Soc. 920:311:01-02, Introduction to Social Research
Prof. Patricia Roos; T.A.: Tracie Witte

Offices: Roos: Rm. A-342, Lucy Stone Hall (Livingston campus); phone: 445-5848
Witte: Rm. B219, Lucy Stone Hall (Livingston campus)

Office hrs: Roos: Mondays and Thursdays, 11:30-12:30 (or by appointment)
Witte: Mondays 1-2 p.m., Wednesdays 3-4 p.m. (or by appointment)

Emails: Roos: roos@rci.rutgers.edu
Witte: traciew@rci.rutgers.edu

I. Course Objectives--This course will present an overview of social scientific methods--that is, the process whereby researchers in the behavioral and social sciences investigate theoretically-informed hypotheses about the behavior of individuals and the organization of social institutions. The course will address the major components of the research process, including the development of theoretically-informed hypotheses, the operationalization of theoretical concepts, the collection of data, the testing of hypotheses through data analysis, and the presentation of research results. Through class discussions, readings, and assignments, you will gain expertise in the practice of social science research. In addition, you will begin to develop the skills necessary to read and evaluate social science research in an intelligent and critical manner. Increasingly, one of the important skills social science researchers must learn is how to use and manipulate data on the computer. Toward that end, you will learn statistical analysis on the computer, using SAS (a statistical software program). The data used will be the 1998 General Social Survey. In addition, we will use the web extensively during this class.

Note: you must have a Rutgers computer account for this class. If you don't have an account, go immediately to your nearest campus hub and get one.

II. Readings-We will use two required books, plus readings on the web for this course. The books are available at the Livingston College bookstore.

Earl R. Babbie
2001. The Practice of Social Research. Ninth edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. [make sure you get the 9th edition]

SAS Institute, Inc.
1996. The Little SAS Book: A Primer. Second edition. Cary, N.C.: SAS Institute, Inc.

III. Course Requirements--The grade for the course will be based on:

a. attendance at scheduled recitation section (either M3* or Th3*); this is a 4-credit course, and you must attend recitations to pass the course; we will take attendance;

b. first examination (20 percent; tentatively scheduled for date Thursday, February 28th);

c. second examination (20 percent; tentatively scheduled for Thursday, April 4th);

d. six assignments that require application of the techniques learned in the readings and lectures; these assignments will be available on a regular basis; one of the assignments will involve class presentations by groups; late assignments will be penalized (1/2 point each day they are late) and those not turned in within one week from due date will not be accepted (40 percent);

e. a final project involving hypothesis construction, data analysis, and presentation of research results that builds on the written assignments; selection of topics will be based on data available from a representative sample of the U.S. population in 1998 ( 20 percent; due Friday, May 9th).

f. class participation will be taken into account only for those who are on the borderline between grades (e.g., B to a B+; C+ to B).

The two examinations will be open book and will consist of both short essays and problems. You will need a calculator that allows for scientific notation for the two exams and for some of the assignments. There are NO makeups for the two examinations without a WRITTEN excuse from your physician. ALL course requirements must be completed to get a grade in the course.

IV. Instructional Microcomputer Lab (IML) (Tillett Hall, Rm. 119)--We are tentatively scheduled to meet for three weeks of recitations (not lectures) in the Tillett Hall Instructional Microcomputer Lab (IML). Note that Thursday recitations for Feb. 7th and 14th will be in the Busch ARC building (Rm. 116). Depending on your scheduled recitation, you should meet your recitation (but not the lectures) in the IML on the following dates (PLEASE NOTE THESE DATES ON YOUR CALENDARS NOW):

Monday, February 4th (M3*)
Thursday, February 7th (Th3*) [NOTE: Busch ARC Bldg.]

Monday, February 11th (M3*)
Thursday February 14th (Th3*) [NOTE: Busch ARC Bldg.]

Thursday, April 25th (Th3*)
Monday, April 29th (M3*)

V. Student Responsibility--You must attend class sessions and recitations and participate in discussions. You will not pass this course if you do not attend class and recitations regularly. Assigned readings should be completed prior to class meetings to facilitate class discussion, and you should come to class prepared to ask questions about the lectures, assignments, and/or reading material.

