DRAFT (January 26, 2015)

This course outline is subjected to change throughout the term!

Research Methods in Social Sciences

SOC 510
2014-2015 Spring
Time: Wednesday 10:00 13:00
Location: TBA

INSTRUCTOR
Mehmet Fatih Aysan
Office Room: West 1030
Office Hours: Wednesday: 14:00-16:00, or by appointment
Phone: 216 4444 034 ex. 9982
E-mail: mfaysan@sehir.edu.tr
COURSE OVERVIEW
There are three components of a scientific enquiry, namely theory, research methods,
quantitative and qualitative data analyses. This graduate level course is an introductory course on
research methods. The term research methods refers to the procedures and techniques used to
carry out a scientific sociological investigation. The primary objectives of this course are to help
graduate students become informed and critical consumers of social research, as well as to move
students from consumers to producers of social research. In this course, we will focus on a
number of issues central to the conduct of quantitative and qualitative research in social sciences.
We will ground our discussions in the practical aspects of sociological inquiry, from formulating a
research question, to conducting research, to interpreting and analyzing results. The course also
presents an overview of the potential and the boundaries of diverse data collection methods so as
to generate capability to design and conduct scientific social research and disseminate its results.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
To help graduate students become informed about different data collection methods in
social sciences
To know the basics of qualitative and quantitative research data collection methods,
analyze the data and interpret them
To define a research problem, formulate research questions, and develop hypotheses and
measure
To teach universal and scientific ethical principles
WEBSITE
MYSEHIR will be used to post announcements and presentations relating to this course. We also
have a series of useful links that are available to you in your work.
REQUIRED READINGS
There is no required textbook in this course. Selected reading materials on various topics will be
read. Either PDF versions or hardcopies of the readings will be provided during the term. There are
many excellent methods resources for those who are looking for additional sources. The books
listed below are recommended as handbooks that cover a variety of methodological topics.
Therefore, I strongly recommend that everyone have at least one basic methods text for future
reference purposes. If you do not have one from an undergraduate class, you might purchase one
from the list below.
Aneshensel, C. S. 2002. Theory-Based Data Analysis for the Social Sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Pine Forge Press.
Babbie, E. 2011. The Basics of Social Research. Cengage.
Bolker, J. 1995. Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day. Owl Books.
Hardy, M., and A. Bryman. (Eds.) 2004. Handbook of Data Analysis. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Neuman W. L. 2006. Basics of Social Research: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches. Pearson.
Singleton, R. A. and B. C. Straits. 2010. Approaches to Social Research. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
Participation/Attendance:
10%
Presentation:
15%
Assignment:
15% (Due Date: April 01, 2014)
Research Proposal:
30% (Due Date: June 05, 2014
Midterm Exam:
30% (May 20, 2014)
Participation/Attendance:
Attendance is critical to your success. Any student who, in the opinion of the instructor, is absent
too frequently from class periods in any course will be reported to the Dean (after due warning
has been given). Students are required to attend all of the class sessions. They are responsible
from class lectures and seminar videos in the examinations. No attendance credit will be given to
students who miss class due to illness, or any other emergency. Participation grade will be based
on an active class participation in the class discussions.
Assignment:

The research proposal will be completed in two stages over the course of the term. In the first
assignment, you will propose a research question. In the research proposal, you will build on the
work you have been doing all term to develop a research proposal to answer your research
question. Detailed instructions will be distributed in class. If late, and I am not in my office, slip the
paper under my office door. In the interest of fairness for all students, assignments are due at the
beginning of class on the dates noted in the detailed course outline. Late assignments will only be
accepted without penalty with appropriate documentation. Assignments received after the due
date will have their grade reduced by a rate of 10% daily. Any evidence of plagiarism will result
in a grade of zero on your paper. Due date for the research proposal is June 5, 2015 17:00.
Presentation:
Students will sign up to lead one class session in groups of two or three sometime during the
semester. This involves carefully studying the assigned readings, preparing a set of questions to
stimulate discussion, and assisting with keeping the dialogue moving during that sessions
discussion. It is important to understand that the purpose of the presentation is not to provide a
summary of the readings to the class, but instead to engage the class in a critical analysis that
synthesizes, compares, critiques, and draws conclusions about what we know of the topic based
on the readings.
These presentations will take place during the classes. Each student will be expected to give a brief
(about 15-20 minutes) overview of his/her article, which will be followed by a 20 minute
discussion period. The presenters should have at least 3 questions prepared to ask the students
and they should be ready to lead a discussion on their presentation topic. It is students main
responsibility to present his/her work in class on time! If you are selected to present and you are
not present, you will receive a zero for the presentation (there are no make-ups).
Midterm Examination:
The midterm will cover all lectures, readings, presentations, and seminar videos in the course.
PLAGIARISM
Students must write their assignments in their own words. Whenever students take an idea or a
passage of text from another author, they must acknowledge their debt both by using quotation
marks where appropriate and by proper referencing. Plagiarism is a major academic offense. All
required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial
plagiarism detection software.
LAPTOP AND SMARTPHONE USE IN THE CLASSROOM
We have no trouble with students using their portable computers for taking notes and researching
in the classroom. BUT: We completely forbid during lecture time the use of laptops to surf the
internet, chat on Facebook, watch videos, play video games, etc. May we ask that all students
respect this guideline, as it is not only distracting to your professor but also (and perhaps more
importantly) distracting to your fellow students.

COURSE OUTLINE: DATES, TOPICS*

* The indicated topics below may be modified slightly throughout the term.
Week 1
Feb 18
Week 2
Feb 25
Week 3
March 4
Week 4
March 11
Week 5
March 18
Week 6
March 25
Week 7
April 1
Week 8
April 8
Week 9
April 15
Week 10
April 22
Week 11
April 29
Week 12
May 6
Week 13
May 13
Week 14
May 20
Week 15
May 27

Introduction to the Course

The Fundamentals of Research
Linking Theory and Research/Ethics
Abbott, A. 1998. The Causal Devolution
Literature Reviews/Writing a Research Report
Mahoney, J. & G. Goertz 2006. A Tale of Two Cultures Contrasting Quantitative and Qualitative
Research
Measurement/Sampling
Brady, D. 2003. Rethinking sociological measurement of poverty
Survey Research
Couper, M. 2000. Review Web Surveys Issues Approaches
Curtin, R. 2005. Telephone Survey Designing
Experimentation (Assignment Due Date)
Chambliss, D. F., & R. K. Schutt. 2013. Causation and Experimental Design. Pp. 103-125 in
Making Sense of the Social World: Methods of Investigation. Los Angeles: Sage.
Research Using Available Data and Secondary Analysis
Ragin, C. 1997. Turning the Tables How case oriented research challenges variable-oriented
research
Interviewing/Field Research
Adler, P. 2008. Of Rhetoric and Representation The Four Faces of Ethnography
Spring Break (Holiday)
Data Processing/Analysis of Quantitative Data
McKeown, T. Case study and limits of quantitative method
Bates, R. 1997. Area Studies and the Discipline A Useful Controversy
Analysis of Quantitative Data
Freedman, D. 1991. Statistical Models and Shoe Leather
Blalock, H. 1991. Are There Really Any Constructive Alternatives to Causal Modeling
Historical-Comparative Research
Mahoney, J. 2007. Qualitative Methodology and Comparative Politics
Midterm Exam
Analysis of Qualitative Data/Review
Brown, C. & R Wilkes. 2012. Picturing Protest The Visual Framing of Collective Action by First
Nations in Canada

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!