1
METHODS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH
SYA 4300
Section 1F73
Fall Semester 2014
LECTURES: M-W-F Period 2, 8:30-9:20 AM, Turlington (TUR) 2354
LAB: Wednesdays Period 4, 10:40-11:30 AM, Weil 0408A,
Lecture Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
E-mail:
Lisa Christiansen, Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law
Turlington 3102
Fri 9:30 AM-12:30 PM
lachristiansen@ufl.edu
Lab Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
E-mail:
Heather Covington, Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law
Turlington 3347
Wed 1-3 PM and Thur 2-3 PM
covingt@ufl.edu
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the tools that help you practice good social research. “Methods”
introduces the basic issues of conceptualization and measurement, research design and sampling,
quantitative and qualitative analysis, among others. You will acquire knowledge via lectures and apply it
in labs. The nitty-gritty details and the active learning required for Methods means you’ll have to spend
considerable time working on this course. However, if you give an honest effort, Methods will pay you
back many times over; for this course provides you with skills that serve as assets in the job market or
foundations for graduate school. What is more, Methods involves critical thinking practice, which is
important for exercising enlightened citizenship rights in a democracy, whatever your career goals.
Prerequisites
You MUST have taken SYG 2000, Principles of Sociology (or equivalent), and have at least 60 semester
credit hours (i.e., you’re in your junior year). It is recommended that you have already taken a statistics
course (i.e., STA 2122).
Required Readings
1. Neuman, W. Lawrence. 2012. The Basics of Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches,
3nd ed. Boston: Pearson / AB Longman. (Other editions are okay but the page numbers for readings
will be different from those provided in the course schedule.)
There is an e-text that costs less at Cousesmart.com
http://www.coursesmart.com/IR/3460764/9780205762620?__hdv=6.8
2. Other short readings on the contemporary politics of social research (available under “Resources” on
course website)
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Grades
Item
Lab assignments
Proposal (& Topic Statement)
Exams
Final Exam
Total
Points Each
20 or 40
120
50
60
N/A
Number
4 or 5
1
2
1
N/A
Total Points
120
120
100
60
400
Percent
30.0
30.0
25.0
15.0
100.0
Assignments and Exams. You MUST submit a proposal and take all exams in order to pass this course. If
you do not take all of the exams or turn in a proposal it will result in an E for the course even if you have
the grade you desire without one of these components.
Lab Assignments. During the course of the semester your lab instructor will give you six (6) homework
assignments that draw on lectures and labs. Assignments 1, 2, 5, and 6 involve interpretation of
statistical output and are worth 20 points each. Assignments 3 and 4 involve your own data collection as
well as interpretation of the findings and are worth 40 points each. You need to do some combination of
assignments worth up to 120 points; either two 20-point and two 40-points assignments, or four 20point and one 40-point assignment. You are invited and encouraged to do all six assignments; I will drop
the lowest grades. The assignments are worth 30% of your grade.
Proposal and Topic Statement. To apply what you learn in this class, you are required to develop a social
research proposal. To write such a proposal, you will have to identify a social problem for research,
review literature, conceptualize your research question, operationalize your concepts, decide what kind
of data to collect and how to collect it, state how to you intend to analyze it, and discuss the significance
of the proposed research.
Prior to turning in a proposal, you must write a “topic statement” of 600-800 words (i.e., ~2 pages typed
double-spaced in 12 point font). This topic statement should identify your topic, state your research
question, and discuss your preliminary ideas about how you propose to research your question. I use
this statement to provide you feedback in order to direct and thereby facilitate your proposal work.
Send me the topic statement via Turnitin. I’ll reply with your grade and comments. I WILL ACCEPT TOPIC
STATEMENTS LATE, BUT YOU LOSE FOUR (4) POINTS PER DAY LATE. The point of this policy is to
encourage everyone to submit a topic statement, even if late, in order to get feedback, which is very
important for developing the final proposal.
