Research and Writing Methods
(480.600.52)
Syllabus
Spring 2008

Course Description/Assignments/Grading
Course Outline/Schedule
Reading List and Other Resources
Student Survey
Final Paper Peer Review

 
COURSE OUTLINE

MEETING 1 (Jan 22, 2008): Introductions

In-Class Work:

  1. Go over syllabus
  2. Introduce ourselves
  3. Review APA style (in-text references, reference section, headings, parts of a scholarly paper, plagiarism, etc.)

Homework due next class meeting:

Readings about Methods

  1. Review APA Style Manual
  2. Bem (Writing the research report)
  3. Patten:
    • Topic 14: (Reasons for Reviewing Literature)
    • Topic 16: (Organizing a Literature Review)
    • Topic 17: (Writing a Literature Review)
    • Topic 18: (Citing References)
  4. Reinard (Composing communication research)                 

Other Assignments

  1. Complete APA Assignment handed out in class (Download APA Assignment -- word doc).
  2. Think of a paper topic and be prepared to discuss your ideas about a topic you might like to write your paper on, a question you might like to write ask about your topic, and how you might answer this question.
  3. Bring APA Manual to next class
 

MEETING 2 (Jan. 29, 2008): APA Style, Literature Reviews and Library Research

In-Class Work:

  1. Review literature reviews (the “funnel,” sections of the paper, topic sentences, transitions, summaries, etc. Hand out example paper.)
  2. Go over Patten:
    • Topic 14: (Reasons for Reviewing Literature)
    • Topic 16: (Organizing a Literature Review)
    • Topic 17: (Writing a Literature Review)
    • Topic 18: (Citing References)
  3. Library research (in the lab)
  4. Hand in APA exercise
  5. Discuss paper topics

Homework due next class meeting:

Readings about Content Analysis

  1. Weber (Introduction and content classification and. .  .)
  2. Poindexter & McCombs (Ch. 11 – Content analysis)
  3. Maher & Childs (A longitudinal content analysis. . . )
  4. Potter (Give the people what they want. . . )                      

Readings about Statistics

  1. Williams & Monge
    • (Ch. 1 – Why do quantitative research?)
    • (Ch. 2 – Statistics and research)

Other Assignments

  1. Complete library research activity (download Library Assignment -- word doc).
  2. Content analysis method analysis (THIS METHOD ANALYSIS PAPER IS REQUIRED)
  3. Begin work on final paper
 

MEETING 3 (Feb. 5, 2008): Content Analysis Seminar

In-Class Work:

  1. Content Analysis
    • Create three-variable code sheet and conduct content analysis
  2. Turn in library assignment
  3. Statistics (S1)
    • What are statistics?
    • Sample and population
    • Descriptive and inferential statistics
    • Experiments and non-experiments
    • Independent and dependent variables

Homework due next class meeting:

Readings about Focus Groups

  1. Poindexter & McCombs (Ch. 13 - Focus groups and. . .)
  2. Krueger & Casey (Ch. 11- Answering questions. . .)
  3. Morrison (Ch. 6 - Problems and procedures of focus. . .)
  4. Brashers, et al. (Social support and the management . . .)
  5. Muturi (Communication for HIV/AIDS prevention. . .)

Readings about Statistics

  1. Williams & Monge (Ch. 3 – Levels of measurement)
  2. Patten
    • Topic 29: (Reliability and its relationship to validity)
    • Topic 30: (Measures of reliability)
    • Topic 41: (Scales of measurement)

Other Assignments

  1. Focus group method analysis (1 of 4 total)
 

MEETING 4 (Feb. 12, 2008): Focus Group Seminar

In-Class Work:

  1. Lecture: Statistics (S2)
    • Measurement and error
    • Validity and reliability
    • Levels of measurement
  2. In-class exercises
    • Patten
      • Topic 29 -- Again
      • Topic 41: (Scales of measurement)
  3. Discuss final paper

Homework due next class meeting:

Readings about Qualitative Interviews:

  1. Lindlof & Taylor (Ch. 6 -- Asking, listening, telling)
  2. Rubin (Ch. 7 -- Assembling the parts)
  3. Robinson & Newstetter (Uncertain science and. . .)
  4. Gilnert et al. (Guarding the tongue. . . )

Reading about Statistics (Central tendency & variability):

  1. Williams & Monge (Ch. 4 – Describing distributions)

Other Assignments:

  1. Qualitative interview method analysis (1 of 4 total)
  2. Work on final paper
 

MEETING 5 (Feb. 19, 2008): Qualitative Interview Seminar

In-Class Work:

  1. Lecture: Central tendency and variability (S3)
  2. Measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode)
  3. Measures of variability (range and standard deviation)
  4. In-class exercises
    • Holcomb
      • Ex. 16: (Self-reported height & weight)

Homework due next class meeting:

Readings about Surveys:

  1. Babbie (Ch. 9 -- Survey research)
  2. Leavitt (Ch. 11 – Surveying)
  3. Wray et al. (Preventing domestic violence. . . )
  4. Kenski & Falk (Of what is that glass ceiling made?. . . )

Readings about Statistics (Sampling):

  1. Patten
    • Topic 19: (Biased and unbiased sampling)
    • Topic 20: (Simple random and systematic sampling)
    • Topic 23: (Introduction to sample size)
    • Topic 24: (A closer look at sample size)

