Schedule
SOCIOLOGY AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
September 5
Introduction.
September 7
Babbie, Earl. 1992. "Theory and Research." Pp. 39-65 in The Practice of Social Research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub. [hand-out]
September 12
Carter, "A Primer on Critical Reading."
concepts, variables, and indicators
objectivity and intersubjectivity
validity and reliability
September 14
Carter, "A Primer on Elementary Data Analysis."
1990 racial composition of the United States
Change in racial composition from 1990 to 2000
explanation, description, and understanding
relationships between variables: positive, negative, linear, independent
categorical variables: nominal and ordinal
September 19
Meet in the library's electronic classroom (room 160, before the reserve room). Bring the Carter textbook with CD-ROM to class.
Carter, chap. 1
Recommended: Lisa Randall, "Dangling Participles" (New York Times, September 18, 2005).
September 21
Meet in the library's electronic classroom (room 160, before the reserve room). Bring the Carter textbook with CD-ROM to class.
Student CHIP report due.
Frey, R. Scott and Ali Al-Roumi. 1999. "Political Democracy and the Physical Quality of Life: The Cross-National Evidence." Social Indicators Research 47: 73-97. [hand-out]
STUDYING ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR WITH SURVEYS
September 28
Neuman, W. Lawrence. 2001. "Survey Research." Pp. 246-289 in Social Research Methods. 4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. [hand-out]
"Nationwide Survey Includes Data on Teenage Sex Habits" (New York Times, September 16, 2005).
Edin & Lein, chapters 1-3.
Recommended
Take the F scale questionnaire to measure the degree to which you have an "authoritarian personality."
View the 2000 Census short-form and long-form questionnaires.
INTERVIEWING SINGLE MOTHERS ABOUT HOW THEY MAKE ENDS MEET
October 3
Bring original survey questions to class.
Edin & Lein, chapters 4-8.
October 5
Survey assignment due.
Finish Edin & Lein.
October 10
Schutt, Russell K. 1996. "Sampling." Pp. 147-185 in Investigating the Social World. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge. [hand-out]
October 12
Take-home midterm handed out in class.
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION IN A BOXING GYM
October 24
Take-home midterm due.
In-class film: "Sociology is a Martial Art."
October 26
Wacquant, through pg. 149.
October 31
Wacquant, pp. 150-233.
TAKING FIELDNOTES
November 2
Finish Wacquant.
American Sociological Association Code of Ethics
November 7
Fieldwork assignment due.
open vs. closed settings
November 9
Leavitt, Fred. 2001. "Experimenting: Two Groups." Pp. 90-107 in Evaluating Scientific Research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. [hand-out]
experimental vs. control groups
EXPLAINING OBEDIENCE USING SOCIAL EXPERIMENTS
November 14
Milgram, chaps. 1-5.
November 16
Milgram, chaps. 6-7, 10, 12-14, Epilogue, Appendix I.
November 21
Read your article for the methodological critique/comparison paper assignment.
CONTENT ANALYSIS
November 23
Berg, Bruce L. 2001. "An Introduction to Content Analysis." Pp. 238-267 in Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. [hand-out]
EXAMINING MEDIA EFFECTS WITH CONTENT ANALYSIS
November 28
Methodological critique/comparison paper due.
Adkins-Covert, Tawnya et al. 2000. "News In My Backyard: Media and Democracy in an 'All American' City." Sociological Quarterly 41: 227-244. [hand-out]
November 30
Class cancelled. Instead, make 10-minute office hour appointment between 9:30-12:00 to discuss research proposal.
SOCIAL INQUIRY AS A DAILY PRACTICE
December 5
Mills, C. Wright. 1959. "On Intellectual Craftsmanship." Pp. 195-226 in The Sociological Imagination. New York: Grove Press. [hand-out]
December 7
NO CLASS: take-home final exam will be e-mailed to you.
December 10
Research proposal is due via e-mail.
December 15
Take-home final exam due.