Course Schedule and Assignments
Methods and Techniques of Social Research  -  Fall 2007
IMPORTANT:  This Schedule and Outline will be Modified Regularly.  Be sure to refresh or reload the page.
Links: Class Notes -  statistics formulas -  Course Syllabus   - Video Tutorials - DATA SOURCES
  Instructor:  Ted Goertzel.  email:  goertzel@camden.rutgers.edu 
Teaching Assistants: Amber Lawrence, Natalie Peditto
SAKAI  -  Note:  QUESTIONS can be posed to the Discussion module in SAKAI.
Consult the Course Syllabus for a description of this course and the required textbooks.  Since many computers today lack floppy disk drives, the publisher has made the software and data sets that comes with the Ayers book available for download on their WEB site.  If you have a good Internet connection, it is quicker and easier to install it from the .  than to use the cd-rom and floppies.  You need to go to the WEB site for the textbook, then "Companion Site" and then on "Student Microcase Download."  The software is also available in the computer labs.  Computer problems are not accepted as an excuse for late assignments in this course, if your home computer doesn't work, you should use one at Rutgers.  The Babbie book has a Companion Site with practice tests and other useful material. 

Weekly Schedule of Readings and Examinations

The page and chapter numbers from "Babbie" refer to Earl Babbie, The Basics of Social Research, Fourth Edition.  I have also listed equivalent chapter and page number from the third edition which looks similar.
Week One - Scientific Inquiry into Social Reality:  An Introduction.  - September 4 & 6
Reading:  Babbie:  Chapter One (chapter one in the third edition); Ayers, pages 1-15
Workbook Assignment:  Ayers, Exercise 1 (pages 17 to 28)-  This assignment is due on paper in class on September 11.  If you do not yet have the Ayers book you can open the exercise HERE in pdf format and print it out. 
On Thursday, Sept 6, we will meet in BSB 108 for hands-on help with Microcase.  This session is optional, attendance will not be taken.

Week Two:  Crosstabulation Analysis  - September 11 & 13
Reading:  Babbie:  Pages 45-63 (Deduction and Induction, Links Between Theory and Research) (42 to 58 in the third edition) and 459-469 (bivariate and multivariate analysis) (429-440 in the third edition); Ayers, pages 36-42
Workbook Assignment:  Ayers, Exercise 2, Part I (pages 43-50) - This assignment is due on paper in class on September 18.  If you do not yet have the Ayers book you can open the exercise HERE in pdf format and print it out.

Week Three:  Establishing Cause and Effect Relationships - September 18 & 20
Reading:  Babbie pages 95-103 (Exploration, Description, Explanation;  The Logic of Nomothetic Explanation) (85 to 103 in the third edition); Ayers Exercise Three

Week Four  Overview of Statistics and Research Design  - September 25 & 27
On Tuesday we will cover correlation and regression and some basic statistical concepts -  please bring a calculator. We will cover some of the statistics to be covered this semester.  These can be found on the statistics overview page.  Instructions for computing Descriptive Statistics are online. 
On Thursday we will discuss research design and Exercise 4 in Ayers
Reading:  Babbie pages 104-117 (95 to 109 in the third edition); Ayers, pages 91-107.

Week Five  Connecting Conceptualization and Measurement - October 2 & 4
Reading:  Babbie, pages 156-163 it might be best to read Chapter 5 in Babbie from the beginning (Criteria of Measurement Quality) (144 to 150 in the third edition); Ayers125-129.

Week Six  Measuring Social Reality - Levels of Measurement   Use of Graphs and Charts to Communicate Statistical Data - October 9 & 11
Reading:  Babbie, pages 130-155 (Conceptualization and Operationalization) (120-144 in the third edition); Ayers, 145-154

Week Seven  Midterm Examination - October 16 & 18
Reading:  review the readings for previous weeks. 

Week Eight  Constructing and Evaluating Indexes - October 23 & 25
Reading: Babbie, pages 169-189 (third edition 155-175);  Ayers, 171-178
There will be a help session in BSB 108 at 12:30 on Thursday, October 25
.
Week Nine  Sampling - October 30 & November 1
Reading:  Babbie, Chapter 7 (chapter 7 in the third edition);  Ayers, pages 205-215

Week Ten  Experiments and The Ethics of Social Research - November 6 & 8
Reading:  Babbie, Chapter 8 and Chapter 3 (chapters 8 and 3 in the third edition)
On Thursday we will review the materials on the official Rutgers Office of Research and Sponsored Programs WEB site for the certification test for research with human subjects.  This is explained on an ORSP site.  The test, and the material you need to study to pass it, are in SAKAI and are accessed HERE.  The course information is under "modules" and the test itself is under "tests and quizzes".  When you pass the test, you can print out an official letter which you should bring to class for credit.  Do not worry about getting 100% on the test, you will get 100 on this assignment if you pass and bring in the letter.  If you passed this before, obtain a letter and bring it to class.  If you passed it before on the WEBCT system, there is a link on the ORSP site where you can obtain your letter .
Quiz on Ethics of Research with Human Subjects.   Pass the test and bring your certification letter to class by December 11.  The test, and the material you need to study to pass it, are in SAKAI and are accessed HERE.
Week Eleven  Survey Research - November 13
Reading:  Babbie, Chapter 9 (chapter 9 in the third edition)
November 15 -  Junk Science video

Week Twelve -  Review Movie Day.  Attendance is required for all students who got less than 70% on the multiple choice portion of the midterm exam.  Others are welcome, but need not attend to get attendance credit.
Week Thirteen
November 27 -  Use of Regression Analysis to project time series data.  We will illustrate the Excel Trends assignment due December 4.
 
