Soc 357 Spring 2008 Syllabus 1Sociology 357 – Methods of Sociological Inquiry Spring 2007 TR 2:30-3:45 (Lec 11) & 4:00-5:15 (Lec 9) 6101 Social Science (Lec 11) & 6240 Social Science (Lec 9) Instructor: Keedon Kwon, 3477 Social Science, [email protected], 262-7929 Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:00-2:00 and by appointment Introduction Sociology 357 is a required course for sociology majors which teaches you the logic of research design and the basics of data collection. It is not a statistics course and assumes no background in methods. You will do a small amount of statistics in your projects, which will be easier if you have already had elementary statistics, but you can learn what you need to know for these projects without much difficulty. My goals in teaching this course are (1) to introduce you to the elements of research design, (2) to expose you to a variety of research methods social scientists are using for their research, and (3) to have you learn first hand about the problems of research by trying out several data collection methods on a small scale. Course Materials There is a required textbook for the course, which can be bought at the University Bookstore. Royce Singleton, Jr. and Bruce C. Straits, Approaches to Social Research. Fourth Edition. There is also a series of required readings available online. Go to www.wisc.edu. Click on My UW. Choose the “academic” tab. See your course list. Click on Sociology 357. You also have to buy or loan Theda Skocpol, States and Social Revolutions: A Comparative Analysis of France, Russia, and China (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1979) if you choose the comparative historical method report for the final assignment. Requirements and Grading The largest share of your grade is based on four projects. The reports for ethnography, field experiment, survey, and content analysis or comparative historical method are worth 15% each. There will four or five in-class open-book exams which are worth 30% together. The last 10% is based on class participation including attendance. The exercises in this class are not “real” research. As you will learn, real research is much too time consuming to fit into a course. You will be doing scaled-down projects that teach you important lessons about research without taking so much time. Everything you do in this class is solely for your education. You are not part of anybody's research project. In-class open-book exams are to test not only whether or not you have understood what you learned in class but also whether or not you really have read course readings. I will ask mostly multiple-choice and true or false questions, but may also ask a small number of open-ended questions. Questions will not be difficult to answer, but there will be quite a few of them so that you might not answer all of them if you xxx 2008Soc 357 Spring 2008 Syllabus 2have not carefully read course readings already. It would be too late should you begin to read course readings for the first time in the exam. Daily Reactions At the end of each class, submit on a 3x5 card your name, the date, and at least one sentence of reaction to that day's class, indicating what you learned, or something you liked or did not like, found interesting or controversial, found clear or too simplistic, or found confusing and in need of further (or better) explanation; you may also submit comments on the course in general. You can submit a “reaction” only if you were actually in class. You cannot “make up” a reaction, but tell me (in writing) if you are forced to miss several classes due to illness or other problem, and I will make an appropriate adjustment. I will read these after each class, but do not normally return them or comment on them. Your daily reaction will be used as a way of taking attendance. Procedural Matters I will take attendance. You are responsible for obtaining information you miss if you are absent. It is inappropriate to use office hours (or telephone calls) to compensate for instruction you missed more or less by choice, such as napping, staying warm, studying for other classes, or vacationing. But if you are attending regularly and making the effort to learn (or if your absence is for reasons beyond your control), I will do all that I can to help you. Your final report is due on Tuesday May 15 by 1 pm. Plagiarism The Department of Sociology is licensed to use a powerful anti-plagiarism software which compares student work to a vast, comprehensive data base of on-line texts and to papers submitted to Sociology courses in previous semesters. Any written work submitted to this class may be processed through the anti-plagiarism software. In addition, you are hereby notified that any written work you submit to this class may be entered into the anti-plagiarism data base so that it cannot be plagiarized in future semesters. A clear definition of plagiarism as well as information about disciplinary sanctions for academic misconduct may be found at the Dean of Students web site http//www.wisc.edu/students/UWS14.htm. Knowledge of these rules is your responsibility, and lack of familiarity with the rules does not excuse misconduct.Soc 357 Spring 2008 Syllabus 3Schedule of Topics and Readings T Jan 22 Introduction to the Class Part I: The Elements and the Logic of Research R Jan 24 The Nature of Science Read: Textbook, Chapter 2. T Jan 29 Elements of Research Design Read: Textbook, Chapters 3 R Jan 31 Measurement Read: Textbook, Chapter 4; Rubin, “Measurement of Romantic Love” and the personal journal T Feb 5 Sampling Read: Textbook, Chapter 5 R Feb 7 Sampling & Ethics Prepare for group discussion of ethics. Read: Textbook, Chapter 16; Haney et al., “Interpersonal Dynamics in a Simulated Prison” and pp. 182-189 of the personal journal; and Humphreys, “Tearoom Trade” and “Methods.” T Feb 12 In-Class Open-Book Exam Part II: Field Research R Feb 14 Key Concepts and Celebrated Examples Read: Textbook, Chapter 10 Duneier, Sidewalk Wacquant, “The Pugilistic Point of View.” T Feb 19 Legitimating Ethnography Read: Katz, “Ethnography’s Warrants”; and Burawoy, “The Extended Case Method” R Feb 21 Workshop: Setting up Your Field Research Brainstorm project topics Read: Ethnography Assignment Goffman, “On Fieldwork.” Give me your plan in daily reaction. Do
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