C OMMUNICATION STUDIES 403: INTRODUCTION TO METHODS IN MASS COMMUNICATION RESEARCH Instructor: Eszter Hargittai Office hours: by appointment Contact: cst403-04 -at- eszter.com Class meeting times and location are available to Northwestern students via CAESAR. Course Description and Objectives This course explores research design and methodology in the field of communication. The overall goal is to guide students through the preparation of a publishable quality paper. Students will work on formulating a research question, explaining the motivation for the project and its significance and writing up a research proposal. The focus is on empirical social scientific research. This course will help students understand research in the field of media, technology and society, critically evaluate such research, creatively plan research projects and confidently conduct research projects in these areas. Additional goals include: to learn the foundations of research proposal preparation; to master the craft of reviewing scholarly papers and research proposals; to demystify the process of publishing papers in professional journals; and to strengthen and polish presentation skills. Readings Although you are not required to buy personal copies of these book they are well worth owning. One copy of each has been placed on two-hour reserve in the library. The other readings listed on the course schedule will be available to you in class or via Northwestern's Course Management System. You may buy copies of these books via numerous online retailers. I link to the pages at Amazon.com but you can use others as well such as Barnes and Noble, eCampus, or look for the cheapest options at AddALL. Babbie, Earl. 2004. The Practice of Social Research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. [An earlier edition should also be fine.] Becker, H. 1986. Writing for the Social Scientists. Chicago: University of Chicago Press Booth, W.C., G.G. Colomb, J.M. Williams. 2003. The Craft of Research. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Huff, Darrell. 1954. How To Lie With Statistics. New York: W.W.Norton & Company Lieberson, Stanley. 1985. Making it Count. Berkeley: U California Press. Turabian, Kate L. 1996. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Revised by John Grossman and Alice Bennett. 6th edition. Although this book is only referenced in the Course Schedule a few times, please consult it during the quarter as you encounter questions about writing (e.g. use of quotation marks, notes, bibliographies, abbreviations, etc.). Requirements and Expectations Attendance Attendance is required. The format of this class if interactive. Students will be asked to comment on their peers' work often and so class participation is crucial. Readings Make sure to read material before you start working on the written assignments. Assignments Each week (except week 1) you will be asked to prepare something in writing. These assignments are listed in detail on the course schedule. Assignments are due at noon on Tuesdays. This is important because others in the class have to have enough time to comment on your work before class. Do not leave the writing assignments to the last minute. You will not be able to do them well in one sitting. Each week after Tuesday noon, you should access the course Web site on NU courseware and read other people's submissions so you can have an informed discussion about others' projects in class. Grades Evaluation will be based on class participation including comments on others' work (30%) and written assignments (weekly assignments: 40%; final draft: 30% ). Academic Integrity You are responsible for reading and abiding by the University Principles Regarding Academic Integrity (available online: http://www.northwestern.edu/uacc/uniprin.html). Make sure to document all of your work and acknowledge the ideas and work of others. Absences Emergencies do happen. If you cannot make a deadline, please contact the instructor to figure out a schedule that will work. It is crucial not to get behind in class work because each assignment builds on previous assignments. Course Schedule Please note that the course schedule is subject to some changes depending on how students are making progress. It is your responsibility to check NU Courseware regularly for possible changes. 1/7 Week 1. Introduction We will discuss the format of the seminar, introduce ourselves to the group and will start discussions about research interests. Readings Booth et al., Part I (do not have to read 2.4) Babbie, pp.94-107. Becker, Preface, Chapters 1 & 6 1/14 Week 2. Formulating a Problem Readings Booth et al., Part II: Prologue, Chapter 3, Chapter 4 (including the Quick Tip on Disagreeing with Your Sources) Babbie, pp.52-56. Kahn, C. Ronald. 