SOC357/C&ESOC357
Course parameters#
Course meetings (official): MTuWTh 10:20-11:35 AM
Course meetings (actual): TuTh, 10:20-11:35 AM; Zoom link
Instructor: Griffin McCarthy Bur
E-mail: gjmbteaching@gmail.com (do not use my official UW e-mail; Outlook is an almost unengagably-bad e-mail client)
Office hours: Tuesday 12pm - 2pm or by appointment; virtual link here
Course folder with reading schedule and lecture notes here
Course overview#
Philosophy of the course#
The course provides a rigorous overview of the ways that social scientists collect and evaluate information about social phenomena. You will learn 1) the general principles of quantitative and qualitative research methods, 2) to evaluate their correct application in the research of others, and 3) their proper use for your own projects.
The course assumes no background in research methods or statistics. Over the course of the semester, you will be introduced to basic statistical concepts and techniques of data analysis.
Generally speaking, quantitative methods have a steeper learning curve, meaning that without some basic grounding in discrete mathematics, your ability to understand social scientific research will be very limited. So, this course puts slightly more emphasis on “quantitative research”[1], and since this material takes a good deal of practice (but can easily be done from just about anywhere in the world), our research project will be a primarily quantitative one.
Conversely, qualitative methods are generally easier to understand at first, but hard to get right in practice. They are also substantially harder to make use of virtually, and since our course modality is remote, I cannot assume that any of you are residing in places with adequate firsthand research opportunities. So, our second “project” will emphasize your ability to understand and critique published qualitative research.
Lectures for the course will generally be asynchronous, but a couple of times a week, we will have laboratory-style meetings. I have found that synchronous virtual lectures do not seem to have much advantage over asynchronous virtual lectures (my personal preference is in-person synchronous lectures), and my lectures are generally fairly information-heavy anyways. But, it is important to have an experiential, collective experience of the course, and we do have some group projects among other things. Lab meetings will take place on Tuesday and Thursday generally; I will effectively serve as my own TA for you all. These meetings will be very largely discussion-based, and you must come prepared to discuss. More on this later.
Required readings#
There is no required textbook for this course. Instead, the readings are a mix of other textbooks, my detailed lecture notes, and various handouts I’ve produced. You should read these documents carefully; I evaluate and grade you on the quality of your discussion board posts, which will serve as limbering-up exercises for our full-class discussions.
Weekly Schedule#
NOTE: I am keeping this as a live link because the schedule may change. I will notify you if something does change; all announcements regarding schedule changes will be emailed to you, posted on Canvas, and/or announced in lecture. You are responsible for keeping up-to-date on these changes.
Technology in this course#
Zoom#
We will use Zoom to conduct our regular “lab” meetings. Office hours will be held via Zoom as well. The links and dial-in numbers are provided above. Please make sure to have the latest version installed on your computer.
Canvas#
Canvas is the learning management system (LMS) for this course. The frontpage has a link to all of the various pieces of information you’ll need for the course, but it will otherwise serve largely as a place to submit assignments.
Stata / Excel / Google Sheets / R / Python / etc.#
One purpose of this course is to introduce you to the use of statistical software. I am a strong proponent of the idea that social science undergraduates should learn the basics of coding, as this is a highyl-useful hard skill; I have loved serving as the lecturer of our department’s most programming-intensive course in the past.
Nevertheless, a repeated piece of student feedback about this course is that it introduces Stata, the statistical software that most researchers in our department use, too quickly and subsequently drops it. I think these are reasonable criticisms, especially for a remote and accelerated course.
So, for this course, you will simply need access to software which can do the very minimal tasks which we will need for this course. You are welcome to try your hand at learning Stata. I have produced a comprehensive video guide to its use for SOC360, and you are welcome to watch these videos. If you already use Stata, R or Python, I happen to be conversant in all three languages and can provide technical support. That said, despite my general dislike of Excel—it is simply not fit-for-purpose for serious statistical work and its use requires little that what we would call “coding”—it suffices for our course, in which the basic precepts of statistics are more important than those of Stata.
Your first major assignment will require only that your statistical software be able to compute quantities such as the (Pearson) correlation coefficient, the mean and standard deviation of a set of variables, and the two-sided P-values associated with t- and F-statistics. If you already understand the very basics of Excel/Google Sheets, learning to calculate things will be very easy (the harder part is understanding them).