From the topic statement you must develop an original research proposal of ~3000-3500 words of text
(i.e., ~10-12 double-spaced typed pages in 12-point Time New Roman font with 1” margins), plus
references and questionnaires and other materials as they apply. The proposal must introduce your
topic, review pertinent literature, state your research question, outline the methods to be used, discuss
the analyses to be applied to the resulting data, and highlight the implications of the findings. Details,
examples and advice are in the resources section of the course website. The proposal is due to me via
online submission on the course website at the beginning of class at our last class meeting as listed on
the course schedule. I will reply with a completed grade sheet that will include comments. The topic
statement is worth 20 points, and the proposal 100 points, and together they count for 30% of your
grade (This is a lot of your grade for only one assignment! Please feel free to talk to Lisa or Heather as
you develop your proposals. We are happy to help).
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Exams. We will have three (3) exams; two during the semester and a final. Prior to each exam, I will
hand out a study sheet, and the last lecture period before an exam will be devoted to review. The final
exam will highlight material covered since the second exam, and include one question pertaining to
material from the entire course. All three exams involve multiple choice items, short answer and short
essay questions. The first two exams are worth 50 points, and the final is worth 60 points. Together they
account for 40% of your grade.
Extra Credit. This course offers three extra credit options.
The first option is to create up to two discussion questions (1 point each) for each guest research day. I
will give you an abstract of their work a week before they present. You must create one or two
questions related to both their research and topics discussed in class and ask them during the class
discussion. Failure to link their research to class material will result in no credit for that question. Failure
to attend the guest researcher class meeting or failure to ask at least one question will result in no
points (Fri 10/3, Fri 10/10, and Fri 10/24). Submit these questions via e-learning under the extra credit
tab in assignments the meeting before the guest researcher (Wed 10/1, Wed 10/8, Wed 10/22). You can
earn a maximum of 6 extra credit points this way.
The second option is to present your proposal in front of the class. For up to 10 points, you can give a 57 minute presentation of your proposal. The extra credit is entirely voluntary, but it is well worth your
while. Oral presentations help you develop your communication skills, and a presentation of your
proposal gives you the chance to share your ideas with your colleagues, which is both gratifying and
enlightening. I will solicit proposal presentations until the last lecture in class as listed on the course
schedule (pages 5-7), and volunteers will give their presentations at one or more of the dates after
lectures end and before the review session on the last day of classes. Details on grading and advice on
presentations are provided under the resources tab on e-learning.
The third option is to attend student proposal presentations. For each session of student presentations
you attend, you earn 2 extra credit points. You can earn a maximum of 6 extra credit points this way. I
encourage everyone to attend all sessions with proposal presentations; you will learn substantially from
your colleagues.
Assignment of Grades. Based on your performance on the items just described, I will assign letter grades
as shown in the table below. I do not round up; 279.5 points is still a D+. I do not assign extra work
beyond the extra credit options listed above; it is up to you to achieve the grade you seek. Note that I do
not use “minus” grades.
Points
360+
350-359.5
320-349.5
310-319.5
Percentage
90.0+
87.5-<90.0
80.0-<87.5
77.5-<80.0
Letter
A
B+
B
C+
Points
280-309.5
270-279.5
240-269.5
<240
Percentage
70.0-<77.5
67.5-<70.0
60.0-<67.5
<60.0
Letter
C
D+
D
E
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Policies
Attendance. Attendance is not strictly mandatory in the sense that I will not take a roll call for lecture or
lab attendance. However, lectures will cover material not in the text, and this material is fair game for
the exams. I post incomplete lecture notes on the web for you to print and bring to class. Lectures will
also reinforce your understanding of material from the readings. Labs provide information crucial to
doing the assignments. There is no make-up for missed labs. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility
to get notes from your colleagues.
Late Work. I will not accept late assignments or proposals. If you know you will miss class the day
something is due, it is your responsibility to turn it in before the deadline. Never slip papers under my
door.
Exams. You are invited and welcome to study in groups for exams. If you miss an exam you must contact
me within 24 hours and provide me written documentation justifying your absence in order to take a
makeup exam. You must make up the exam as soon after as possible. If you know you are going to miss
an exam, talk to me before the exam date to take the exam early.
