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Instructor: Craig T. Robertson, Ph.D. Office: 558 Stevens Hall Office Phone: 765-4530 Office Hours: For on-line students I will have the following "live chat" office hours. Monday: 11:00-noon and 6:30-7:30pm ((live chat in Blackboard [Bb] "Office Hour" chatroom) I will be in my regular office on the following days. Please phone during those times if you wish to speak with me in person
Monday: 8:30-10:00am E-mail:
Always
use the Blackboard (Bb) e-mail system for this class. Under
"Browse for Recipients..." select me as "All Section
Instructors". This symbol
Dept. of Sociology Website: http://www2.una.edu/sociology Check out the website to learn more about the department, the major, the faculty, our courses, careers, etc. This course exposes students to the processes and techniques necessary to conduct social scientific research. Students will learn how to frame a research question, assess methods best suited to research questions, measure concepts, apply sampling procedures, understand data collection strategies, and analyze data. I hope you will leave this class with a level of understanding allowing you to conduct quality research and assessments. Specifically, I hope you will meet the following goals:
Babbie, E.
(2008). The basics of social research. Belmont, CA:
Thomson Wadsworth. Course Preparation: To reach our class goals, everyone is expected to keep up with class readings, due dates and all forums that will be created as we move through the semester. Tests and assignments must be submitted on the designated dates
Assignments:
Your assignments this
semester will be accessed and submitted through the Bb assignment dropbox.
In sum, I post an assignment (new assignments are indicated with the [
There are two types of assignments: 1) Process Assignments. These assignments, which count 10 points, are optional since they are extra-credit. Process assignments will be accessible from Bb's "Assignments" feature as well as the main Bb page and will be graded. I will be available to help students succeed on these assignments. The late work policy articulated above applies to process assignments. I anticipate that students will have three or four opportunities to complete process assignments throughout the semester. 2) Term Assignment. Students will write a 125 point research proposal on topics of their choosing (click HERE to access the term assignment). All topics must be formally approved by me during my on-line office hours and before September 9, '08. This 15 page minimum proposal (prescribed length excludes mandatory cover sheet, table of contents, summary, reference page/s, and assumes 1" margins, a standard 12 character font, and double-spacing) will be due in its finalized form on December 3, '08 before 11:55pm. Students are encouraged to view this assignment as an opportunity to produce creative work. There are multiple due dates for parts of this assignment (late policy applies to all due dates) so you will be earning credit as we move through the semester. I will be happy to help students with the various stages of this work throughout the semester. Students who fail to submit a final proposal cannot pass this course. Exams:
Examination dates are noted on the tentative
course itinerary. If we deviate from that schedule I will always give
you at least one week notice before rescheduling an exam. Examination 1 will
count 100 points. Examination 2 will count 100 points.
Examination 3 (comprehensive), given during exam week, will count
150 points. Make-up Policy: Make-up quizzes and exams are given at the discretion of the instructor under extenuating circumstances, and requests for make-up quizzes and exams must be made by the student within three days of the scheduled quiz or exam date. Illnesses and death of an immediate family member are the only non-university approved reasons that will justify make-up quizzes or exams. All make-up requests must be accompanied by official written notice and make-up work must be completed on the date defined by the instructor. Instructors are not responsible for informing students of missed work. Learning Disabilities Policy: In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the University offers reasonable accommodations to students with eligible documented learning, physical and/or psychological disabilities. Under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities as compared to an average person in the population. It is the responsibility of the student to contact Developmental Services prior to the beginning of the semester to initiate the accommodation process and to notify instructors within the first three class meetings to develop an accommodation plan. Appropriate, reasonable accommodations will be made to allow each student to meet course requirements, but no fundamental or substantial alteration of academic standards will be made. Students needing assistance should contact Developmental Services (RM. 111 in the GUC or 765-4214). Any information drawn from works published by others must be appropriately cited within the written work and on the reference page/s (prepared in the format specified for this class). Direct quotes, longer than three lines of typed text in your paper, are to be indented an additional inch on the left and right margins and single-spaced typed. You must never string together one direct quote after another and you must never begin a quote and finish it one/two paragraph(s) or pages later. It is also unethical to block and move text from websites to your own work. Students who engage in the above mentioned activities are merely typing a paper rather than writing a paper. Such activities will not be tolerated in this course and students will receive a zero on assignments where such activities are present. To prepare ethical work you must neither copy work produced by other students or plagiarize (review this link: http://www2.una.edu/library/plagiarismstudentguide.htm). Any information drawn from works published by others must be appropriately cited within the body of your work and then referenced as part of a bibliography page using the APA style. The following grade point scale (A=90-100%, B=80-89%, C=70-79%, D=60-69%, and below 60%=F) is employed. No grades are dropped and there is no extra-credit work beyond process assignments. Your average may be calculated at any point in the semester by summating the total number of points you earned divided by the total number of points that could possibly have been earned. For example, if a student made 8 out of 10 on a quiz and 45 out of 50 on an exam, the student's grade would be 53 out of 60 or 88.3%. You, or any other person interested in your grades, may check your grades through Bb's "My Grades" feature. Where do my course points come from?
1st.
Examination = 100 pts. Date and Event/Subject
(Dates for examinations and due dates for proposal elements are
tentative)
8/20
- Classes begin
It
is my goal to make this course worth your time and effort.
Therefore, I will do all within my power to ensure that you learn
and succeed. If you are
concerned with any aspect of this course please contact me.
You owe it to yourself to talk with me since I can only help you if
I know there is a problem. |
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