SOCI 2012 - Introduction to Social Research

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2023

Which youth crime prevention programs work? Is job market situation for university graduates in Australia improving or worsening? Why do some international students succeed in Australian universities, while others experience great difficulties? Are local media in Adelaide focusing more on the street crime than on the corporate crime? What is currently known about factors that lead to a happy and lasting intimate relationship? This course will introduce you to the ways in which social researchers seek to answer such questions. You will learn how to formulate feasible research questions. You will be introduced to a variety of research methods that can be used to answer such questions. The course will demonstrate that each method has its strengths and weaknesses and that the best research is usually produced by a combination of methods. The course will give you the basic tools to be an informed and critical user of social science research. You will learn how find the most up-to-date and highest quality studies on the topic of your interest. You will also apply the methodological reasoning acquired in the course to review the current research literature on a topic of your own interest. Finally, you will learn how to write well-structured analytical papers.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code SOCI 2012
    Course Introduction to Social Research
    Coordinating Unit Sociology, Criminology and Gender Studies
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites At least 12 units of Level I undergraduate study
    Incompatible GWSI 2015, GWSI 2110, GWSI 3015, GSSA 2110
    Assessment Mid-term exam (15%), Assignment 1 (10%), Assignment 2 (15%), Assignment 3 (30%), Final exam (30%)
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Djordje Stefanovic

    Which youth crime prevention programs work? Is job market situation for university graduates in Australia improving or worsening? Why do some international students succeed in Australian universities, while others experience great difficulties? Are local media in Adelaide focusing more on the street crime than on the corporate crime? What is currently known about factors that lead to a happy and lasting intimate relationship? Why and how did the Covid Pandemic increase a sense of social isolation? Why is anti-Chinese prejudice rising in a number of countries? This course will introduce you to the ways in which social researchers seek to answer such questions. You will learn how to formulate feasible research questions. You will be introduced to a variety of research methods that can be used to answer such questions. The course will demonstrate that each method has its strengths and weaknesses and that the best research is usually produced by a combination of methods. The course will give you the basic tools to be an informed and critical user of social science research. You will learn how find the most up-to-date and highest quality studies on the topic of your interest. You will also apply the methodological reasoning acquired in the course to review the current research literature on a topic of your own interest. Finally, you will learn how to write well-structured analytical papers.
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes

    On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

    1 Understand the purpose of social research and its potential to investigate contemporary social issues through both quantitative and qualitative approaches.
    2 Identify the range of methods, techniques and skills used in contemporary social research and their capacity to solve specific social problems.
    3 Demonstrate skills in social science methods including the ethical and practical aspects of researching social problems, critical reading, reflection and analytical writing.
    4 Work with others in the exploration of ideas and to collectively develop arguments and negotiate solutions to problems.
    5 Undertake a research project including formulating a research problem and its key questions
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)

    Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth

    Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.

    1,2,3

    Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving

    Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.

    2,3,4,5

    Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills

    Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.

    4

    Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness

    Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.

    1,2,3,4,5

    Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency

    Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.

    2,3,4

    Attribute 6: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency

    Graduates have an understanding of, and respect for, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, culture and knowledge.

    .

    Attribute 7: Digital capabilities

    Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.

    .

    Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence

    Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.

    3,4,5
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Investigating the Social World (9th edition) by Russell K. Schutt, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2019.
    - Etext version available online at https://au.sagepub.com/en-gb/oce/investigating-the-social-world/book254625#description
    - Hardcopy available at the Barr Smith Library, High Use area.

    Recommended Resources
     
    Online Learning
    Lectures, assignment instructions, and model assignments will be posted to the MyUni course site. Tutorials will take place via Zoom or in person, as scheduled. Office hours can be attended either in person or by the Zoom link, with students attending in person given the priority. Quizzes, exams and assignments will be submitted at MyUni.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    No information currently available.

