Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PL/SOSC 260"
COURSE NAME: "Introduction to Social Science Research Methodology"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2025

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Tara Keenan
EMAIL: tara.keenan@johncabot.edu
HOURS: MW 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisites: EN110 or permission of the instructor
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This hands-on course introduces students to the practice of designing and carrying out their own research projects in the social sciences. Using real-life exercises and examples, it addresses how to develop sound and manageable research questions, write literature reviews, define concepts, make appropriate methodological choices, and apply them in practice. Students learn to read, present and analyze social science data and write up original research findings according to the conventions of the field. They practice how to critically review existing scholarship and apply the same rigor to their own writing. The importance of carrying out ethical and reflexive research is emphasized throughout the course.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This is a practical, step-by-step course in which students learn to carry out social scientific research by creating and implementing their own projects. It first covers the philosophy, purposes and principles of social science research and introduces students to key epistemological and methodological approaches. It then guides them through the process of developing workable and theoretically-informed research questions, defining and operationalizing concepts, and developing coherent research design. In the second section of the course, students practice using various research methods, and identify the most appropriate for their project. In the final section, they gain experience writing in their field by presenting and analyzing their data, evaluating their findings, and identifying any methodological problems encountered in the process. Throughout each assignment they analyze existing research in their chosen area and apply correct citation systems and writing conventions.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

On completion of the course, students should demonstrate the ability to:

identify the similarities and differences between epistemological approaches in the social sciences
demonstrate knowledge of the key features of different methodologies across the social sciences
relate research questions to appropriate research design
identify the main paradigms, theories, concepts and terminology applicable to their research project
write a short literature review for their research project
apply the research methods and instruments covered in the class
develop a realistic and appropriate design for their research project
analyze and apply ethical considerations involved in social scientific research
gather appropriate primary and secondary data sources for their project
read advanced research literature in the political and social sciences
analyze their data critically and rigorously
present and write about their findings reflexively and coherently
demonstrate critical thinking orally and in writing
use the stylistic and citation conventions of their discipline

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
Introduction to research methods: A hands-on approach	Pajo B. (2018).	SAGE	9781483386966			Hard Copy

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Class engagement		15
Literature review		15
Research project design		15
Data analysis and reporting Assignment		15
Oral Presentation of Research		10
Complete written research project		20
Evaluating components of a published research project	Research questions, operationalization of concepts, variables and hypotheses	10
Extra credit	Complete online course on protecting human research participants	TBD

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
A Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course. (90-92 = A-; 93-100 = A)
B This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised. There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments. (80-82 = B-; 83-86 = B; 87-89 = B+)
C This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings. (70-72 = C-; 73-76 = C; 77-79 = C+)
D This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material. Important information is omitted, and irrelevant points included. In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail. (60-62 = D-; 63-66 = D; 67-69 = D+)
F This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant. (<60) Each assignment handed in late will be capped at 75%. Students have one week to hand in graded work before the grade becomes a 0. It is the student's responsibility to approach the instructor to schedule a makeup for any missed in-class work within one week.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Associate Dean’s office should not be involved in correspondence regarding any other type of absence. This means that if you need to return home for a funeral, if you need to go to the dentist, if you have a fingerprinting appointment, if you are ill, you got a flat tire, your grandmother is sick, or for any other reason that I have not listed, you simply do not come to class that day and you contact a colleague to find out what went on in class. Do not create extra work for the Dean’s office by reaching out to them on these, rather routine, issues. Do not send me medical notes, as I am not in a position to evaluate them. Let us all agree that if you need to be absent, I believe you. Let’s create a world in which we believe each other and trust that we would be in class every session if we could. Let’s refuse to participate in bureaucratic processes that deskill us in terms of independent decision-making. There are always one or two obvious common sense extreme exceptions to this aspiration, but generally it is best to avoid triggering institutional responses for routine short-term absences. The bottom line is that every student, including you, is a treasured resource for each class. Without you, it simply is not the same.

