Sociology 181A
Methods of Social Inquiry
Brandeis University
Fall 2013
Instructor: Wendy Cadge
Office: Rabb 120
Office Hour: Tuesday and Friday 2-3pm and by appointment
Telephone: 781-736-2641
Email: wcadge@brandeis.edu
Class Meetings: Tuesdays and Fridays, 12:30-1:50pm
Course Description
This course introduces you to the basic tools and methods of sociological
research. We focus on three research methods used regularly by sociologists – participant
observation, interviews, and surveys / quantitative analysis. By reading about these
methods, seeing examples of how sociologists use them, and doing each yourself, you
will develop the skills required to both evaluate and do sociological research. At the
center of this course is a pilot research project you will design and conduct about a topic
of your choice. You will gather and analyze the data for this project through participant
observation, interviews, and a quantitative data analysis exercise. The final assignment
asks you to propose a full research project based on what you learned in your pilot project
this semester.
By the end of the semester you will be able to:
 Assess how sociologists ask questions, design research projects, gather
data, analyze data, and make arguments
 Collect some data through participant observation, record and begin to
interpret that information, and critically reflect on your experience in light
of class readings and discussions.
 Write an interview guide, conduct a semi-structured interview, and
analyze your experiences in light of class readings
 Conduct basic analyses of quantitative data that include indentifying
independent and dependent variables, making one two by two table,
making one three way table, and answering a basic research question
based on these analyses.
 Describe the strengths and weaknesses of each of the three research tools
you learn about this semester
 Write a short proposal for a thesis / independent study / research project
based on what you learned in your pilot project this spring. Have the basic
knowledge of research methods required to complete that project.
This class is a joint seminar that includes undergraduates and graduate students. We are
all at different points in our educations. I ask all of us to respect where others are, try to
1
meet them there so we can learn together, and encourage each other with constructive
feedback throughout the semester. This is usually a fun collaborative course!
Course Readings
The following required books are available in the bookstore.
Required:
 Babbie, Earl. 2014. The Basics of Social Research. Sixth Edition. Wadsworth
Publishing.
 Mears, Ashley. 2011. Pricing Beauty: The Making of a Fashion Model.
University of California Press. (This book is not in the bookstore, you can
purchase an electronic copy here:
http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520270763
 Weiss, Robert. 1994. Learning From Strangers: The Art and Method of
Qualitative Interview Studies. New York: The Free Press
These books are also on reserve in the library. All other course readings on the syllabus
are available via Latte.
A few additional books are also on reserve in the library as background for those of you
who have not taken a sociology course recently:
 Becker, Howard. 1986. Writing for Social Scientists. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press. (For practical suggestions about writing)
 Booth, Wayne et al. 1995. The Craft of Research. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press. (For practical guidelines about doing research)
 Willis, Evan. 1996. The Sociological Quest. New Brunswick: Rutgers University
Press. (For a review of basic sociological concepts covered in Intro Sociology)
Course Requirements
1. Attendance is required. Please be on time out of respect for me and your fellow
classmates. Your class attendance counts as 5 points towards your final grade. If
you miss zero or one class, you will receive 5 points. If you miss 2 classes, you
will receive 4 points. If you miss 3 classes, you will receive 3 points. If you miss
4 classes, you will receive 2 points. If you miss 5 classes, you will receive 1 point.
If you miss more than 5 classes, you will receive 0 points. The only absences that
will not influence your grade are those for religious holidays that you email me
about at least one week in advance.
2. Reading is required. All course readings must be done for Tuesday of each week
unless otherwise noted in the syllabus.
3. Class participation is required. You will get out of this class what you put in,
and the course will be more enjoyable for all of us if you are actively engaged.
You will receive 5 points if you are regularly engaged in class throughout the
2
semester. Feel free to check with me at any point if you are concerned about this
part of your grade.
4. Written Assignments. There are a number of written assignments in this course
that are worth 90 points total.
 The first assignment (distributed September 13, due September 27) is about
how to evaluate a research paper (10 points).
 The second assignment (distributed October 1, due October 15) asks you to
do some participant observation and analyze what you learn (20 points).
 The third assignment (distributed October 15, due November 8) asks you to
do some interviews and analyze what you learn (20 points).
 The fourth assignment (distributed November 8, due November 26) asks you
to analyze and write about some survey data (20 points).
 The final assignment (distributed September 3, due December 13) allows you
to summarize what you learned in your pilot research project this semester and
propose a future study (like for a thesis, independent study, MA paper, etc.)
on the topic. (20 points).
