SOC 318: Introduction to Research

Fall 2015
MW 12:45-2:05PM
Hall of Languages 215
Dr. Rebecca L. Schewe
426 Eggers Hall, 315-443-9894
rlschewe@syr.edu
Office hours: MW 3:00-4:00PM

TA: Jinpu Wang

046 Eggers
jwang211@syr.edu
Office hours: T 3:00-5:00PM

Class Description:
Sound research methods provide the basis for inquiry and discovery that moves social
science from the realm of opinions and into the realm of data, evidence, and theory. This
course is designed to introduce students to the logic and skills of social scientific
research and particularly to quantitative research methods and skills. This course will
introduce the research process and the skills necessary to conduct quantitative social
research. These skills are necessary to conduct novel research and will help you in both
undergraduate and graduate research projects as well as many careers such as
marketing, education, or program evaluation. A strong understanding of research
methods will also help students fully understand and engage with others research. In
this course you will be introduced to a wide range of sociological methods such as survey
research, experiments, and analysis of existing data sets.
Course Objectives
-

To gain a basic understanding of the philosophy of science and principles

underlying social research
To learn the stages of the research process
To be able to formulate suitable research questions and choose an appropriate
social research method to answer those questions
To be able to understand and interpret others research findings
To gain basic quantitative research skills including constructing and reading data
tables and using computer software to analyze data and test hypotheses

Required Readings and Materials

The following book is required and can be purchased at the university bookstore:
Schutt, Russell K. 2012. Investigating the Social World: the Process and Practice of
Research. 7th edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Additional required readings will be posted on Blackboard and can be downloaded for
reading and printing.

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Electronic Access Requirements

Blackboard will also be used to post and turn in assignments, and students are expected
to utilize Blackboard throughout the semester. You will need access to IBM SPSS
statistical software. This software is available in the Sociology computer lab and in
several other computer labs across campus. You DO NOT need to purchase a license, you
should have no problem completing the labs in the available university computer labs.
Course Requirements and Grading
Careful reading and participation are mandatory for this course. Classroom time will be
balanced between lecture, discussion of the readings, and a number of in class research
activities. Because the course is discussion and activity-based, it is absolutely necessary
for you to complete the readings prior to each class and be prepared to discuss them.
Assignments will complement the readings and discussion.
Grades will be assessed as follows:
Homework 1: Research Questions (5%)
Homework 2: Method Selection (5%)
Homework 3: Concepts, and Measurement (5%)
Homework 4: Causality (5%)
Lab 1: Describing a Respondent (5%)
Lab 2: Calculating Descriptive Statistics (5%)
Lab 3: Making Simple Tables (5%)
Lab 4: Making Simple Charts (5%)
Exam 1 (15%)
Exam 2 (20%)
Research Proposal:
Rough Draft (5%)
Final Draft (15%)
Reading Check Quizzes (5%)
A=
A- =
B+ =
B=
B- =
C+ =
C=
C- =
D=
F=

