Faculty of Social Sciences
Research and Information Science
63-004-18
Lecturer name: Dr. Susan Holzman
Course: B.A. Required course
School year: 2014-15
Semester: 1 Credits: 2 Semester Hours
Office Phone: TBA
Office Location: TBA
holzma@zahav.net.il
Course web site: TBA
Office Hours: Thursday 14:00-15:00
holzms@gmail.com
A. Course description and goals of course:
Research and information science is a central skills course designed to prepare the students for
the methods and rules of the academic world. This course will include an introduction to the
foundation knowledge of academic research in the social sciences as well as an overview of basic
academic information sources. Assignments will offer opportunities for practical application of the
skills acquired in the course.
B. Prerequisites:
No formal prerequisites; attendance is mandatory and a perquisite for submitting final projects.
C. Course requirements:
1) Read assigned texts.
2) Actively participate in class discussions on readings (or write a post-class log on each class
discussion.). (University policy: two unexcused absences are allowed).
3) Information science: Create an annotated bibliography (according to the APA style manual).
Draft 1, due Dec 11, 2014; final draft due Dec 25th.
4) Research: Write a research proposal according to the guidelines studied in class. Draft , due
Jan. 8th; final draft due Jan. 29th .
D. Grade:
The final course grade will consist of four parts:
1) Short assignments based on class work: 20%
2) Annotated bibliography: 30%
3) Research proposal: 40%
4) Class participation:10%
E. Class Syllabus
Lesson Subject of lesson
Oct 30
Introduction to
Information
Science and
Research
1
Prepared for this class
Homework
Read: Schulz, W. (2004).
Reconstructing Mediatization
as an analytical concept.
European Journal of
Communication. 19(1) 87-101.
Nov 6
Reading academic
articles: Theory
Nov 13
Library science: on
–line and off;
Overview of
information source
development- an
introduction to the
information
services in the
university library.
(Lesson to take
place in Social
Science Library)
Introduction to
writing references:
APA
Nov 20
Nov 27
Research Methods
Dec 4
Research Methods
Dec 11
Research
methods:
The argumentative
essay
Dec 18
Questions &
Thesis statements
Choosing a paper
topic
Dec 25
Ethics of social
research
Jan 8
Ethics of social
research
2
Read: Schulz, W. (2004).
Reconstructing Mediatization as
an analytical concept. European
Journal of Communication.
19(1) 87-101. Find 5-10 terms
or concepts that were unclear
on first reading.
Assignment based on Schulz
(2004).
Assignment based on Schulz
(2004).
Do on-line research on how to
cite and reference a web page,
a YouTube video, and an online
newspaper. Be prepared to tell:
What to do with a source that
has no author and no date.
Discuss: Bryman, A. (2012).
Social research methods, 2nd
edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press (Ch. 2 – pp. 6182)
Discuss: Bryman, A. (2012).
Social research methods, 2nd
edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press
(Ch. 3 – pp. 265-290).
The annotated bibliography:
What it is; how we do it; why we
do it.
Preparation for writing a paper
Read: Bryman, A. (2012).
Social research methods, 2nd
edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press (Ch. 2 – pp.
61-82)
Writing workshop: Writing up
resource research
(The non-empirical papers
required in many introductory
university courses)
Discuss: Ethics of Social
Research
http://www.sagepub.com/upmdata/34088_Chapter4.pdf
pp. 59-63
Read: Ethics of social
research
http://www.sagepub.com/upmdata/34088_Chapter4.pdf
pp. 59-63
Final draft: annotated
bibliography
Read:
Ethics of social research
http://www.sagepub.com/upmdata/34088_Chapter4.pdf
pp. 63-89
First Draft: Research proposal
Publication manual of the
American psychological
association, Sixth edition
Discuss: Ethics of Social
Research
http://www.sagepub.com/upmdata/34088_Chapter4.pdf
Read: Peleg, A. & Bogoch, B
(2012) Removing Justitia’s
blindfold: The mediatization of
law in Israel.
