Research Methods

CJS / PA / SOC 3304

SPRING 2006
MW, 2:00 p.m. -3:15 p.m.

Dr. Karen L. Hayslett-McCall

Office: GR 3.210
Office Hours: M 12:30pm – 1:30pm (or by appt.)
Office Telephone: (972) 883-4767
E-mail addresses: klh024000@utdallas.edu

Teaching Assistant: Virginia Carver

Office:
Office Hours:
E-mail address: peanut@utdallas.edu
• Virginia will also be checking and responding to all the e-mail addressed to me
on WebCT.

Course Description/Objectives:
• The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the concepts and
techniques used to define research questions and to structure an appropriate
research design to answer these questions. Topics will include the connection
between theory and research design, variable measurement, sampling, the
differences between experimental and non-experimental designs, data analysis,
and the social context of scientific research. Research methods are used to
develop and organize data before the application of statistical techniques;
therefore, no prior knowledge of statistics is required for this course.

Special Note Regarding this Semester:

• The rhythm of taking collegiate level course work can be very demanding. I like
to remind everyone that regular effort is important on your part to keep up with
the assigned reading, etc. – especially when the class only meets once a week. If
you expect to get information out of class, you must come to class having read the
required materials for the assigned day.

Attendance:
• Students are expected to be diligent in the pursuit of their studies and regular in
their class attendance. Students have the responsibility of making arrangements
satisfactory to the instructor regarding absences on test days and when homework
is due. Such arrangement MUST be made prior to the absence if possible. THERE
WILL BE NO MAKEUP QUIZZES OR EXAMS.
• Attendance during presentations, videos, and guest speakers is mandatory, the
cost of missing one without a university excused absence is a zero on the points
assigned for that day.
 • Under no circumstances will I (or any of my TA’s or the supplemental instructor)
provide notes for students missing class. I suggest that you find 2 or 3 people in
the class that you can contact about notes in case of emergency. I will post
information from in-class discussion on WebCT.
• This syllabus is TENTATIVE. The scheduled readings, videos, speakers, etc. can
change at any time. Changes will be posted on WebCT and announced in class.
YOU are responsible for regularly checking when assignments are due.
• As we meet once a week, 1 missed class is a week’s worth of missed classes.

Requirements:
• Texts: The Practice of Social Research (10th Edition): Earl Babbie.

• Examinations: There will be three midterm exams in this course, and one
cumulative make-up final.
• The exams for this course will comprise of some combination of multiple
choice, short answer, and short essay. NO make-up exams will be given.
Failure to take an exam will result in a zero grade (unless you have been
granted permission from the instructor PRIOR to the exam OR HAVE
DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE OF ILLNESS, etc.).

• THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS. Exams are scheduled well

in advance so that you can plan around these dates. If you miss one of the
midterm exams, you must take the final. If you miss more than one exam,
you will receive a zero for the additional missed exam.

• There are ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule. If you

chose not to take the first exam because it is raining, and you
wreck your car on the way to the second exam, you will receive a
zero for one of you mid-term exams. If you have the bubonic
plague for the first exam and have a relapse for the third, you will
receive a zero. I must caution that this make-up final is
CUMULATIVE, and it WILL NOT BE EASY. I highly
recommend making sure that your schedule is such that you can
attend classes during the regular exams. Taking this exam can
either RAISE or LOWER your grade.

• Once you sit for any exam, you will receive a grade for that exam. There
are no exceptions.

• Once the first person taking the test leaves the room, students that come
late are no longer eligible to sit for that exam.

• Bring picture identification to each exam (including the cumulative make-

up final). Failure to bring a picture ID to class will prevent you from
taking an exam and you will have to take the make-up cumulative final
exam.
• Exam questions will be taken from lecture and the text. You will find
daily attendance and note-taking to be helpful in exam preparation.
• The fourth mid-term Exam will include an essay that can potentially
reflect material that is presented throughout this course (i.e., one
 cumulative question asking you to tie together what you have learned in
the course). Keeping track of your notes and outlining the readings is
helpful for students when they prepare for an exam.
• In-Class Writing Assignments: These writings will be conducted on
unannounced days, and will reflect the reading materials for that day. There will
be NO make-up writing assignments and no exceptions to this rule.
• WebCT Assignments and Quizzes: These quizzes will be put on WebCT to be
taken outside of class. These may or may not be announced in class. I will post
them via WebCT and YOU are responsible for checking regularly these will
reflect the reading materials that are going to be covered in class shortly after the
on-line availability of the quiz. There will be NO make-up WebCT assignments
and quizzes. There will be no exceptions to this rule. In addition to quizzes,
there will be WebCT assignments. The first assignment will be to check into the
course. You will receive 5 points for doing so by the assigned date and time.
• Extra Credit: I do not make extra credit assignments. In order to be fair, extra
credit must be available to the entire class. Also, some form of weighting must be
applied so as to not penalize those not attempting the extra credit assignment.
Extra credit implies that the course is graded on a 100 point scale and presents the
opportunities to earn >100 Points. The potential for misunderstandings and
student perceptions of unfair treatment are very high. We will avoid this problem
and simply not have extra credit assignments.

Evaluation:
ƒ Exam 1: 100 points
ƒ Exam 2: 100 points
ƒ Exam 3: 100 points
ƒ Research Project 100 points
ƒ In-class writing assignments, WebCT assignments, etc. (as assigned)
o For example – If I give an in-class assignment worth 10 points, then that 10 points
counts toward the final number of points available in that class (i.e., it figures into
the denominator). So, if I earn 8/10 points, I add the 8 points to the number of
points that I have earned in the class (the numerator), and I add the 10 points to
the number of points possible in the class (the denominator).

