SS380: RESEARCH METHODS AND STATISTICS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES I

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.