Research Methods

SYA 3300-U03

Fall 2019

Tuesdays & Thursdays, 12:30-1:45pm

Management & Advanced Research Center (MARC) 145

Professor Richard Tardanico

What It’s About

Welcome to Research Methods! Together we’ll learn the basic principles and practices of social research

and use them to explore the problem of gentrification and residential evictions in Miami’s Little Haiti. By

the end of the semester students are expected to have learned:

• the basic principles and practices of social research;

• to write a social research project mini-proposal;

• to use the principles and practices of social research to gain insight into ways of supporting and

promoting action on behalf of social and environmental justice within and across diverse

communities.

Two New GSS-Undergraduate Research Methods Certificates:

Preparation for Graduate/Professional Degree Programs & Careers

• Applied Social Research Methods Certificate

• GIS Certificate

Getting in Touch

• Dr. Tardanico: SIPA 312; Tuesdays, 2:30-3:30pm, or by appointment; communication via Canvas

InBox messages

Required Textbook

Chambliss and Schutt, Making Sense of the Social World: Methods of Investigation, 5th or 6th ed. (Sage

Publications)

• Available as paperback or e-text. Purchase or rent the cheapest copy possible.

Recommended: Rebekah Massengil, “Writing Sociology: A Guide for Junior Papers and Senior Theses”

(Department of Sociology, Princeton University)

https://sociology.princeton.edu/sites/sociology/files/soc_ug_writing_guide.pdf

Canvas Course Website

• The Canvas website contains our course’s tools and materials.

• Download the Canvas app for use with smartphones.

Course Organization

The Inverted Classroom: A Collaborative Community of Active Learners, Critical Thinkers

Our course will use the principles of the “inverted” (or “flipped”) classroom. This approach seeks to

transform the class’s students and instructors into a collaborative community of active learners and

critical thinkers.

Students in flipped classes complete assigned materials before a class session convenes. The class session

is mainly devoted to active learning activities, in which students work both as individuals and in small

groups and present their ideas to the wider class for discussion. Early in the semester students will be

divided into small, semester-long working groups.

The syllabus designates assigned materials as either in class or homework. Students are required to do the

homework (typically involving web-link materials and a discussion post essay of a minimum of 250

words of text) before the subsequent class session. Class attendance and active, responsible participation

in your group are essential and required.

Plagiarism Policy

FIU’s policies on plagiarism and academic honesty will be strictly enforced.

http://integrity.fiu.edu/plagiarism.html

http://integrity.fiu.edu/misconducts.html

Graded Assignments

• Final grades: based on the earned percentage of the semester’s total points, as accumulated by the

end of the semester.

o Grading scale: 90-100%=A; 80-89%=B; 70-79%=C; 60-69%=D; 0-59%=F.

o The Canvas grade book will display each student’s percentage of total points as accumulated

periodically during the semester.

• Course contract: posted in Canvas under Modules > Contract; 100 points if signed (typed signature),

dated, and uploaded to Canvas (Discussions > Contract) by September 30, 11:59pm. Read carefully

and ask the instructor for clarifications. The instructor and students are bound by this contract.

• Class attendance/participation:10 points each time. Students must arrive punctually to earn the

attendance points.

o Beginning with the second class session, students are responsible for arriving in class

punctually and logging into each session’s true/false attendance quiz via Canvas (under

Assignments or Quizzes) (10 points per session).

o Students will be divided into semester-long learning groups, which will be the basis of the

class’s hands-on activities. Students will earn points for making group-based presentations

and for submitting frequent in-class assignments, most of which will be group based.

o Students must be present in class, logged into the session’s attendance punctually, and

not leave class early to earn points for the in-class posts, unless a valid excuse is submitted

(see “Special Circumstances …” policy below).

o These assignments will be appropriately adjusted for students with Disability Resource

Center accommodations.

o Given that hands-on, group-based activities will be the focus of class sessions, punctuality

and remaining in class for the duration of each session will be key components of

attendance/participation.

• Homework discussion posts (submit under Assignments or Discussions): graded pass/fail(50 points

for each passing post; 0 points for each failing post; and -50 points for each unexcused, late or non-

submitted post).

o The posts will be assessed as passing or not based on the following criteria:

▪ Minimum of 250 words of discussion text (unless indicated as not required); there is no

maximum word count. Display the word count at the end of each post (unless otherwise

indicated).

▪ Relevance: The ideas expressed indicate that the student has engaged the assigned

material at a satisfactory level or better from the standpoint of preparation for the

upcoming class session.

▪ Clarity and coherence of the ideas expressed.

▪ Meets university standards of spelling and grammar.

o Type each post in your word processor, save, and copy/paste to the corresponding post box in

Canvas (under Assignments or Discussions).

o Note: -50 points for late submissions or for failure to post (unless there’s a valid excuse;

see “Special Circumstances …” policy below).

o You are not required to respond to posts by other students.

• Seven in-class quizzes via Canvas: multiple choice; 25 questions for quiz #1; 10-18 questions for

each subsequent quiz; worth a possible 100 points per quiz and a possible 1000 total semester points.

o Broad, conceptual questions based entirely on a class session’s assigned textbook chapter(s).

o Written or typed study notes permitted for (open book or photocopied book pages not

permitted)

o Appropriately adjusted for students with relevant Disability Resource Center

accommodations.

o How to prepare for the quizzes: Instructor-provided quiz chapter-study questions, the

textbook’s learning objectives and online study materials, and each student’s chapter notes.

