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Introduction to Social Research Methods

Spring 2023

Course Details

Role
Instructor of Record
Term
Spring 2023
Location
University of California, Davis
Syllabus

Description

The goal of this class is to provide an introductory overview of the logic and methods of sociological research. This class will provide a foundation for students to interpret the strengths and weaknesses of various methods in practice as well as a basis to conduct their own social research. By the end of the course, students should be able to identify alignment between research questions and methods, analyze how sociologists and the media portray research, and develop their own research proposal and data collection strategy.

The course will cover the basics of how to design and carry out research using several common methods in sociology. The course will first focus on laying a foundation for social research by developing a research question, the ethics of social research, and how to engage with sociological theory in the practice of research. Next, the class will turn towards exploring different techniques of gathering data. The end of the course will briefly cover techniques for analyzing data.

Student Feedback

"Just in general I feel like this class really has helped me a lot in understanding how to design research. The one I came up with the final project might not be a well-rounded and mature one but still, it definitely is a great experience for me. So thank you:)"
Introduction to Social Research Methods, Spring 2023
Student
"I plan to use the skills I've developed and information I've learned to be a critical and informed citizen when it comes to consuming information about research projects. I'm a more informed person and can be more critical of the information I take in each day as I will question the motives goals and collection strategies of the research that is presented to me."
Introduction to Social Research Methods, Spring 2023
Student
"I started considering doing research after undergrad due to this class. I’m still not certain but if I do I will definitely implement what I learned from this class."
Introduction to Social Research Methods, Spring 2023
Student
"I really enjoyed your teaching. It wasn't overwhelming and the structure of assignments was great. It forced me to do the assignments because they build off of each other in some form, especially for the research paper."