Assignments are due at the beginning of class on each of these due dates. You
will lose 2 points for each 24 hours after the due date the assignment is turned in
(i.e. if you would have received 14 points but your paper is turned in within the
first 24 hours after it is due, you will receive 12 points, etc.). Please properly cite
and reference any articles you refer to when completing these assignments. We
will talk in detail about this when the first assignment is distributed. If you have
any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
5. Final Grades are based on your class attendance (5 points), your active class
participation (5 points), assignment 1 (10 points), assignment 2 (20 points),
assignment 3 (20 points), assignment 4 (20 points) and the final assignment (20
points). Final grades will be calculated using the following point distribution:
94-99 A
90-93 A87-89 B+
84-86 B
80-83 B77-79 C+
74-76 C
70-73 C67-69 D+
64-66 D
60-63 D<60 F
**All written work must be completed to receive a passing grade in this class**
6. University Policy on Academic Accommodations: If you are a student who has
academic accommodations because of a documented disability, please contact me
and give me a copy of your letter of accommodation in the first two weeks of the
semester. If you have questions about documenting a disability, please contact
Beth Rodgers-Kay in the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office (x63470,
brodgers@brandeis.edu). Accommodations cannot be granted retroactively.
3
7. University Policy on Academic Integrity: You are expected to be familiar with
and to follow the University’s policies on academic integrity (see
http://www.brandeis.edu/studentlife/sdc/ai ). I will refer any suspected instances
of alleged dishonesty to the Office of Student Development and Conduct.
Instances of academic dishonesty may result in sanctions including but not limited
to, failing grades being issued, educational programs, and other consequences
Course Outline
I. Asking Questions and Evaluating Information
August 30. Introductions
September 3. What is sociological research?
 Erikson, Kai. 1997. “Prologue: Sociology as a Perspective,” in Kai Erikson Ed.
Sociological Visions. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers (p. 3-10).
 Babbie, Earl. 2014. The Basics of Social Research. Wadsworth Publishing. (c. 1
Human Inquiry and Science)
 Mears, Ashley. 2011. Pricing Beauty: The Making of a Fashion Model.
University of California Press. (c. 1 Entry, c. 7 Exit)
 Recommended – not required: Reinharz, Shulamit. 1995. “The Chicago School of
Sociology and the Founding of the Brandeis University Graduate Program in
Sociology: A Case Study of Cultural Diffusion.” In A Second Chicago School?
The Development of a Postwar American Sociology. Edited by Gary Alan Fine.
Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Pp. 273-321.
Final Assignment Distributed
September 10, 13. How do social scientists evaluate information – “data”?
Tuesday:
 Babbie, Earl. 2014. The Basics of Social Research. Wadsworth Publishing. (c. 2
Paradigms, Theory, and Research, c. 4 Research Design p. 101-110 on units of
analysis and the ecological fallacy ONLY)
 Mears, Ashley. 2011. Pricing Beauty: The Making of a Fashion Model.
University of California Press. (c. 2 Economics of the Catwalk, c. 3 Becoming a
Look – skim)
Friday:
 Babbie, Earl. 2014. The Basics of Social Research. Second Edition. Wadsworth
Publishing. (c. 4 Research Design – the rest of the chapter not read for Tuesday)
 Bernstein, Mary and Paul Swartwout. 2012. “Gay Officers In Their Midst:
Heterosexual Police Employees’ Anticipation of the Consequences for Coworkers
Who Come Out.” Journal of Homosexuality 55: 1145-1166. Please read this
article carefully – we will spend most of our time together in class today taking it
apart.
4
Assignment 1 Distributed.
September 20: How do social scientists conceptualize research projects?


Babbie, Earl. 2014. The Basics of Social Research. Wadsworth Publishing. (c. 5
Conceptualization, Operationalization and Measurement)
Mears, Ashley. 2011. Pricing Beauty: The Making of a Fashion Model.
University of California Press. (c. 4 The Tastemakers, c. 5 Size Zero High-End
Ethnic, c. 6 Runway to Gender)
September 24, 27: How do social scientists deal with the ethical issues involved in their
research?
Tuesday:
 Babbie, Earl. 2014. The Basics of Social Research. Second Edition. Wadsworth
Publishing. (c. 3 The Ethics and Politics of Social Research)
 Code of Ethics of the American Sociological Association:
http://www2.asanet.org/members/ecoderev.html
OR
 If you anticipate doing any research at Brandeis that requires you to get
permission from the Institutional Review Board, read and do their required
training instead of the readings above. It takes a little time to go through but will
save you time later!
http://www.brandeis.edu/ora/RCR/index.html
Friday:
 Review
 Talking about your research topics for the rest of the semester
Assignment 1 Due
II. Watching People: Participation Observation / Ethnography
October 1, 4: Participant Observation
Tuesday:
 Jon Lofland and Lyn Lofland. 2006. Analyzing Social Settings. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth. (c. 1 Starting Where You Are, c. 2 Evaluating Data Sites, c.3 Getting
In)
 Mears, Ashley. 2011. Pricing Beauty: The Making of a Fashion Model.
University of California Press. (Appendix: The Precarious Labor of Ethnography)
Assignment 2 Distributed
Friday:
 Pattillo-McCoy, Mary and Rueben Buford May. 2000. “Do You See What I See?
Examining a Collaborative Ethnography.” Qualitative Inquiry. 6:1 (65-87).