• Successful completion of the online “Research Ethics and Compliance Training” course (worth 300

points). Due by September 30, 11:59pm (submit your completion certificate to Discussions or

Assignments > REC).

o If you have completed this course within the last two years, you don’t need to retake the

course. Post a scanned copy of your completion certificate as described below.

o FIU overview of the course objectives and procedures: http://research.fiu.edu/irb/training-

requirements/

o The course has 13 parts and takes two or three hours (which need not be taken all at once).

o Course website: http://www.citiprogram.org -> Registration (complete the forms) -> select

Florida International University -> select Basic Human Subjects Research -> Next -> Social

and Behavioral Human Research Investigators Course -> Submit -> Click on the course name

in the table that displays -> Agree to the course’s terms -> Do the training and assessments

until you’ve successfully completed the course and earned the certificate

o Save the completion certificate electronically under your name such as Mindy Kahling

Research Ethics Certificate, and upload it to Canvas (Discussions or Assignments > REC).

o Beginning after the due date and time, unexcused late certificate posts will incur an

immediate 20% point reduction and will be reduced by 20% for each subsequent day late.

o This assignment must be completed: if you don’t complete this assignment successfully you

will fail the course.

• Research methods summary essay (worth a possible 1000 points)

o The assignment is described under the Syllabus Weekly Calendar (October 29).

o Upload to Canvas (Discussions > Essay) by December 9, 11:59 pm. Late essays will incur

an immediate 20% point reduction and will be reduced by 20% for each subsequent day late.

• Social research mini-proposal on gentrification and evictions in Little Haiti (worth a possible 1000

points)

o Research proposal format (title, abstract, introduction (with hypotheses or research

question[s], literature review, and methods); 1,000 or more words of text.

o The assignment is described under the Assignments Calendar (October 31-December 4).

o Upload to Canvas (Discussions > Proposal) by December 14, 11:59pm.

o Late papers will not be accepted.

All assignments must be completed to be eligible to earn a passing grade. Unexcused late assignments

will not be accepted. Excused late assignments might not be graded until the end of final exams week.

Excused absences/late arrivals/early departures and late/missed assignments

• Students will be able to earn full credit for potentially excused absences/late arrivals/early departures

and late/missed assignments.

o Download and post your name, the session date(s), and the relevant assignment(s) on the

document located in Canvas (Modules > Special Circumstances).

Religious Holy Days

The University's policy on religious holy days is described in the University Catalog and Student

Handbook. Any student may request to be excused from class to observe a religious holy day of his or

her faith.

Disability Services

FIU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities under the

Americans with Disabilities Act. Students who require course accommodations are required to register

with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) by the beginning of the semester and to follow the DRC’s

procedures. Contact information:

• MMC, Graham Center 190; (305) 348-3532; email: drcupgl@fiu.edu

• BBC, Wolfe University Center 131; (305) 919-5345; email: drcbbc@fiu.edu

Assignments Calendar Subject to corrections and minor revisions

Tuesday, August 27

In class: Instructor introduction; course overview; organize semester-student groups; student

introductions

Homework

Social research: Overview

• Mencimer, “What if everything you knew about poverty was wrong?”

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/03/kathryn-edin-poverty-research-fatherhood/

• Mills, “The Promise,” The Sociological Imagination, chapter 1

http://sites.middlebury.edu/utopias/files/2013/02/The-Promise.pdf

• Chambliss & Schutt, chapter 1, “What is social science?”

Discussion post #1

Part One

• What questions, issues, and/or insights does the Mencimer article present for you?

• How can you begin to make sense of these issues and insights based on the chapter by Mills?

• How can you begin to make sense of these based on the chapter by Chambliss & Schutt?

Part Two

• Chambliss & Schutt: What are the four common errors in everyday reasoning? What is social science,

and what are its limitations? What are the four goals of social research in practice? Define valid

knowledge, and indicate its three components.

Post to Canvas (under Assignments or Discussions) by Wednesday, 11:59pm. Required minimum: 250

words of text; display the word count at the end of your post. (Write/save the text in a word processor;

copy/paste the text to Canvas.)

Thursday, August 29

In class: Zotero reference manager exercise (download Zotero and its Chrome connector; activities based

on the homework assignments

Homework

• Chambliss & Schutt, chapter 2, “The process and problems of social research”

• “7 things you should know about poverty and housing”

https://www.habitat.org/stories/7-things-you-should-know-about-poverty-and-housing

• “Kicked out: America’s housing affordability crisis and evictions”

https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/kicked-out-americas-housing-affordability-crisis-and-evictions

• “The eviction economy”

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/06/opinion/sunday/the-eviction-economy.html?_r=0

Discussion post #2

Part One

• What are the three characteristics of a good research question?

• What is a theory, and why is it important for research? How is Mills’s “sociological imagination: the

promise” an example of theory?

• What is the difference between research using deductive reasoning and research using inductive

reasoning?

• Why is an explanation formulated after the fact necessarily less certain than an explanation presented

before the collection of data?

• Describe the research circle, and explain the role of replication in relation to that circle.

• What is the difference between research using individuals and groups? What is their relationship to

the ecological and individualist (reductionist) fallacies?

• What is the general difference between cross-sectional and longitudinal research designs? What is an

example of each basic type? What are the advantages of each?

Part Two

• In view of the above principles: (1) draft a research question concerning family problems of housing

affordability; and (2) briefly propose both a cross-sectional and longitudinal research design to study

the question.

Post to Canvas by Monday, 11:59pm. Required minimum: 250 words of text; display the word count at

the end of your post.

Tuesday, September 3

In class: activities based on the homework assignments

Homework: Review the previous assignments

Thursday, September 5

In class: activities based on the homework assignments

Homework: Review for quiz #1 (chapters 1 and 2)

Tuesday, September 10: Quiz #1

In class: Quiz #1 (chapters 1 and 2)

Homework

• Chambliss & Schutt, chapter 3, “Ethics in research”

• “The Nuremberg trials” (video, 10 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szhpgDz5iC8

• “The Tuskegee syphilis study” (video, 10 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9ay3RJhavI

• “Milgram obedience study” (video, 11 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCVlI-_4GZQ

• “The real lesson of the Stanford prison experiment”

https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/the-real-lesson-of-the-stanford-prison-

experiment

• “Facebook expects to be fined up to $5 billion by F.T.C. over privacy violations”

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/24/technology/facebook-ftc-fine-privacy.html

• “Experimenting on animals”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/experiments_1.shtml

• Review any of the following professional ethics codes.

