SS380:
Students will examine recent and historical social science research to become better acquainted with their chosen discipline’s areas of concentration, approaches, and methods. Some of the humanistic and scientific methods used in the social sciences that will be included are analysis of existing data, content analysis, participant observation, experimental research design, case study, interview, and survey. Students will be expected to understand each method and select one that will help them develop a research paper on a topic of interest. Students will prepare a research proposal starting with an original question, a scholarly literature review, hypothesis generation, and a proposed research method to answer their question. In addition, students will calculate descriptive statistics (using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) that they may utilize in making decisions about their project proposal as well as adjustments about the social world.
Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
Required Texts:
Babbie, E. (2017). The basics of social research. (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.
Highly Recommended Text:
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (7th ed.).
Recommended Texts:
Babbie, E. & Halley, F. (2018). Adventures in social research: Data analysis using SPSS for Windows Edition (10th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
SR (Supplementary Readings): All other readings are available on Blackboard and are organized by week.
Course Goals: Upon completion of this course, students shall…
- Articulate the research process’s relevance to building knowledge in the social sciences by understanding all phases of the research process.
- Translate a social problem or phenomenon into a feasible research question.
- Construct specific hypotheses related to the relevant research problem (i.e., overarching/guiding research question).
- Characterize different types of research problems and articulate how they are answered using different quantitative methodological approaches.
- Conduct a thorough examination and evaluation of the literature related to the student’s chosen area of inquiry, which requires the use of appropriate indices and related sources.
- Choose appropriate methodologies for addressing a research problem and design a research proposal that utilizes this methodology (and describes it in detail).
- Craft research proposal with clarity and thoroughness so that all scholars within their discipline could understand an idea.
- Utilize specific statistical techniques for analyzing quantitative research data once it has been collected.
- Describe the strength of causal and correlational assertions.
- Develop a greater appreciation for the expansion of knowledge (and hopefully, delight in the process of knowing), the craft of fine written and oral discourse, and a sound understanding of ethical principles that guide the research process.
Schedule (subject to change):
Week: | Objectives: | Readings: | Milestones: | |
1: 1/13-1/17 |
| Before Friday:
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2: 1/20-1/24 | MON. – NO CLASSES – MLK DAY
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| Genesis and Tentative Statement due 1/24 by 10:10 a.m. | |
3: 1/27-1/31 |
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4: 2/3-2/7 |
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5: 2/10-2/14 | Literature Review, continued
Individual/SI Meetings | Literature Review due Monday 2/10 by 11:59 a.m. | ||
6: 2/17-2/21 |
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7: 2/24-2/28 |
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| Hypotheses due Friday 2/28 by 10:10 a.m. | |
8: 3/3-3/7
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MIDTERM FRIDAY! |
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3/10-3/14 | March 10-14 – Spring Break – NO CLASSES | |||
9: 3/17-3/21 |
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10: 3/24-3/28 |
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11: 3/31-4/4 | Unobtrusive Measures
Big Data | Babbie Ch. 11 + pp. 423-427 (i.e., Introduction- Data Entry)
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12: 4/7-4/11 |
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13: 4/14-4/18 |
4/18 – NO CLASS, GOOD FRIDAY |
| Method due Friday 4/18 by 9 a.m. | |
14: 4/21-4/25 |
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15: 4/28-5/2 |
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TBA |
| Final papers due Friday 5/2 by 11:59 p.m. | ||
Final | Wednesday, May 7th from 8:00 a.m.-10:10 a.m. You must be in-person to take this exam during this exam period. No early or make-up exams. | |||
The following assignments are required for all students to complete in order to successfully advance into the second half of the capstone. You can find basic descriptions for these assignments below as well as detailed ones on Blackboard. All assignments must be turned in on Blackboard (and should be submitted as Word documents), where you can find grading rubrics for each.
Please note:
Absolutely no late assignments will be accepted in order to maintain the pace and integrity of the course. No exceptions.