Qualtrics /Google Forms#
Qualtrics is an online tool that you will use to create and distribute a survey questionnaire. It is free for UW-Madison students. Visit www.survey.wisc.edu and login with your Net ID.
A similar rule obtains here: Qualtrics is the more-serious software, but Google Forms is simpler and suffices for our purposes. Again, if you are familiar with Google’s cloud products, which I assume that most people are, this is not hard to learn; it is simply limited beyond a certain point that we will approach but not reach.
Google Docs#
We will occasionally use Google Docs to facilitate group-based learning activities. Google Docs is free with a Google account. You also have access to it via your UW Google account. If you sign in to UW–Madison G Suite with your university email (e.g., bbadger@wisc.edu), then your activities will be privacy-protected.
Web browser#
Chrome is the recommended web browser for Canvas. We recommend that you have the latest version installed in order to avoid technical problems.
Regardless of the web browser you use, make sure to:
Enable JavaScript: in multiple web browsers.
Enable cookies: in Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.
Adobe Reader#
Download the latest version of Adobe Reader to view PDF files. Note: Do not select the optional offer for McAfee Security Scan Plus.
Microsoft Office#
Microsoft Office is free for UW–Madison students through the Office 365 portal.
Need help with technology?#
Ask me or contact the DoIT Help Desk via chat, email, phone, or in person.
Evaluation/assignments#
Data Collection and Analysis Projects (50 percent):#
You will work in teams to conduct two data collection and analysis projects. The teams will be created through random selection before each project.
Survey project (25 percent).#
Your team will formulate a research question and hypothesis, develop an online survey questionnaire, distribute it electronically, analyze the data, and present your findings in class. You will also write a short report summarizing the research process and findings. All but the final step (i.e., writing the report) will be done as a team.
Research proposal and its revision (2.5 percent): As a team you will write a research proposal in which you a) formulate a sociological research question, b) explain why you think this question is worth studying, c) identify your key variables, d) specify which population you want to study (ideally), e) explain to whom and how you will distribute your survey, and f) state what you expect to find (your hypothesis) and why. Word count: 200-400.
Survey questionnaire and its revision (2.5 percent): As a team you will develop a short survey questionnaire to measure the key concepts and other variables you may need for your analyses. At least one of your key concepts should be a complex/multi-dimensional one that is measured using multiple questions (more about this later in class). You will use Qualtrics or Google Forms to create and distribute your survey. While there is no fixed number of respondents you need, I recommend that you sample at least 15 respondents per team member. You will analyze the survey responses using whatever software you like (see above). Finally, the survey should ask a couple of free-response questions that you can later use for qualitative analysis.
Team presentation and peer evaluation (5 percent): You and your partners will present your findings in class and respond to questions and comments from your classmates. For the steps listed above, your team members will also evaluate your contributions to the project. This is to ensure that no one free-rides. The evaluations will be anonymous.
Written report (15 percent): You will write a short report (no more than 1200 words) which analyzes your findings. Each team member will write this report individually.
Qualitative research evaluation project (25 percent).#
This is an individual assignment. I have found in the past that conducting qualitative research remotely and in an asynchronous course proves difficult. There is also, in my view, generally not enough emphasis in social science courses on actually reading, critically and actively, the research literature that exists, especially since, ethnographic research isn’t particularly technical in the way that survey research is (meaning that it is not as foreboding for novice researchers). In this project, you will read and critically evaluate two qualitative papers that pertain somehow to your first paper: basically, you should find research that examines firsthand, with interview, ethnographic, or textual evidence, those topics which you explored quantitatively. You will also do a small amount of “qualitative coding” using qualitative data from your first project.
Literature search (five percent): using methods discussed in class, locate 10 papers that speak to your particular research question. Read the abstracts and skim them to determine which two are most useful to you. Write two sentences about the content of each abstract. Word max: 2500.