Read: Bryman, A. (2012).
Social research methods, 2nd
edition. Oxford: Oxford
University Press
(Ch. 3 – pp. 265-290).
Choose research topic for
annotated bibliography and
proposal; bring first sources.
First draft, annotated
bibliography (at least five
sources; at least one NOT
electronic)
pp. 63-89
Jan 15
Reducing Bias in
Language
Jan 22
Sources and
resources
Jan 29
Is Google making
us stupid?
Publication manual of the
American psychological
association, Sixth edition
Chapter 3 Reducing Bias by
Topic, pp. 73-76
Review articles in current issues
of Communication Journals.
What is being researched? (A
list of journals will be supplied)
Class discussion: Is Google
making us stupid?
Chapter 3 Reducing bias by
topic, pp. 73-76
Work on final project
Read: Is Google making us
stupid? (Carr, 2008)
Final Draft: Research
Proposal
Required Reading List
American Psychological Assocation (2010). Publication manual of the American psychological
association, Sixth edition. Chapter 3, Reducing bias by topic, pp. 73-76
808.02 PUB 2010 (1191174) – REF collection
Bryman, A. (2004). Social research methods, 2nd edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press (Ch. 2 –
pp. 61-82; Ch. 3 – pp. 265-290).
Reserved under BRY s4 (2370376) – 4th edition, 2012
Carr, N. (2008). Is Google making us stupid? The Atlantic. Retrieved from
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/
Nagy Hesse-Biber & Leavy, P.(2006). The practice of qualitative research 1st edition. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Chapter 4: The ethics of social research, pp. 59-89.
http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/34088_Chapter4.pdf
Paiz, J.M., Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore,K. Anderson, M., Soderlund, L., Brizee, A.,
Keck, R. (2013). On-line writing lab at Purdue University (OWL). http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Peleg, A. & Bogoch, B (2012) Removing Justitia’s blindfold: The mediatization of law in Israel.
Media, Culture & Society 34(8), 961-978
Ejournal (125702)
Schulz, W. (2004). Reconstructing m ediatization as an analytical concept. European Journal of
Communication. 19(1), 87-101.
Journal + Ejournal (146235)
Suggested reading:
Cassidy, W. P. (2007). Online news credibility: An examination of the perceptions of newspaper
journalists. Journal of Computer- Mediated Communication, 12 (2), 478-498. Retrieved January 01,
2012, from:
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue2/cassidy.html
Dali. A. A. (2011). Iconology of advertising: Sea imagery in Israeli advertising, 1967 – 2004. Global
Media Journal: Mediterranean Edition, 6 (1), 14-23
Evans, R. (2006). Evaluating an electronic plagiarism detection service: The importance of trust
and the difficulty of proving students don't cheat. Active Learning in Higher Education, 7 (1), 87-99
Hutcheson, J., Domke, D., Billeaudeaux, A., & Garland, P. (2004). U.S. national identity, political
elites and patriotic press following September 11. Political Communication, 21 (1), 27-50.
3
Perry, B. (2010). Exploring academic misconduct: Some insights into student behaviour. Active
Learning in Higher Education, 11 (2), 97-108.
Peytchev, A., Couper, M. P., McCabe, S. E. & Crawford, S. C. (2006). Web survey design: Paging
versus scrolling. Public Opinion Quarterly, 70 (4), 596-607.
Stempel, C. Hargrove, T. & Stempel, G. H. (2007). Media use, social structure, and belief in 9/11
conspiracy theories. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 84 (2), 353-373.
Summers, J. & Johnson-Morgan, M. (2008). More than just the media: Considering the role of
public relations in the creation of sporting celebrity and the management of fan expectations.
Public Relations Review, 34 (2), 176-182.
Weaver, A. J. (2011). The role of actors' race in white audiences' selective exposure to movies.
Journal of Communication, 61 (2), 369-385.
4