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

 
 
 

READING LIST
 

 Not in APA Format

(Yes, we do this on purpose so that you have to learn APA Style!)
 

Babbie, E. (2004). Survey research (Ch. 9: pp. 242-280). In The practice of social research (10th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
 

Bem, D. J. (1991). Writing the research report (Ch. 19: pp. 453-476). In C. M. Judd, C. M., E. R. Smith,  & L. Kidder, L. (Eds.), Research Methods in Social Relations (6th ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace.
 

Brashers, D. E., Neidig, J. L., & Goldsmith, D. J. (2004). Social support and the management of uncertainty for people living with HIV or AIDS. Health Communication, 16(3), 305-331.
 

Brockriede, W. (1974). Rhetorical Criticism as Argument. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 60, 165-174.
 

Falk, E., & Mills, J. (1996, Fall). Why sexist language affects persuasion: The role of homophily, intended audience, and offense. Journal of Women and Language, XIX(2), 36-43.
 

Foss, S. (1989). Doing rhetorical criticism (Chapter 2: pp. 11-29). Rhetorical criticism: Exploration and practice. Prospect Heights: Waveland.
 

Foss, S. (1989). The nature of rhetorical criticism (Chapter 1: pp. 3-9). Rhetorical criticism: Exploration and practice. Prospect Heights: Waveland.
 

Galvan, J. L. (2004). General guidelines for analyzing literature (Chapter 4: pp. 33-41). In Writing Literature Reviews. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak..
 

Gilnert, L., Loewwnthal, K. M., & Goldblatt, V. (2003). Guarding the tongue: A thematic analysis of gossip control strategies among Orthodox Jewish women in London. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 24(6), 513-524.
 

Guerrero, L. K., & Dionisopoulos, G. (1990). Enthymematic solutions to the Lockshin defection story: A case study in the repair of a problematic narrative. Communication Studies, 41(4), 299-310.
 

Holcomb, Z. C. (2007). Exercise 16: Self reported height and weight (pp. 46-48). In Interpreting Basic Statistics (5th ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Holcomb, Z. C. (2007). Exercise 25: Community violence and achievement (pp. 75-77). In Interpreting Basic Statistics (5th ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Holcomb, Z. C. (2007). Exercise 33: Dieting, age and body fat (pp. 99-102). In Interpreting Basic Statistics (5th ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Holcomb, Z. C. (2007). Exercise 34: Bias in sampling (pp. 103-105). In Interpreting Basic Statistics (5th ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Holcomb, Z. C. (2007). Exercise 35: Treatment of depression and anxiety (pp. 106-108). In Interpreting Basic Statistics (5th ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Holcomb, Z. C. (2007). Exercise 37: Communication in relationships (pp. 112-115). In Interpreting Basic Statistics (5th ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Holcomb, Z. C. (2007). Exercise 49: Extracurricular activities and dropping out (pp.149-151). In Interpreting Basic Statistics (5th ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Holcomb, Z. C. (2007). Exercise 55: Grandparent roles (pp. 167-169). In Interpreting Basic Statistics (5th ed.). Glendale, CA: Pyrczak
 

Howard, J. W., & Prividera, L. C. (2004). Rescuing patriarchy or saving ÒJessica LynchÓ: The rhetorical construction of the American woman soldier. Women and Language, 27(2), 89-97.
 

Judd, C. M., Smith, E. R., & Kidder, L. (1991). Qualitative research: Fieldwork and participant observation (ch. 13: pp. 298-320). Research Methods in Social Relations (6th ed.). Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace.
 

Kenski K., & Falk, E. (2004). Of what is that glass ceiling made?: A study of attitudes about women and the oval office. Women and Politics, 26(2), 57-80.
 

Krueger, R. A. & Casey, M. A. (2000).  Answering questions about the quality of focus group research (chapter 11). Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
 

Leavitt, F. (1991). Surveying (pp. 152-173). In Research Methods for Behavioral Science. Dobuqui, IA: Wm. C. Brown.
 