Excel Trends Assignment -  Due Dec 5.  Follow the online instructions and submit the results to the Assignment Dropbox on SAKAI in Excel format.
November 29:
Unobtrusive Research
Reading:  Babbie, Chapter 11 plus pages 422-426 on coding.
On December 4 there will be a voluntary lab session in BSB108 for those wishing help with the Excel Trends assignment.
Week Fourteen 
December 4,
Qualitative Field Research - Chapter 10   (skip the "Qualitative Paradigms" section)  in Babbie plus pages 416 to 418 on Linking Theory and Analysis.
Field Notes Assignment.  To be completed in class on December 4.  If you miss class, you may view the streaming video on your own and bring the form to class on December 6. 

Evaluating Social Interventions -  The Crime Drop - December 4 & 6
Ayers 12 and 13 plus Crime Drop Quiz.  In Sakai.  Due by December 14.  You have three opportunities to enter your answers and the highest score counts. 

Reading:  Babbie, Chapter 12 and  The Crime Drop in America

Week Fifteen  Review for Final Exam - December 11  - 
Two Optional Multiple Choice Review Quizzes for the Final has been posted in SAKAI.  These are just for review, they do not count towards your grade.  You may take them as often as you like.

Review Session at 12:30 Tuesday, December 11, focused on the statistics items.  This will be held in our regular classroom the  Cooper Street Building.

Final Examination:  Tuesday, December 18, 9 a.m. 




Completed Assignments
Exercise 1 in Ayers, Experiencing Social Research.  Complete this on paper and bring it to class on September 11.  Students unable to complete this on time must request an extension in class on September 11 and make arrangements to get the help they need from a TA.
Exercise 2, Part I (pages 43-50)  in Ayers.  Complete this on paper and bring it to class on September 18. 
Exercise 3 in Ayers.  Complete this on paper and bring it to class on September 25 or September 27
Exercise 4 is now available in the SAKAI Tests and Quizzes module.  It includes items from Exercise 4 in Ayers.  You may prefer to complete the exercise first on paper, then submit the requested answers.  Or you can open it in one window and SAKAI in another.  Each time you open the "quiz" you have two hours to complete it.  When you submit it, it should tell you which items you got wrong.  You may take it up to three times up until 9:30 AM on October 2.  If you prefer, you may bring it on paper on October 2.   No extra credit for doing it both on paper and online, just do one or the other.
Exercise 5 has two parts. 
   Part One:  Complete Exercise 5, Part I in the Ayers Book.  This is on pages 131-134.
   Part Two:  Print out the Exercise Week Five form and answer the questions on the paper.
        Then staple the two together and bring them to class on October 9. 
Exercise Six will be in SAKAI and will be due October 16.  You must take it before class on the 16th or you will get a zero.  It will include review items as well as items from the Ayers workbook.  You will be limited to three tries.  You may view or print a copy here, but the answers must be entered into SAKAI.  Nothing is to be handed in on paper on October 16.  You do not have to do Exercise Six from Ayers other than the items included on the SAKAI quiz.
Midterm Examination October 18.
Multiple Bivariate Table Assignment, due in class on October 30.  This is explained in the Class Notes for October 23.
Exercise 7, Part 1 in Ayers, Items 1 and 2 - pages 185-190 -  Due November 6
Sampling Quiz in SAKAI.  This will be posted shortly and will be due November 12.  A copy is posted here, but the answers must be entered in SAKAI.  You get three tries.
Extra Credit Assignment:  Report on Interviews with Former Students -  You will receive the names and telephone numbers of 5 former Rutgers students in class on November 13.  You are to call at least one of these students and complete the short interview with her or him.   Write notes of their answers on the questionnaire.  Complete the Survey Interviewing Report Form.   Type a brief report on your interview in the assignment box on SAKAI (click on "Assignments" on the left of the page) - no respondent names please, just the number.  Staple your printout of names and numbers to the Survey Interviewing Report Form and bring it, together with the questionnaires for your completed interview, to class on November 20.  You will get extra credit for completing more than three.  All interviews must be verifiable.  Due to the limited number of phone numbers available, completed interviews will count for extra credit.  Assignment credit will be given for turning in a survey interviewing report form that clearly lists the numbers called and the results of the call. 



Extra Credit Qualitative Analysis Paper:  Write a 500 to 1000 word qualitative analysis of our Former Student Interviews.  Choose one point to analyze and illustrate your analysis with summaries of the responses of at least three former students.  Follow the methods described on pages 416-417 in Babbie, looking for Frequencies, Magnitudes, Structures, Processes, Causes or Consequences.  Do not feel limited by the interview data, add interpretations from your own thinking and experience.  Submit your paper in doc or rtf format to SAKAI by December 9.  These will be included in a packet of materials to be shared with the University's retention and recruitment committee on December 17.