Sociology 46B
Introduction to Social Research
Fall 2005
Course Website:
Classroom:
Meeting Time:
Professor:
Teaching Assistant:
Office Hours:
http://sociology.ucdavis.edu/xshu/soc46b/
Hart 1150
9:00-10:20 Tuesday, Thursday
Dr. Xiaoling Shu, SSH 2274, 752-2825, xshu@ucdavis.edu
Tony Gragg, SSH 145, 752-7802, trgragg@ucdavis.edu
Sarah Ovink, SSH 147, 752-7795, smovink@ucdavis.edu
Dr. Shu:
1:00-2:00 Monday, 11:00-12:00 Wednesday, SSH 2274
Sarah Ovink: 3:00-4:00 Thursday and 2:00-3:00 Tuesday
(10/18, 10/25, 11/1 and 11/22 8:00-9:00am), SSH 147
Tony Gragg: 2:00-4:00 Monday, SSH 2234(Mayhew Room)
Computer Lab Sessions
◊ Section 001: 11:00-11:50, Friday, SocSci 233, Tony Gragg
◊ Section 002: 12:10-1:00, Friday, SocSci 233, Tony Gragg
◊ Section 003: 1:10-2:00, Thursday, SocSci 233, Sarah Ovink
◊ Section 004: 2:10-3:00, Thursday, SocSci 233, Sarah Ovink
In addition to the regularly scheduled lab sessions, SocSci 233 is also available during 9am5pm, Monday-Friday when it is not being used for academic classes. For more information
about the computer lab, please go to website http://dsslab.ucdavis.edu.
Textbook and Calculator
•
Alan Agresti and Barbara Finlay. 1997. Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences (3rd
Edition). Prentice Hall.
•
You will also need a basic, hand calculator for exercises, assignments, and examinations.
•
Optional: SPSS Student Version 13.0 for Windows.Prentice Hall. $80+.
Course Description
This course aims to provide the students with a solid basis in understanding the logics of
quantitative analysis, in using the most elementary statistical techniques, and in evaluating the
quality of sociological research that uses statistics. It covers elementary descriptive and
inferential statistics. Topics include frequency distribution, measures of central tendency,
measures of variation, statistical inference, hypothesis testing, and comparison of different
groups of population. An important feature of this class is the use of computers to analyze real
data.
Prerequisites
Although this course requires no prior knowledge of statistics, it assumes that the students have a
good working knowledge of high school algebra.
Clientele
This is the second course of the Sociology Department’s two-course sequence in methods and
statistics which is required for all sociology undergraduate majors. It is also a prerequisite
course for Sociology 106, which is a required course for organizational studies majors.
Course Requirements and General Policies
◊
Lectures:
You are required to attend lectures. The lectures emphasize the general concepts and
principles. You should complete the readings before each lecture. You should also bring
the textbook with you for reference when you attend the lectures.
◊
Discussion and Computer Lab Sessions:
Attendance at discussion and computer lab sessions is also required. Discussion
sessions are led by the teaching assistants, and will be devoted mainly to answering
questions, discussion of concepts and methods covered in the lecture, and using
computers for homework assignments. The TAs will help you learn how to use the
equipment and software in the computer classroom.
◊
Homework Assignments:
There will be 5 homework assignments. The 4 best grades will be used, with each
accounting for 10% of the total grade. No late assignments will be accepted for credit.
◊
Exams:
There will be two closed-book examinations: a midterm and a final. You can bring onepage notes with you for the exams. The examinations are non-cumulative. The midterm
accounts for 25% of the total grade, and the final accounts for 35%. There will be no
make-up examinations.
◊
Grading:
Four homework assignments @ 10% each
40%
Two exams @ 25% and 35% each
60%
I will be extremely RELUCTANT to give incomplete grades. Incomplete grades will be
given only if the student has a serious illness and if the student's coursework up to that
point has received passing grades.
◊
Ethical Conduct:
Cheating cannot be tolerated; it disadvantages others and it cheats the person who uses it
as a way of avoiding learning. However, working with others in classes and discussion
sessions is strongly encouraged. You can learn more and help others learn as well.
