1Sociology 357: Methods of Sociological Inquiry University of Wisconsin–Madison Fall 2008 __________________________________________________________________________________ Instructor: T. Elizabeth Weathersbee Office: 8107 Sewell Social Science Office Hours: T 12:00-2:00 pm Course Website: www.ssc.wisc.edu/~tweather/soc357.htm Email: [email protected] Office Phone: 608-262-1933 COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed to prepare students to conduct their first empirical social science research study. It provides practical, step-by-step guidance through the process of formulating a research question, writing a literature review, selecting appropriate methods of analysis, interpreting the results, and writing and presenting a research report. Basic statistics and statistical software (Stata) will be introduced, but a background in research methods or statistics is not required. Although research methods are usually taught in sequence, beginning with the research design and ending with instructions for how to write a research report, this course provides a complete overview of the research process during the first six weeks of the semester so that you can prepare a research proposal early enough to get feedback and revise your research plans accordingly. The remaining part of the semester develops the research process in greater detail. REQUIRED TEXT The following text is available for purchase at the University Bookstore and is on reserve at College Library. Orcher, Lawrence T. 2005. Conducting Research: Social and Behavioral Science Methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak Publishing. ASSIGNMENTS You are expected to write one social science research paper for this class. In order to make your job easier, and to provide you with feedback every step of the way, this research project will be submitted in a series of small assignments, including two oral presentations. The written assignments include: 1) a human subjects protection tutorial, 2) a topic statement, 3) a research proposal, 4) a method plan, and 5) a final research report implementing the previous components. The oral assignments include: 1) a brief presentation of your research proposal and 2) a brief presentation of your research findings. Detailed instructions for each assignment will be handed out in class and posted on the course website. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Upon completion of the course students will: 1. Demonstrate an ability to formulate sociological questions and address them with the appropriate data and methods.22. Improve their analytical thinking and learning skills. This includes developing good study habits, time management, and the ability to read, comprehend and formulate good questions. 3. Improve their writing skills through assignments that include, research paper (and draft) writing. 4. Improve their verbal communication skills through participation in class discussions and oral presentations. EXPECTATIONS Preparation for and Participation in Class Student participation and preparation is an essential component of effective higher education. Therefore, students must come to class having read the required material and fully prepared to discuss it. You are expected to attend class regularly (attendance will be taken), to participate in class activities and discussions, and to complete the short reading assignments prior to class. Class participation will constitute 10% of your grade (see Grading p. 3). If you miss class, it is up to you to obtain notes from a classmate (however, there are no make-ups or extra credit to replace the missing class participation points). Record contact information from a classmate here: Name ______________________________________ Email ______________________________________ Phone ______________________________________ Photo To assist in learning every student’s name, I will take group photographs (in which you will be holding a placard bearing your name). These photos will not be used for any other purpose or displayed (except in my office) without your express, written permission. On-Time Arrivals and Departures I will begin and end all classes promptly at the scheduled time. Lateness is a distraction to the class, so please be on time. Electronic devices Please turn mobile phones and other electronic devices off during class. You may use a laptop computer for the purpose of note-taking, but please be considerate of those around you who might be distracted by keyboard sounds. Academic Misconduct (Cheating) Academic honesty requires that the course work (drafts, reports, examinations, papers) a student presents to an instructor honestly and accurately indicates the student's own academic efforts. In addition, your course work must honestly and accurately indicate your own academic efforts in this course (meaning you cannot submit for this course, work that you did for another course in this or any other semester, as this also constitutes academic misconduct). If you choose a topic you have written papers on before, you should meet with me to discuss it prior to turning in assignments for this class.3Students who cheat or attempt to cheat will automatically receive an F for that assignment. In addition, the incident will be reported in writing to the Dean of your school or college as well as the Dean of Students so that s/he may decide whether further disciplinary action is needed. Plagiarism is just one type of academic misconduct. Unfortunately, it is a common type, more so when students are allowed to choose the topic of their written assignments. As a further deterrent to (and detection of) plagiarism, you will be submitting your assignments to Turnitin.com (http://www.turnitin.com/) an Internet-based service that detects plagiarism in written assignments. A clear definition of plagiarism as well as information about disciplinary sanctions for academic misconduct may be found at the Student Advocacy & Judicial Affairs-Offices of the Dean of Students web site: http://www.wisc.edu/students/saja/misconduct/UWS14.html Useful link: The Writing Center-Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources/How to avoid plagiarism http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/QuotingSources.html Non-Academic Misconduct It is the policy of this university that, “Every member of the University of Wisconsin-Madison community has the right to conduct his or her academic and social life in an environment that is free from threats, danger,
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