Research Prospectus (60% in total): A completed research prospectus is required by the end of the term. This individual research project includes the discovery of a research question, an extensive review of the scholarly literature, development of hypotheses, identification of a research methodology, development of instruments for data collection, design of an appropriate plan for conducting the research and data analysis, and a preliminary articulation of related findings. We will work on this project in stages, and there are “milestone” due dates to help you stay organized and focused. Detailed rubrics for each milestone will be discussed and are available on Blackboard under the “Milestones” tab (this is where you will submit each milestone). Students will also submit self- and peer-evaluations.
- Milestone #1-Genesis & Tentative Statement of the Research Problem (5%): This serves as the introduction to your paper, and should include an explanation of the significance of your topic to you and to the social sciences (i.e. there should be a clear personal and academic connection). The paper should include a description of your genesis, but should ultimately focus on why this topic is important to study. What will this research add to the benefit our society? How might it be beneficial?
- Milestone #2-Literature Review (15%): The review of literature related to your topic should include relevant academic and popular sources. The review should end with a revised statement of the research problem.
- Milestone #3-Hypotheses (15%): The review of literature related to your topic should include relevant academic and popular sources. These should flow obviously from the literature. Conceptual and operational definitions for each variable should be included.
- Milestone #4-Methodology (10%): In this section, you will describe and define your variables, and then move into a description of how you plan to collect and analyze data (or your artifact). Your data should be clearly identified, and you should provide a standard and justification for what you’re planning to use.
- Final Paper and Presentation (15%): You will also turn a final paper that should include all of the previous milestones (with and you should make corrections from previous milestone drafts) combined into a single document and properly formatted using APA style. Consideration for how existing data might point to anticipated findings also should be addressed. The grade for this assignment includes the paper, consideration of previous comments and revisions, and active feedback to classmates.
- Milestone #2-Literature Review (15%): The review of literature related to your topic should include relevant academic and popular sources. The review should end with a revised statement of the research problem.
Exams (2 x 20%): There will be a midterm and a final exam that is designed to assess the knowledge you have acquired throughout the course. In addition to standard exam questions (e.g., multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, and long essay), there will be questions that require you to complete statistical analysis using computer and/or computer outputs. Exam dates are listed in the course schedule.
Participation: This is not a lecture-based class. It is based on the sharing of insights and the integration of important concepts. We will take responsibility for teaching and learning from each other. If you attend every class but rarely contribute to class discussions, you cannot expect an “A” in the course. The more you contribute, the better you will do in the course. Students are expected to complete the required readings prior to each class, think about what you read, take notes on your readings, research any questions that come up, talk about the readings with others, etc. Important material in the book may not always be covered in class, but you will still be responsible for understanding it. Class meetings provide an opportunity for students to bring up the parts of the readings that you wish to comment on, disagree with, or ask about, so it is essential that all are prepared when such topics arise.
Grades: Grades are an important part of assessing your performance in class. Thus, I take the management and calculation of grades extremely seriously. It is against college policy (because of FERPA) to discuss the details of grades electronically. It is your responsibility to understand how the grades are calculated as well as maintain your progress throughout the course. You should also reflect upon class attendance, performance (e.g. being alert), and participation (e.g. making relevant comments) when considering your grade as these all affect it (see course requirements). E-mails regarding your grade will not be returned nor will phone calls be accepted. If, at the end of the term, you can demonstrate that you believe I have made a mistake and that you have calculated your grade correctly (and can provide all documentation including all graded assignments), you may discuss your grade with me in person or via Zoom. With Blackboard, it is very easy to monitor your grade without having to do any complicated calculations. PLEASE NOTE: The schema in Blackboard may not display the correct letter grade per my grading scale, so please look at the percentage and find the corresponding letter grade in the table below.
- Please keep in mind that you must earn a C- or better in this course if you are a major in Criminal Justice, Political Science, Psychology, or Social Work. If you are a minor in Criminal Justice, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology, you must also earn a C- or better.