University Policies and Services
Honesty:
As a result of completing the registration form at the University of Florida, every student has signed the
following statement: "I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all
their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that
my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including
expulsion from the University."
Turn in your own, original work! For this course I will be employing the software “Turnitin” which scans
all work submitted to me by students for unoriginal work in order to detect plagiarism. This software
works VERY well because it scans billions of websites as well as previous assignments to compare
content. FOR YOUR SAKE, TURN IN YOUR OWN WORK.
Accommodation for students with disabilities:
Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The
Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this
documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.
UF Counseling Services:
Resources are available on-campus for students having personal problems or lacking clear career and
academic goals which interfere with their academic performance. These resources include:
1. University Counseling Center, 301 Peabody Hall, 392-1575, personal and career counseling;
2. Student Mental Health, Student Health Care Center, 392-1171, personal counseling;
3. Sexual Assault Recovery Services (SARS), Student Health Care Center, 392-1161, sexual counseling;
4. Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601, career development assistance and counseling.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
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METHODS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH
Meeting Date Topic(s)
Readings, Assignments, Due Dates, etc.
Mon, 25 Aug
Introduction, Syllabus
NO READINGS
Wed, 27 Aug
Neuman, pp. 1-10
Fri, 29 Aug
Why Social Research?
NO LAB
Approaches to Social Research
Mon, 1 Sept
NO CLASSES – LABOR DAY
NO READINGS
Wed, 3 Sept
Design 1: Basics
Neuman, pp. 15-23
Fri, 5 Sept
Theorizing 1
Neuman, pp. 25-38
Mon, 8 Sept
Theorizing 2
Neuman, pp. 38-50
Wed, 10 Sept
Design 2: Qualitative
Labs 1-2: Intro, GSS
Neuman, pp. 88-94
Fri, 12 Sept
Design 3: Quantitative
Neuman, pp. 94-106
Mon, 15 Sept
Research Proposals 1
Neuman, pp. 72-88, Box 4.4 (p. 91), 106-111,
Wed, 17 Sept
Measurement 1: Conceptualization &
Operationalization
Lab 3: Intro to SPSS, part 1
Neuman, pp. 112-120
Fri, 19 Sept
Measurement 2:
Reliability and Validity
Neuman, pp. 121-127
Mon, 22 Sept
Measurement 3: Quantitative
Neuman, pp. 127-143
Wed, 24 Sept
Review for Exam #1
Lab 4: Intro to SPSS, part 2
NO READINGS
Fri, 26 Sept
EXAM #1 (1,2,4, and 5)
NO READINGS
Mon, 29 Sept
Sampling 1: Non-Probability
Neuman pp. 145-151
Wed, 1 Oct
Sampling 2: Probability
Lab 5: Distributions
Neuman pp. 151-170
Assignment #1 Assigned
Fri, 3 Oct
Research Guest
STUDENT LED DISCUSSION
Mon, 6 Oct
Ethics in Social Research
Neuman, pp. 52-64, additional articles
Neuman, pp. 10-15
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Meeting Date Topic(s)
Readings, Assignments, Due Dates, etc.
Wed, 8 Oct
Politics and Social Research
Lab 6: Sampling
Neuman, pp. 64-70, additional articles
Assignment #2 Assigned
ASSIGNMENT #1 DUE
Fri, 10 Oct
Research Guest
STUDENT LED DISCUSSION
Mon, 13 Oct
Field Research 1:
Preparation, Access, Relations
Neuman pp. 289-302
TOPIC STATEMENT DUE
Wed, 15 Oct
Field Research 2:
Observations, Interviews, Recording
Lab 7: Field Research
Neuman pp. 302-319
ASSIGNMENT #2 DUE
Assignment #3 Assigned
Fri, 17 Oct
HOMECOMING NO CLASS
GO GATORS!!!
