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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PL 460"
COURSE NAME: "Social Science Research Methods"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2015
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Isabella Clough Marinaro
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 4:30 PM 5:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: Junior Standing
OFFICE HOURS: 1 hour before each class or by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This is a practical course in how to begin, carry out and complete a research study in social science and related humanities fields. It is intended for Senior Thesis students though other students may be encouraged to take it where appropriate. It will be taught in an interdisciplinary way, appropriate to fields such as sociology, political science, social psychology, history, anthropology, international relations, economics and humanities. Students will learn how to develop a research project, how to develop a research question that allows for concrete research, how to identify the kinds of sources – quantitative or qualitative, historical or journalistic, field research or archival – appropriate to answering his or her question. Students will learn how to think about truth claims of research methods, how to judge “facts”, how to operationalize concepts so that they may be studied in a meaningful way, how to identify independent and dependent variables, and how to determine causality. In addition, students will have practice in how to conduct interviews, how to develop survey and life history questionnaires, how to engage in observation, how to judge primary and secondary sources, and how to think about paradigms, epistemologies and theories as basic tools of research projects. Ethical issues involved with research will also be explored. The class will also study how to do research systematically and efficiently on the internet. Students will, by the end of the course, carry through an original research project of their choosing, meeting specific time deadlines for each stage of the project and will present the project to the class at the end of the semester using powerpoint technology and other appropriate methods of presentation.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

The course will be a step-by-step approach to research design. Beginning with a general approach to how we know what we know and to the role of paradigms and theories in constructing research questions, the course will then turn to ethical issues involved in human and social research. We will then look in-depth at research design as a holistic approach and to conceptualization and operationalization as indispensable phases of research, allowing us to concretely study virtually any question related to society and to human affairs imaginable, so long as our question and our categories are constructed precisely enough. We will then discuss how to collect data of various types, how to “interrogate” data, choosing the best method for doing so with different kinds of data.

 

The course will be primarily focused on qualitative approaches, particularly of use to students of Political Science, International Affairs, History, Sociology and related fields, but will also include some introduction to the use of and ability to understand quantitative approaches, as well as mixed approaches to research. Students will be considered primarily as consumers of statistics, rather than producers of them, but we will also explore how quantitative data are generated. Questions of how to study cultural questions, community and ethnographic studies, and participant observation will be covered. We will also look at journalistic and historical approaches to research. We will spend the last part of the course learning about how to write properly, how to cite and how to present one’s work.

 

Students will follow a firm schedule for developing their research project for the course, will meet firm deadlines for topics, preferred method of study, literature review, identification of appropriate data sources and their availability, operationalization of concepts, commencement of research activity and data collection, and presentation of the project to the class.

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students, upon completing the course, will be able to construct a research project and present it in writing and orally using power point and other tools. Students will be able to develop relevant questions on issues of social and historical interest, to determine the best method for going about answering their questions, to identify key variables, to identify data sources and analyze such data using appropriate methods.

 

Students will learn how to:

 

  • do a literature review of a social or historical question using published academic sources
  • find appropriate data sources in libraries, on the internet, in archives and in newspapers and journals
  • think in an informed way about paradigms, epistemologies and theories as research tools
  • consider in a professional manner the ethical considerations involved in a research project
  • identify the truth claims of an analysis whether official, academic, advertising or journalistic
  • identify independent and dependent variables and determine their relation to one another using a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods
  • judge how statistics are used to make truth claims
  • identify theoretical and methodological underpinnings of arguments made in research studies
  • determine how polls and surveys are constructed and carried out
  • construct an argument
  • develop a research design of one’s own and carry it through from start to finish – that is from initial formulation of a question and a hypothesis and literature review to written publication and public presentation
  • write in a manner that conveys the argument students want to make
  • present such projects coherently using appropriate tools.
TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
Excellent DissertationsLevin, Peter (2011)Open University Press0335238610  