Grading Scale: Please look at percentages and not Blackboard’s grading scale.
| A = above 93.99% | A- = 93.99 – 91% |
B+ = 90.99 – 88% | B = 87.99 – 84% | B- = 83.99 – 81% |
C+ = 80.99 – 78% | C = 77.99 – 74% | C- = 73.99 – 71% |
D+ = 70.99 – 68% | D = 67.99 – 60.00% |
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| F = below 60.00% |
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Instructor Course Policies
Attendance/Participation/In-Class Exercises: Learning about research and statistics is challenging, thus, students are expected to fully immerse themselves in the course by attending class sessions each day and by adequately preparing to participate during these sessions. Students are expected to complete the required readings prior to each class, think about what you read, take notes on your readings, research any questions that come up, talk about the readings with others, etc. Important material in the books may not always be covered in class, but you will still be responsible for understanding it. Class meetings provide an opportunity for students to bring up the parts of the readings that you wish to comment on, disagree with, or ask about, so it is essential that all are prepared when such topics arise. They also provide the opportunity to collect worksheets that aid in note-taking. Students who are not here will not reap those benefits. NOTE: MISSING THE EQUIVALENT OF 7 OR MORE CLASS SESSIONS WILL RESULT IN AUTOMATIC FAILURE.
Attendance:
Class attendance and participation are essential aspects of our schedule, so if you are not here and active, then learning and judgments about that learning are impossible. Thus, I will not give any credit for missed classes.
Students are expected to attend all classes. The final grade reflects class attendance (included in class participation and performance). Missing class without an approved written excuse will mean a failing grade for any in-class work and participation for that class. Equally important, it will strongly affect your final grade in other ways: missing important information that impacts your ability to successfully complete assignments and succeed on the exams. If students do miss a class, a courtesy office visit, phone call, or email is appreciated, and the student is responsible for any work missed. It is also imperative that you directly (i.e., not via a friend) let me know before you are missing a class (whenever possible) and that you turn in work due during that class period prior to the absence. Student-athletes should provide me with a schedule of contests as well as be proactive in communicating about absences. No early or make-up exams are given, except under rare special circumstances such as a dire medical emergency, verifiable by written excuse.
Arriving late or leaving early will be counted by the professor as an ABSENCE, as attendance is taken at the beginning of each class and monitored for the duration of the session. Anyone missing the equivalent of 7 days or more of class will automatically fail the course. See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Attendance policy especially as it pertains to excused absences.
As the College Catalog indicates, academic dishonesty in any form, including plagiarism of written documents, whether covered by copyright protection or not, or falsely claiming another person’s work as one’s own, will not be tolerated.
Effective learning, teaching and research all depend upon the ability of members of the academic community to trust one another and to trust the integrity of work that is submitted for academic credit or conducted in the wider arena of scholarly research.
Such an atmosphere of mutual trust fosters the free exchange of ideas and enables all members of the community to achieve their highest potential.
In all academic work, the ideas and contributions of others must be appropriately acknowledged and work that is presented as original must be, in fact, original. Faculty, students and staff all share the responsibility of ensuring the honesty and fairness of the intellectual environment. Students found in violation of this policy will receive a grade of “F” for the course upon the professor’s findings and will be reported to the Academic Dean per the College Catalog’s guidelines. See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges. Academic misconduct can take on many forms.
Lying: Lying is communicating untruths or misrepresentations in order to gain an unfair academic or employment advantage.
