Main Content
Syllabus
The information contained on this page is designed to give students a representative example of material covered in the course. Any information related to course assignments, dates, or course materials is illustrative only. For a definitive list of materials, please check the online catalog 3-4 weeks before the course start date. SOC 207: Research Methods in Sociology (3 credits): This course introduces the methods of studying societies, human social interaction, and the rules and processes that bind and separate people as individuals and as members of various types of social groups. It covers: (1) a description of social inquiry, (2) the structure of social research, (3) four methods of data collection, and (4) basic methods of data analysis.
Overview
Welcome to Sociology 207: Research Methods in Sociology. Sociologists aim to understand the social world through the scientific method. As such, the activity of sociological research consists of specific components and processes that have been standardized as the science has developed. Research is intended to build our understanding of the social world and/or to enhance the effectiveness of social programs and inform policy. This course is designed to provide an introduction to the rigorous process that sociologists pursue to achieve those goals.
Throughout this course you will explore social science research, its history, terminology, and steps in the research process. You are expected to identify research questions relevant to improving social life and become beginning consumers of research by learning steps to critique social research, and apply social research to social problems.
This course is designed as an active learning course, meaning that your efforts will determine your performance. You will participate in a variety of active learning assignments designed to help you master the course content.
The first part of the course will be dedicated to research knowledge acquisition as you learn about how studies are conducted and the various components of the social science research process. After you have grasped these basic concepts, you will be asked to apply them to a social problem project. Your learning will be assessed by performance on various assignments and projects. All assignments will be evaluated for course related research content, as well as writing style, spelling, grammar and clarity.
The course content builds sequentially, and instructor feedback is important for performance improvement. You must commit to keeping up with readings and assignments and follow the schedule for assignment submission as presented within the course schedule. Do not allow yourself to fall behind as you will have difficulty with subsequent assignments if you do not have the time to reflect on the instructor feedback.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course it is expected that you will be able to:
- Explain the purposes and goals of sociological research
- Propose research questions and formulate hypotheses recognize the contributions
of sociological theory and prior research to new research
- Define and critique fundamental scientific research steps such as
conceptualization, operationalization, and sampling
- Distinguish among the four major types of data collection methods and assess for
appropriate application to a research problem
- Compare and contrast quantitative and qualitative research approaches
- Critically read and evaluate social research
- Apply a body of research to a social issue.
Required Course Materials
Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.
Using the Library
Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can
- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
- get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
- much more.
You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service. The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.
Technical Requirements
For this course, you are required to have access to a computer with the minimum World Campus technical requirements listed below:
| Operating System | Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8*; Mac OS X 10.5 or higher *Windows 8 support excludes the tablet only RT version |
|---|---|
| Processor | 2 GHz or higher |
| Memory | 1 GB of RAM |
| Hard Drive Space | 20 GB free disk space |
| Browser | We recommend the latest ANGEL-supported version of Firefox or
Internet Explorer. To determine if your browser fits this criterion,
and for advice on downloading a supported version,
please refer to the following ITS knowledge base article: Supported Browsers and Recommended Computers.
Note: Cookies, Java, and JavaScript must be enabled. Pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites. Due to nonstandard handling of CSS, JavaScript and caching, older versions of Internet Explorer (such as IE 6 or earlier) do not work with our courses. |
| Plug-ins | Adobe Reader [Download from Adobe]
Flash Player (v7.0 or later) [Download from Adobe] |
| Additional Software | Microsoft Office (2007 or later) |
| Internet Connection | Broadband (cable or DSL) connection required |
| Printer | Access to graphics-capable printer |
| DVD-ROM | Required |
| Sound Card, Microphone, and Speakers | Required |
| Monitor | Capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution |
Course Requirements
Communication Policy:
The preferred communication with your Instructor is through the course’s ANGEL e-mail communication system. There may be situations when you cannot access ANGEL, in that case, please use the PSU e-mail system (webmail). If all PSU access is non-functioning (very rare), then use your home email, but please be aware that unusual or clever screen names are likely to be filtered to ‘junk’ mail. If you do not receive a response in a reasonable time, please try again to access the ANGEL communication system. All problems with ANGEL should immediately be reported to the Outreach HelpDesk.
I will not accept assignments submitted as e-mail attachments. All assignments must be submitted via their appropriate drop boxes in the course.
Informal discussion and communication among the students is encouraged. You may do so via the ANGEL course e-mail, outside of the course, and in the Open Forum. You will notice in the “Communicate” section of our course on the right side of the screen, under Discussion Forums, an Open Forum is at the bottom of the list. The Open Forum is a way for you to “talk” through the questions and ideas you are reading about in an informal way. There is no requirement to participate and your comments are not graded. I may or may not read them. I hope you will check often to see what people are discussing and feel free to join in.
