions
Pyrczak and Bruce 2007, “Writing Definitions” (pages 66-70)
Provide operational definitions for each of your concepts.
05/21
Babbie 2004, Chapter 5 (pages 140-146)—Validity and Reliability
Determine the validity and reliability of your concept measures.
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Mon
05/24
PR#10
Due
Wed
05/26
Fri
Mon
Giarrusso et al. 2008, “The Quantitative Research Paper”
Stark and Roberts 2002, “Writing the Research Report”
Apply specific principles in the reading to improve your paper.
No Reading—Peer Feedback
05/28
Bring 3 Copies of Your Half-Paper Draft
Research Outline Due
No Reading—Any Last Questions?
05/31
Bring Laptops—Ask about and Work on Final Draft of Half-Paper
NO SCHOOL—MEMORIAL DAY
Wed
06/02
PR#11
Due
Fri
06/04
Trochim 2006, “Constructing the Survey”
Mon
06/07
No Reading—Survey Construction and Formatting
Wed
06/09
No Reading—Indexes and Scales
Create a one-page survey that could be used to test your Half-Paper hypotheses.
No Reading—Survey Construction and Formatting
Half-Paper Due
Fri
06/11
PR#12
Due
Mon
06/14
PR#13
Due
Wed
06/16
ccnmtl.columbia.edu 2008 and Trochim 2006, “Sampling”
Fri
06/18
No Reading—Ethics at BYU-Idaho
Mon
06/21
Scott Bergstrom on Ethics at BYU-Idaho
No Reading—Any Last Questions?
Wed
06/23
Bring Laptops—Work on Group Survey
No Reading—Peer and Instructor Feedback
06/25
Bring 4 Final Copies of Your Survey to Class
NO CLASS—FINALIZE SURVEY AND SEND IT OUT
Fri
Mon
06/28
PR#14
Due
Wed
06/30
Specify the sampling procedure you would use to collect data for your Half-Paper.
Babbie 2004, Chapter 3 (All)—The Ethics and Politics of Social Research
Identify ethical problems with conducting your Half-Paper research and resolve them.
No Reading—More on Ethics
Trochim 2006, “Data Preparation”
Assign codes to the data from your group survey.
No Reading—Creating Effective Tables
5
Fri
07/02
PR#15
Due
Mon
07/05
Trochim 2006, “Qualitative Research”
Wed
07/07
PR#16
Due
Fri
07/09
Pyrczak and Bruce 2007, “Writing Abstracts”
Propose two studies that would be best conducted using qualitative methods.
NO SCHOOL—INDEPENDENCE DAY OBSERVED
Compose a potential title and abstract for your group paper.
NO CLASS—FINALIZE DATA COLLECTION AND CODING
Mon
07/12
Schedule an appointment with me for help with data analysis.
NO CLASS—FINALIZE DATA COLLECTION AND CODING
Wed
07/14
NO CLASS—WORK ON PROJECTS
Fri
07/16
Presentation Day
Mon
07/19
Presentation Day
Wed
07/21
Presentation Day
Group Research Paper Due
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