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Preliminary bibliographyThe bibliography should meet the following requirements: Topic clearly defined, APA style or Chicago Author-Date style, Variety of sources (the bibliography should include a variety of sources including books, journal articles, and reliable web sources) At least 12 items cited 5%
Annotated bibliography One paragraph summary (per source) of scope, content, quality and utility of 5 sources (see detailed assignment handout)10%
Literature ReviewStudents must turn in a 5 page double-spaced literature review with no fewer than five academic sources representing different schools of thought or points of view addressing students’ research projects. Students are graded on the quality and thoroughness of their research, on how in-depth their understanding of the relevant literature is, and on how well they have constructed their research problems to allow them to arrive at the relevant literature to address their research interests. (see detailed assignment handout)25%
Creation of a Social Science Research ProjectSee assignment guidelines. Work in pairs to develop full research projects proposal.15%
Students’ Research Problems for final research projectStudents are graded based on converting topics into research problems, on the sophistication and depth of the research questions and on how well those research questions are constructed so as to permit the student to engage in useful research to accomplish what they set out to do for their thesis. 5%
Students’ Hypotheses for research projectsStudents are graded on how well constructed the hypothesis is to allow for both their research for their thesis and for falsifiability, and how well connected it is to the debates in the secondary literature on students’ research problems. 5%
Students’ Outlines for Research ProjectsStudents are graded on logical order and consistency, and on how well the outline articulates the logic of their research problems. 5%
Final research project10-15 page essay corresponding to one chapter of thesis (or overview of thesis). See guidelines handout.20%
In-class presentation Oral presentation based on final research project, explaining RQ, hypothesis, methodology and findings.10%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork 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 c
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performance 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.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance and participation: raises or lowers grade by maximum of 5% (ie B+ becomes B) Class participation will be assessed based upon attendance, quantity and quality of comments made as part of class discussion.

Attendance is mandatory and, alongside active participation in class (see grading criteria above).

Please refer to the university catalog for the attendance and absence policy.

Letter grades and corresponding percentages for this class

 

94 – 100 points = A

90 – 93.99 pts = A-

87 – 89.99 = B+

83 – 86.99 = B

80 – 82.99 = B-

77 – 79.99 = C+

70 – 76.99 = C

60 – 69.99 = D

59.99 – 0 = F

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



Session

Session Focus

Reading Assignment

Other Assignment

WK1A

20 Jan

Introduction to course. Embarking on a senior thesis

Levin Chap 1

 

WK 1B

22 Jan

What is Social Research? Why do it? How to do it?

Levin Chap 2 p23-33

Prepare research topics

WK2A

27 Jan

Library Session: Finding and Citing Sources

 

Prepare bibliography

WK 2B

29 Jan

Library Session:

Critical Reading

 

Levin  p56-62

Finish sources assignment

WK3A

3 Feb

 

From Topic to Question(s)

Levin  p34-42

Finish bibliography

WK 3B

5 Feb

Bibliographies Due to Livia Piotto
From Topic to Question(s)

Levin p43-55

 

WK4A

10 Feb

From Topic to Question(s)

Levin  p62-73

 

WK 4B

12 Feb

Annotated Bibliographies Due

From Topic to Question(s)

Levin  p74-82

 Evaluate a senior thesis

WK5A

17 Feb

Doing a Literature Review

 

 

WK5B

19 Feb

Operationalizing Concepts: How to Define Something so you can Study It

 

Work on literature review

WK 6A

24 Feb

Testing and Arguing About Concepts

 

Work on literature review

WK 6B

26 Feb

Values and Ethics in Research

 

 

WK7A

3 March

Using official statistics

 

 

WK 7B

5 March


Survey design and analysis

 

 

WK 8A

10 March

Literature Review Due to Prof Cox Interviewing

 

 

WK8B

12 March


I
nterviewing cont’d

 

Work on Final Research Project

WK9A

17 March

Literature Review Due to Prof Clough

Using primary documents

 

WK9B

19 March

Narratives and Event Analysis

 

WK10A

24 March

Social Science Research Projects Due Formulating Good Cases

 

Work on Final Research Project

WK 10B

26 March

Constructing Arguments: logic, truth claims and determining causality

Levin  p83-89

 

WK11A

31 March

Writing, editing and who to write for

Levin  p93-121

Work on Final Research Project

WK11B

2 April

Time-management

 

 

WK 12A

14 April

Thesis Outlines Due

Individual meetings with students on research projects

 Work on Final Research Project

WK 12 B

16 April

Individual meetings with students on research projects

 

 

WK 13A

21 April

Individual meetings with students on research projects

 

 

WK 13 B

23 April

Final Research Projects Due to Prof Cox

Presentations of Final Research Project

 

 

WK 14 A

28 April

Presentations of Final Research Project

WK 14B

30 April

Presentations of Final Research Project

 

 

Exam Week

Final Research Projects Due to Prof Clough