    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    WORKLOAD - STRUCTURED LEARNING TOTAL HOURS
    1 x 3-hour lecture (or equivalent) per week 36 hours per semester
    WORKLOAD - SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING TOTAL HOURS
    2.5 hours reading per week 30 hours per semester
    1 hour on-line quiz answering per week 12 hours per semester
    5.5 hours assignment preparation each week on average 66 hours per semester
    1 hour exam review per week 12 hours per semester
    TOTAL: 156 hours per semester
    Learning Activities Summary
    Schedule
    1 Science, Society, and Social Research
    2 Research Ethics
    3 Research Design and Causation
    4 Conceptualization and Measurement
    5 Sampling and Generalizability
    6 Experiments
    7 Survey Research
    8 Qualitative Methods
    9 Quantiative Methods
    10 Evaluation and Policy Research
    11 Big Data Analysis
    12 Future of Research Methods
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Weighting %
    Learning Course Outcome (s)
    Midterm Exam Formative & Summative 15% 1, 2, 3
    Assignment One (Prospectus) Formative & Summative 10% 1, 2, 5
    Assignment Two (Single Study Review) Formative & Summative 15% 1, 2, 5
    Assignment Three (Literature Review) Summative 40% 1, 2, 4, 5
    Final Exam Summative 30% 1, 2, 3
    Assessment Related Requirements
     Students are required to complete all assessment tasks to be eligible to pass this course.
    Assessment Detail

    Mid term exam (15%):The midterm exam will be multiple choice, open-book, take home exam. The midterm questions will be posted at MyUni. You will need to submit the answers by a date to be specified. The midterm will test your ability to correctly apply the course materials to identify, diagnose, and solve research problems in various situations. Details of this assessment will be provided in the pre-recorded lecture. 

    Assignments One (Prospectus) (10%): The prospectus is the first step towards producing your state-of-art literature review. It should briefly outline your research question, your theoretical rationale, and 8 relevant academic sources you propose to review. In total, the prospectus should be not more than 400 words long, not including the end of text References. It is important to justify your proposed research question as interesting and worth answering. Details of this assessment will be provided in a pre-recorded lecture.

    Assignments Two (Single Study Review) (15%): In the second assignment, you will apply your new methodological skills to analyse an assigned research article, and to identify its main strengths and weaknesses. The article to be analysed and the questions you need to answer will be made available at MyUni. You will need to submit the answers at MyUni. Detail of this assignment will be discussed in a pre-recorded lecture.

    Assignment Three (Literature Review) (30%): In this assignment you will do a thorough literature review, addressing a topic of your choice. The Literature Review will be not more than 1,800 words long, not including end of text references. As a critical review of the “state of knowledge” on your topic, it will allow you to situate your research question as having the potential to add to or correct an existing theory, thereby helping us to understand the phenomena in question. For this reason, it is crucial to find proper academic sources to review.

    A literature review is not simply a list of the research on a topic, nor is it merely a summary of the arguments others have made concerning a topic. A literature review is an essay which allows you to survey the field as it is, with an eye to the contribution that you will make to the literature through your research question. Therefore, you should be particularly attentive to the questions that are unanswered (or unasked) in the literature, the theoretical concepts in the field which are inadequate, the errors that exist in our current ways of looking at the topic, and so on. The literature review will not involve any primary data collection.

    You should begin to conduct your review of the literature with a question that is as specific as possible, knowing that it will change as you interact with the literature. The assignment three will build on the work and skills you developed in the assignments one and two. By the time you write your literature review, your research question should be carefully formulated in researchable terms. Details of this assessment will be discussed in a pre-recorded lecture.

    Final Exam (30%): You will be expected to display understanding, integration, and critical reflection on the required readings and lectures. The final exam will be multiple choice, open-book, take home exam. The format will be similar as the midterm exam. Details of this assessment will be provided in in a pre-recorded lecture.

    Note: : Further information on the expectations for the Assignments and Exams will be provided at the MyUni and discussed in tutorials.
     

     

    Submission

    No information currently available.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
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