BASIC RESEARCH METHODS

Manfred Kuechler

 
 

Updated 8/13/97


 
Section 01 Monday & Thursday 9:45-11:00 HW 509
Section 51 Monday & Wednesday 5:25-6:40 HW 509B
Office Hours Monday 4:00-5:00 and by appointment (call 772-5588) HW 1628
E-mail mkuechle@hunter.cuny.edu
Tutor Jennifer Willard; day and time of tutor session to be determined
 

Objectives: This course will provide an overview on various research methods in sociology (but also used in political science, public administration, education, and similar fields). It will deal with general plans to carry out empirical social research and with different ways of obtaining and utilizing data.

Most students do not seek a career as a social researcher. Yet, many will be in a position where they will make use of social research. Therefore it is important to understand how sociologists gain their knowledge: How they find out why marriages fail, what effect a divorce has on the children, how the public feels about the homeless, what effect the spread of AIDS has on the sexual behavior of singles, what causes urban unrest, or exactly how ethnic neighborhoods differ from mainstream middle-class settings. In most sociology courses, results of social research are discussed and you focus on the substance of the matter. Here you will gain knowledge of the 'inner workings' of social research.

Approach: The course was redesigned last fall to better serve the needs of the large majority of sociology students at Hunter. The redesign takes into account the average level of preparedness and the significant time constraints many students face due to work and/or family obligations. The class survey project, central to the course in previous semesters, was dropped. Student with a stronger interest in methods and/or with plans to pursue graduate studies are encouraged to take additional research-oriented classes beyond this basic course. However, the course maintains its emphasis on the "practical side of research" in contrast to a discussion of more abstract issues in methodology and philosophy of science. Fortunately, a new textbook has become available that follows a similar oriented approach -- stressing practical issues and substantive applications. Methods will be discussed in close connection to sociological questions close to real life.

Prerequisites: Students must have taken SOC 101 ('Introduction to Sociology'), no exceptions. The course is open to Sociology majors only and no more than 30 students will be accepted into each section.

Requirements: Students must complete all reading assignments prior to class, and they must submit all assignments on time. I mean it! Don't take this class, if other obligations will keep you from devoting quite a bit of time to this course every week. There will be frequent homework assignments. Though the homework assignments are optional, experience shows that it is very difficult to do well in this class without spending sufficient time on the homework assignments.

I will base your course grade on three components:

  1. a midterm classroom exam
  2. a final classroom exam
  3. homework assignments
To obtain a passing grade for the course, you must obtain a grade of "D" or better for at least one of the classroom exams. The course grade will be the average of the two classroom exam grades. By doing homework assignments (correctly) you can earn bonus points which will improve your course grade by up to one full grade. Example: If you make a "D" and a "B" in the classroom exams, your average is "C". However, if you have worked successfully on homework assignments throughout the semester, you can receive as high as a "B" for the course. You need to do all homework assignments by the deadline specified to receive credit, though. This stipulation is necessary to provide timely feedback to students completing their homework on time. Same rules and same opportunities for everybody! Finally, as a matter of principle, I do not assign the grade of 'incomplete' at the end of the semester.

Midterm/Final Exam: These exams will mostly consist of both 'short answer' questions (most likely based on an excerpt of published research) and a multiple choice section. The exact format of each exam will be explained during the course. Practice exams and review sessions will give you sufficient opportunity to familiarize yourself with format and approximate contents of the exams.

Homework assignments: There will be a series of homework assignments throughout the semester, for the most part "chapter exercises" taken from the textbook and other assignments related to the textbook chapters. Typically, you will have a week to do an assignment.

Textbook: Unfortunately, textbooks has become more and more expensive. The one we will use is not cheap either, but with a suggested retail price of $42.95 it is about $10 lower than the text I have used in previous semesters (Babbie).

Russell K. Schutt: Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 1996. (ISBN 0-8039-9010-3)
The textbook contains a diskette with computer-assisted exercises that students can do on their own. However, use of this diskette is strictly optional. However, I strongly suggest that you get a copy of the following book as well:
Russell K. Schutt: Study Guide and Activities to Accompany Investigating the Social World. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 1997. (ISBN 0-8039-9040-5)
Updated course information: Relevant course information (in particular, homework assignments) will be posted on ERES -- the Electronic Reserve Shelf of Hunter College -- throughout the semester. Check these "course pages" regularly, especially when you have been unable to attend a class session. ERES is available on the WWW from any computer with Internet access and equipped with a "web browser" like Netscape or the Microsoft Internet Explorer. So, you get to it from your local public library branch, maybe your job, or a friend's house -- if you don't have access to the Internet from your home yourself. Most computer labs at Hunter offer web access -- including the suite of labs on the 10th floor of Hunter North and the social science lab in HW607.

You can access ERES from the Hunter College home page (though currently the 'link' is hard to spot) as well as from the home page of the department of sociology which can be reached using the following URL:

http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/socio/

Alternatively, you can access the ERES directly at :

http://maxweber.hunter.cuny.edu/eres/
Weekly Schedule 
SECTION 01 SECTION 51 TOPIC READING
Sep 4 Sep 3 Course Overview   --- 
Sep 8, 11 Sep 8, 10 Searching for previous research
Class will meet in computer lab HN 10th floor		 Chapter 1
Sep 15, 18 Sep 15, 17 The Process and Problems of Social Research
Illustration of research ethics: Tuskegee study		 Chapter 2
Sep 22, 25 Sep 22, 24 Conceptualization and Measurement Chapter 3
Sep 29 Sep 29 Causation Chapter 4
Oct 6, 9 Oct 6, 8  Sampling Chapter 5
Oct 16 Oct 17 Sampling (cont.) Chapter 5
Oct 20, 23 Oct 20, 22 Research Design and Validity: Case Studies Chapter 6
Oct 27 Oct 27 Review Session Chapters 1-6
Oct 30 Oct 29 MIDTERM EXAM --- 
Nov 3, 6 Nov 3, 5 Experiments Chapter 7
Nov 10, 13 Nov 10, 12 Survey Research: Questionnaire Design Chapter 8/part 1
Nov 17, 20 Nov 17, 19 Survey Research: Modes of Administration Chapter 8/part 2
Nov 24, 25 (Tue) Nov 24, 26 Field Research Chapter 9
Dec 1, 4 Dec 1, 3 Multiple Methods: Case Studies  Chapters 10
Dec 8,11 Dec 8, 10 Reporting Research Results Chapters 12
Dec 15 Dec 15 Review Session Chapters 8-12
Dec 18, 11:30-1:30 Dec 17, 5:20-7:10 FINAL EXAM