Seminar in Research Design and Methodology POLITICAL SCIENCE PSC 701 University of Nevada, Las Vegas FALL 2009 Professor: Dr. Kenneth E. Fernandez Phone: 702-895-4029 Office: Department of Political Science; Wright Hall B209 Office Hours: M 4:00-5:30 pm and T 10 to 11:30 am, or by appointment. Email: [email protected] Time/Date: M 5:30 – 8:20pm., Wright Hall B224 Webpage: http://faculty.unlv.edu/kfernandez/psc701.htm Class Description: This course is an introduction to research methods and statistics in the social sciences. It assumes little or no background in methodology or math. The course is designed to provide an appreciation of social science research and the use of various methods to arrive at objective (or not so objective) conclusions and to allow the student to consume social science literature in the various journals in various academic fields. At the end of the course, students will be expected to have a basic grasp of general methods, models, and statistical tools. Course Objectives: 1. Understand the purpose and process of the scientific method. 2. Obtain a familiarity with a variety of research designs and methodologies. 3. Obtain a familiarity with statistical analysis of data 4. Prepare a research design for a future project (perhaps a MA thesis) Course requirements: Attendance is important because there will be a lot of material given in a short period of time. Students will create a research design to address a social/political phenomenon of their choice. The purpose of this assignment is to engage students in fundamental research methods and practices. This project is not to exceed 10 pages and is due on the last class meeting. In addition, there will be 10 homework assignments that require the calculation of various statistics (with computer software and by hand), as well as, a midterm and final exam. Grades: Midterm Exam (October 5th): 20% 10 Homework Assignments: 30% Final Exam (TBA): 20% Research Design (November 30): 20% Attendance/Class Participation: 10% The assignment of letter grades is as follows: 92 < = A 80-81 = B- 67-69 = D+ 90-91 = A- 77-79 = C+ 62-66 = D 87-89 = B+ 72-76 = C 60-61 = D- 82-86 = B 70-71 = C- > 59 = FRequired Texts: Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research, 6th Edition. By Russell K. Schutt. Publisher: Sage. 2009 Elementary Statistics in Social Research: The Essentials, 2nd Edition. By Jack Levin and James Alan Fox. Publisher: Allyn & Bacon. 2006. SPSS 17.0 Guide to Data Analysis by Marija J. Norusis, SPSS. 2008 A copy of each book has been placed on 2 hour reserve at the Lied Library Additional Readings (Available on WebCT): Avilés, William. 2005. “The Democratic-Peace Thesis and U.S. Relations with Colombia and Venezuela.” Latin American Perspectives, Vol. 32, No. 3, 33-59 Fernandez, Kenneth and Max Neiman. 1998."California’s Inmate Classification System: Predicting Inmate Misconduct," Prison Journal 78 (December): 406-422. Oliver, J. Eric and Tali Mendelberg. 2000. "Reconsidering the Environmental Determinants of White Racial Attitudes." American Journal of Political Science 44 (July): 574-589. Wolcott, Harry F. 1983. "Adequate Schools and Inadequate Education: The Life History of a Sneaky Kid." Anthropology & Education Quarterly 14 (Spring): 3-32. [READ FIRST] Wolcott, Harry F. 1990. "On Seeking-and-Rejecting-Validity in Qualitative Research." In Qualitative Inquiry in education: The Continuing Debate edited by Elliot W. Eisner and Alan Peshkin. New York: Teachers College Press. [READ SECOND] Midterm and Final Exams: There will be an in-class midterm and final exam. The exams will be composed of various questions regarding research methods and various statistical problems. Basic scientific calculators will be allowed, but your work must be shown on the exam. Research Design (10 pages): You will be required to develop a research design for a specific research question of your choice. In this design you will be required to 1) review the relevant literature of your topic, 2) elaborate on your research topic and develop various hypotheses; 3) identify potential datasets or methods of data collection to use to test your hypotheses; 4) discuss the method of analysis and statistical tools you would use to analyze the data; 5) explain how your research builds on previous research. Disability Policy: The UNLV Disability Resource Center (DRC) houses the resources for students with disabilities. If you have a documented disability that may require accommodations, you will need to contact the DRC for the coordination of services. The DRC is located in the Student Services Complex (SSC), Room 137. Their numbers are: (702-895-0866/Voice; 702-895-0652/TDD. For additional information please visit http://www.unlv.edu/studentlife/drc.Schedule Week 1: Topic Readings August 24 Syllabus and Introduction Schutt Chapter 1 Week 2 August 31 Scientific Inquiry and Social Analysis Schutt Chapter 2 Introduction to SPSS and Data Analysis Levin & Fox Chapter 1-2; Norusis Chapter 1-4 Week 3: September 7 LABOR DAY: NO CLASS Week 4: September 14 Research Ethics and Philosophies Schutt Chapter 3 Measures of Central Tendency & Variability Levin & Fox Chapter 3-4; Norusis Chapter 5-7 Week 5: September 21 Conceptualization and Operationalization Schutt Chapter 4; Oliver and Mendelberg Case Selection and Sampling Schutt Chapter 5; Norusis Chapter 8 Week 6: September 28 Probability and the Normal Curve Levin & Fox Chapter 5-6 Populations and Samples Norusis Chapter 10-11 Week 7: October 5 MIDTERM Week 8: October 12 Research Design Schutt Chapter 6 & 7 Difference of Means Tests Levin & Fox Chapter 7; Norusis Chapter 12-14 Week 9: October 19 Survey Research Schutt Chapter 8 Analysis of Variance Levin & Fox Chapter 8; Norusis Chapter 15-16 Week 10: October 26 Qualitative Research Schutt Chapter 9 &10; Wolcott (1983-read first) & Wolcott (1990) Week 11: November 2 Evaluation Research Schutt Chapter 11; Fernandez & Neiman Nonparametric Measures of Significance Levin & Fox Chapter 9; Week 12: November 9 Historical and Comparative Research Schutt Chapter 12; Aviles Week 13: November 16 Secondary Data & Content Analysis Schutt Chapter 13 Correlation Levin & Fox Chapter 10 &12; Norusis Ch. 9 Week 14: November 23 Regression