SOCY 2112 Research Methods II

Fall 2020

Instructor: Marco Castillo Class meeting time: Monday/Wednesday 2:15-4:30 pm

Email: [email protected] Office hours: By appointment Thursdays or Fridays 2-4 pm

Course Description

This course seeks to introduce students to the basic concepts of statistical science in order to analyze data from a sociological perspective. Through the semester students will feel comfortable with concepts related to how to collect data, analyze it descriptively, and make use of inferences to draw conclusions about social phenomena.

The overall goal of the course is to understand how statistics are used, produced, and applied to research. In other words, this course seeks to contribute to improving student’s statistic literacy by making quantitative tools accessible. The course is therefore geared to understand and interpret data rather than focus exclusively on calculation. We will mainly use Excel for data management but an important part of the course will do calculations by hand in order to understand the math behind statistical models. Additional computer programs might also be used during the course of the semester.

Course Goals

1. Ease anxiety about using math and statistics in sociological research methods.

2. Understand basic statistical concepts.

3. Understand how statistics are made and used.

4. Compute various descriptive and inferential statistics, and interpret the results.

5. Learn the basics of Excel for data analysis.

Course Materials

The class will be based on two main books, and additional readings and materials provided by the instructor.

Books

Healey, Joseph. Statistics: A Tool for Social Research. 9^th edition.

Diez, D.M., Barr, C.D., Cetinkaya-Rundel, M., OpenIntro Statistics. 4^th edition.

Online Instruction

Due to the COVID19 pandemic, our classes will be held online using a combination of synchronous and asynchronous classes. This implies that students inevitably will need to connect to the internet through a laptop/desktop computer, a tablet, or a phone. The class will use as many digital resources (i.e. slides, online examples, videos, and articles) for the clarification of concepts. These materials will be posted on the course website. Students are expected to read all assigned readings from the two main texts listed in the “Course Material” section of the syllabus.

The class will access either previously recorded presentations posted on the course site before the class, or assist to synchronous presentations via ZOOM. The instructor will be available via ZOOM during class hours even when there are no synchronous classes. Students are encouraged to use this time to consult and troubleshoot.

ZOOM links will be provided to assist to each class.

Due dates and group work

Class quizzes and labs are due before the start of the subsequent class unless otherwise indicated in the course schedule or by the instructor. Labs and quizzes should be submitted either as a post on the class forum or by email to the instructor. All readings and materials assigned before each class should be read by the students who should make use of the class meetings to ask questions about unclear subjects.

Students are expected to work in groups and they are also encouraged to consult with other students. However, every student has to do and submit their own work. Looking up information from the internet is part of the research process that students are expected to do critically and comparatively.

If there are problems related to hardware access or internet connection, please reach out to the instructor as soon as possible in order to analyze possible solutions together with the Sociology Department at Brooklyn College.

Office hours

Office hours by appointment are available on Thursdays or Fridays from 2 to 4 pm and can be made by phone or ZOOM.

Course Website

The class will have a website posted on the CUNY Academic Commons website. In order to access the website, students will need to register to have a Commons user name and subscribe to the course site at: https://bcintrostats.commons.gc.cuny.edu/

Grading Policy

10% Attendance and participation

20% Lab submissions and homework

10% Group presentation

40% Midterms (2)

20% Final exam

Academic integrity

Consult the Brooklyn College Bulletin and the university policy for regulations regarding academic integrity. If students submit work for credit that is not their own, they will receive a zero on that assignment. Academic dishonesty is grounds for failure in the course. Additional penalties may result, at the discretion of the college. Instructors have the obligation to report a violation of academic integrity.

Quoting a source is a good way to avoid plagiarism.

Disability Services

To receive disability-related academic accommodations students must first be registered with the Center for Student Disability Services (CSDS). Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability are invited to set up an appointment. For more information, please visit: https://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/offices/studentaffairs/student-support-services/disability.php