Week Two:  Research Design and Causal Relationships

Chat Room Discussions:  Sunday at 8 and Tuesday at 9:15.

To pose a question for Ted Goertzel or Ron Passarella, use the Questions and Private Messages link.  Put your question in "Questions" so others can also see the answer.  This is less chaotic than chat where your question may be lost.

This week will focus on Research Design and Causal Arguments

Assignments
  1. Due by 10 a.m. on September 22.  Week Two Quiz . You may take this quiz twice and the highest score will count.  It will covers Chapter Four of Babbie with some repeat of items from Chapter One, plus some items from Ayers, Chapter Three.  This quiz will open on September 16.
  2. Due by 2 p.m. on September 24.  Ayers, Exercise 3.  You may enter your answers into SAKAI as often as you wish before 2 p.m. on September 24.  This exercise is available now. [It is exercise 3 because it's chapter 3 although it is week two].


Reading: 
  1. Babbie, Chapter Four
  2. Ayers, Exercise 3, pp 59-77.  It is best to open Microcase and follow these examples.  Pay attention to the scatterplots at the end of the chapter, som eof these appear also on the quiz.
Other Materials:
  1. There is a Research Design Powerpoint in Sakai/Resources/Week Two .  There is also a narrated version.  The same presentation, without narration, can be viewed online through Google Documents here. 
  2. There is a powerpoint on Cause and Effect in Sakai/Resources/Week Two.  This has additional illustrations on causation based on a lecture by Professor Judea Pearl.