It includes, but is not limited to:
- misrepresenting one’s own research;
- providing false or misleading information in order to be excused from classes or assignments; or
- intentionally underperforming on an assignment or exam
Cheating: Cheating is the act of wrongfully using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, study aids, or the ideas or work of another to gain an unfair advantage. It includes, but is not limited to:
- plagiarism on any assignment;
- giving unauthorized aid to another student or receiving unauthorized aid from another person on tests, quizzes, assignments or examinations;
- using or consulting unauthorized materials or using unauthorized equipment or devices on tests, quizzes, assignments or examinations;
- altering or falsifying any information on tests, quizzes, assignments or examinations;
- using any material portion of a paper or project to fulfill the requirements of more than one course unless the student has received prior faculty permission to do so;
- working on any examination, test, quiz or assignment outside of the time constraints imposed;
- submitting an altered examination or assignment to an instructor for re-grading; or
- failing to adhere to an instructor’s specific directions with respect to the terms of academic integrity or academic honesty
“Plagiarism” occurs when a student, with intent to deceive or with reckless disregard for proper scholarly procedures, presents any information, ideas or phrasing of another as if they were his/her own and/or does not give appropriate credit to the original source. Proper scholarly procedures require that all quoted material be identified by quotation marks or indentation on the page, and the source of information and ideas, if from another, must be identified and be attributed to that source. Students are responsible for learning proper scholarly procedures in American Psychological Association format.
Artificial Intelligence: Certain assignments in this course will permit or even encourage the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT. When AI use is permissible, it will be clearly stated in the assignment prompt posted in Blackboard. Otherwise, the default is that use of generative AI is not allowed. In assignments where generative AI tools are allowed, their use must be appropriately acknowledged and cited. For example, if you generated the whole document through ChatGPT and edited it for accuracy, your submitted work would need to include a note such as "I generated this work through ChatGPT and edited the content for accuracy." Paraphrasing or quoting smaller samples of AI generated content must be appropriately acknowledged and cited, following the guidelines established by the APA Style Guide. It is each student's responsibility to assess the validity and applicability of any AI output that is submitted. You may not earn full credit if inaccurate on invalid information is found in your work. Deviations from the guidelines above will be considered violations of WC's academic integrity policy. Note that expectations for "plagiarism, cheating, and acceptable assistance" on student work may vary across your courses and instructors. Please email me or schedule a meeting with me if you have questions regarding what is permissible and not for a particular course or assignment.
Course Policies
Communication:
The required method of communication is your Wilmington e-mail account. I expect all e-mails to include a subject line, greeting and salutation. I will afford you the same respect when sending e-mails, encouraging good practice for the professional world. Please proofread your e-mails for spelling and grammatical mistakes and avoid using disrespectful language in them. Violations of these specifications may result in a grade deduction.
Public Communication & ‘Netiquette:
Learning in the “Digital Age” can be both rewarding and challenging. Thus, I’ve provided a few guidelines for classroom conduct that extend beyond our borders, and into the “real” world:
- Students are asked to silence and stow ALL electronic devices during the class period out of respect for the learning environment. Students who lack the maturity and responsibility to fully engage in class cannot fully grasp content. Moreover, this type of behavior suggests that students who cannot engage – nor be productive – for the duration of class periods indicate to others that they are behind in moral and cognitive development. Finally, it is just plain RUDE.
- During class lectures and exercises, students are to use only technology necessary to enhance learning. Any student who actively and disruptively uses media technologies (e.g., a mobile phone for checking Facebook, a laptop for working on other class projects) unless he or she has been asked to do so, or his/her mobile phone (e.g., text messaging, receiving calls, checking Twitter, Snap Chatting) during lectures, exercises, and other students’ presentations will be warned and then asked to leave and not return. Sounds and vibrations coming from electronic devices are distracting to others, and suggest to others that your media devices are more important than personal relationships with your classmates and professors.
- E-mails to the professor, your classmates, and all other members of the campus community and beyond should include a greeting, cordial and correct language, and a closing. Poor grammar/spelling/mechanics and/or disrespectful e-mails will adversely affect your grade.
Written Assignments Guidelines:
- Both neatness and proper use of English are expected. Each assignment should be carefully proofread so that it is error-free and demonstrates a high level of competence in written communication. Attention should be paid to both form (e.g., grammar, spelling, punctuation, appearance) and content (e.g., clarity, organization, relevance). Excessive errors will reduce your grade. Please note that rubrics will be distributed with your graded papers and are available for your use in preparing your assignments on Blackboard.