Some General Suggestions for Success in Soc 46b
¾ Don’t put off your reading or your assignments. Complete the readings BEFORE the lecture
covering that material.
¾ If you aren’t sure what is going on, ASK QUESTIONS. Speaking up in a large class may
feel awkward, but others will silently thank you because they were too chicken to do so. We
are here to help you, both in lecture and in discussion section, but that requires feedback
from you.
¾ Don’t wait until the last minute before reviewing for an exam. You may need time to talk to
us about things you thought you understood until you looked over your notes.
¾ Don’t think of statistics as something to suffer through for your degree. Most of you will
need to handle and interpret data in your future work. Even if you don’t, there are times in
life when you are skeptical about claims made by journalists, advertisers, even supposedly
reputable researchers. This course can make you an intelligent consumer of data rather than
a passive recipient.
¾ Above all, DON’T PANIC. You can handle it if you give yourself and us a chance.
Intro
Week
Week 1
9/29, Thursday
9/29 & 9/30, Weekly Lab Sessions
10/4, Tuesday (Assignment 1 Out)
10/6, Thursday
Week 2
10/6 & 10/7, Weekly Lab Sessions
10/11, Tuesday
10/13, Thursday (Assignment 2 out)
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
10/13 & 10/14 , Weekly Lab Sessions
10/18, Tuesday (Assignment 1 in)
10/20, Thursday (Assignment 3 out)
Topic: Introduction and Course Overview
Reading: Chapter 1, pp. 1-9
Canceled
Topic: Measurement
Reading: Section 2.1-2.3 and 2.5, pp. 12-25, pp. 28-29
Topic: Tables and Graphs
Reading: Section 3.1, pp. 35-44
Topic: Measures of Central Tendency
Reading: Section 3.2-3.3, pp. 45-55
Topic: Measures of Variation
Reading: Section 3.4, pp. 56-67
Topic: Measures of Variation (Continued)
Topic: Probability Distribution
Reading: Section 4.1-4.2, pp. 80-94
10/20 & 10/21, Weekly Lab Sessions
10/25, Tuesday (Assignment 2 in)
Topic: Sampling Distribution & the Central Limited Theorem
Reading: Section 4.3-4.7, pp. 94-111
10/27, Thursday
Topic: Review
10/27 & 10/28, Weekly Lab Sessions (Assignment 3 in)
11/1, Tuesday. 9:00-10:20am
Midterm Examination
11/3, Thursday (Assignment 4 out)
Topic: Point Estimation & Confidence Interval for a Mean
Reading: Section 5.1-5.2, pp. 121-131
11/3 & 11/4, Weekly Lab Sessions
11/8, Tuesday
Topic: Confidence Interval for a Proportion
Reading: Section 5.3 and 5.6, pp. 131-135, pp. 144
11/10, Thursday
Topic: Confidence Interval for a Proportion (Continued)
Veteran’s Day. No Labs.
11/10 & 11/11, Weekly Lab Sessions
11/15, Tuesday
Topic: Significance Test for a Mean: Large Samples
Reading: Section 6.1-6.2, 154-167
11/17, Thursday (Assignment 5 out)
Topic: Significance Test for a Proportion: Large Samples
Reading: Section 6.3, pp. 167-173
11/17 & 11/18, Weekly Lab Sessions
11/22, Tuesday (Assignment 4 in)
Topic: Decisions, Statistical and Practical Significance
Reading: Section 6.4, pp. 173-180
11/24, Thursday
Thanksgiving Holiday. No Class. No Labs.
11/29, Tuesday
12/1, Thursday
12/1 & 12/2, Weekly Lab Sessions
Week 10 12/6, Tuesday
Hypothesis Test about a Single Mean: Small Samples
Reading: Section 6.5 and Summary, pp. 180-187
Topic: Hypothesis Test about a Single Mean: Small Samples
Reading: Section 6.5 and Summary, pp. 180-187Topic:
Hypotheses about Differences Between Proportions
Reading: Section 7.2 and 7.6, pp. 216-220, pp. 223
12/8, Thursday (Assignment 5 in)
Review
December 13, Tuesday, 10:30-12:30pm
Final Examination