Sociology 357: Methods of Sociological Inquiry (Honors)University of Wisconsin-Madison2008 Fall SemesterTime: Tuesday and Thursday, 4:00-5:15 PMLocation: 6228 Social Science Instructor: Zhen ZengOffice: 4406 Social ScienceOffice Hours: Tuesday, Thursday 11-12Website: 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.Course RequirementsReadings: 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. 1Discussion Sessions: In addition to the textbook, we will also read a selection of research papers that are intended to introduce you to applications of social research methods. There will be some sessions devoted to discussion of these exemplary studies. To stimulate active and critical reading, you are responsible for posting at least one discussion question per article to the class website by 8:00 PM the evening before each class meeting when discussion session is scheduled. You will join a group of 2~3 students and lead one of the discussion sessions. The group should first give a detailed 30-minute presentation to introduce the work in question and then guide follow-up class discussion.The empirical articles we will read and discuss in detail (see list below) are available in the electronic course reserve. Please send me your preference ranks for these articles by September 18. 1.Bertrand, M., and S. Mullainathan. 2004. "Are Emily and Greg More Employable Than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination." American Economic Review 94:991-1013. (October 7)2.Pager, D. 2003. "The Mark of a Criminal Record." American Journal of Sociology 108:937-975. (October 7)3.Briggs, D. C. 2001. "The Effect of Admissions Test Preparation: Evidence from NELS: 88." Chance 14:10–21. (October 16)4.Card, D. 1990. "The Impact of the Mariel Boatlift on the Miami Labor-Market." Industrial & Labor Relations Review 43:245-257. (October 21)5.Ruoff, G., and G. Schneider. 2006. "Segregation in the Classroom: An Empirical Test of the Schelling Model." Rationality and Society 18:95. (November 6)The group presentation accounts for 15% of the grade. Team members will receive the same grade and each member is expected to make an equal contribution.Homework: There will be three exercise sets, each accounting for 4% of the grade. •Homework 1: Article analysis •Homework 2: Online analysis of the General Social Survey data •Homework 3: STATA exercise Midterm: The midterm consists of True/False questions, multiple-choice questions, and short open-ended questions covering material from both the lectures and the readings. Example test questions will be available on the course website. There is no final exam. The midterm is worth 20% of the grade.2Quizzes: There will be five in-class quizzes, each worth 2% of your grade. The quizzes will be given during the first 10 minutes of class. Each quiz comprises of multiple choice questions and “fill in the blank” questions. The dates and coverage of the quizzes will be announced in class one week in advance.Research Project: During the semester, you will have the opportunity to conduct a class project on a topic of your choice. In the past, most students have tested their ideas using a data set extracted from the General Social Survey website. If the GSS does not meet your data needs or if you prefer, you can conduct your own survey (web survey is a good choice for a class project) or conduct the project using any other research method: experiment, field observation, unobtrusive research, etc. The research project will be completed in several steps. First, you will submit a description of research question(s) and hypothesis along with 1~3 key references (due on Oct. 14). Then you will submit a complete research proposal with literature review, research design, and data analysis plan (due on Nov. 6). Towards the end of the semester, you will give a 15-minute presentation on your project in class. The research paper is due on Dec. 15, Monday. There is no page limit on the paper, but I recommend that you write a concise one under 15 double-spaced pages. The paper is worth 40% of the grade. The three assignments (i.e., research question, proposal, and presentation) leading up to the research paper are required but not graded, that is, you will be penalized if you miss any one of them. To guide you through the research process, I will offer feedbacks on these assignments. If you do not receive individual feedbacks from me, it means that you are doing absolutely okay. Grading PoliciesYou final grade will consist of the following parts:Midterm 20%Pop Quiz 10% = (2% *5)Paper 40%Presentation 15%Homework 15% = (4%*3 for assignments + 3% for submitting discussion questions)Homework is due at the beginning of the class on due dates. No late work will be accepted. Research paper is due by 10 AM on Dec. 15. A late paper will be penalized at 5 points (out of 40 points) per day. 3I expect you to complete your homework independently. Copying other students’ homework will result in 0 point for the assignment in question.
View Full Document
Unlocking...