INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL RESEARCH
SOC 212 & CJ 3100
9:25a.m. - 12:05p.m. Monday: COB 230
9:25a.m. - 10:40a.m. Wednesday: COB 230
Fall 2009
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Instructor: Sherry Marshall smarshal@mail.uccs.edu
Learning Goals & Outcomes: This class is designed to introduce students to the formulation of the research process including: creating a research question and hypothesis, conducting a literature review, creating a survey tool, collecting data, entering and analyzing data using stocktickerSPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science), and producing a final product in the form of a research paper. This class also will cover the connection between theory and data, probability and non-probability sampling techniques, scales and indexes for research purposes, as well as various quantitative and qualitative research designs.
Text and Materials:
The Basics of Social Research, 4rd Ed. by Earl Babbie. Published by Wadsworth Publishing Co., 2008.
A calculator with basic statistical functions will be required for this class.
Visit the Wadsworth Website for many resources to accompany each chapter in this text such as practice
quizzes, tutorials, etc. Go to http://www.cengage.com/cengage/discipline.do?disciplinenumber=14 then
click on “Research Methods,” then click on “Companion site” (for students) under the Basics of Social
Research
Readings and Assignments: placeCityReadings, assignments, and exams are scheduled on the attached Assignment
Calendar. An updated calendar Dec. be distributed if pace or course format seems to warrant change as
the semester progresses.
Website (www.uccs.edu/~smarshal): Information to help guide you through this class and the assignments.
Grading:
Your overall course grade will be based on the individual units below.
EXAMS: Four exams worth 100 points each 500 (55%)
EXERCISES: Worth 16 pts each 128 (14%)
Three in-class group exercises (Ex. 3, 6, & 7)
Five outside class individual exercises
Exercises 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
RESEARCH PROJECT 225 (25%)
CLASS ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION 45 ( 5%)
TOTAL POINTS 900
A Few Resources which may be helpful for Literature Review
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/nacjd to access the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data
http://www.norc.org/GSS+Website/ to access the General Social Survey
http://www.international-survey.org/data/index.html International Social Science Surveys
http://www.webuse.umd.edu/ Very good site for multiple data sets
See pgs. 287-288 of text for other sites and examples
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Exams: There will be a total of five exams throughout the course. Exams will cover material from your text as well as from lecture material not necessarily covered in the text. If you miss an exam, you must contact me before class in order to set up a make-up time. If you do not contact me prior to exam, you must contact me as soon as possible, and I will then determine whether or not a make-up exam will be allowed.
Exercises: There will be three in-class exercises that will be completed in small groups and there will be five exercises that each student will complete outside of class individually.
In-class exercises: You must be present on the day the exercise is scheduled in order to receive credit (only 1 make-up for in-class assignments will be allowed). With advance notification - the instructor has the right to change dates as necessary.
Most outside exercises will be due one week from their assigned date (see Assignment Calendar). Late exercises will be accepted under the following conditions:
Assignments turned in up to one class period past due date will be accepted without penalty provided that this does NOT become a regular occurrence.
Assignments turned in one week past due will be accepted with a 10% penalty deducted from the assigned points for that particular exercise.
Assignments turned in after one week and up to two weeks past due will be accepted with a 30% penalty deducted from the assigned points for that particular exercise.
Under certain circumstances, exercises Dec. be accepted past two weeks late with 50% penalty.
Research Project: The goal is to take a specific social/criminal issue and develop it throughout the
semester. A separate handout will be given regarding specific details and report structure.
You may decide to do this project individually or in a group of 2 people. Your topic and whether you will be working as an individual or in a group is due by Sept. 9th, 2009. If you join a group and it comes to my attention that you are not equally participating, you will be asked to leave the group and will be required to do your own individual project.
Class Attendance/Participation: Class attendance is highly recommended. Not only will your exams cover material that Dec. not be found in your text, 5% of your grade will be determined through your attendance and participation in class (this can make a difference in lowering or raising your overall grade). You will be expected to have read the appropriate chapter, as outlined on the calendar, prior to coming to class so that we Dec. discuss the material. Although we will not be able to cover all material found in the text, you will be expected to have read each chapter and to ask questions when material is unclear.
Canceled Classes and Assignments: If class is canceled, any assignment originally due at the time of the cancellation will automatically be due at the next scheduled class time.
Disabilities: If you have a disability for which you are requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact Disability Services within the first week of classes. Contact information: Main Hall, Room 105, 719-255-3354, dservice@uccs.edu
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EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY:
Find an article in a newspaper, magazine, journal, or on the Internet that discusses “survey results”. Write a critique of the article and its findings - utilize critical thinking (1 to 1 ½ pages -discussing the strengths and weaknesses as far as issues related to research methods). Worth up to 10 points toward point accumulation for briefly discussing in-class or 7 points without in-class talk.
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