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Home Course Info Aug/Sept October Nov/Dec News

On-LineInforma.onThiswebsite,h0p://www.danilo.macmate.me/Research/Home.html,containsextensiveinforma4onaboutthiscourse,includingclassschedule,readings,exercises,assignments,lecturenotes,gradingpolicyandlinkstoavarietyofresearchrelatedInternetsites.Studentsshouldbookmarkandconsultthiscoursewebsitefrequentlyforthelatestinforma4onaboutthecourse.

CourseScope&LearningObjec.vesGiventheeconomic,social,environmentalandculturalchallengesfacingourcommuni4estoday,itisvitallyimportantforpolicymakers,planners,administratorsandotherdecisionmakersinthepublicandnonprofitsectorstohaveaccesstoaccuratedataandinforma4on.Withoutthat,theneeds,condi4onsandpoten4alsofourcommuni4esandorganiza4onswillbemisjudged,andeffortstodesignandimplementhighlyeffec4veprogramsandpolicieswillbecompromised.Highquality,accuratedata,informa4onandanalysisareabsolutenecessi4esformoderndecisionmakers.

Thiscoursewillexposestudentstohowhighqualityresearchinthefieldofurbanaffairsandpublicpolicyisdesignedandconducted,andhowitcanbeu4lizedformakingimportantdecisionsaboutthedesign,implementa4onandevalua4onofprojects,programsandpolicies.Uponthesuccessfulcomple4onofthiscoursestudentswillbeableto:

1.Recognizeandconductresearchthatfollowstheprinciplesofthescien4ficmethod2.Formulateresearchques4onsthatareunbiasedandresearchable;3. Determinetheappropriateuseofdifferentresearchdesigns;

DaniloYanichSchoolofPubicPolicy&Administra.onCenterforCommunityResearch&Service298FGrahamHall.302.831.1710dyanich@udel.edu

ClassMee.ng&Loca.onTuesdays/Thursdays,9:30-10:45aRobinsonHall,Room203

4.Judgewhenandhowtouseprimaryandsecondarydata,andcross-sec4onalandlongitudinaldata;5.Findsourcesofsecondarydatainlibraries,administra4vefiles,andontheInternet;6.Designques4onnairesandotherprimarydatacollec4onstrategies;7.Iden4fyqualita4ve&quan4ta4veanaly4calmethodstoanswerdifferenttypesofresearchques4ons;8.Cri4callyevaluatetheaccuracyandusefulnessofresearchconductedbyothers.

CourseFormatClassmeetsfor75minutestwiceaweekaccordingtothescheduleprovidedinthissyllabus.TheweeklyclasssessionsonTuesdaysandThursdayswilltypicallyconsistofacombina4onof:lecture,discussion,demonstra4onoftheuseofdifferentresearchanddataanalysistechniques,"handson"exercisesandrealworldexamples.Occasionally,specialguestswilllectureononeormoresocialresearchtopics.

AcademicIntegrityAllstudentsmustbehonestandforthrightintheiracademicstudies.Tofalsifytheresultsofone’sresearch,tostealthewordsorideasofanother,tocheatonanexamorassignment,ortoalloworassistanothertocommittheseactscorruptstheeduca4onalprocess.Studentsareexpectedtodotheirownworkandneithergivenorreceiveunauthorizedassistance.IvigorouslysupportandaggressivelyenforcetheUniversity’sCodeofConductasitpertainstoacademicdishonesty,andstronglyrecommendthateachstudentreviewtheUniversity'sReferenceGuidetoAcademicIntegritywhichcanbefoundath0p://www.udel.edu/studentconduct/ai.html

Home Course Info Aug/Sept October Nov/Dec News

ReadingAssignmentsThereadingassignmentforeachclassisindicatedforeachmee2ngandmustbecompletedbeforethatclassmeets.Readingtheassignedmaterialbeforeclassiscrucialtoyourlearningbecauseclasspresenta2ons,discussionsandwri;enassignmentswillrequirefamiliaritywiththeassignedreadingmaterial.

ClassPar1cipa1onAllstudentsareencouragedandexpectedtoac2velypar2cipateinclassroomdiscussions.Suchpar2cipa2onisimpossibleifthestudentisabsentfromclass,hence,absencescanaffectastudent’sfinalcoursegrade.

