Website: http://webserver1.oneonta.edu/faculty/thomasa/

Course Description & Objectives

This course surveys methods of gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data with special attention to what particular styles of research imply in terms of alternative sociological theories.  Topics include research design, sampling methods of observation and interviewing, questionnaire construction, and quantitative as well as qualitative analysis.

Course Format & Policies

1.      You are expected to attend all classes and read all assigned materials.  You may expect to be tested on all assigned reading whether discussed in class or not.  Similarly, materials discussed in class but not in the assigned reading should also be expected on exams. As life happens, you will be excused three (3) classes for any reason, whether illness or just a good day at the mall.  However, additional absences will be excused only with notification from Student Affairs in extenuating circumstances.

2. In the event that you miss a class activity, you only make up the activity with a note from Student Affairs.  The assignment may not be the same given to the rest of the class.  It must be made-up within one week of the notification from Student Affairs.

3. Assignments are considered due at the beginning of class.  Late assignments are lowered a grade for every class period late.  Missing a class and turning in an assignment later the same day is still late.  Similarly, exam times are the beginning of class. No work can under any circumstances be accepted after the last day of class.

4. Always save a copy of any work submitted for your own records.

Students Diagnosed with a Disability

All individuals who are diagnosed with a disability are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As such, you may be entitled to certain accommodations within this class. If you are diagnosed with a disability, please make an appointment to meet with Student Disability Services (SDS), 209 Alumni Hall, ext. 2137. All students with the necessary supporting documentation will be provided appropriate accommodations as determined by the SDS Office.

It is entirely your responsibility to contact SDS and concurrently supply me with your accommodation plan, which will inform me exactly what accommodations you are entitled to. You will only receive accommodations once you provide me with an SDS accommodation plan.

Any previously recorded grades will not be changed.

Grading

Course Materials

TEXT:  Babbie, Earl.  2004.  The Basics of Social Research.  Fourth Edition.  Albany,       N.Y.: Wadsworth. (Required)

READER: Thomas, A. R. & Smith, P. J..  Spotlight on Social Research.  Boston: Allyn     & Bacon. (Required)

Course Schedule

12:00 MWF: FINAL EXAM FRIDAY MAY 14 @ 2:00 PM

1:00 MWF: FINAL EXAM MONDAY MAY 17 @ 11:00 AM

LITERATURE REVIEW

Find in the library at least ten research articles from scholarly journals related to a sociological topic of your choice.  Write a literature review based on these articles.  Begin with an introduction that summarizes the research question and continue with a discussion of the research literature.  The discussion should be thematic; do not simply summarize each article but explain the significance of the articles in relation to one another.  Include a bibliography in proper format; the bibliography does not count as a page.

The paper should be of four to six pages.  You should not write over six pages.  The pages should be secured to each other with a staple.

Pages: 4-6, double-spaced

Date Due: March 26, 2010 in class

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Expand your collection of references to fifteen.  Write a research proposal, based in part on the literature review, for a topic of your choice.  The paper should include an introduction that discusses the research question, an expanded literature review that discusses previous research and theoretical arguments, a methods section that outlines how you intend to conduct the research, and a discussion section that addresses what your what you expect to find and the significance of such findings for the field.  Although expanded, the literature review must not extend beyond four pages.

The paper should be of ten to fifteen pages.  You should not write over fifteen pages.  The pages should be secured to each other with a staple.

Pages: 10-15, double-spaced

Date Due: April 30, 2010 in class