Mon, 20 Oct
Surveys 1: Questionnaires
Neuman pp. 171-194
Wed, 22 Oct
Surveys 2: Survey Types
NO LAB
Neuman pp. 194-197
Fri, 24 Oct
Research Guest
STUDENT LED DISCUSSION
Mon, 27 Oct
Surveys 3: Interviews
Neuman pp. 197-205
Wed, 29 Oct
Non-reactive Research 1:
Content Analysis
Lab 8: Content Analysis
Neuman, pp. 237-249
Assignment #4 Assigned
ASSIGNMENT #3 DUE
Fri, 31 Oct
Non-reactive Research 2:
Secondary Data Analysis
Neuman, pp. 249-260
Mon, 3 Nov
Non-reactive Research 3:
Historical-Comparative Analysis
Neuman, pp. 321-349
Wed, 5 Nov
Experiments
NO LAB
Neuman pp. 207-235
Fri, 7 Nov
Review for Exam #2
NO READINGS
Mon, 10 Nov
EXAM #2 (3,6,7,8,9,11, and 12)
NO READINGS
Wed, 12 Nov
Quantitative Analysis 2:
Descriptive Statistics
Lab 9: Bivariate Analysis
Notes on Quantitative Analysis 1
Neuman, pp. 261-283
ASSIGNMENT #4 DUE
Assignment #5 Assigned
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Meeting Date Topic(s)
Readings, Assignments, Due Dates, etc.
Fri, 14 Nov
Quantitative Analysis 3:
Inferential Statistics
Neuman, pp. 283-287
PRESENTATION SIGN-UP DUE (Optional)
Mon, 17 Nov
Research Proposals 2
Neuman pp. 372-388
Wed, 19 Nov
Qualitative Analysis 1:
Data Management
Lab 10: Multivariate analysis
Neuman, pp. 351-360, 369-371
ASSIGNMENT #5 DUE
Assignment #6 Assigned
PROPOSAL DRAFTS DUE (Optional)
Fri, 21 Nov
Qualitative Analysis 2:
Analytical Techniques
Neuman, pp. 360-369
Mon, 24 Nov
NO CLASS – WORK ON PROPOSAL
NO READINGS
Wed, 26 Nov
NO CLASSES – THANKSGIVING
NO READINGS
Fri, 28 Nov
NO CLASSES – THANKSGIVING
NO READINGS
Mon, 1 Dec
Proposal Presentations (Optional)
NO READINGS
Wed, 3 Dec
Proposal Presentations (Optional)
NO LAB
NO READINGS
ASSIGNMENT #6 DUE
Fri, 5 Dec
Proposal Presentations (Optional)
NO READINGS
Mon, 8 Dec
Review for Final Exam
NO READINGS
Wed, 10 Dec
FINAL EXAM TAKEN IN CLASS
NO LAB
Fri, 19 Dec
SCHEDULED FINAL EXAM DAY
FINAL PROPOSAL DUE VIA E-LEARNING
The instructor can amend the schedule and syllabus at any time, but she will tell you if she does.
Readings may change, guest lecturers may be scheduled, or classes may be cancelled. Deadlines will
always be extended, never moved up.
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Grade Tracker*
LAB ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment 1
Assignment 2
Assignment 3
Assignment 4
Assignment 5
Assignment 6
Totals
EXAMS
Exam 1 (1,2,4, and 5)
Exam 2 (3, 6-9, and 11-12)
Final (10,13, and 14)
(Not during finals week)
Total
Topic Statement
Proposal
Date Due
Wed 10/8
Wed 10/15
Wed 10/29
Wed 11/12
Wed 11/19
Wed 12/3
Points Earned
Points Possible
20
20
40
40
20
20
Completed*
*Total must= 120
Fri 9/26
Mon 11/10
Wed 12/10
50
50
60
160
Mon 10/13
Fri 12/19
20
100
120
Extra Credit
Questions
Presentation
Pres. Attendance
Fri 10/3,
10/10,
10/24
Mon 12/1,
Wed 12/3
Fri 12/5
Max 6
Max 12
Max 6
Max 24
Course total
400
*If you have questions about your grade this must be updated before you come talk to me