5

Robert Emerson, Rachel Fretz, and Linda Shaw. 1995. Writing Ethnographic
Fieldnotes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (c.3 Writing Up Fieldnotes I:
From Field to Desk)
October 8, 11. Workshop on Assignment 2 and an Example of Religious Globalization
Tuesday:
 Workshop on Assignment 2. Please complete your participant observation for
assignment 2 by today and bring your fieldnotes to class. We will share parts of
these notes with each other (make sure at least some portion is legible) and then
talk together about what we learned and how we can write about that in our
assignments.
Friday:
 Guest Speaker: Casey Clevenger, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Sociology,
Brandeis University
III. Interviews and Analysis of Qualitative Data
October 15: Interviewing
Tuesday:
 Guest speaker Linda Callahan, Callahan and Associates
Assignment 2 Due
Assignment 3 Distributed
Friday:
 No class (I will be giving a talk in New Mexico)
October 22, 25: Writing a Guide
Tuesday:
 Weiss, Robert. 1994. Learning From Strangers: The Art and Method of
Qualitative Interview Studies. New York: The Free Press. (c. 1 Introduction, c. 2
Respondents: Choosing Them and Recruiting Them, c. 3 Preparation for
Interviewing)
Friday
 Weiss, Robert. 1994. Learning From Strangers: The Art and Method of
Qualitative Interview Studies. New York: The Free Press. (c.4 Interviewing, c. 5
Issues in Interviewing)
 Joseph Hermanowicz. 2002. “The Great Interview: 25 Strategies for Studying
People in Bed.” Qualitative Sociology. 25(4): 479-499.
 Please do your first informal interview for assignment 2 before coming to class
today.
6
October 29, November 1. Workshop on Assignment 3 and an Example of JewishBuddhist Relations
Tuesday:
 Workshop on Assignment 3. Bring your interview guide and notes to class so we
can work on these materials together. Please also bring to class any questions you
have about writing the paper for this assignment.
Friday:
 Guest Speaker, Emily Sigalow, PhD Candidate, Departments of Sociology and
Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Brandeis University.
November 5, 8: Coding and Analyzing Qualitative Data
Tuesday:
 Babbie, Earl. 2014. The Basics of Social Research. Wadsworth Publishing. (c. 13
Qualitative Data Analysis)
OR
 Weiss, Robert. 1994. Learning From Strangers: The Art and Method of
Qualitative Interview Studies. New York: The Free Press. (c. 6 Analysis of Data)
Friday:
 Blake Poland and Ann Pederson. 1998. “Reading Between the Lines: Interpreting
Silences in Qualitative Research.” Qualitative Inquiry. 4(2): 293-313.
 Howard S. Becker. 1998. Tricks of the Trade: How to Think About Your Research
While Doing It. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (c. 4 Concepts)
 Kaufman J, Kaliner ME. 2011. “The re-accomplishment of place in twentieth
century Vermont and New Hampshire: history repeats itself, until it doesn’t.”
Theory and Society. 40(2):119-154
Assignment 3 Due
Assignment 4 Distributed
IV. Surveys and Analysis of Quantitative Data
November 12 and 15: Constructing a Survey and Thinking about Uni- and Bivariate
Analysis
Tuesday:
 Babbie, Earl. 2011. The Basics of Social Research. Wadsworth Publishing. (c. 7
The Logic of Sampling, c. 9 Survey Research)
 Michael, Robert T. et al. 1994. “Sex in America-The Sex Survey.” in Diane
Kholos Wysocki Ed. Readings in Social Research Methods. Wadsworth.
 An Introduction to the General Social Survey. Please browse:
http://www3.norc.org/gss+website/
Friday:
7

Babbie, Earl. 2014. The Basics of Social Research. Wadsworth Publishing. (c. 14
Quantitative Data Analysis up to p. 455)
Guest Speaker, Margarita Corral, LTS Postdoctoral Associate for Data Analysis,
Brandeis University (mcorral@brandeis.edu)
November 19 and 22: An Example and Trying Some Analysis
Tuesday:
 We will work through an example analysis in class that models what you are to do
for Assignment 4.
Friday:
 We will work together in class on Assignment 4. Margarita will be in class with
us both days this week.
November 26: Basic Multivariate Analysis and Reading Tables
Tuesday:
 Babbie, Earl. 2014. The Basics of Social Research. Wadsworth Publishing. (c. 14
Quantitative Data Analysis up to p. 455-459)
Assignment 4 Due
V. Evaluating What You Have Learned and Looking Forward
December 3 and 6: Writing Research Proposals and Wrapping Up
 Babbie, Earl. 2011. The Basics of Social Research. Wadsworth Publishing. (c. 15
Reading and Writing Social Research)
OR
 Weiss, Robert. 1994. Learning From Strangers: The Art and Method of
Qualitative Interview Studies. New York: The Free Press. (c. 7 Writing the
Report)
Final Due to my mailbox or under my office door (Rabb 120) by noon on Friday
December 13th.
8