Other Assignments:

  1. Survey method analysis (1 of 4 total)
  2. Work on final paper
 

MEETING 6 (Feb. 26, 2008): Surveys Seminar

In-Class Work:

  1. Survey exercises
    • Create three-question survey on use of the internet 
  2. Lecture: Sampling (S4)
    • Sample size
    • Types of samples (random, stratified, volunteer, convenient)
    • Types of sampling bias (selection bias, non-response bias, volunteerism)
  3. Sampling exercise
    • Pyrczak: Ch. 6: (Evaluating samples. . .)
    • Holcomb:
      • Ex. 34: (Bias in sampling)
  4. Go over paper topics
  5. Hand out sample outline

Homework due next class meeting:

Readings about Rhetorical Methods:

  1. Foss
    • Ch. 1: (Nature of rhetorical criticism)
    • Ch. 2: (Doing rhetorical criticism)
  2. Brockriede (Rhetorical criticism as argument)
  3. Guerrero & Dionisopoulos (Enthymematic solutions. . .)
  4. Howard & Prividera (Rescuing patriarchy. . .)

Readings about Statistics (From sample to population):

  1. Williams & Monge (Ch. 5 – Predicting parameters)

Other Assignments:

  1. Write rhetorical methods analysis (1 of 4 total)
  2. Work on final paper
  3. Write final paper outline
 

MEETING 7 (March 4, 2008): Rhetorical Methods Seminar

In-Class Work:

  1. Lecture: From samples to population (S5)
    • Normal curve
    • Distribution of sampling means
    • Calculating the confidence interval for a mean
  2. Confidence interval exercise
    • Holcomb:
      • Ex. 35: (Treatment of depression . .)
  3. Turn in final paper outline at the beginning of class           

Homework due on next class meeting:               

Readings about Observation

  1. Reinhard (Ch. 9 -- Participant observation research)
  2. Judd, Smith, & Kidder (Ch 13 -- Qualitative research. . .)
  3. Trujillo & Dionisopoulos (Cop talk, police stories…)
  4. Rust (Observations: Parents and children shopping)

Readings about Statistics (Null hypothesis & chi square)

  1. Williams & Monge
    • Ch. 6 -- Testing hypotheses
    • Ch. 10 -- Nonparametric tests (only pp. 113-17)

Other Assignments

  1. Write observation method analysis (1 of 4 total)
  2. Work on final paper
 

MEETING 8 (March 11, 2008): Observation Seminar

In-Class Work:

  1. Ethics activity (at the end of the Lindlof article)
  2. Lecture: Null hypothesis & chi square (S6)
    • Null hypothesis
    • Hypotheses and research questions
    • Cross tabs
    • Chi-squares
  3. Chi-square exercise
    • Holcomb:
      • Ex. 55:  (Grandparent Roles).
  4. Return paper outlines

Homework due next class meeting:

Readings about Experiments:

  1. Poindexter & McCombs (Ch. 13 -- Experiments)
  2. Westley (The controlled experiment)
  3. Falk & Mills (Why sexist language affects. . .)
  4. Yzer et al. (The effectiveness of gateway. . .)

Readings about Statistics (Tests of group differences):

  1. Williams & Monge
    • Ch. 7 -- The t-test
    • Ch.  8 -- Single-factor analysis of variance

Other Assignments:

  1. Write experiment methods analysis (1 of 4 total)
  2. Write final paper “sample sections”
 

MEETING 9 (March 25, 2008): Experiments

In-Class Work:

  1. Experiment exercise
    • Pyrczak (Ch. 9 – Evaluating Experimental. . . )
  2. Lecture: Tests of group differences (S7)
    • ANOVA
    • T-test
  3. T-test and ANOVA exercises
    • Holcomb:
      • Ex. 37: (Communication in Relationships)
      • Ex. 49: (Extracurricular Activities. . .)
  4. Turn in paper sample sections at the end of class with revised outline.

Homework due next class meeting:

Readings on Statistics (Correlation & Regression):

  1. Williams & Monge
    • Ch. 11 – Correlation
    • Ch. 12 – Regression
  2. Work on final paper.
 

MEETING 10 (April 1, 2008): More Stats. . .  and Exam Review

In-Class Work:

  1. Complete any experiments and stats work not completed last week.
  2. Lecture: Correlation and regression (S8)
  3. Correlation and regression exercises
    • Holcomb (Ex. 25 – Community violence. . .)
    • Holcomb (Ex. 33 – Dieting, age and. . .)
  4. Statistics review

Homework due next class meeting:

Research Readings (again):

  1. Bem (Writing the research paper)
  2. Reinard (Composing communication research)

Other Assignments

  1. Prepare for exam
  2. Work on final paper

 
 

MEETING 11 (April 8, 2008): Exam

Homework due next class meeting:

  1. Work on final paper
  2. Optional: Submit one optional extra method analysis paper
 

MEETING 12 (April 15, 2008): Go Over Exam & Do Peer Review of Papers

In-Class Work:

  1. Bring final papers to class
  2. Peer-review another student’s paper
  3. Turn in optional extra method analysis paper

Homework due next class meeting:

  1. Work on final paper
 

MEETING 13 (April 22, 2008): Final Paper Oral Presentations

Homework due next class meeting:

  1. Finish final paper

 
MEETING 14 (April 29, 2008): Final Paper Oral Presentations & Paper Turn-in