Exemplar evalution (15 percent): produce a clear, rigorous analysis of the two papers you choose. These are meant to be extremely short (one page for each of the two papers). However, you need to make what you do write count. You need to identify the paper’s contributions to the literature—what puzzles it solves (and describe how this is related to your first paper), identify the qualitative method they used, very briefly comment on your overall related to your first paper’s questions)—and then give a rigorous, short analysis of the limitations.
Qualitative analysis (five percent): you will also need to qualitatively code some excerpts from the free-response component of your surveys and relate these to the findings of your two selected papers (this should take one additional page).
Weekly quizzes (15 percent)#
At the end of each week, you will complete one or more quizzes based on the assigned readings and lectures of that week. The quizzes are administered through Canvas and consist of 10 questions each. Quizzes are open note!
You have 20 minutes to complete each quiz. If you have done the readings and attended the lectures, the quizzes should take around 5 minutes to complete.You have two attempts on each quiz, and Canvas will retain the higher of the two scores. If you do not submit your quiz within 20 minutes of starting it, you will receive a zero for that attempt.
The quizzes will be opened no later than Thursday afternoon. You will have until Sunday midnight (11:59pm) to complete the quizzes. It is your responsibility to submit them during the open window. If you forget to complete a quiz, it will not be re-opened for you after the deadline. We can, however, negotiate the deadline if you contact me earlier. Reasons that I am generally sympathetic to include university-related travel, religious observations, illnesses, and rescheduled work shifts.
Your lowest quiz score will be dropped from the final quiz grade.
Note that these are pretty low stakes. The point is just to give you some incentive to keep up with the readings in a way that is stricter than the discussion posts.
Discussion board posts (15 percent)#
Before each laboratory meeting, you must respond to all of the handful of prompts I post to our discussion board on Canvas. I generally expect later-repliers to make more of an effort to engage the comments which are already written by your colleagues.
I am a fanatical proponent of quality over quantity in these matters. Posts should not exceed 500 words, but they must also be incisive and rigorous. I will provide credit for pure effort the first week of discussion board posts, but beyond that, you are repsonsible for leaving it all on the field with these posts: do your best for full credit.
I understand that many class discussion boards are frustrating to engage with because there is often a lack of structure, or perhaps on occasion, other members of class do not bring the same effort which you bring, etc. Rest assured, I will ask clear, stimulating questions to the class which have something like a “right answer”: you can say whatever you like while engaging my question, but you must engage that question, about which our course materials will provide ample food for thought.
Online ethics certification (five percent)#
You need to complete an online ethics certification before the last day of class. More information is available in the Assignments section of Canvas.
Lab participation (15 percent)#
Lab participation is graded on a three point scale: 0 for absences, cameras off, or lack of commentary; 1 for camera on and mediocre verbal participation and/or exclusively chatbox participation; two for camera on and well-prepared verbal participation. You need to demonstrate active involvement throughout the semester to get full credit for participation.
Meaningful contributions include but are not limited to:
Offering ideas or asking questions about the course material in a way that demonstrates good preparation
Questioning other students’ points in a constructive manner
Suggesting alternative ways of approaching the course material
Providing feedback on how the lectures can be improved
Attending virtual office hours
You can make contributions either verbally or through the chat box in Zoom.
Two no-questions-asked absences are allowed all semester; to activate these, please just write to me to tell me that you want to take them. Please generally do not tell me why you are missing lab. Here is why:
First, I believe that we all deserve a certain amount of leniency and induldence in life. I do not believe that each of us needs to involve his or herself in judging the validity of these hall passes.
Second, I do not want you to be under the impression that if you give me a reason why you are missing that I will not deduct it from your two “freebies”; I only rarely grant a third excused absence. I reserve the right to evaluate these on a case-by-case basis, but typical situations include deaths of a family member, illness for which you visited urgent care, etc. If you tell me that you’d like to take an NQA and you have the sniffles/forgot you had work/etc., I may gently remind you that I am still counting this against your freebies.
Late penalties#
My philosophy with late policies is informed by my past experience of being too lenient: I have found that, while the cushions provided can help highly-motivated, highly-busy students succeed, it allows students who are struggling and would likely be best served by a drop to slip through the cracks. The consequences for failing a course are considerably larger than for dropping one, and hard deadlines provide me and you some preliminary data to determine whether you are likely able to succeed in the course. Please contact me if you encounter extenuating circumstances — I am far from insensitive to such situations — but if you find yourself unable to meet deadlines routinely, we should talk.