• American Anthropological Association http://ethics.americananthro.org/category/statement/

• American Association of Geographers

http://www.aag.org/cs/about_aag/governance/statement_of_professional_ethics

• American Sociological Association http://www.asanet.org/membership/code-ethics

Discussion post #3

• Identify and briefly describe four research projects that helped motivate the establishment of human

subject protections.

• List the principles of either the AAA. AAG, or ASA professional ethics code.

• Define the Belmont Report’s three ethical standards for the protection of human subjects.

• Explain the role of an institutional review board.

• List the current standards for the protection of human subjects in research.

• Define debriefing, and describe the controversy about the Milgram research.

Post to Canvas by Wednesday, 11:59pm. No minimum required word count and no need to display the

word count.

Reminder: Contract and Research ethics certificate due by September 30

Thursday, September 12

In class: activities based on the homework assignments

Homework

Part One

• Chambliss & Schutt, chapter 4, “Conceptualization and measurement”

Part Two

• “Studying the rich: Wealth is more important than income.” FragileFinances

https://medium.com/fragile-finances/studying-the-rich-wealth-more-important-than-income-

bd78c041a612

• “The insane scale of global wealth inequality, visualized” (video, 9 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caBDPFx2et4

• “Facts: Wealth inequality in the U.S.” Inequality.org

https://inequality.org/facts/wealth-inequality/

• Bernstein and Spielberg, “Inequality matters”

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/06/what-matters-inequality-or-

opportuniy/393272/

• Gibson-Davis and Percheski, “Why the wealth gap hits families the hardest”

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/opinion/wealth-inequality-families-children-

elderly.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-

right-region&region=opinion-c-col-right-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-right-region

• Laiken, “Wealth gap for families” (letter to editor)

shttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/31/opinion/wealth-gap-

families.html?mabReward=CBMG1&recid=15QcKqKKyvnVPJheyN8qgT52Jhp&recp=3&action=cl

ick&pgtype=Homepage&region=CColumn&module=Recommendation&src=rechp&WT.nav=RecEn

gine

• “… the black-white wealth gap is widening and targeted policies are necessary to close it.” Center for

American Progress

https://www.americanprogress.org/press/release/2018/02/21/447047/release-new-cap-report-

concludes-black-white-wealth-gap-widening-targeted-policies-necessary-close/

Part Three

1. Absolute poverty

• Silver and Gharib, “What’s the meaning of the World Bank’s new poverty lines?”

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/10/25/558068646/whats-the-meaning-of-the-world-

banks-new-poverty-lines

• “[U.S.] Federal poverty guidelines and chart.” The Balance

https://www.thebalance.com/federal-poverty-level-definition-guidelines-chart-3305843

2. Relative poverty

• “People at risk of poverty or social exclusion.” Eurostat (European Union)

http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-datasets/-/t2020_50

3. Critiques of mainstream poverty concepts & measures

• O’Brien and Pedulla, “Beyond the poverty line”

https://ssir.org/articles/entry/beyond_the_poverty_line

http://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/data-gaps-the-poor-typical-household-surveys-miss

• Gaddis, “Data gaps: The poor typical surveys miss”

http://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/data-gaps-the-poor-typical-household-surveys-miss

• “We need new ways to measure poverty, UN told.” The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/sep/25/new-ways-measure-poverty

4. Alternative poverty concepts & measures

Multidimensional poverty index (MPI)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), “Multidimensional poverty index (MPI)”

http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/multidimensional-poverty-index-mpi

Community & household assets/capital/resources/capabilities and livelihoods

• “What is asset-based community development?” The Collaborative for Neighborhood Transformation

https://resources.depaul.edu/abcd-

institute/resources/Documents/WhatisAssetBasedCommunityDevelopment.pdf

• “Asset-based community development sees strengths”

https://www.useful-community-development.org/asset-based-community-development.html

• “… Fundamentals of asset-based community development.” Unite for Sight

http://www.uniteforsight.org/community-development/abcd/module2

• “Developing a plan for assessing local needs and resources.” University of Kansas

https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/assessment/assessing-community-needs-and-

resources/develop-a-plan/main

Note. Assets=capital=resources=capacities=strengths, etc. Needs=deficits=vulnerabilities=

liabilities=problems=weaknesses, etc.

• “… Introduction to the livelihoods framework.” Phuhlisani

http://www.phuhlisani.com/oid%5Cdownloads%5CCh1.pdf (go to the bottom of page 3 and read the

definitions and the summary description of “livelihood,” up to the end of that section on page 4; then

inspect the “DFID Livelihoods Framework” box [page 5] for an example of how “livelihood assets”

are defined.)

Part Four

• “How poor Americans get exploited by their landlords”

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/03/housing-rent-landlords-poverty-desmond-inequality-

research/585265/

• “What does evicted mean, and what does it mean for you?”

https://www.myrentalhistoryreport.com/blog/eviction-notices/what-does-evicted-mean/

Discussion post #4

Part One

• Define and distinguish conceptualization and operationalization.

• List four different means of operationalizing concepts.

• What is a variable? What is a constant? Give two examples of each.

• Define and distinguish validity and reliability. Give an example of each.

Part Two

• Conceptualize and operationalize income. How can income be a variable? How could it be a constant

in a study?

• Conceptualize and operationalize wealth. How is wealth different from income, and why is wealth

more important than income? How can wealth be a variable? How could it be a constant in a study?