Because unforeseen circumstances may require changes in the assigned readings, the course outline, or examination dates, you are responsible not only for due dates specified in the syllabus, but also for any handouts or announcements made in class, or posted on the website. Please let me or the TA know if you will miss class for a religious holiday, and we will ensure that you can make up the material.

You are encouraged to consult with the instructor and/or teaching assistant about any problems you may encounter with lectures, reading material, or class assignments. Do not wait until the class is almost over before coming in for assistance. Remember: If you are a Sociology major or minor you must get at least a C in this course to have it count toward your degree.

VI. Academic Integrity--This course will be conducted in full accordance with the university's "Policy on Academic Integrity." Academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to) such behavior as quoting or paraphrasing without attribution; submitting work for more than one course without the instructor's permission; copying from, or assisting, other students on exams; plagiarizing major portions of assignments; using a purchased paper; presenting other's work as your own; altering a graded exam; theft of exams. [For the complete policy, click here.]

We will not accept any exams, assignments, or papers from student involved in dishonest behavior, and we will report such students to their college dean. Because grades in this course will be based on a curve, students engaging in dishonest behavior hurt all students in the course. As the Policy on Academic Integrity states: "Students are responsible for knowing what the standards [for academic integrity] are and for adhering to them. Students should also bring any violations of which they are aware to the attention of their instructors."

Course Outline (and approximate dates)

I. Introduction to Social Science Inquiry (Jan. 24-28)
A. The scientific method
B. Deduction and induction
C. Variables and variation

Readings: Babbie: Chs. 1-2; SAS Inc.: Ch. 1, Ch. 2 (2.1-2.11 only)
For a SAS tutorial, click here

II. The Research Process (Jan. 31-Feb. 4)
A. Research design
B. Conceptualization
C. Reliability and validity
D. Operationalization and measurement
E. Hypothesis construction
F. Introduction to SAS

Readings: Babbie: Chs. 4, 5, 14; SAS Inc.: Ch. 3, Ch. 4 (4.1-4.14 only), Ch. 5 (5.1 only)
Recommended: Babbie, Ch. 6

III. Association and the Logic of Causation (Feb. 7-14)
A. Association
B. Analyzing causal relationships: cause and effect
C. Determinism
D. The elaboration paradigm

Readings: Babbie: Chs. 3, 16

IV. Testing Causal Hypotheses: Qualitative Analysis (Feb. 18-25)
A. Field research
B. Unobtrusive research

Readings: Babbie: Chs. 10, 11, 13

EXAM ONE: Thursday, February 28th

V. Testing Causal Hypotheses: The Classical Experiment (March 4-14)
A. Independent and dependent variables
B. Experimental and control groups
C. Quasi-experimental designs
D. Evaluation research: applied social science research

Readings: Babbie: Chs. 8, 12

VI. Testing Causal Hypotheses: Survey Research (March 25-April 1)
A. The logic of sampling
1. Concepts and terminology
2. Sampling theory and sampling distribution
3. Sampling design

Readings: Babbie: Ch. 7

B. Survey research
1. Questionnaires
2. Interviews

Readings: Babbie: Ch. 9

EXAM TWO: Thursday, April 4th

VII. Ethics in Social Science Research (April 8-18)
A. Ethics in the research process
B. The politics and use of social research

Readings: Babbie: Chs. 18, 19;
Rutgers Policy on Human Subjects Research (read in its entirety)
(additional readings online for class presentations)

VIII. Data Analysis: The Empirical Testing of Research Hypotheses (April 22-May 6)
A. Back to SAS (reread relevant chapters as needed in SAS Inc.)
B. Descriptive statistics: univariate analysis; measures of central tendency and dispersion
C. Descriptive statistics: bivariate analysis, chi square

Readings: Babbie: Ch. 15, 17; SAS Institute: Ch. 7 (7.1-7.4), Ch. 8 (for debugging programs)
(additional readings online for statistical techniques)

FINAL PAPER: Thursday, May 9th, in Rm. A-342 Lucy Stone Hall (put under the door)