All submissions to Canvas are time-stamped and must be submitted before the deadline to receive full credit. I subtract five percent per day for late work, and this is amortized to the hour (so, for example, submitting 45 minutes late results in a 0.05/24 ≈ 0.0021, or 0.21 percent, penalty); there is also a floor of 50 percent, meaning that you cannot lose more than 50 percent for late work. This late penalty is mild, and I hope that, in most cases, it suffices to cover minor misfortunes (feeling unmotivated one day, would rather hang out with friends another).
Grades summarized#
Summary of components of your grade:
Data collection and analysis projects (25 percent + 25 percent = 50 percent)
Weekly quizzes (15 percent)
Discussion board posts (15 percent)
Online ethics certification (5 percent)
Lab participation (15 percent)
Numeric grades are converted into alphabetic grades as follows (if your grade falls into a gap, I round to the nearest integer):
General course etiquette#
Keep up with the weekly readings and assignments.
Communicate clearly and considerately, whether in a private venue (e.g., the Canvas Inbox) or a public one (e.g., Zoom).
Keep your camera on during the online lectures.
Mute yourself when not speaking.
If using video or audio chat, please do so in a reasonably quiet and private environment. While we welcome your family, pets, or roommates, following these tips may minimize distractions for others.
Respect the ideas, feelings, and experiences of your classmates.
Learn the preferred names (and pronunciations) of your colleagues.
Proceed with humility when providing feedback and considering others’ feedback.
Accessibility & accommodations#
Your success in this course is important to me. Please contact me if there is a way in which I can help improve your ability to access course content or assignment materials.
The McBurney Center is a resource that can help students navigate formal, disability-related accommodations. If you utilize McBurney services, please notify me as soon as possible so that we can discuss how to tailor this course to best support your learning.
If you wish to request a scheduling accommodation for religious observances or athletic events, send me an email by the end of the first week of class, stating the specific date(s) for which you request accommodation.
Diversity and inclusion#
Creating an inclusive classroom environment is a responsibility that we all share. An inclusive classroom is one where all participants are welcome and encouraged to participate. I thus ask that you respect and consider your peers’ experiences. As our campus diversity statement says, “Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community.”
Mental health#
These are hard times for many people. Dealing with the anxieties associated with the massive social disruption of the past several years while also balancing our roles as students, workers, teachers, friends, and family members can be challenging.
University Health Services continue to support the mental health needs of our students, with some minor changes to services. The most up to date information about accessing mental health services on campus is available here. Most mental health services are now available remotely—over the phone or video—ith some additional services available in person with appointments.
Academic Integrity#
As with all courses at the University of Wisconsin, you are expected to follow the University’s rules and regulations pertaining to academic honesty and integrity. For a complete description of behaviors that violate the University’s standards, as well the disciplinary penalties and procedures for academic misconduct, please see the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards website.
Academic & Non-Academic Support#
Tutoring#
There is a wide variety of tutoring and other course-specific programs for undergraduate students across campus. To learn more about the options available, go to UW–Madison’s Academic Support page.
International Student Services#
The global lockdown has made international travel and study, as well as immigration, more complicated. International Student Services is the best source of information for students on F and J visas.
DACA & Undocumented Student Support#
Please review information from the Multicultural Student Center.
Learning Objectives#
This course is designed to achieve the following instructional objectives designated priorities by the Department of Sociology:
Conducting Research and Analyzing Data. You will have the opportunity to design your own research projects and learn how to collect and analyze data.
Critically Evaluating Published Research. You will read peer-reviewed journal articles that use the methods covered in this class. Together, we will think about why social scientists use different methods to answer different questions, while also examining the strengths and weaknesses of those methods. Thus, you will gain a research vocabulary that will help you think, write, and speak more critically about social science research.
Communicating Skillfully. All course assignments are designed to improve your oral and written communication skills. Most importantly, you will have the chance to present your research findings in class and respond to audience questions and comments.
Working Effectively in Groups. The in-class exercises as well as the data collection and analysis projects are intended to develop your teamwork skills. A portion of your grade for these projects will be based on how your teammates evaluate your contributions.