1994. "Sounding Board: Picking a Research Problem - The Critical Decision." The New England Journal of Medicine 330(21):1530-1533. (26 May) [available in the "Required reading" folder under "Course Documents" on NU courseware] Written Assignment #1 Three-page statement of research topic that illustrates logic from questions to problems from Chapters 3 & 4 in Craft of Research. Email the instructor your statements by Tuesday noon. 1/21 Week 3. Article Review Readings Booth et al., Chapters 7, 8, 9 Babbie, Chapter 3 & pp.473-478. Written Assignment #2 Select an example of an "excellent" empirical paper and defend it as such. Prepare a three-page statement. Justify your selection on grounds of substantive contribution, clarity of argument, soundness of evidence, and significance. Bring a copy of the article/book chapter with you to class. Email the instructor your statements by 5pm on Tuesday. 1/28 Week 4. Critically Evaluating the Proposed Project Readings Lieberson, Chapters 2-6. Hargittai, E. 1999. "Weaving the Western Web: Explaining Differences in Internet Connectivity Among OECD Countries" Telecommunications Policy. 23(10/11):701-718. [copy available on NU courseware] & Hargittai's initial statements written for above paper [these documents will be distributed in class] Written Assignment #3 Identify one or more of the issues discussed in the readings (e.g. selection, control, causation) that will likely influence your research project and consider ways to deal with the problem. Prepare a short written statement. Email the instructor your statement by Tuesday 5pm. 2/4 Week 5. Significance Readings Jasper, J.M. 2002. Why So Many Academics are Lousy Writers" [html] The Chronicle of Higher Education. March 26. Written Assignment #4 Three-page description of the significance of your question. Why is it important? Why should anyone care? Email the instructor your assignment by Tuesday noon. Be sure to check the course assignments page for others' work. You must read these and print them out for the class meeting. 2/11 Week 6. Review of Research Statements Readings Booth et al., Chapters 10, 11, 12 Babbie, skim Chapters 8-12; read carefully the chapter for the method you plan to use Becker, Chapter 6 Written Assignment #5 Prepare a revised statement of research topic, up to 5 pages. Outline the methodological approach you plan to pursue. Do not include a literature review. Post your statement on the NU courseware by Tuesday noon. 2/18 Week 7. Research Methods Readings Booth et al., Chapter 12 Babbie, Chapter 5 Huff, entire book While working on this section, be sure to consult Turabian Chapters 6 & 7. Written Assignment #6 Prepare a short paper describing the data you plan to analyze, its suitability to your problem, and your analytical approach. Data for social science research are always humbling. Preparing for this assignment may entail rewriting your research question. You might want to design table shells or some other visuals that address specific questions. Post your statement on the NU courseware by Tuesday noon. 2/25 Week 8. Literature Review Readings Booth et al., Chapters 5, 6 Babbie, Appendix A Becker, Chapter 8 See also the online document prepared by me [will be available later in the quarter] Written Assignment #7 Five to seven-page literature review that grounds the research problem theoretically ensuring that the unique contribution of the proposed analysis is clear. Discussion will focus on writing quality and pertinence of review to the research question. You may end up revising your research question again as you work on this assignment. Post your statement on the NU courseware by Tuesday noon. 3/3-10 Weeks 9 & 10. Draft Research Proposals Readings Booth et al., Chapters 13, 14, 15, 16 Babbie, - pp.113-114 for a reminder of proposal elements Turabian, Chapter 1 Written Assignment #8 Ten to twelve-page proposal is due one of the two weeks on Tue at noon. We will sign up ahead of time depending on how everyone is doing. Proposals will be circulated ahead of time. Everyone must prepare written comments on and present in class one other student's proposal. Post your proposals on the NU courseware by Tuesday noon of the week when your proposal is scheduled to be discussed. . Post your comments about the other proposals by Wednesday 10am. 3/17 Finals Final Papers are due to me in hard copy on Monday, March 16th 5pm. [This date is subject to change. I will post an announcement on the NU courseware site.] Use the comments you received about your draft proposal to improve the final draft.