Lindlof, T. R., & Taylor, B. C. (2002). Asking, listening, and telling (chapter 6: pp. 170-208). Qualitative communication research methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
 

Maher, J. K., & Childs, N. M. (2003). A longitudinal content analysis of gender roles in childrenÕs television advertisements: A 27 year review.  Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising, 25(1), 71-81.
 

Morrison, D. E. (1998). Problems and procedures in the conduct of focus groups (chapter 6). The Search for a Method: Focus Groups and the Development of Mass Communication Research. Luton, UK: University of Luton.
 

Muturi, N. (2005). Communication for HIV/AIDS prevention in Kenya: Social-cultural considerations. Journal of Health Communication, 10, 77-98.
 

Patten, M. (2004). Topic 14: Reasons for reviewing literature (pp. 31-32). In Understanding Research Methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Patten, M. (2004). Topic 16: Organizing a literature review (pp. 35-36). In Understanding Research Methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Patten, M. (2004). Topic 17: Writing a literature review (pp. 37-37). In Understanding Research Methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Patten, M. (2004). Topic 18: Citing references (pp. 41-42). In Understanding Research Methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Patten, M. (2004). Topic 19: Biased and unbiased sampling (pp. 45-46). In Understanding Research Methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Patten, M. (2004). Topic 20: Simple random and systematic sampling (pp. 47-48). In Understanding Research Methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Patten, M. (2004). Topic 23: Introduction to sample size (pp. 53-54). In Understanding Research Methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Patten, M. (2004). Topic 24: A closer look at sample size (pp. 55-56). In Understanding Research Methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Patten, M. (2004). Topic 29: Reliability and its relationship to validity (pp. 71-73). In Understanding Research Methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Patten, M. (2004). Topic 30: Measures of Reliability (pp. 75-76). In Understanding Research Methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Patten, M. (2004). Appendix D: Electronic sources of statistical information (pp. 155-159). In Understanding Research Methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak.
 

Poindexter, P. M., & McCombs, M. E. (2000). The survey questionnaire (chapter 4: pp. 56-77). Research in mass communication. Boston: Bedford.
 

Poindexter, P. M., & McCombs, M. E. (2000). Selecting Survey Respondents (chapter 5: pp. 78-97). Research in mass communication. Boston: Bedford.
 

Poindexter, P. M., & McCombs, M. E. (2000). Content analysis (chapter 11: pp. 185-214). Research in mass communication. Boston: Bedford.
 

Poindexter, P. M., & McCombs, M. E. (2000). Experiments (chapter 12: pp. 215-238). Research in mass communication. Boston: Bedford.
 

Poindexter, P. M., & McCombs, M. E. (2000). Focus groups and one-on-one depth interview (chapter 13: pp. 239-272). Research in mass communication. Boston: Bedford.
 

Potter, R. (2002). Give the people what they want: A content analysis of FM radio station home pages. Journal of Broadcasting, 46(3), 369-384.
 

Pyrczak, F. (1999). Worksheet 9: Three Averages: Computations (p. 18). In Statistics with a sense of humor. Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (1999). Worksheet 14: Unbiased Estimate of Standard Deviation (p. 28). In Statistics with a sense of humor. Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (1999). Worksheet 15: Standard Deviations: Concepts (p. 30). In Statistics with a sense of humor. Pyrczak: Los Angles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (1999). Worksheet 24: Pearson r: Interpretation (p. 48). In Statistics with a sense of humor. Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (1999). Worksheet 32: Sampling Concepts (p. 64). In Statistics with a sense of humor. Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (1999). Worksheet 33: Standard Error of the Mean (p. 66) In Statistics with a sense of humor. Pyrczak: Los Angeles.