- Written work must be typed, double-spaced (please note that the Word default is not consistent with scholarly formatting guidelines, and must be adjusted: see Blackboard for a guide), with one-inch margins, and a 12-point Times New Roman font. You must include: name of course, name of assignment and your name, except for your prospectus, which should include a properly formatted title page. Failure to properly format any assignment will adversely affect your grade.
- Proper citation of sources is important. It should always be clear where in your written assignments you are using the words or the ideas of others, and where these words or ideas are to be found. Papers should be submitted in American Psychological Association (APA) Style 7th Edition. See your APA guide if you are unsure of how to use proper APA Style.
Credit Hours:
This is a 4-credit hour course. Please keep in mind what this means in terms of the time commitment you must make in order to be successful. A minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time; thus, this means that because we are meeting for four hours per week, you should be working for a minimum of eight hours on coursework on your own each week.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. |
Academic Misconduct - Examples [10/24]
ACADEMIC CODE OF CONDUCT
This policy is directly related to the first Testimony, which is part of the Student Code of Conduct. “I will practice personal and academic integrity.” The initial responsibility for dealing with academic misconduct lies with the individual faculty member in whose classroom or course of study the offense occurs. The responsibility includes determination of the consequences for the offense. The goal is for faculty to confront cheating and plagiarism, to teach ethical behavior, and to provide an appropriate consequence based on the nature of the incident. Faculty are encouraged to explicitly address academic misconduct and its consequences in the course syllabus.
EXAMPLES OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
A. Examination offenses include, but are not limited to, the following:
1.Taking unauthorized materials into or out of the examination room.
2.Leaving the examination room without authorization before completing an examination.
3.Talking in the examination room without authorization.
4.Discussing the examination outside the examination room during the course of the examination.
5.Attempting to observe the work of another student.
6.Taking an examination for another person or permitting someone else to do so.
7.Collaborating improperly by discussion, joint research, or joint effort in any way expressly prohibited by the instructor. This includes using a cell phone or other device to access information from another source or another student.
8.Improper knowledge of contents of an examination - No student shall knowingly acquire unauthorized knowledge of an examination or any part of an examination, or solicit, offer, or give information about any part of an examination.
B. Student work offenses include, but are not limited to, the following, which are expressly prohibited in the absence of prior written approval of the instructor or instructors involved:
1.Resubmission of work - Submitting work which has been previously submitted for credit.
2. Plagiarism - Submitting work done wholly or partly by another, including the unattributed copying of all or parts of a published work or internet document. Using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) sources to produce work (when not expressly permitted) is also a form of plagiarism. Some instances of plagiarism are the result of ignorance rather than dishonesty. When plagiarism is encountered, the instructor should be sure that the student knows proper procedures for attributing content.
3.Prohibited sources - Consulting material or persons contrary to the directions of the instructor.
4.Improper collaboration - Engaging in any discussion, joint research, or joint effort of any kind expressly prohibited by the instructor.
5.Deception - Misrepresenting the authenticity of sources, citations, or principles in any written work.
6. Sharing work – Students who share their work with others are responsible for how that work is used. For example, if a student shares a paper with another student to help him or her understand an assignment, and that student submits the work as their own, the author of the paper shares responsibility for the plagiarism committed by the other student.
D. Other misconduct - Engaging in any other improper conduct as specified by the instructor.
E. Lying – deliberately providing false information relevant to academic matters, such as misrepresenting the inability to take an examination because of illness.
F. Disruptive or disrespectful classroom behavior – causing a disturbance in the classroom, interrupting instruction, speaking rudely or threatening students or faculty.
Class Attendance Policy |
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
Students with Disabilities
In accordance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973), Wilmington College provides access through reasonable accommodations to students with documented physical and psychological disabilities.
Students who wish to access Services need to meet with the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services and provide verification of their disability. To register with Accessibility and Disability Services, students submit an Application for Services. In addition, the student must provide the Disability Verification form accompanied by current disability documentation from a licensed professional. For more information, contact the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services at accessibility@wilmington.edu or 937.481.2444, 114 Robinson Communcation Center.