Wri6enAssignmentsTherewillbeaseriesofout-of-classwri;enassignmentswithstrictlyenforcedduedatesand2mes.Oneoftheseassignmentsisagroupassignment.Assignmentssubmi;edlatewillreceivealowergrade.ItwouldbeprudenttobegineachassignmentwithinadayortwoaGeritisassigned.Youwillfindthattryingtodotheassignmentsatthelastminutewillbeverydifficultbecauseofunan2cipatedproblemswithconceptualiza2on,datacollec2onoranalysis.

FinalExamThecoursewillculminatewithanin-classfinalexam.Itwillcontainbothshortandlongansweressayques2onsdrawnfromanyofthematerialcoveredduringthecourse.

GradingAssignmentswillbegradedonascaleof1-5,with5represen2ngsuperiorqualitywork.Agradeof4representssa2sfactorywork;agradeof3orlowerisunsa2sfactorywork.Cau$on:assignmentssubmi0edlatewillreceivealowergrade.Astudent'sfinalgradeforthecoursewillbedeterminedbythefollowingelementsweightedasindicated:

Individual(non-group)assignments(collec2vely)--40%Thegroupassignment--20%In-classfinalexam--35%Classpar2cipa2on--5%

RequiredTexts(E-versionsofthesetextsareavailable.)Babbie,Earl(2010).ThePrac$ceofSocialResearch.Twel>hEdi$on.Belmont,CA:Wadsworth,CengageLearning

Course Info

Best,Joel(2012).DammedLiesandSta$s$cs:UntanglingNumbersfromtheMedia,Poli$ciansandAc$vists:UpdatedEdi$on.Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress.

OtherLearningResourcesWebCenterforSocialResearchMethods.Thiswebsiteisforpeopleinvolvedinappliedsocialresearchandevalua2on.You'llfindlotsofresourcesandlinkstootherloca2onsontheWebthatdealinappliedsocialresearchmethods.Ofpar2cularinterestistheResearchMethodsKnowledgeBasewhichisacomprehensiveweb-basedtextbookthataddressesallofthetopicsinatypicalintroductoryundergraduateorgraduatecourseinsocialresearchmethods.

Babbie,Earl(2009).GuidedAc$vi$estoAccompanyThePrac$ceofSocialResearch,12thEdi$on.Belmont,CA:Wadsworth/ThomsonLearning,Inc.

Animportantpartofgoodresearchisexpressingyourideas,methodsandconclusionsclearly.NeedsomehelpwithyourEnglishwri2ngskills?Ifso,checkouttheUniversityofDelawareWri1ngCenter.

Gohereforlinkstoavarietyofsecondarydatasets.

Qualita1veToolsforMul1methodResearchForanoverviewofsurveyresearch,gotowww.wha1sasurvey.info

Gohereforalistofresourcespertainingtoevalua2onresearch(courtesyofDr.LeslieCooksy).

Home Course Info Aug/Sept October Nov/Dec News

Aug.30:CourseOverview,Requirements&Logis:csDownloadlectureslidesasaPDFofthePowerPointfilehere

Goheretoseeavideoforresearchthatsuggestssocialmediamen9onsofbaconorkalerevealpoli9calsplitsintheU.S.

Sept1:TheResearchProcessReading:Babbie,Chapters1&2DownloadlectureslidesasaPDFofthePowerPointfilehere.

Sept.6&8:TheUbiquityofResearch&DevelopingResearchQues:onsReading:JoelBest.DamnedLiesandSta9s9cs:UntanglingNumbersfromtheMedia,Poli9ciansandAc9vists:Updatedversion.En9rebook

Reading:Babbie,AppendixG,"TwentyQues9onsaJournalistShouldAskaboutPollResults",pp.A28-A33.Isthetruthbeingtold?Thefileishere.

DownloadlectureslidesasaPDFofthePowerPointfilehere

Assignment1:Formula9ngResearchQues9ons(dueinclasson9/15)

Goheretoseethevideoregardingpercep%on.Hereisasecondvideo.