• Provide four ways of conceptualizing and operationalizing poverty: absolute; relative; and two

multidimensional ways.

o How do policy controversies over the concept and measurement of poverty represent

debates concerning validity?

o How can poverty—however defined—be a variable? How could it possibly be a constant

in a study?

• Conceptualize and operationalize eviction (see “What does evicted mean …”). What are the

controversies, or ambiguities, regarding its conceptualization and operationalization? How could

eviction be a variable? How could it be a constant in a study?

• Conceptualize and operationalize exploitation in the realm of property/housing, according to

Desmond and Wilmers. How can exploitation, defined in this way, be a variable? How could it be a

constant in a study?

Part Three

• You are conducting a study of family wealth in Little Haiti. How could reliability be a problem in

measuring the variable wealth?

Post to Canvas by Monday, 11:59pm. Required minimum: 250 words of text; display the word count at

the end of your post.

Tuesday, September 17

In class: activities based on the homework assignments

Homework: review the previous assignments

Thursday, September 19

In class: activities based on the previous assignments

Homework: review for quiz #2 (chapter 3) and quiz #3 (chapter 4)

Tuesday, September 24: Quizzes #2 & #3

In class: quiz #2 (chapter 3) and quiz #3 (chapter 4)

Homework

• “What is the U.S. Census and why is it important?”

https://www.census.gov/partners/2020.html

• Chambliss & Schutt, chapter 5, “Sampling and generalizability”

Discussion post #5

• What are the two focal issues of sampling theory?

• When is sampling not necessary? Why is this rare?

• What are the following aspects of sampling: the elements, sampling units, the sample, the sampling

frame, and the target population?

• What is bias in research? Give three examples.

• What is a representative sample? How does it contrast with the concept of bias? Give three examples.

• What is probability sampling and nonprobability sampling? What is the difference between them?

Give two examples of each.

• What are the major types of probability sampling? Given an example of each.

• What is convenience (availability) sampling? Is it probability or nonprobability sampling? What is its

limitation, and why does it represent bad sampling practice? Give two examples of convenience

sampling.

• When might nonprobability sampling be justified? What are the limitations of research when

nonprobability sampling is used? Give an example of such a case.

• What is a census? What is its advantage and disadvantage? Why is probability sampling typically

preferred to a census? Why is the U.S. Census important?

Post to Canvas by Wednesday, 11:59pm. Required minimum: 250 words of text; display the word count

at the end of your post.

Thursday, September 26

In class: activities based on the homework assignments

Homework

Discussion post #6

• You are conducting a sample survey of FIU undergraduates concerning food insecurity.

• For this survey:

o Describe a convenience (availability) sample for this study. Why would such a sample

represent bad research practice?

o Describe a simple random sample for the study. Why is it superior to a convenience sample?

o Describe a stratified sample for the study. Why is it superior to a convenience sample? Why

might it be preferable to a simple random sample?

o Describe a cluster sample for the study. Why is it superior to a convenience sample? Why

might it be superior to a simple random sample?

o Describe a “snowball” sample for the study. Is it a probability or nonprobability sample?

When might it be justified? What are its limitations?

Post to Canvas by Monday, 11:59pm. There is no required minimum word count and no need to display

the word count.

Tuesday, October 1:

In class: activities based on the homework assignment

Homework: review for quiz #4 (chapter 5)

Thursday, October 3: Quiz #4

In class: review chapter 5 and do quiz #4

Homework

• “Why correlation does not imply causation”

https://towardsdatascience.com/why-correlation-does-not-imply-causation-5b99790df07e

• “The history of the discovery of the cigarette-lung cancer link: evidentiary traditions, corporate

denial, global toll”

https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/21/2/87

• “9 ways we know humans triggered climate change”

https://www.edf.org/climate/9-ways-we-know-humans-triggered-climate-change

Recommended: “The basics of climate change”

https://royalsociety.org/topics-policy/projects/climate-change-evidence-causes/basics-of-climate-

change/

• Chambliss & Schutt, chapter 6, “Causation and experimental design”

Discussion post #7

• What are the five criteria for establishing causality?

• Explain the statement “Correlation does not prove causation.”

• What is the difference between an independent (predictor) and dependent (outcome) variable? What

is their role in proving causation?

• Does correlation have an independent and dependent variable, or not? Explain. Give two examples.

• List the essential components of a true experimental design.

• Distinguish the concepts of randomization (random assignment) and random sample. Give an

example of each.

• What are the two major types of quasi-experimental design? Why are they called “quasi”? Give an

example.

• What are the influences on external validity (generalizability) and internal validity (causal validity) in

experimental design?

• Using the five criteria for establishing causality, describe (a) how we know that human activities are

the cause of contemporary climate change; and (b) how we know that consuming tobacco products

causes cancer.

Post to Canvas by Monday, 11:59pm. Required minimum: 250 words of text; display the word count at

the end of your post.

Tuesday, October 8

In class: activities based on the homework assignment

Homework

Discussion post #8

• In view of the five criteria for establishing causality:

o Describe the research steps required to establish that consuming tobacco causes cancer.

o Describe the research steps required to establish that human activities are the cause of

ongoing climate change.

• What is wrong with the following statement? “Rates of rental eviction are increasing because renters

are increasingly irresponsible.”

o What research steps would need be required to identify plausible causes of increasing rates of

renter eviction?

o In view of the five criteria for establishing causality: Why is establishing causality in this

case—as well as in other cases of relationships within society—much more challenging than

establishing causality by means of a true experimental design?

Post to Canvas by Wednesday, 11:59pm. Required minimum: 250 words of text; display the word count

at the end of your post.

Thursday, October 10

In class: activities based on the homework assignment

Homework: review chapter 6 for quiz #5

Tuesday, October 15: Quiz #5

In class: review chapter 6 and do quiz #5

Homework

• Chambliss & Schutt, chapter 7, “Survey research”

• “5 common survey question mistakes that will ruin your data.” Survey Monkey

https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/5-common-survey-mistakes-ruin-your-data/

• “Questionnaire design.” Pew Research Center

http://www.pewresearch.org/methodology/u-s-survey-research/questionnaire-design/

Discussion post #9

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of omnibus surveys?