ƒ GRADES WILL BE POSTED ON WebCT. I do keep permanent records, but YOU are
responsible for keeping track of how you do in this class. Please write down your scores
on all assignments, as well as the total number of points that are available for that
assignment. Remember -- a review of grades can go both ways.

Final grades will be awarded according to the following percentage scale:

A+: 100 and above B+: 87-89 C+: 77-79 D: 60-69
A: 94 and above B: 84-86 C: 74-76 F: 59 and below
A-: 90-93 B-: 80-83 C-: 70-73

• Grade Rounding: I DO NOT round grades. Thus, in order to achieve an A you must
have achieved a 94 in the class (93.5 is NOT an A, but rather it is an A-).
• Grades are EARNED: I do not GIVE grades, students earn them. It is important that
you take responsibility from the very onset of all of your classes for learning the
material and doing your best on each and every assignment or exam.
 • Review of grades: I will assign your final grade according to what you have earned in
the course. If you wish to contest a grade, you must follow.
Academic Integrity:
• Academic integrity is the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and
deception and is an educational objective of this institution.
Academic Dishonesty:
• This includes, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarizing (including the failure to
properly cite sources), fabrication of information or citations, facilitating acts of
academic dishonest of others, having unauthorized possession of examinations,
submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the
instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students.
• Violations of academic integrity will be reported to the Dean of Students.
• ANOTHER NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism will not be tolerated and
any instances will be immediately referred to the Dean of Students. I AM
SERIOUS! Unfortunately, I have found that students are often unfamiliar with
what constitutes plagiarism. The Student Life Office at UTD includes a definition
on its website: “To submit to your instructor a paper or comparable assignment
that is not truly the product of your own mind and skill is to commit plagiarism.
To put it bluntly, plagiarism is the act of stealing the ideas and/or expression of
another and representing them as your own”
http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/scholastic.html
• Now, there are multiple ways to steal someone else’s ideas. Stephen Wilhoit in
his article entitled, “Helping Students Avoid Plagiarism,” lists several forms of
plagiarism (College Teaching, v 42 (Fall 1994): 161-164):
• Buying or lifting a paper, or any portion of a paper, off the internet.
• Turning in a paper written by a fellow student, with or without her
knowledge.
• Copying information directly from a source without providing
documentation (i.e., without a citation explaining where you got the
information). Keep in mind that changing the order of the sentence or
replacing a few words does not make the sentence yours!
• Copying information directly from a source and providing a citation, but
not putting the copied material in quotations, even if you cited the author.
• Putting the source’s information in your own words, but without providing
a citation. Even if they are your words, the ideas were the author’s. As a
general rule, any information that you gathered by reading a source (i.e.,
information you did not know previously) must be cited!
Disability Services:
• We have an excellent Disability Services office on campus. If you require special
accommodations, please make sure you go and see them immediately if you have
not already done so.
• The University of Texas at Dallas is committed to providing educational
opportunities for all persons. If you anticipate needing accommodations for
learning differences, please let me know. If you require accommodations, please
make sure that you are properly registered with the Disabilities Services Office
(972) 883-2070.
• If you have a condition that requires accommodation in this course, please speak
with me after class or in office hours during the first week of class. I will be
 happy to make appropriate accommodations provided timely notice is received
and the arrangement is consistent with any recommendations from Disability
Services, when applicable.

Tentative Class Schedule:

Changes may be made to this schedule. I will announce changes in class and/or will post
information on WebCT. YOU are responsible for all changes (e.g., reading assignments,
assignment deadlines, etc.).

DATE TOPIC (Read BEFORE Class)

Jan 9 Orientation;
Jan 11 Chapter 1: Human Inquiry and Science
Jan 16 NO CLASS – In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Jan 18 Chapter 2: Paradigms, Theory, and Social Research
Jan 23 Chapter 3: The Ethics and Politics of Social Research
Jan 25 OBSERVATION PROJECT TOPIC DISCUSSION
Feb 1 Chapter 6: Indexes, Scales and Typologies
Feb 6 Catch-up Class/ Exam I Review/ GROUP ASSIGNMENT/PART A
RECEIVED/DUE
Feb 8 EXAM I - Chapters 1 - 6
Feb 13 Chapter 7: The Logic of Sampling
Feb 13 PART A RETURNED/PART B RECEIVED/DUE (Operationalization)
Feb 15 Chapter 8: Experiments
Feb 20 Chapter 9: Survey Research
Feb 22 Chapter 10: Qualitative Field Research
Feb 27 Chapter 11: Unobtrusive Research
March 1 Catch-up Class/ Exam II Review
March 6-11 SPRING BREAK – NO CLASSES
March 13 EXAM II – Chapters 7 - 11
March 15 Chapter 12: Evaluation Research
March 20 Chapter 13: Qualitative Data Analysis
March 22 PART C RETURNED/TYPE UP CORRECTIONS/MAKE COPIES
March 27 CORRECTIONS/COPIES DUE/ DATA COLLECTION
PART D RECEIVED/DUE (Data Analysis)
March 29 Chapter 14: Quantitative Data Analysis
April 3 Chapter 15: Elaboration Model
April 5 Chapter 16: Social Statistics
April 10 PART D RETURNED/PART E RECEIVED (Presenting Results)
April 12 In-Class OVERVIEW OF OBSERVATION PROJECTS [Must Bring All
Parts]
April 17 In-Class OVERVIEW OF OBSERVATION PROJECTS [Must Bring All
 Parts]
April 19 Catch-up Class/ Exam III Review
April 24 EXAM III – Chapters 12 – 16
TBA Final Exam Week is April 25th – May 1st
(This will be used only for students needing to take the make-up final exam)