Course Outline
Course title: Quantitative Research
Semester and Year: Winter 2007 / Instructor: Dr. Irina Culic / TAs: Shannon Speed, Lindsay Tome
Course & Sections: 02-48-210-1/2 / Office: CHS 52-2 / Office: CHS 258
Day(s): Mon/Wed 10:00 – 11:20 / Email: / Shannon’s e-mail:
Classroom: ER 3123 / Office hours: Wed 11:30 – 12:30 / Lindsay’s e-mail:
Office hours:
Shannon: Mon 11:30-12:30
Lindsay: Mon 2:30-3:30 p.m.
Text: Earl Babbie and Lucia Benaquisto. 2002. Fundamentals of Social Research (First Canadian Edition). Scarborough: Thomson Nelson.
Textbook website: http://www.fundamentalssocialresearch.nelson.com/
● online tutorial ● study resources ● web resources ● practice tests
Course website: Class Notes – Social Sciences – Sociology – 0248210-1-2007W Quantitative
Research (Dr. Irina Culic) or 0248210-2-2007W Quantitative Research (Dr. Irina Culic)
Course description:
This is an introductory course to social research, with emphasis on quantitative methods. In the first part of the course, we will discuss the logic of social scientific inquiry. The second part of the course will provide an introduction to research design, elaborating on specific aspects. The third part of the course will focus on quantitative methods of observation, data collection and analysis.
Course objectives:
● Become familiar with and demonstrate understanding of the process of social research. Develop effective social research skills. Understand and be able to employ quantitative research methods.
● Develop analytical thinking skills. Recognize, communicate and debate about methodology and methods used in sociological research. Read sociological research critically.
● Apply chapter readings/class lectures through practical assignments.
Course Outline:
8, 10 Jan / Introduction to Social Research
• Human inquiry of social world. Alternatives to social research.
• Social science and social scientific research.
• Ethics of social research / Ch. 1
Pp. 201-211
Class Lecture
Week 2:
15, 17 Jan / Theory and research
• Social theory. Paradigm. Elements of social theory.
• Modes of reasoning: deductive / inductive
• Causality in social research.
• Ideographic / nomothetic explanation. / Ch. 2, 3
Class lecture
Week 3:
22, 24 Jan / Methodology
• Methodology.
• Methodological approaches: positivist, interpretive, critical. / Class lecture Material: Methodological approaches. / Assignment 1 distributed
Week 4:
29, 31 Jan / Research design
• Dimensions of research: -purpose of research;
-unit of analysis; -time dimension.
• The design of a research project. Research question and hypotheses.
• The research proposal. / Ch. 4
Class lecture
Week 5:
5, 7 Feb / Literature review
• Research literature.
• Reviewing research literature. / Class lecture
Material: Reviewing research literature / Assignment 1 due 7 Feb
Assignment 2 distributed
Weeks 6
12, 14 Feb / Measurement (1)
• Conceptualization. Operationalization.
• Evaluation of measurement: reliability and validity / Ch. 5
Class lecture
Week 7
19, 21 Feb / Measurement (2)
• Indexes, scales, typologies. / Ch. 6
Class lecture / Assignment 2 due 21 Feb
Assignment 3 distributed
26 Feb-4 Mar / Study week
Week 8:
5, 7 Mar / Sampling
• The logic of sampling.
• Non probability sampling.
• Probability sampling. Representativity. / Ch. 7
Pp. 450-6
Class lecture
Week 9:
12, 14 Mar / Survey research
• The logic of survey research.
• Constructing the questionnaire.
• Types of surveys.
• Interviewing.
• Ethical considerations in survey research. / Ch. 9
Class lecture / Assignment 3 due 14 Mar
Assignment 4 distributed
Week 10:
19, 21 Mar / Experimental research
• The logic of experiments. The classical experiment.
• Variations in experimental design.
• Ethical considerations in experiments. / Ch. 8 (pp. 215-222, 231-235)
Class lecture
Week 11:
26, 28 Mar / Unobtrusive research
• Existing statistics.
• Documents and secondary analysis.
• Content analysis.
• Inferences from non-reactive data. / Ch. 10
Class lecture / Assignment 4 due 28 March
(see next page)
Week 12:
2, 4 Apr / Quantitative data analysis
• Quantifying data
• Basic statistics
• Interpretation and communication of quantitative data and data analysis / Ch. 15, 16 (pp. 410-426)
Class lecture
Week 13:
9, 11 Apr / Final exam review
Evaluation:
Assignment 1 / Theory and methodology / 15% / Due: 7 Feb 2007Assignment 2 / Literature review / 20% / Due: 21 Feb 2007
Assignment 3 / Measurement / 15% / Due: 14 March 2007
Assignment 4 / Survey / 20% / Due: 28 March 2007
Final exam / Cumulative, multiple choice / 30% / 16 April 2007 8:30
Final Exam: The final exam will be cumulative (cover material for the entire semester) and will consist of 120 multiple choice questions. Students will be responsible for both assigned readings and lecture notes in preparing for the exam.