 

Pyrczak, F. (1999). Worksheet 34: Confidence Intervals for the Mean: Large n (p. 68). In Statistics with a sense of humor. Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (1999). Worksheet 38: t test: independent data (p. 76-77). In Statistics with a sense of humor. Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (1999). Worksheet 39: t Test: Interpretation (p. 78). In Statistics with a sense of humor. Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (1999). Worksheet 48: One-way ANOVA: 1 (p. 96). In Statistics with a sense of humor. Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (1999). Worksheet 51: Chi Square: Goodness of Fit (p. 102). In Statistics with a sense of humor. Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (2003). Chapter 4: General guidelines for analyzing literature (pp. XX-50). In Evaluating Research in Academic Journals (2nd ed.). Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (2003). Chapter 5: A closer look at evaluating literature reviews (pp. 51-58). In Evaluating Research in Academic Journals (2nd ed.). Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (2003). Chapter 6: Evaluating samples when researchers generalize (pp. 59-70). In Evaluating Research in Academic Journals (2nd ed.). Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Pyrczak, F. (2003). Chapter 9: Evaluating experimental procedures (pp. 93-104). In Evaluating Research in Academic Journals (2nd ed.). Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

Reinard, J. C. (1998). Composing communication research (pp. 129-149). In Introduction to Communication Research (2nd ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill.
 

Reinard, J. C. (1998). Participant observation research (pp. 192-204). In Introduction to Communication Research (2nd ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill.
 

Robinson, S., & Newsletter, W. C. (2003). Uncertain science and certain deadlines: CDC responses to the media during the anthrax attacks of 2001. Journal of Health Communication, 8, 17-34.
 

Rubin, H. J. (1995). Assembling the parts (Chapter 7: pp. 145-167). In Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
 

Rust, L. (1993). Observations: Parents and children shopping together: A new approach to the qualitative analysis of observational data. Journal of Advertising Research, 33(4), 65-70.
 

Trujillo, N., & Dionisopoulos, G. (1987). Cop talk, police stories, and the social construction of organizational drama. Central States Speech Journal, 38(3&4), 196-209.
 

Weber, R. P. (1990). Introduction and content classification and interpretation (pp. 9-40). In M. S. Lewis-Beck (Series Ed.) Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences: Vol. 49. Basic content analysis (2nd ed.). Newbury park: Sage.
 

Westley, B. H. (1989). The controlled experiment. In G. H. Stempel and B. H. Westley (Eds.), Research methods in mass communication (pp. 200-220). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
 

Wray, R. J., Hornick, R. M., Gandy, O., Stryker, J., Ghez, M., & Mitchell-Clark. (2004). Preventing domestic violence in the African American community: Assessing the impact of a dramatic radio serial. Journal of Health Communication, 9, 31-52.
 

Yzer, M. C., Cappella, J. N., Fishbein, M., Hornick, R., & Ahern, K. (2003). The effectiveness of gateway communications in anti-marijuana campaigns. Journal of Health Communication, 8, 129-143.
 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
 

In the past, students have found the following resources helpful. I cite them here as a suggestion. You do not have to look at them, but. . .  you may find them very useful. We may supplement our class work with handouts from these texts, as needed.
 

Statistics Made Simple (Or At Least Simpler)

 

            Patten, M. (2005). Understanding research methods. Glendale, CA: Pyrczak
 

            Pryczak, F. (2006). Making sense of statistics: A conceptual overview. (4th ed.)
 
 

Statistical exercises you may find helpful. All are from. . .

 

Pyrczak, F. (1999). Statistics with a sense of humor. Pyrczak: Los Angeles.
 

. . . and are available on electronic reserve:
 

Worksheet 9: Three averages: Computations (p. 18)

Worksheet 14: Unbiased estimate of standard deviation (p. 28)

Worksheet 15: Standard deviations: Concepts (p. 30)

Worksheet 24: Pearson r: Interpretation (p. 48)

Worksheet 32: Sampling concepts (p. 64)

Worksheet 33: Standard error of the mean (p. 66)

Worksheet 34: Confidence intervals for the mean: Large n (p. 68)

Worksheet 38: T-test: Independent data (pp. 76-77)

Worksheet 39: T-test: Interpretation (p. 78)

Worksheet 48: One-way ANOVA: 1 (p. 96)

Worksheet 51: Chi-square: Goodness of fit (p. 102)

 

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More readings about writing literature reviews can be found in. . .

 

Galvin, J. (2006). Writing literature reviews. (3rd ed.). 

 

            Patten, M. (2005). Understanding research methods (5th ed.).