93+
90-92
87-89
84-86
80-83
77-79
74-76
70-73
60-69
Below 60

Homework and Research Proposal: Throughout the semester you will have a
series of four homework assignments as well as a draft and final version of a
research proposal. These assignments should be considered different parts of a
single project. You will pick a research topic of interest to you and develop a
research proposal addressing that topic. Each homework assignment will develop
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one part of that proposal. You will also submit a rough draft of the proposal and a
final complete research proposal.
Labs: Throughout the semester you will have a series of four lab assignments that
will develop your practical quantitative research and analysis skills. These labs will
use a pre-existing data set and you will need access to IBM SPSS statistical
software to conduct the analysis. Each lab assignment will build on the skills
learned in class and in the previous lab assignments. SPSS is available for student
use in the Sociology computer lab as well as several computer labs throughout
campus, or you may purchase it from the bookstore for $49. You DO NOT need to
purchase a license, you should have no problem completing the labs in the
available university computer labs.
Reading Check Quizzes: We will begin each class with a brief quiz to verify that
you have completed the assigned readings. Most quizzes will be only 1-2
questions, although I may surprise the class with longer pop reading quizzes at any
time.
Attendance and Participation: Attendance and participation in class is
mandatory. Throughout the semester, we will utilize class time to conduct a
number of research activities and develop research skills and understanding.
Extra Credit: No extra credit will be given in this course.
Late Policy: All assignments will be turned in online through the Blackboard
system. Assignments must be submitted before the start of class on the day they
are due. For each day that an assignment is late I will subtract 10 points from the
assignments grade. All students are required to take exams during the scheduled
time, makeup exams will not be given unless required by a specific university
policy.
Grade Appeals: If you have questions about a grade, please follow the following
procedure:
1) WAIT. No grade appeals or inquiries will be considered within 48 hours of the
student receiving the grade. First give yourself time to cool off and consider the
grade and comments carefully during the 48 hour waiting period, 2) send an email
inquiry detailing your questions and/or concerns to both the professor and TA using
your SU email and following the course email policy, 3) the TA will respond within
24 hours to either answer your inquiry via email or schedule a time for a meeting,
4) if a meeting is needed, you should meet with the TA first to discuss your inquiry,
5) if a meeting with the TA does not resolve your inquiry, the TA will send an email
to both the student and professor to schedule a meeting, 6) if the follow-up
meeting is unable to resolve your inquiry you may submit grade inquiries through
the department chair and appropriate university channels.
Conduct Ground Rules
This class will involve many debates and discussions. We will not always all agree, and
that is fine, but it is important for each of us to be respectful and appropriate. If you ever
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feel uncomfortable with comments from another student or from me, please let me know
as soon as possible and we will find a solution. I absolutely do not tolerate bullying
or bigotry of any kind in my classroom. Racial, ethnic, gender, religious, sexual
orientation, or other slurs or derogatory language will result in you being asked to leave
class immediately and will be resolved according to the University guidelines for
resolution of discrimination and harassment.
Academic Integrity
Syracuse Universitys Academic Integrity Policy holds students accountable for the
integrity of the work they submit. Students should be familiar with the policy and know
that it is their responsibility to learn about course-specific expectations, as well as about
university policy. The university policy governs appropriate citation and use of sources,
the integrity of work submitted in exams and assignments, and the veracity of signatures
on attendance sheets and other verification of participation in class activities. The policy
also prohibits students from submitting the same written work in more than one class
without receiving written authorization in advance from both instructors. The
presumptive penalty for a first offense by an undergraduate student is course failure,
accompanied by a transcript notation indicating that the failure resulted from a violation
of Academic Integrity Policy. The standard sanction for a first offense by a graduate
student is suspension or expulsion. For more information and the complete policy,
see http://academicintegrity.syr.edu.
Course Specific Expectations: Academic misconduct will not be tolerated
and will be reported to the Academic Integrity office and addressed
according to university policy. I have a zero-tolerance policy and all
suspected violations will be punished with either a zero on the
assignment and/or course failure. Plagiarism and cheating are never the right
choice. Please read the University policies dealing with plagiarism and understand
that plagiarism includes both copying the exact wording from someone else and
also using an authors ideas without giving a citation. You are responsible for
understanding what constitutes plagiarism and how to avoid it. If you have
questions about how to cite a source, understanding what plagiarism is, or how to
avoid plagiarism, please ask me for help. Learning how to build up your own ideas
and to combine them with good citations is an important skill, and I want to help
you develop that skill. Collaboration on homework or lab assignments is
NOT PERMITTED except with the express, written permission of the instructor.
TurnItIn.com
All assignments will be evaluated using TurnItIn.com to check for instances of plagiarism
or other cheating. I encourage you to pre-check your work yourself using TurnItIn so
that you can be sure you have not inaccurately cited or used existing work.
Technology in the Classroom
Laptops, cell phones, recording devices, and/or tablets will not be allowed during class
unless they are needed for a documented learning disability or have been permitted for
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a specific assignment. If you are using an electronic version of a reading, you must
discuss this with me in advance.
Blackboard
This class will rely heavily on the Blackboard system for readings, assignments, and
discussion boards. Students are expected to be familiar with the Blackboard system and
any questions should be directed to the ITS Help Desk: (315) 443-2677. You are
responsible for meeting all deadlines for assignments through Blackboard and you
should allow adequate time for trouble-shooting software or system issues. I will not
accept technology-related problems as an excuse for late or incomplete work.
Email Policy
Email to instructors should be polite and appropriate. Please include a clear topic in the
subject line, a proper greeting, and sign the message with your complete name. Please
take the time to proofread your email and make sure that it is suitable for a professor.
You should allow 24 hours for a response to messages, and I will answer email during
normal weekday business hours. Email is the most appropriate way to reach me with
brief questions, expected absences, and technical questions. For significant substantive
questions about course material I encourage you to attend office hours. If email does not
adhere to these standards, I reserve the right not to respond.
Religious Holiday Observances
Syracuse University recognizes the diverse faith traditions represented among its
campus
community and supports the rights of faculty, staff, and students to observe these
traditions.
Faculty are asked to make appropriate accommodation for students' observance needs
by providing an opportunity to make up any examination, study, or work requirement
that is missed because of an absence due to a religious observance, provided the
instructor has been notified no later than the end of the second week of
classes.
Student Athletes
Student athletes are obligated to meet both their academic and athletic commitments. It
is your responsibility to provide a letter from the Student-Athlete Support Services
confirming your status as a student athlete and your anticipated travel schedule. All
arrangements for assignments and letters requesting accommodations must be made in
advance of the travel and must be confirmed in writing via email with the
instructor.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of
Disability Services (ODS), located in Room 309 of 804 University Avenue, or call (315)
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443-4498 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting
accommodations. ODS is responsible for coordinating disability-related accommodations
and will issue students with documented Disabilities Accommodation Authorization
Letters, as appropriate. Since accommodations may require early planning and generally
are not provided retroactively, please contact ODS as soon as possible. For more
information, see http://disabilityservices.syr.edu/faculty-staff/contact-us/
Campus Resources
The Writing Center: The writing center offers classes and one-on-one meetings to
help you with any kind of writing. Call (315) 443-5289 or go to http://wc.syr.edu/ for
more information.
Student Support Services: If you have, or think you might have, a special need
that requires accommodations, Student Support Services can offer help. Call 315-4433867or go to http://oss.syr.edu/ for more information. Please also let me know.
Counseling Services: Sometimes we all need a little extra help. If you ever want to
talk to someone about your health, stress, depression, or problems, the University
offers counseling services. Please call 315.443.4715 or go to
http://counselingcenter.syr.edu/ for more information.
Sexual Assault Services: If you have been sexually assaulted or if you have
questions concerning sexual assault or abuse, the Counseling Center offers
information and support. Please call 315-443-4715 or
http://counselingcenter.syr.edu/SexualAssaultRelationshipViolence/sexual_assault.html
for more information.
Technology Help Desk: The ITS Help Desk can help you solve many computing
problems, including help with the Blackboard system. Please call (315) 443-2677or
email help@syr.edu for assistance.