Sept.13,15&20:ResearchDesign,Conceptualiza:on,Opera:onaliza:on&MeasurementReading:Babbie,Chapters4&5DownloadlectureslidesasaPDFofthePowerPointfilehereAssignment1dueon9/15.

Sept.22:Indices&ScalesReading:Babbie,Chapter6DownloadlectureslidesasaPDFofthePowerPointfilehere

Assignment2:IndicesandScales(dueinclasson9/29)

Aug/Sept

Exampleofacompositeindicator:MeasuringResiden9alDiscrimina9oninNewCastleCounty,DE

Sept.27&29:TypesofExperiments&ResearchDesignsReading:Babbie,Chapter8DownloadlectureslidesasaPDFofthePowerPointfilehere

Assignment2dueinclasson9/29.

Assignment3:ResearchQues9onandExperimentalDesign(dueinclasson10/13)

GroupAssignment:Developmentofa"detailedoutlineofafullempiricalresearchproposal."

Classpresenta9onandhardcopydueinclasson12/6.

Home Course Info Aug/Sept October Nov/Dec News

Oct.4&6:SamplingReadings:Babbie,Chapter7DownloadlectureslidesasaPDFofthePowerPointfilehere.

Assignment4:SamplingIssues(dueinclassonOct.18)GoherefortheexampleofcalculaIngsamplesizesusedinclass.PewResearch’sdefiniIonofalikelyvoterishere.

Oct.11&13:SurveyResearchReadings:Babbie,Chapter9DownloadlectureslidesasaPDFofthePowerPointfilehere.

Assignment3dueinclassonOctober15

Assignment5:DevelopingQuesIons/ConducIngaStructuredSurvey(hardcopydueinclassNov.10)Foranoverviewofsurveyresearch,gotowww.wha?sasurvey.infoCheckthisout:Na?onalSurveydonebytheNaIonalParksandConservaIonAssociaIon

Oct.18:EthicsandPoli?csofSocialResearchReadings:Babbie,Chapter3

DownloadlectureslidesasaPDFofthePowerPointfilehere.

GohereformediascholarJayRosen’scommentsregardingFacebook’smoodmanipulaIonresearchconducInginJan.2012.

GohereforastoryregardingthestatementofconcernfromthejournalthatpublishedtheFacebookresearch.

Assignment4dueinclasstoday

GohereforUniversityofDelawareGuidelinesforHuman

October

SubjectReview

Oct.20:StatusReportsfromProjectGroups&Mid-TermCourseReviewComewithyourquesIons!

Oct.25&27:Qualita?veandUnobtrusiveResearchReadings:Babbie,Chapters10&11DownloadlectureslidesasaPDFofthePowerPointfilehere

Home Course Info Aug/Sept October Nov/Dec News

Nov1:Evalua+onResearchReadings:Babbie,Chapter12DownloadlecturenotesasaPDFfileofthePowerPointfilehere.Gohereforthe"PlanningProcessFlowDiagram".Assignment6:DesigninganOutcomeEvaluaFon(dueinclassonNov.17)

Nov.3:Univariate,Bivariate&Mul+variateDataAnalysisReadings:Babbie,Chapters13,14,and16DownloadlecturenotesasaPDFofthePowerPointfilehere.CheckouttheElectronicSta+s+csTextbook.It'sagreatreferenceonavarietyofstaFsFcaltechniques.

Assignment5dueinclassNov.10

Nov.8:Noclass,Elec+onDay

Nov:10:Univariate,Bivariate&Mul+variateDataAnalysis(cont)

Nov.15&17:TypesandSourcesofDataDownloadaPDFfileofthePowerPointfilehere.Gohereforsomeofthemajorsourcesofsecondarydataontheweb.Assignment6dueinclasstoday

Nov.22&24:Thanksgivingbreak,noclasses

Nov29:Policyanalysis/PolicyresearchReadings:D.Yanich(2008).DoingPolicyResearch-CamelotorOz.SocialScienceResearchCouncilJ.Lomas(2000).Connec+ngResearch&Policy,Spring,Printemps.

Nov/Dec

SeethesetwoarFclesintheNewYorkTimesthatexaminetherelaFonshipsbetweenthinktanks,corporaFonsandpolicy.ThefirstisenFtled:ThinkTankScholarorCorporateConsultant?ItDependsontheDay.

