URSI 403 Syllabus

URSI 403--Urban Research Methods

Instructor: Tony Filipovitch, 106e Morris Hall, xt. 5033, 388-2264 (home), TONY@VAX1.Mankato.MSUS.edu
Office Hours: M-R 10-1 & M 1-2 (or any other time by appointment--see me first)
Texts:
CAMPBELL, D. & J. STANLEY (1963) Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin Co.

T. RENNER (1988) Statistics Unraveled. Washington, DC: ICMA.
Goals:
The primary goal of this course is to provide you with a basic understanding of formal research techniques. Specifically, by the end of the course you should be able to:

1) Develop a researchable question in a systematic way;
2) Pose a research question in a rigorous fashion, including forming a hypothesis;
3) Choose an appropriate method to study a research question;
4) Report the results of your research in a way that is suited for your audience.

Assignments:

Classwork: Class time will be divided between concept and practice. Attendance is required. You must read the textbook chapters by the beginning of the week assigned. Class participation is expected.
Pre-Test: Even before your first assignment, I would like you to take a pre-test. This will help me (and you) gauge what you (singly and as a group) already know and what might need particular attention. Your performance on this test will not affect your final grade--but your performance will be evaluated and the results returned to you. Click on the highlighted "pretest" above to take the test.
Progress Reports: You will submit weekly progress reports (preferably by e-mail--remember to send a text file) in which you apply the content of the coursework to your research design. I will comment on these and return them to you.
Research Design: The final project for the class will be a research design of your own. You will be refining your design in class throughout the Quarter (the more you participate, the more refined your design will be). During finals week, you will schedule a 15-minute oral exam over your research design.
Final Test: There will be a final, comprehensive test on Dec. 5. You may bring up to 10 index cards (with anything on them that you want) into the test.

Grading:
Your grade will be based on your progress reports, the final test, and your final research design:

Progress 50 pts.
Research Design 20 pts.
Final Test 30 pts.

Your final grade will be based on the following scale: A = 100-90 B = 89-80 C = 79-70 D = 69-60 F = below 60

All assignments are due on the assigned date, unless you have made prior arrangements.Use the URSI style sheet for your assignments, and adhere to standard style in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Written work must be typed. You may use any source for your work, as long as you identify your sources. Failure to do so is plagiarism, and will result in an "F" for the course.

Above all, have fun in the course. I hope it will be a learning experience for all of us.

Calendar

9 Sept Researchable Questions

26 Sept Posing the Question: Introduction (Upper Midwest Planning Conference--class on the Net!)

3 Oct Posing Questions: Framing a "theory" (Read Campbell & Stanley)

10 Oct Posing Questions: Forming a hypothesis (Read Renner, Ch.1 and do problems pp. 51-52)

17 Oct Choosing a Method (Read Renner, Ch. 2, and do problems pp. 82-84)

24 Oct Analyzing Data: Descriptive Statistics (Read Renner, Ch. 3 and do problems p. 108)

31 Oct Analyzing Data: Nonparametric Statistics (Read Renner, Ch. 4 and do problems p. 144)

7 Nov Analyzing Data: Parametric Statistics (Read Renner, Ch. 5 and do problems pp. 167-168)

14 Nov Reporting Results (Review Renner, Ch. 2)

21 Nov Final Exam (& discussion of your research design)

28 Nov Thanksgiving Holiday

5 Dec Oral Exam

Bibliography

ANDERSON, B. F. (1971) The Psychology Experiment, 2nd Ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
ANDRANOVICH, G. & G. RIPOSA (1993) Doing Urban Research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Pubs.
BAILEY, K. (1982) Methods in Social Research. NY: Free Press.
BINGHAM, R. & C. FELBINGER (1989) Evaluation in Practice. NY: Longman, Inc.
BLALOCK, H.M., JR. (1982) Conceptualization and Measurment in the Social Sciences. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
COOK, T.D. & D.T. CAMPBELL (1979) Quasi-Experimentation: Design and Analysis Issues for Field Settings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
FAIRWEATHER, G.W. (1967) Methods for Experimental Social Innovation. NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
GLASER, B.G. & A.L. STRAUSS (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Qualitative Research. Chicago: Aldine Publishing Co.
LIGHT, R.J. & D.B. PILLEMER (1984) Summing Up: The Science of Reviewing Research. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
MEIER, K. & J. BRUDNEY. (1987) Applied Statistics for Public Administration. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
MILLER, D.C. (1991) Handbook of Research Design and Social Measurement, 5th ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.
RAGIN, C.C. (1987) The Comparative Method: Moving Beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
SWEET, D.C., ed. (1972) Models of Urban Structure. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
WEBB, E. , D. CAMPBELL, R. SCHWARTZ, L. SECHREST (1966) Unobtrusive Measures: Nonreactive Research in the Social Sciences. Chicago: Rand McNally & Co.
YIN, R.K. (1989) Case Study Research: Design and Methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

MSU
© 1996 A.J.Filipovitch
Revised 1 September 96