Reading Assignments:
Most of the assigned reading for each week is in the course textbook. However, many lessons require additional reading. All non-textbook assigned reading can be found in the course e-reserves. E-reserves are accessed in ANGEL in the Resources section. It is important to read all the assigned material because assignment questions and quiz questions cover all the material.
Each lesson includes a short Commentary by the instructor. Commentaries are intended
to support and reinforce the ideas presented in the required reading and to help you
understand the intent of the lesson. It is important to read and understand the
Commentaries in order to answer the assignment and quiz questions.
Assignments:
Each lesson has an associated assignment. Assignments may include Internet exercises, short essays, and short answer questions. Assignments always are submitted as uploaded documents to therespective assignment drop boxes. All answers are expected to be in paragraph format with complete sentences, proper grammar, and correct punctuation. Your answers are expected to be formatted with 1-inch margins, double-spaced, Microsoft Sans Serif or Arial 12-point font. Points will be deducted from your score for incorrect formatting or for poor writing. Please note: Assignments account for 40% of your overall grade in the course.
Lateness Policy:
The course is paced and each lesson builds upon the previous one. It is important for you to keep up with weekly assignments and to receive timely instructor feedback on your submissions. Each lesson is numbered and spans seven days during which we cover the material in that lesson. Assignments related to that lesson are to be completed by Sunday midnight of the lesson week. There is a 1 day ‘grace’ period (Monday midnight) before the 10% late penalty is assessed.
That is, any assignment submitted after Monday midnight of the new week will be considered late and will be assessed the 10% penalty. There may be times when circumstances that are beyond your control result in lateness and you believe that no penalty should be incurred. Illness, death in the family, and unavoidable business travel are some of the reasonable circumstances that may interfere with timely submission of assignments. Under these or similar circumstances the penalty may be waived and the due date may be extended so long as you communicate your intentions for completion to me and you can document the circumstance.
The timing of an adverse circumstance and the due date may not allow you to notify me of the possibility of lateness before the due date. Again, so long as you can document the circumstance, the penalty may be waived and the due date may be extended.
Quizzes:
You are quizzed on assigned reading covered in each lesson. Quizzes are due by midnight Sunday at the end of each assignment week. Quizzes are computer-graded so it is important to review your quiz scores and report to me any problems you see with respect to grading. You may save and resume quizzes but you may only submit once. Quizzes account for 15% of your overall grade in the course.
Class Participation:
Class participation is achieved through your use of Discussion Forums. Most weeks offer a guided Discussion Forum with specific topics. You are required to participate in Lesson 1 and Lesson 15 Discussion Forums, and then choose any 6 out of the remaining 8 discussions. Discussion accounts for 5% of your overall grade in the course.
Discussion Forum Grading Policy:
This course requires you to participate in 8 of the 10 (Getting Started Lesson and lesson 15 discussions are required) offered opportunities for discussion. These opportunities are available most weeks. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE IN EIGHT OF THE TEN DISCUSSIONS. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE GETTING STARTED LESSON AND LESSON 15 DISCUSSIONS ARE REQUIRED.
Discussion participation is graded on a 10 POINT basis and those who comply with all the following requirements will receive 10 points for each discussion. To receive the full 10 points, you must do one initial posting that is due no later than midnight on Thursday of the relevant Lesson week. Because your contribution to the discussion must be posted with enough time for your fellow students to reply to your comments, your initial posting must be logged no later than Thursday of the relevant lesson period. The content of the initial posting must be no less than 150 words.
The content of the initial posting must be relevant to the week’s lesson, in essay format with complete sentences and proper grammar and punctuation. You may react, question, challenge, argue, or discuss the topics that are provided in the forum that are related to that week’s lesson.
You must make at least one reply posting that is due no later than Sunday midnight, the last day of the lesson period. The content of the reply posting must be no less than 100 words and comply with the standards for content set for the initial posting (see above).
Exams
There are no mid-term or final exams in this course. Your learning achievement will be assessed in the final application project.
Final Application Project
This project is designed to help you appreciate the value of social science research in your work and/or family life. Completion of the project will meet two of the course objectives:
- critically read and evaluate social research
- apply a body of research to a social problem.
