Research Methods: Schedule

Class Schedule

Items marked with a * are recommended.
Theme articles are available at the Reserve Desk at the library.
Items that are underlined are links on the world wide web (internet). To read them you should go to the class web page and click on them.

Check the Web Resources every week; they will be very helpful in getting your work done and building understanding of the material.

Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7

Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 Week 14

Monitor your email and Blackboard for changes.
All reading should be completed prior to the classes in a week.
Babbie refers to The Basics of Social Research.
The lab for a week will be done in class that week.
The Assignment for a week is due the following week.

Week 1

Introduction to the Class and Social Research

Goals
Assignment
Lab
Web Resources

No reading prior to class, obviously, but please make sure you know how to get into Blackboard, that your email in Blackboard is an email address that you actually use, and that you send an email introducing yourself to your instructor.

Notes: We will have a brief quiz on the syllabus during the next class. Make sure you have filled out a notecard. If you never read the early chapters of Babbie, do so immediately! I strongly recommend that you begin reading your theme book now.

Week 2

Unobtrusive Research I. Content Analysis

Goals
Assignment
Lab
Web Resources

Read the complete syllabus.
CUNY Policy on Student Research (or in workbook)
Babbie Chapter 11.
*Guide to Writing xii-11.
Sociological Questions from Writing in Sociology at Queens College (in lab)
*Conceptual and Analysis Criteria: A Process for Identifying Quality Educational Research (In lab)
*Guide to Writing 79-107, 46-48.
Theme reading #1. (Blackboard or database)
This is the reading you need to do for the assignment due next week. Read only the first article for the theme you have chosen.
Review: Babbie xxi-xxiv, 1-17, Chapter 4 (These should be a review from 246)(This is where to find the "Errors of Human Reasoning.")

Week 3

Unobtrusive Research II : Unobtrusive Measures and Other Approaches

Goals
Lab
Assignment
Web Resources

Babbie Chapter 14 and *Chapter 4
Theme reading #1. (Blackboard or database)
This is the reading you need to do for the assignment due this week. Read only the first article for the theme you have chosen.
*Guide to Writing 18-37

Note: You should have a good idea of what the topic of your research proposal will be by this point. You should make sure you have a clear idea of what the unit of analysis will be. You should be reading articles and books on the topic and developing your hypotheses or research questions. Make sure to consult with me if you feel you need advice. Expect to be asked to write something in class about your research proposal this week.

Week 4

Unobtrusive Research III: Secondary Data Analysis and Elementary Statistics

Goals Assignment
Lab
Web Resources

Babbie 254-256, 273-274 Chapter 5
Guide to Writing140-177

Week 5

Surveys I Operationalization and measurement

Goals Assignment
Lab
Web Resources

Babbie Chapter 5
Guide to Writing 140-177

Notes: Be sure to bring your survey ON DISK to the lab next week. If you plan to use a questionnaire in your proposed research, now is the time to start working on it.

Week 6

Surveys II Carrying out Survey Research

Goals
Assignment
Lab
Web Resources

Babbie Chapter 9 (MAKE SURE TO READ THIS BEFORE WRITING YOUR SURVEY.)
Theme reading #2 (On Blackboard) We will be discussing these articles in class! Make sure that you have read them and bring them to class.

Note: Be sure to bring your survey ON DISK to lab this week.

Week 7

Sampling

Goals
Assignment
Lab
Web Resources

Babbie Chapter 7

Note: For your research proposal, you should be thinking about your population of interest and how you would sample it.

Week 8

Field Work and Qualitative Research I

Goals
Assignment
Lab
Web Resources

Lofland and Lofland Analyzing Social Settings 1-65
*Lofland and Lofland 204-229
Theme field research book, if you haven't read it yet. No substitutions are allowed.

Week 9

Field Work and Qualitative Research II

Goals
Assignment
Lab
Web Resources

Lofland and Lofland 66-122 and 231-236.

Week 10

Field Work and Qualitative Research III

Goals
Assignment
Lab
Web Resources

Lofland and Lofland 123-201

Week 11

Experiments, Quasi-Experiments, Evaluation Research

Goals
DRAFT DUE
NEXT WEEK
Lab
Web Resources

Babbie Chapter 8 (Old Babbie Chapter 9)
Babbie 12 (Old Babbie Chapter 13)
Theme Reading #4

A complete draft of the proposal is due next week. You must return your graded outline with the draft.

Week 12

Single Subject Design, Action Research

Goals
Complete draft due this week!
Assignment
Lab
Web Resources

Introduction to A Primer on Single-Subject Design for Clinical Social Workers by Tony Tripodi and published by the NASW press.
Christine Marlow "Single Subject Designs" in Research Methods for Generalist Social Work
Single Subject Design: The Clinical Research Model A slide show by Osei Darkwa. A nice summary of the material.
A Beginner's Guide to Action Research by Bob Dick
Definitions of Action Research

Week 13

Experiments, Quasi-Experiments, Evaluation Research

Goals
Assignment
Lab
Web Resources

Babbie Chapter 8 (Old Babbie Chapter 9)
Babbie 12 (Old Babbie Chapter 13)
Theme Reading #4

Week 14

The Ethics and Politics of Social Research

Goals
Lab
Web Resources

Babbie Chapter 3 and "Avoiding Plagarism" pp 430-432. (Should be a review from 246.)
The Belmont Report
*Guide to Writing 38-46; 55-77.
American Sociological Association Code of Ethics
* National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics
Institutional Review Forms read "Submitting Your Proposal" and "Forms" and browse the other sections on this page. In particular, the "CUNY Principal Investigators Manual" provides a good overview. The guidelines for consent forms will be useful for your proposal.