Assignments: Assignments are designed to help students understand and to demonstrate various parts of the research process. Guidelines will be provided for each of the assignments. Due dates for assignments may be subject to change.
For the first assignment you will have to read and analyze a scholarly article in terms of the theory and methodology used by the author(s).
For the second assignment you will have to conduct a literature review on a chosen social topic.
For the third assignment you will have to formulate a research question on a chosen social topic, research hypotheses, and to construct measures for the concepts used.
For the fourth assignment you will have to design a mail survey and describe the sampling method for the population to which it is intended.
Procedures and policies
● No student shall miss the final exam without reasonable excuse. If the exam is missed, it is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor to inform her of the missed exam and to set up a convenient make-up exam time. Permission to write a make-up exam will be at the instructor’s discretion. Supporting documentation must be presented before the student will be allowed to write a make-up exam (i.e. physician’s note, hospital admittance, accident report, etc.) (see university policy on exams below).
● Assignments are due on the day the instructor has set as the deadline. Late assignments will be subjected to a 1 - 2 mark per day deduction. Instructor will inform students of any changes in due dates if unforeseen circumstances arise. The assignments are to be printed and handed to the instructor before or after the class on the due day. You are advised to retain an electronic or hard copy of the assignment.
● Assignments must be completed independently. Any extensive collaboration will result in a mark of 0 for all students (see university policy on plagiarism below).
● Students are strongly encouraged to attend class to obtain the relevant information, to listen, think upon, question, and to try to understand the issues discussed in this course. There are many ways of introducing students to research methods, and no standard textbook. I will use material from other textbooks and sources to facilitate the understanding of the process of social research. Any material discussed in class from outside sources is material for the exam.
● All students should respect others in the class and not engage in conversations. If the instructor feels you are disrupting the class you will be asked to leave. It is expected that students turn off their cell phones to avoid disruptions in class.
● Please note that the last day to withdraw voluntarily from any course is 16 March 2007. After this date, students will remain registered in a course and will receive a final grade as appropriate.
● Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET) will be administered during the final two weeks of classes. Students wishing to provide feedback are encouraged to complete this evaluation.
FASS Exam Policy
The Policy of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is not to allow make-ups for scheduled tests, midterms, or final exams, nor to assign a grade of Incomplete without acceptable and verifiable medical (or equivalent compassionate) reason. Acceptable reasons might include hospital stays, serious illness, family emergencies (like serious accidents or illnesses, death) or similar circumstances. Normally, written documentation stating specific reasons and dates is required. Arrangements for make-up exams – if allowed by the instructor – must be made as soon as possible. The instructor establishes the date and format for make-up exams, which will usually differ from the original exam.
Department Make-up Exams
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers scheduled make-up exams for students with acceptable reasons (see above). Students eligible for a make-up exam must notify and have the approval of their instructor. Instructors will notify students of the date and time of the exam and will supply the Department with student names, student numbers, and appropriate make-up exam materials prior to the makeup exam date.
Grading schemeA+ 100-93 B+ 79.9-77 C+ 69.9-67 D+ 59.9-57 F 49.9-35
A 92.9-86 B 76.9-73 C 66.9-63 D 56.9-53 F- 34.9-0
A- 85.9-80 B- 72.9-70 C- 62.9-60 D- 52.9-50
· Please note that it is the policy of the Dean of Arts and Social Sciences that the grade distribution in any first or second year course conform to expected standards. This means that the majority of student final grades should fall into the C range (63 – 66). Please be aware that final grades may be adjusted accordingly to fit this overall pattern.
FASS Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism is a serious academic offense because it dishonestly and fraudulently uses someone else’s work as one’s own. Students are to be evaluated on the basis of their own original work. In the preparation of essays, papers, reports, and any other types of assignments, students must necessarily rely on the work of others. However, it is imperative that the source of any ideas, wording, or data obtained from others be disclosed and properly acknowledged by citations, quotation marks, and bibliographic references in the proper format. Using the work of others without acknowledgement is plagiarism. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:
• Using a passage or passages of any length from published or unpublished work of others without placing the passage(s) in quotation marks (or using indentation for long quotation(s)) and acknowledging their source;
• Submitting work as original when that work also has been or is currently being submitted for another course, unless prior permission has been given in writing;
• Copying material, for example, from the Internet, or purchasing material and submitting it as one’s own;
• Submitting work completely or largely identical to that of other students, unless group work and joint submissions are explicitly permitted by the instructor.
In cases of plagiarism, the instructor assigns a grade of 0 (F-) to the work in question. This will be decided in consultation with the AAU head or designate. If an instructor determines that plagiarism has occurred, the student shall be informed and the case reported to the Executive Dean of the College. Disciplinary proceedings may be initiated pursuant to Senate Bylaw 31, which could result in suspension or expulsion from the University in cases of repeated plagiarism. Students will not be allowed to re-write or re-submit work to compensate for grades assigned as a result of plagiarism. Students can appeal a plagiarism grade to the AAU head or designate and/or to the Administrative Dean of Student and Academic Services, and ultimately to a judicial review panel at the University.
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