Sociology 357: Methods of Sociological InquiryUniversity of Wisconsin – Madison2008 Spring SemesterTime:! ! ! Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30-10:45Location:! ! 6228 Social Science Instructor:! ! Professor Zhen ZengOffice:! ! ! 4406 Social ScienceOffice Hours:! ! Tuesday 2-4Course Website:! https://learnuw.wisc.edu/Email:! ! ! [email protected]:! ! ! 262-4436 Course DescriptionThis course teaches the basic research methods used by social scientists: survey, experimentation, field observation, and quantitative data analysis. We will discuss how to evaluate existing research, how to design informative research, how to collect, analyze, and interpret data. The objectives of this class are to (1) introduce you to the basic tools of social research and elements of research design; (2) provide you with hands-on research experience (3) enhance your ability to evaluate research reports critically. A special emphasis is placed on understanding the logic (as well as the “illogic”) of reasoning in social science. Basic statistics and statistical software (STATA) will be introduced. Background in research methods or statistics is not required. TextbookThe following textbook is available for purchase at the University Book Store.Babbie, E. 2006. The Practice of Social Research (11th. Edition). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.Additional readings will be available on electronic reserve.RequirementsA. Readings: From the second class onward, a certain amount of reading is required for each class. Please complete the assigned reading before each class. Lectures will be given with the assumption that you have completed the required readings and therefore will not go over basic materials that are adequately covered by the assigned readings. Valuable class time is reserved for critical analysis, synthesis, and discussion. B. Assignments: There will be four written assignments. •Exercise 1: Article analysis and causal diagrams (Due Feb. 14, Th.)•Research proposal (Due Mar. 27, Th.)•Exercise 2: Online analysis of the General Social Survey data (Due Apr. 10, Th.)•Exercise 3: STATA exercise (Due Apr. 17, Th.)C. Research Project (Presentation and Paper): During the semester, you will have the opportunity to conduct a class project on a topic of your choice. You have two options as follows.Option A: You may work with another student on a research project. You may wish to conduct your own survey, do a field study, or analyze an existing data set such as the General Social Survey. Members of a research team may use identical results such as tables and figures, but you are required to write your own paper. 1Option B: you may work alone on the class project. The possible range of research topics and styles is the same as in Option A, except that the scope of the study may be more limited. All projects will be presented to the class at the end of the semester. The research paper is due on May 12. There is no page limit on the paper, but I recommend that you write a concise one (5~6 double-spaced pages of text). Specific instructions for the paper will be available on the course website.D. Exams: There will be a midterm and a final exam. Exams consist of true/false questions, multiple-choice questions, and short open-ended questions covering material from both the lectures and the readings. The final is cumulative. Example test questions and study guides will be available on the class website. Grading PoliciesYour final grade will consist of the following parts:Midterm! ! 25%Final! ! 30%Paper ! ! 25%Assignments! 5%*4Assignments are due at the beginning of the class on due dates. No late work will be accepted. A late paper will be penalized at 5 points (out of 25 points) per day. Copying homework or letting others copy homework will get you 0 point. A plagiarized research paper will also receive 0 point. In addition, the incident will be reported in writing to the Dean of Students. Information on academic misconduct may be found at the Offices of Dean of Students website http://www.wisc.edu/students/conduct/uws14.htm.LogisticsLecture notes, handouts, and exercises will be posted on the course website the evening before the class. Please print and bring your copy to class. Hard copies will not be distributed in class except in the first week. ScheduleJanuary 22! IntroductionJanuary 24! Basic Concepts. Chapter 1January 29! Theory and Research. Chapter 2January 31! Research Ethics. Chapter 3February 5! Basics of Research Design. Chapter 4. Exercise 1 AssignedFebruary 7! Causality in Social Science. “The Idea of Causation in Social Research”February 12! Conceptualization and Measurement 1. Chapter 5 2February 14! Conceptualization and Measurement 2. Chapter 6. Exercise 1 DueFebruary 19! Sampling 1. Chapter 7February 21! Sampling 2February 26! Experiments 1. Chapter 8February 28! Experiments 2. “Self-Experimentation” “The Mark of a Criminal Record”March 4! Review. Research Proposal Assigned. Email me your research topic.March 6! MidtermMarch 11! Midterm Feedback. Survey Research 1. Chapter 9March 13! Survey Research 2 “The Effect of Admissions Test Preparation”March 18/20! Spring breakMarch 25! Online Analysis of GSS Data. Exercise 2 AssignedMarch 27! Qualitative Field Research. Chapter 10. Research Proposal DueApril 1! Unobtrusive Research. Chapter 11. “Who Wrote the 15th Book of Oz?”April 3! Evaluation Research. Chapter 12April 8! Lab: Introduction to STATA (meet in 3218 Social Science) April 10! Lab: STATA 2 (3218 Soc. Sci.) Exercise 2 Due. Exercise 3 AssignedApril 15! Quantitative Data Analysis. Chapter 14April 17! Elaboration Models. Chapter 15. Exercise 3 DueApril 22! Statistical Analyses. Chapter 16April 24! Demographic Methods. “"Ecological Correlations and the Behavior of Individuals” “Changing Attitudes toward Premarital Sex: Cohort, Period, and Aging Effects”April 29! Student presentationsMay 1! Student presentationsMay 6! Student presentationsMay 8! FinalMay 12! Research Paper
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