Thesecondis:HowThinkTanksAmplifyCorporateAmerica’sInfluence.

DownloadlecturenotesasaPDFfileofthePowerPointfilehere.

Formoreinfo:see,E.Bardach(2011).APrac1calGuidetoPolicyAnalysisDec.1:Policyanalysis/PolicyresearchGuestpresenter:Dr.AndreaSarzynski,SPPA

Readings:Weimer,D.&Vining,A.(2010).PolicyAnalysis:ConceptsandPracFce(5thEdiFon).Chs.1&2.ReadingmaterialwillbedistributedpriortotheclassmeeFng.DownloadlecturenotesaaPDFofthePowerPointfilehere.Dec.6:GroupPresenta+onsEachgroupmustsubmitanelectroniccopyoftheirpresentaFonmaterials.InaddiFon,eachstudentistosubmitahardcopyoftheir2-3page"reflecFon"inclass.

Dec.8:ReviewSession

Home Course Info Aug/Sept October Nov/Dec News

Newinfoaboutthecoursewillappearasneededonthispageduringthesemester.Makesurethatyoucheckitregularly.

Thequotebelowiso%ena)ributedtoAlbertEinstein,butmyowninves7ga7onindicatesthatitshouldbea)ributedtoSociologistWilliamBruceCameron.Einsteinapparentlywasfondofusingthequote,orparaphrasingit,withoutgivinga)ribu7ontoCameron.Noteverythingthatcanbecountedcounts,andnoteverythingthatcountscanbecounted.--SociologistWilliamBruceCameron,1963

HereisareportbythePewResearchCenteronpolling.Thisisespeciallyimportantfortheupcoming2016Presiden7alelec7on.

Seethistreatmentofalargedatabaseandwhatinforma>onitcanreveal.WhenHarvardMetSally:N-gramAnalysisofTheNewYorkTimesWeddingsSec7onTheNewYorkTimesweddingsec7onisaperfectnaturalexperimentdesignedtoanswertheques7on:Whatdotheworld'smostself-importantpeoplethinkisimportant?IntroducingWeddingCrunchers.com,asearchabledatabaseofnearly60,000NYTweddingannouncementsfrom1981through2013.Plotn-gramfrequencyandvisualizetrendsacross30+yearsofyuppienup7als.Thelinkishere.

ReadthisopinionpieceintheNewYorkTimesregardingthecollabora7venatureofscienceandtheNobelPrize.Thelinkishere.

Hereisanovelwaytolookathowcita7onsbecomecita7ons---theprocessiscalled“citogenesis”accordingtothecartoonsite,xkcd.com.TakealookatthecartooninlightofJoelBest’sbookandthinkofnumberlaundering:h)p://xkcd.com/978/

Hereisanar>cleintheNewYorkTimesregardingtheU.S.SupremeCourt’suseofthedatainamicusbriefs.Thestudyshowedthat,o%en,thedataareli)lemorethanguesses.Clickhere.forthear7cle.

News

HereisastoryonNPRregardingresearchofmurderasaninfec7ousdisease:linkhere.Clickonthelinktothear7cleitselfwithintheNPRstory.Itoffersaveryinteres7ngwaytoconceptualizeasocialissue.

ThePewResearchCenterisanenormouslyimportantsourceofinforma7onaboutthepublicissues.Hereisalinktotheirmethodspagethattheysenttothesubscribers.Takealook.

HereisthepdffileofthecodebookthatIusedforthePoli7calAdMediastudy.CodingInstruc>ons

Finalexam:HereisapreviousEXAMtouseasastudyguide.

Hereisaveryinteres>ngar>cleintheNewYorkerregardingpolls.

Hereisaveryrevealingar>cleabouthowpollscanbeinterpreteddifferentlyastheauthorsaskedseparatepollsterstoexaminetheexactsamedata.

WealthinAmerica:avideographicrepresenta7onshowingthedistribu7onofwealthintheUnitedStates.Aneye-openingpieceofinforma7on.

Theperilsofweigh>nginsampling:Hereisagreatar7clethatshowshowweigh7nginsurveyresearchaffectsresults,par7cularlyinthePresiden7alrace.