• What is the problem of sampling on a dependent variable?

• What are the “5 common survey question mistakes”?

• What are the different methods for improving survey questions?

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of each type of survey design, with emphasis on response

rates?

• What are the key ethical issues of survey research?

Post to Canvas by Wednesday, 11:59pm. There is no required minimum word count and no need to

display the word count.

Thursday, October 17

In class: activities based on the homework assignment

Homework: review chapter 7 for quiz #6

Tuesday, October 22: Quiz #6

In class: review chapter 7 and do quiz #6

Homework: Chambliss & Schutt, chapter 13, “Reviewing, proposing, and reporting research”

Discussion post #10

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of alternative research designs?

• What are the goals and challenges in writing a research proposal?

• What are the major sections of a research report?

• What are the steps in evaluating a research report?

• What is plagiarism, and what are the repercussions for plagiarizing?

Post to Canvas by Wednesday, 11:59pm. Required minimum: 250 words of text; display the word count

at the end of your post.

Thursday, October 24

In class: activities based on the homework assignment

Homework: review chapter 13 for quiz #7

No discussion post due

Tuesday October 29: Quiz #7

In class: review chapter 13 and do quiz #7

Homework (due Monday, December 9)

*** Research Methods Summary Essay ***

Part One

• What are the three characteristics of a good research question?

• What is a theory, and why is it important for research? How is Mills’s “sociological imagination: the

promise” an example of theory?

• What is the difference between research using deductive reasoning and research using inductive

reasoning?

• Why is an explanation formulated after the fact necessarily less certain than an explanation presented

before the collection of data?

• Describe the research circle, and explain the role of replication in relation to that circle.

• What is the difference between research using individuals and groups? What is their relationship to

the ecological and individualist (reductionist) fallacies?

• What is the general difference between cross-sectional and longitudinal research designs? What is an

example of each basic type? What are the advantages of each?

• In view of the above principles: (1) draft a research question concerning family problems of housing

affordability; and (2) briefly propose both a cross-sectional and longitudinal research design to study

the question.

Part Two

Section A

• Define and distinguish conceptualization and operationalization.

• List four different means of operationalizing concepts.

• What is a variable? What is a constant? Give two examples of each.

• Define and distinguish independent and dependent variable. Give an example of each.

• Define and distinguish validity and reliability. Give an example of each.

Section B

• Conceptualize and operationalize income. How can income be a variable? How could it possibly be a

constant in a study?

• Conceptualize and operationalize wealth. How is wealth different from income, and why is wealth

more important than income? How can wealth be a variable? How could it possibly be a constant in a

study?

• Provide four ways of conceptualizing and operationalizing poverty: absolute; relative; and two

multidimensional ways.

o How do policy controversies over the concept and measurement of poverty represent

debates concerning validity?

o How can poverty—however defined—be a variable? How could it possibly be a constant

in a study?

• Conceptualize and operationalize eviction (see “What does evicted mean …”). What are the

controversies, or ambiguities, regarding its conceptualization and operationalization? How could

eviction be a variable? How could it possibly be a constant in a study?

• Conceptualize and operationalize exploitation in the realm of property/housing, according to

Desmond and Wilmers. How can exploitation, defined in this way, be a variable? How could it

possibly be a constant in a study?

Section C

• You are conducting a study of family wealth in Little Haiti. How could reliability be a problem in

measuring the variable wealth?

Part Three

Section A

• What are the two focal issues of sampling theory?

• When is sampling not necessary? Why is this rare?

• What are the following aspects of sampling: the elements, sampling units, the sample, the sampling

frame, and the target population?

• What is bias in research? Give three examples.

• What is a representative sample? How does it contrast with the concept of bias? Give three examples.

• What is probability sampling and nonprobability sampling? What is the difference between them?

Give two examples of each.

• What are the major types of probability sampling? Given an example of each.

• What is convenience (availability) sampling? Is it probability or nonprobability sampling? What is its

limitation, and why does it represent bad sampling practice? Give two examples of convenience

sampling.

• When might nonprobability sampling be justified? What are the limitations of research when

nonprobability sampling is used? Give an example of such a case.

• What is a census? What is its advantage and disadvantage? Why is probability sampling typically

preferred to a census?

Section B

• You are conducting a sample survey of FIU undergraduates concerning food insecurity.

• For this survey:

o Describe a convenience (availability) sample. Why does such a sample represent bad research

practice?

o Describe a simple random sample. Why is it superior to a convenience sample?

o Describe a stratified sample. Why is it superior to a convenience sample? Why might it be

preferable to a simple random sample?

o Describe a cluster sample. Why is it superior to a convenience sample? Why might it be

superior to a simple random sample?

o Describe a “snowball” sample. Is it a probability or nonprobability sample? When might it be

justified? What are its limitations?

Part Four

• What are the five criteria for establishing causality?

• Explain the statement “Correlation does not prove causation.”

• What is the difference between an independent and dependent variable? What is their role in proving

causation?

• Does correlation have an independent and dependent variable, or not? Explain. Give two examples.

• List the essential components of a true experimental design.

• Distinguish the concepts of randomization (random assignment) and random sample. Give an

example of each.

• What are the two major types of quasi-experimental design? Why are they called “quasi”? Give an

example.

• What are the influences on external validity (generalizability) and internal validity (causal validity) in

experimental design?

Part Five

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of omnibus surveys?

• What is the problem of sampling on a dependent variable?

• What are the five common survey question mistakes?

• What are the different methods for improving survey questions?

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of each type of survey design, with emphasis on response

rates?

• What are the key ethical issues of survey research?