The project will bring together many of the concepts that you learned in the course to date and improve your ability to read and critique social science research. There are five parts to the final project and each will be submitted separately for instructor review and feedback. You will be directed to review the content of certain lessons as you complete the final project. Each of the five parts will be explained in detail as they are due. The final application project is worth 40% of the final grade. (Parts 1 & 2 5% each, Parts 3 - 5 10% each)
Course Grade
The following table shows the relative importance of the assignments, quizzes, discussion forums, and exams to your overall grade in the course.
| Graded Item | Percent of Grade |
|---|---|
| Assignments | 40% |
| Quizzes | 15% |
| Discussion Forums | 5% |
| Final Application Project | 40% |
|
Total
|
100% |
The World Campus follows the same grading system as the Penn State resident program. The grades A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, D, and F represent a scale from "excellent" to "failing" and are assigned the following grade-point equivalents:
| Letter Grade | Grade Point Equivalent |
|---|---|
| A | 4.00 |
| A- | 3.67 |
| B+ | 3.33 |
| B | 3.00 |
| B- | 2.67 |
| C+ | 2.33 |
| C | 2.00 |
| D | 1.00 |
| F | 0.00 |
Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Undergraduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.
If you are prevented from completing this course for reasons beyond your control, you have the option of requesting a deferred grade from your instructor. For more information, please see "Deferred Grades" on the World Campus Student Policies Web site.
Note: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. For more information about graduation policies and deadlines, please refer to Graduation at the Chaiken Center for Student Success.
Academic Integrity Policy
Cheating is not acceptable in this course. Minor cheating results in lowered course grades; major cheating is reported to the College of Liberal Arts and sanctions are pursued.
According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity (for undergraduate students in undergraduate courses) and policy GCAC-805 Academic Integrity (for graduate students and undergraduate students in graduate courses), an academic integrity violation is “an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically.” Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, you must complete all course work entirely on your own, using only sources that have been permitted by your instructor, and you may not assist other students with papers, quizzes, exams, or other assessments. If your instructor allows you to use ideas, images, or word phrases created by another person (e.g., from Course Hero or Chegg) or by generative technology, such as ChatGPT, you must identify their source. You may not submit false or fabricated information, use the same academic work for credit in multiple courses, or share instructional content. Students with questions about academic integrity should ask their instructor before submitting work.
Students facing allegations of academic misconduct may not drop/withdraw from the affected course unless they are cleared of wrongdoing (see G-9: Academic Integrity or GCAC-805 Academic Integrity as appropriate). Attempted drops will be prevented or reversed, and students will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines. Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations face academic outcomes, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for other outcomes which may include ineligibility for Dean’s List, pass/fail elections, and grade forgiveness. Students may also face consequences from their home/major program and/or The Schreyer Honors College.
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
World Campus students are expected to act with civility and personal
integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and property; and help
create and maintain an environment in which all can succeed through the
fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity is
requisite to respect for oneself and others, as well as a civil community.
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, procedures allow a student to accept or contest/appeal the allegation. If a student chooses to contest/appeal the allegation, the case will then be managed by the respective school, college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. Review procedures may vary by college, campus, or school, but all follow the aforementioned policies.
All academic integrity violations are referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response, which may assign an educational intervention and/or apply a Formal Warning, Conduct Probation, Suspension, or Expulsion.
Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us by going to the Contacts & Help page.
| Lesson | Activity |
|---|---|
|
Getting Started and 1: Introduction to Social Research |
Getting Started:
Lesson 1
|
| 2: Developing Research Topics |
|
| 3: Applying Concepts to Social Research |
|
| 4: Ethics and Policies |
|
| 5: Principles of Conceptualization and Measurement |
|
| 6: Sampling |
|
| 7: Overview of Research Design and Causation |
|
| 8: An Overview of Survey Methods |
|
| 9: Introduction to Social Experiment Methodology |
|
| 10: Overview of Qualitative Methodology |
|
| 11: Final Project Part 1: Identify a Topic |
|
| 12: Final Project Part 2: Library Search |
|
| 13: Final Project Part 3: Research Critique |
|
| 14: Final Project Part 4: State of the Science Overview |
|
| 15: Final Project Part 5: Proposing Future Research |
|
Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. Provided that you have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year, starting from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered (with the exception of library reserves and other external resources that may have a shorter archival period). After one year, you might be able to access the course based on the policies of the program or department offering the course material, up to a maximum of three years from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered. For more information, please review the University Course Archival Policy.
University Policies
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities, including World Campus. The Disabilities and Accommodations section of the Chaiken Center for Student Success website provides World Campus students with information regarding how to request accommodations, documentation guidelines and eligibility, and appeals and complaints. For additional information, please visit the University's Student Disability Resources website.
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Students with disabilities participating in internship, practicum, student teaching, or other experiential learning opportunities as part of their degree requirements may also be eligible for reasonable accommodations to ensure equal access and opportunity. These accommodations are determined through an interactive process involving the student, their University supervisor, and the site supervisor. Student Disability Resources can assist students with identifying potential barriers, facilitating accommodation requests, and coordinating with University supervisors to promote inclusive learning experiences.
For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.