Key Dates: HOMEWORK IS ALWAYS DUE BEFORE THE START OF CLASS IN

BLACKBOARD
September 7
September 8
September 21
September 21
September 30
October 7
October 12
October 19
October 19
October 26
October 26
November 2

Labor day, no classes

Add deadline
Financial deadline to drop classes
Homework 1 due
Homework 2 due
Lab 1 due
Homework 3 due
Lab 2 due
Semester midpoint
Lab 3 due
Academic drop deadline
Exam 1
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November
November
November
December
December
December

16
Homework 4 due
20
Withdrawal deadline
30
Lab 4 due
2
Rough Draft due, Peer Review
9
Final Proposal Due
14, 12:45PM Exam 2

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31Aug

TOPIC
Introduction, process and problems
of social research

2-Sep

Defining a research topic and

question

7-Sep

LABOR DAY, NO CLASSES

9-Sep

Independent and dependent

variables, hypotheses

14Sep
16Sep
21Sep
23Sep
28Sep
30Sep

Reading and writing a research

article
Summarizing, paraphrasing, and
plagiarism, research proposals
Selecting a research method:
Quantitative & Qualitative,
Surveys
Selecting a research method:
Experiments, Secondary data &
Content Analysis
Conceptualization and
operationalization
Measurement, units of analysis

READING
ISW Chapter 1, podcast "Happy
Birthday Good Doctor Sacks"
ISW Chapter 2 (first half of chapter, stop
at Social Research Strategies pg 39),
Booth et al. 2008 A
ISW Chapter 2 (second half of chapter,
begin at Social Research Strategies
pg 39), Singleton and Straits 2010
ISW Appendix A&B, White 2005

ISW Chapter 9 (beginning of chapter,

stop at Participant Observation pg
287), Babbie 1973

ISW Chap. 4
Becker 1998 A, Neuman 1997

7-Oct

Indexes, scales, and typologies

Babbie 2014 A

12Oct

Research ethics and IRB

ISW Chap. 3, Buchanan and Miller 2006,

podcast "How Much Should We Trust
Economics?"

14Oct

Measures of central tendency and

dispersion

Babbie 2014 B

19Oct

Bivariate and multivariate analysis

Babbie 2014 C

Sampling

ISW Chap. 5

Sampling (cont.)

Becker 1998 B

Causation

ISW Chap. 6, podcast "What Causes

What?"

9-Nov

Survey Research

HW1: Research
topic and
question

Everyday Sociology (weblink), Livesey

2011

Introduction to SPSS and lab

assignments

Exam 1
Experiments

LIBRARY DAY

Davis 2012, Booth et al. 2008 B

5-Oct

21Oct
26Oct
28Oct
2-Nov
4-Nov

ASSIGNMENT

HW2: Method
Selection

Intro. to SPSS (weblink)

Lab 1: Describing
a respondent
HW3: Concepts
and
measurement
Lab 2:
Descriptive
statistics
Lab 3: Making
basic tables

Exam 1
ISW Chap. 7
ISW Chap. 8, Schaeffer and Presser
2003

11Nov

Secondary data, quantitative data

analysis, and reporting results

ISW Chap. 13

16Nov

A rejoinder on sampling and

sampling error

ISW Chapter 5 (reread second half,

beginning at Sampling Distributions
pg 161), Babbie 2014 E

18Nov
23Nov
25Nov

Data visualization and

representation

ISW Chap. 14

HW4: Causation
& Method
Selection

THANKSGIVING BREAK
THANKSGIVING BREAK

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30Nov

Writing a research proposal

2-Dec

Peer Review

7-Dec

Evaluation and policy research

9-Dec
14Dec

Babbie 2014 D, White 2005

ISW Chap. 11
FINAL PROPOSAL
DUE

Review
FINAL EXAM

Lab 4: Making
basic graphs
ROUGH DRAFT
DUE

12:45-2:45 Hall of Languages 215

Exam 2

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