Part Six

• What are the strengths and weaknesses of alternative research designs?

• What are the goals and challenges in writing a research proposal?

• What are the major sections of a research report?

• What are the steps in evaluating a research report?

• What is plagiarism, and what are the repercussions for plagiarizing?

Requirements: No title page (top of first page: Research Methods Summary Essay, Your Name, Your

Panther ID); complete sentences and university standards of writing, spelling, and grammar; Times New

Roman 11 or 12-point font; APA or Chicago style. No citations/footnotes or references/bibliography are

required. Submit as an attachment to Canvas (Discussions) by Monday, December 9, 11:59 pm.

Thursday, October 31

In class: Semester review; and discussion of mini-research proposal assignment

Homework

Part One: Evictions--Overview

• “What does evicted mean, and what does it mean for you?”

https://www.myrentalhistoryreport.com/blog/eviction-notices/what-does-evicted-mean/

• “How poor Americans get exploited by their landlords”

https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/03/housing-rent-landlords-poverty-desmond-inequality-

research/585265/

• “Only Washington can solve the nation’s housing crisis”

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/opinion/affordable-housing.html

• “Forced from home: A human rights assessment of displacement and evictions in Boston’s

Chinatown”

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56340b91e4b017e2546998c0/t/5c7811640852290f392207ca/15

51372655581/CPA+report+final+2019.pdf

• “Miami’s Magic City Innovation District could displace 3000+ Little Haiti households, study says”

https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/2019/06/21/miamis-magic-city-innovation-district-could-

displace-3000-little-haiti-households-study-says/?slreturn=20190610163546

• “The economics of displacement” (Earth Economics report on Little Haiti gentrification)

https://www.eartheconomics.org/littlehaiti

• “Where Magic City will rise, Haitian-owned businesses priced out” (July 2, 2019)

https://www.wlrn.org/post/where-magic-city-will-rise-haitian-owned-businesses-priced-out

• “’We are building our way to hell’: Tales of gentrification around the world”

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/oct/05/building-way-to-hell-readers-tales-gentrification-

around-world

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/series/gentrified-world

• “Gentrification and displacement” (read the introduction; watch “Gentrification explained” and

“Pushed out”; and read the summary)

https://www.frbsf.org/community-development/initiatives/gentrification-and-displacement/

• FANM “community priorities” flyer (PDF posted on Canvas)

Part Two: Miami--Overview

• “Priced out of paradise: Why locals can no longer afford to live in Miami” (2019)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article229029784.html

• “The hidden side of Miami’s housing crisis puts tenants in a tough spot” (2018)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article195687409.html

• “The Right to Wynwood” (documentary video by FIU Honors College students)

https://vimeo.com/110682099

• “Climate gentrification could exacerbate housing crisis in South Florida” (2018)

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/climate-gentrification-could-exacerbate-housing-crisis-south-

florida?fbclid=IwAR0zpQWZWqoCHbPYZQruw7xqUNJdEBvm2IOVKS7GwDAtWnnIbhZCNAe

K0SU#1

Part Three: Little Haiti

• “Names matter”

http://www.biscaynetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1671:names-

matter (in-depth interview on Little Haiti’s history as entwined with Haiti’s Duvalier dictatorship)

• “Little Haiti leaders and residents concerned as investors start to eye neighborhood” (2015)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/midtown/article26113093.html

• “The passing of a neighborhood” (about the developers’ purchase, and eviction of the residents, of

Little Haiti’s Magic City trailer park) (2015)

http://biscaynetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2051:the-passing-of-a-

neighborhood&catid=50:community-news&Itemid=258

• “Miami’s art scene turns to Little Haiti as Wynwood rents rise” (2015)

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/arts/miami-s-art-scene-turns-to-little-haiti-as-wynwood-rents-rise-

8083557

• “Gentrification threatening to destroy Little Haiti, community leaders warn” (2015)

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/gentrification-threatening-to-destroy-little-haiti-community-

leaders-warn-8091560

• “Little Haiti boundaries now official” (2016)

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article80151417.html

http://www.haitianinternet.com/photos/photo-little-haiti-miami-neighborhood-boundaries.html

• “As developers target Miami’s poorest neighborhoods, minorities get kicked out” (2018)

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/uncle-luke-gentrification-is-coming-for-miamis-black-

residents-10064162

• “Little Haiti residents fear being pushed out. They’re pushing back on big developments” (2018)

https://www.miamiherald.com/latest-news/article213459079.html

• “These Little Haiti businesses have a new landlord: A developer who wants them out” (2018)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article209843594.html

• “Little Haiti business owners fight back after developer’s eviction move” (2018)

http://www.miamitimesonline.com/news/little-haiti-business-owners-fight-back-after-developer-s-

eviction/article_91b84010-4cac-11e8-ba8b-830186f8a696.html

• “In Miami’s Little Haiti, one of the largest wave of evictions is currently underway” (2018)

https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-05-23/miamis-little-haiti-one-largest-waves-evictions-currently-

underway

• Eastside Ridge: “Under siege, Little Haiti responds” (2018)

http://www.biscaynetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2949:under-siege-

little-haiti-responds&catid=50:community-news&Itemid=258

• “Gentrification is pushing Haitians out of Miami’s Little Haiti” (2018)

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/vbj8wa/gentrification-is-pushing-haitians-out-of-miamis-little-

haiti-neighborhood

• “On higher ground, Miami’s Little Haiti is the new darling of developers” (April 22, 2019)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/on-higher-ground-miamis-little-haiti-is-the-new-darling-of-developers-

11555946726?mod=wsj_fiu3

• “Scared to death: Miami Haitians fear family separations if protected status expires” (2018)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/haiti/article215390750.html

• “Marleine Bastien [Family Action Network Movement, formerly Haitian Women of Miami] named

as one of the influencers by the Miami Herald” (2018)

https://sflcn.com/marleine-bastien-named-as-one-of-the-influencers-in-the-miami-herald/