Suffice to say that your grade will go down with frequent absences. At the 5th absence (excused or otherwise), you will be asked to withdraw from the course.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

The very point of why we are all here is that we want to develop ourselves into well-rounded life-long learners. Cutting corners with paper-writing tools, AI, and Chatbots cheapens everyone’s experience of the course and professors tend to take it personally. A good rule is that if you have to ask, “Is this okay to do?”, it probably is not.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

	NOTE THAT THIS IS A SAMPLE SCHEDULE	MOODLE MORE ACCURATELY REFLECTS CLASS PROGRESS
Week	Topic	Reading/Assignment
WK 1A 20/1	Introduction to the course Purposes of research.	Pajo, Ch. 1. From Scientific research through Thomas Kuhn's structure of Scientific Revolution
WK 1B	Theories of knowledge, philosophy of social science	Pajo, Finish Ch. 1
WK 2A 27/1	The qualitative/quantitative/mixed methods debate Formulating research questions	Pajo, Ch. 2 From Selecting your topic through Narrowing your topic Start planning your topic
WK 2B	Workshop: Identifying and developing strong research questions	Ethical Research
WK 3A 3/2	Research ethics	Pajo, Ch. 2 From Operationalizing through Moderators and Mediators
WK 3B	Operationalizing constructs Identifying variables	Pajo, Ch. 2 - From Types of Hypotheses to end of Chapter
WK 3C	To hypothesize or not to hypothesize? Workshop on our RQs, variables, possible hypotheses MAKE-UP DAY	Graded assignment 1: Details on Moodle Pajo, Ch. 3 Researching and Writing the Literature Review p. 53-81
WK 4A 10/2	Introduction to Literature reviews	Finish Graded assignment 1 Collect sources for literature review
WK 4B	Workshopping literature review	Organize materials for literature review
WK 5A 17/2	Graded assignment 1 Due Workshopping literature review cont’d	Bork-Hüffer, T., & Peth, S. A. (2020). Arrival or transient spaces? differentiated politics of mobilities, socio-technological orderings and migrants’ socio-spatial embeddedness.Urban Planning, 5(3), 33-43. doi:https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v5i3.2988
WK 5B	Comparative research	Pajo, Ch. 8 Secondary Data
WK 6A 24/2	Comparative research and secondary data	Complete literature review
WK 6B	Using secondary data Literature review due	Pajo, Ch. 4 Quantitative Designs
WK 7A 3/3	Introduction to Quantitative designs and methods	Pajo, Ch. 11 Qualitative Designs and Data Collection, p. 251-269
WK 7B	Quantitative designs and methods cont’d	Pajo, Ch. 11 Qualitative Designs and Data Collection, p. 269-280
	SPRING BREAK
WK 8A 17/3	Qualitative designs and methods
WK 8B	Qualitative designs and methods cont’d	Pajo, Ch. 6 Sampling
WK 9A 24/3	Introduction to mixed method designs Workshop: Selecting our cases, designing our data collection	Pajo, Ch. 7 Data Collection for Quantitative Research Work on research project design
WK 9B	Workshop: Selecting our cases, designing our data collection	Draft research project design
WK 10A 31/3	Research project design due Workshop: collecting the data
WK 10B	Workshop: collecting the data
WK 11A 7/4	Entering, coding and analyzing data	Pajo, Ch. 12 Entering, Coding and Analyzing Qualitative Data
WK 11B	Analyzing your data
WK 12A 14/4	Reporting results	Pajo, Ch. 13 Results and Discussion
WK 12B	Workshop on results	Pajo, Ch. 14 Presenting Your Research
WK 13A 21/4	HOLIDAY NO CLASS
WK 13B	Data analysis and reporting assignment due Presenting research orally and in writing
WK 14A 28/4	Writing workshop	Work on research project write-up
WK 14B	Research project presentations	Work on research project write-up
FINALS WEEK 5/5	Complete written research project due Research project presentations	DO NOT MAKE TRAVEL PLANS FOR THIS ENTIRE WEEK UNTIL AFTER FINAL EXAMS ARE ANNOUNCED.