Schedule
SOCIOLOGY AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
January 22
Introduction.
January 27
CLASS CANCELLED.
Babbie, Earl. 1992. "Theory and Research." Pp. 39-65 in The Practice of Social Research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub.
Recommended:
"Research Design," Pt. 1. [DVD available in Vassar library]
January 29
Carter, Doing Sociology with Student CHIP: "A Primer on Critical Reading."
concepts, variables, and indicators
February 3
Carter, Doing Sociology with Student CHIP: "A Primer on Elementary Data Analysis."
Racial/ethnic composition of the U.S. Population: 1990 to present.
explanation, description, and understanding
relationships between variables: positive, negative, linear, independent
validity and reliability
February 5
Meet in the library's electronic classroom (room 160, before the reserve room). Bring the Carter textbook with CD-ROM to class.
Carter, Doing Sociology with Student CHIP: re-read "A Primer on Elementary Data Analysis" and construct the tables/perform the calculations it asks you to do (check your answers in the footnotes to this chapter).
February 10
Meet in the library's electronic classroom (room 160, before the reserve room). Bring the Carter textbook with CD-ROM to class.
Carter, Doing Sociology with Student CHIP: chap. 1.
Student CHIP report due.
Benson, Janel E. 2006. "Exploring the Racial Identities of Black Immigrants in the United States." Sociological Forum 21: 219-247.
STUDYING ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR WITH SURVEYS
February 17
Neuman, W. Lawrence. 2001. "Survey Research." Pp. 246-289 in Social Research Methods. 4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Edin & Lein, Making Ends Meet: chaps. 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
February 19
Edin & Lein, Making Ends Meet: chaps. 4-5.
U.S. poverty guidelines for 2009.
February 24
Bring original survey questions to class (see Part 1 of survey assignment).
Edin & Lein, Making Ends Meet: chaps. 6-8.
February 26
Survey assignment due (see Part 2 of survey assignment).
Schutt, Russell K. 1996. "Sampling." Pp. 147-185 in Investigating the Social World. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge.
March 3
Becker, Howard S. 1998. "Sampling." Pp. 67-108 in Tricks of the Trade. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
March 5
Take-home midterm due at beginning of class.
Watch "Public Housing" (dir. Frederick Wiseman, 1997).
Ida B. Wells Housing Project, Chicago, IL.
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION OF AN INNER-CITY GANG
March 24
Venkatesh, Drug Dealer for a Day.
March 26
Finish Venkatesh, Drug Dealer for a Day.
American Sociological Association Code of Ethics, pp. 1-20.
March 31
Lofland, John and Lyn H. Lofland. 1995. Pp. 16-69, 89-98 in Analyzing Social Settings, 3rd ed. New York: Wadsworth. [in Blackboard: Additional Readings]
Leonard Nevarez's fieldnotes, March 19, 2003. [in Blackboard: Additional Readings]
open vs. closed settings
April 2
Fieldwork assignment due.
April 7
Leavitt, Fred. 2001. "Experimenting: Two Groups." Pp. 90-107 in Evaluating Scientific Research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Pager, Marked: through chapter 3.
Measuring the DV: the Milgram experiment.
experimental vs. control groups
EXPLAINING RACIAL AND CRIMINAL STIGMA USING SOCIAL EXPERIMENTS
April 9
Pager, Marked: chaps. 4-6.
April 14
Pager, Marked: chaps. 7-8.
April 16
Berg, Bruce L. 2001. "An Introduction to Content Analysis." Pp. 238-267 in Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
EXAMINING MEDIA EFFECTS WITH CONTENT ANALYSIS
April 21
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]
April 23
Class cancelled. Instead, make 10-minute office hour appointment between 9:30-12:00 to discuss your progress on the research proposal.
April 28
Ziccardi, Alex. 2008. "A Slanted Playing Field: Labor Dynamics in Professional Sports Leagues." Senior thesis, Department of Sociology, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY.
April 30
Research proposal due.
From, Sarah. 2001. "Mapping Queer Culture at Congress Tavern: Geographies of Marginality on Poughkeepsie's Main Street." Senior thesis, Department of Sociology, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY.
SOCIAL INQUIRY AS A DAILY PRACTICE
May 5
Mills, C. Wright. 1959. "On Intellectual Craftsmanship." Pp. 195-226 in The Sociological Imagination. New York: Grove Press.
May 15
Take-home final due.