• Family Action Network Movement (FANM)

https://www.fanm.org/

Part Four: Magic City Innovation District & Little Haiti

• “Redesigning Miami, 9 acres at a time” (January 2017)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article126501109.html

• “Miami’s Magic City Innovation District could displace 3000+ Little Haiti households, study says”

(June 21, 2019)

• https://www.law.com/dailybusinessreview/2019/06/21/miamis-magic-city-innovation-district-could-

displace-3000-little-haiti-households-study-says/?slreturn=20190610163546

• Marleine Bastien, “Don’t let Magic City destroy Little Haiti” (February 28, 2019)

https://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article226889744.html

• “Magic City Innovation District” (the real estate developer’s public relations web site)

https://magiccitydistrict.com/

• “Magic City Innovation District” (slide show of plans)

https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2019/04/01/magic-city-among-3-big-projects-to-

move-forward.html#g/438395/1

• “Magic City developers want 2,500 new apartments, 27-story buildings in Little Haiti” (2018)

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/little-haiti-magic-city-innovation-district-plans-27-story-

buildings-2500-apartments-10079863

• “An existential question, but no master plan” (November 2018)

http://biscaynetimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3090:an-existential-

question-but-no-master-plan&catid=50:community-news&Itemid=258

• “Little Haiti activists slam huge Magic City development, ask city to delay vote” (2018)

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/miami-little-haiti-magic-city-innovation-district-slammed-

by-activists-10767264

• “Miami commission meeting unravels amid tensions over Little Haiti mega-development” (March 1,

2019)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article226929774.html

• “Miami investor charged with paying bribe to get his daughter into USC as part of national scandal”

(March 12, 2019) (principal Magic City project investor)

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/major-miami-investor-bob-zangrillo-charged-in-college-

bribery-scheme-11114080

• “Magic City Innovation District announces tenants” (June 12, 2019)

https://www.bisnow.com/south-florida/news/construction-development/magic-city-innovation-

district-tenants-99403

• “The massive Magic City project wins a final OK. Will it help or destroy Little Haiti?” (includes

video of the protest rally) (June 28, 2019)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article232042957.html

• Crespogram Newsletter, “Master page for Magic City/Little Haiti reports” (including videos of

relevant City of Miami Commission meetings and of the Magic City Innovation District/Little Haiti

community meetings) (2019) https://www.crespogramnews.com/magic-city-master-page.html

Discussion post #11

• Conceptualize and operationalize “gentrification” (see relevant articles) and “eviction” (see “What

does evicted mean …”).

• How are poor renters exploited by landlords? Conceptualize and operationalize “exploitation” of

renters by landlords.

• What is the clash between “world class city” and “the right to the city” (see “Chinatown” introductory

section). What is “gentrification,” and how is it a fundamental part of this clash? How is the clash

apparent in greater Miami today, including Little Haiti (see “Priced out …”; “The hidden side …”;

“The economics of displacement”; “… could displace 3000+ Little Haiti households …”; “Where

Magic City will rise …”; “Wynwood”; and “Climate gentrification …”).

• How does the FANM “community priorities” flyer (PDF posted on Canvas) advocate for “the right to

the city”?

• What are the hidden costs of community displacement/eviction (watch “Pushed out”; and see “The

economics of displacement”; “… could displace 3000+ Little Haiti households …”; “Where Magic

City will rise …”; “Wynwood”; and “Chinatown”)?

Post to Canvas by Monday, 11:59pm. Required minimum: 250 words of text; display the word count at

the end of your post.

Tuesday, November 5

In class: introduction to the mini-research proposal assignment on residential evictions

Homework

• “Rent Bob Zangrillo’s $20 million house” (original key investor in the Magic City/Little Haiti real

estate project, then charged in 2019’s college enrollment scandal)

https://www.yolandaslittleblackbook.com/blog/2016/07/26/bird-street-week-rent-bob-zangrillos-20-

million-house/

• View the second Magic City Innovation District/Little Haiti community meeting at Notre Dame

d’Haiti Catholic Church (first hour: investors/developers presentation; second and third hours:

community attendee responses-investors/developers responses) Crespogram Newsletter, “Master page

for Magic City/Little Haiti reports” (including videos of relevant City of Miami Commission

meetings and of the Magic City/Little Haiti community meetings) (2019)

https://www.crespogramnews.com/magic-city-master-page.html

Discussion post #12

• According to the investors/developers, how will the Magic City Innovation District be beneficial,

rather than destructive, to Little Haiti?

• What did some community attendees say in support of the Magic City project? What did most of the

community attendees say in opposition to the project?

• Altogether, what insights do the pro- and con-arguments provide regarding the clash between “world

class city” and “the right to the city”? What particular insights do they provide from the standpoint of

racial-ethnic minorities and social classes?

Post to Canvas by Wednesday, 11:59pm. Required minimum: 250 words of text; display the word count

at the end of your post.

Thursday, November 7

In class

• Activities based on the homework assignment

• Read: “Writing a research proposal”

https://www.nyu.edu/classes/jackson/analytical.methods/ResearchProposal.html

https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/biology/7-16-experimental-molecular-biology-biotechnology-ii-spring-

2005/scientific-comm/lec03_resch_prop.pdf (see especially “Your title is a mini-abstract” and “Why

you should write the title last”)

• Discuss research proposals

Homework

• Review “Writing a research proposal” (in-class readings)

• Review Chambliss & Schutt, chapter 13, “Reviewing, proposing, and reporting research” (section on

research proposals)

• Recommended: Rebekah Massengil, “Writing Sociology: A Guide for Junior Papers and Senior

Theses” (Department of Sociology, Princeton University)

https://sociology.princeton.edu/sites/sociology/files/soc_ug_writing_guide.pdf

Discussion post #13

• What are the parts of a research proposal, and what is the purpose of each part? (NYU)

• What does it mean that “Your title is a ‘mini-abstract’”? What are the ingredients of an effective title?

Why should the definitive title be written as the last step in proposal writing? (MIT)

Post to Canvas by Monday, 11:59pm. No required minimum word count; no need to display the word

count.

Tuesday, November 12

In class

• Discuss the parts of a proposal (including hypotheses or research questions) and the purpose of each

part.

• Discuss topical and literature options for the mini-research proposals on gentrification/evictions in

Little Haiti.

• “How to prepare an annotated bibliography”

https://guides.library.cornell.edu/annotatedbibliography

• “Annotated bibliography: Zotero”

https://guides.emich.edu/c.php?g=188045&p=1241422

• Choose your proposed topic and begin searching the research literature.

Homework

Discussion post #14

• Use Zotero to create a 10-item annotated bibliography for your proposed topic (Chicago or APA

format).

Post to Canvas by Wednesday, 11:59pm. No required minimum word count; no need to display the word

count

Thursday, November 14

In class

• Discuss annotated bibliographies as the foundation of a literature review

• “What is a literature review?”

https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/literature-reviews/

http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/literaturereview

• Desmond and Kimbro, “Evictions fallout: Housing, hardship, and health”

https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/mdesmond/files/desmondkimbro.socialforces.2015.pdf

• Recommended: Rebekah Massengil, “Writing Sociology: A Guide for Junior Papers and Senior

Theses” (Department of Sociology, Princeton University)

https://sociology.princeton.edu/sites/sociology/files/soc_ug_writing_guide.pdf

Homework

Discussion post #15

• What are the components of a research literature review? How must it be written and what must be

avoided or minimized?

• Write the first draft of your research literature review, citing a minimum of five articles and

generating a references section using Zotero (APA or Chicago in-text citations and references section

format).

Post to Canvas by Monday, 11:59pm. No required minimum word count; no need to display the word

count.

Tuesday, November 19

In class: Discuss the literature review drafts

Homework

Discussion post #16

• Complete your literature review, generating a references section using Zotero (APA or Chicago in-

text citation and references section format).

Post to Canvas by Wednesday, 11:59pm. No required minimum word count; no need to display the word

count.

Thursday, November 22

In class

• Discuss the following proposal sections—introduction (including hypotheses or research questions),

methods, abstract, and title.

• Desmond and Kimbro, “Evictions fallout: Housing, hardship, and health”

https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/mdesmond/files/desmondkimbro.socialforces.2015.pdf

Homework

Discussion post #17

• Draft the introduction (including hypotheses or research questions), methods, abstract, and title.

Post to Canvas by Wednesday, 11:59pm. No required minimum word count; no need to display the word

count.

Thursday, November 26

In class

• Discuss the drafts: introduction (including hypotheses or research questions), methods, abstract, and

title.

• Desmond and Kimbro, “Evictions fallout: Housing, hardship, and health”

https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/mdesmond/files/desmondkimbro.socialforces.2015.pdf

Homework: Continue working on all sections (including the literature review) of the mini-proposal

Thursday, November 28 – THANKGIVING

Tuesday, December 3

In class & homework: Continue working on mini-proposal

Thursday, December 5

In class & homework: Continue working on mini-proposal

Research methods summary essay: post to Canvas by Monday, December 9, 11:59 pm

Research mini-proposal: post to Canvas by Saturday, December 14, 11:59 pm

Course Contract

Submission deadline: See syllabus.

Submission date: ___________________________________________________________________________________

Course# & title: ____________________________________________________________________________________

Professor: _________________________________________________________________________________________

Professor’s office number & office hours/days:

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Graduate assistants’ names (if applicable)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

I, ________________________________ (Panther ID # ________________), have carefully read the course syllabus. I

understand the course requirements concerning assignments, participation, deadlines, citizenship, and grading, or will ask the

instructors if I have any questions about the requirements. I agree to follow and fulfill the course requirements. I specifically

agree to:

• Review FIU’s plagiarism policy. http://integrity.fiu.edu/plagiarism.html

• Not represent someone else's work as my own.

• Not cheat or aid in another student’s cheating. I understand that:

• If I am found responsible for academic misconduct, I will be subject to FIU’s academic misconduct procedures and sanctions. http://integrity.fiu.edu/misconducts.html

• There is a substantial points deduction if, without a valid and adequately documented excuse, I do not submit a discussion post by the assignment deadline or do not submit the post at all.

• Make-up exams will be given only if there is a valid and adequately documented excuse.

• All course assignments must be completed to be eligible to earn a passing grade. Excused late assignments might not be graded until the final week of the semester.

I also agree to:

▪ Keep track of the course schedule, assignments, and exams. ▪ Complete assignments thoughtfully and submit them before the deadlines listed in the course syllabus. ▪ Contact the instructor promptly (via Canvas Inbox) if I have a valid (ideally, documented) excuse for missing class or

submitting an assignment late. ▪ Not request to submit an assignment late or to take a missed exam unless a valid excuse has been reported promptly

(ideally, beforehand) and documented adequately. ▪ Not ask for special grading favors. ▪ Arrive on time for class sessions; not engage in distracting or discourteous behavior of any kind during class sessions;

remain in class until the session ends (unless discussed with the instructor before the session begins, if possible); and contribute to a classroom ambience of focused, enthusiastic, and supportive learning.

▪ Acknowledge that the instructor has the discretion to deduct points from my attendance/participation score if I leave class early without a valid (ideally, documented) excuse.

▪ Be a responsible, enthusiastic, hardworking, and supportive member of my assigned student group. ▪ Make helpful suggestions to the instructors at any time concerning how to improve any aspect of the class. ▪ Do my best to make this class stimulating, creative, productive, and enjoyable!