PADM 602 / PLAN 604 Applied Research Methods

Winter 2005

Instructor: John I. Gilderbloom, Ph.D.

School of Urban and Public Affairs

426 West Bloom Street

College of Business and Public Administration

University of Louisville

Business School Classroom 131

Phone: 852.8557

E-mail: jigild01@louisville.edu and jgilde02@sprynet.com        

Fax: 502.852.4558

Website: http://www.louisville.edu/org/sun/research-methods/

 

Class meetings: Tuesdays 5:30 to 8:30pm,

Office Hours: Saturdays noon to 1:00 p.m. or after class 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.( please call 608-7567); Thursday afternoons 2:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.   please call my office for appointments.

 

Course Description and Learning Objectives:

 

This class is a Master’s research methods course on the fundamentals of qualitative and quantitative analysis that will enable students to interpret findings of social research found in leading urban and public affairs journals. We assume you are familiar with elementary research methods and statistics.  Students will be introduced to the real world of methods with assignments which reflect the true challenges of doing research: constructing a survey methods instrument, conducting an ethnography in the field, learning to analyze census data, reading urban planning or public adminstration article.    

 

A specific focus of the class is on research methods for public policy analysis. If you wish, you may follow this “nuts and bolts” class with an independent study to pursue your own particular research interest or take several other advanced research methods courses offered in the policy analysis track. The following topics will be covered in this course: scientific methods, logic of social research, experiments, field research, secondary analysis, evaluation research, data analysis, advanced research techniques (bivariate explanation, regression analysis), computer techniques, research ethics, and grant writing.  New this year is material covering how to analyze census data from access, to analysis, to presentation.   We are also presenting information on maps, photographs, and longitudinal data.  Finally, we have added a section on grant writing. We have gotten rid of some of the readings that were getting stale or simply not relevant and replacing it with more challenging materials.  We are adding in more journal articles and for the first time we will read a UPA dissertation.  Hopefully someday, we will read yours in this class. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The goals of this seminar are as follows:

 

¨         To develop a good working knowledge of research methods used in urban policy analysis.

¨         An overview of various methodological approaches to understanding urban phenomena – learning both the advantages and limitations of each.

¨         To provide a supportive atmosphere for developing communicative skills. Key ingredients for a successful “working” researcher are good writing and speech skills.

 

Grading:

A grade is given for each of the following areas and given equal weight—which creates a course average:

 

Class Participation: Since the course is designed as a seminar, it is expected that students will come prepared to discuss the assigned readings of the week. The first half of class will generally be in a lecture format, followed by a class discussion. The “class participation” grade is based on regular course attendance, good social skills (sleeping in class, excessive chatter during lecture, using cell phones), discussion of weekly readings, and presentation of an assigned reading. You will also be assigned one reading and make a class presentation with a handout summarizing your argument. Poor attendance (missing one or more seminars or field trips) will lower your participation grade. After each class session, you will be given a “minus” if you were unable to respond when called upon.  “E” (Excellent) will be given to students who make an extraordinary contribution. Without penalty, you may be excused from participating in one class.   We expect good manners—yelling at fellow students or faculty is not acceptable.  Students should refrain from engaging in personal attacks on others in the classroom.  Students who do this  will have their participation grade significantly reduced. 

 

Midterm Examination:You will be given an examination that covers roughly the first half of the class that you can produce via your personal computer—at school, at work and at home.  You are on the honor system.  .

 

Final Examination:  You will be given an examination that covers mostly the second half half of the class but will also cover parts of the first class that you can produce via your personal computer—at school, at work and at home.  You are on the honor system. 

 

Homework Assignments:  You have six assignments or one about every 20 days.   Altogether the assignments total around 20 or so pages or about the size of your standard research “paper” you might write for a class.

 

 For example, developing a questionnaire, interviewing people, reading a refereed article, examining research both bad and good, computer assignments, web searches, writing research, and doing an enthnography.

 

Grades will be given for each area and averaged for a final grade. Students should not assume that the lowest possible grade is a B. I will not hesitate to give C’s, D’s, or F’s if the work does not meet the standard of Masters degree quality work. I flunk students who cheat and kick them out of school and I give out  grades that are C’s and B;s and sadly F’s. 

 

The following books and edited volumes are required for this class:

 

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by A.P.A., 5th edition

This is also now available on the internet for free.  Go to their website.  

 

The Practice of Social Research (latest Edition) by Earl. R. Babbie.

 

Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) by Howard S. Becker.

 

A Case for the Case Study edited by Joe Feagin, Anthony M. Orum, and Gideon Sjoberg.

 

Mail and Telephone Surveys: The Total Design Method by Donald Dillman

 

The Individual in a Social World: Essays and Experiments by Stanley Milgram

 

UPA Methods Reader—edited by John Gilderbloom

(available in Miller Copying Center, available January —buy on the way to the library presentation!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Course Outline

 

January 11

Introduction

Overview of Course

Theory of Teaching

“Grade Statements,” “Writing Policy,” “A Few Words on Plagiarism,”

 

January 18 
This class will be longer than others starting at 5: 20 p.m. and ending around 9:00 p.m.) (Meet at the library (CLC) Computer Learning Center.  The CLC is located on the first floor of the library in the very back of the building behind the Metropolitan Computer Lab. The room number is 117A. We will have two ten minute breaks between talks.  This class will be longer than my usual class and we will give you this earned time off at a later class!

Library as a Research Tool 5:30 p.m. Computer Searches (*8699)—(using citation index for both subject and author, finding web based journals, academic search engines (beyond google), computer literature searches made easy and complete, biographical searches, genealogy)

6:45 p.m. Photographic Archives—Louisville has an amazing photographic collection of Louisville from the mid 1800’s through today.  You can study urban form, design and life with both qualitative and quantitative methods. Delinda Bui (*6762 or 6752) will discuss how to access these photographs, how photographs can generate research and research ideas that have not yet been tried.  A Treasure Trove of Ph.D. ideas! 

8:00 p.m. archives with Dr. Tom Owen (*6302) records that document businesses and individuals that have made an impact on Louisville.  They have 20,000 linear feet of material. This is a primary source material. They have the public relations files for L&N railroad, collection of historical materials on Louisville Slugger,  personal papers of Congressmen and Senators,  and on and on.  Like the photographic archives, Dr. Owen will talk about potential dissertation topics in urban and public affairs that use these materials.

Assignment: What does a refereed journal article in urban planning or public administration  look like? 

Go to the library and read a refereed journal article in urban planning or public administration that was published in 2004 or 2005. Assignment—write a one page summary and reaction to the article you picked.  What surprised you? What concerns you?  Please attach a copy of the refereed journal along with the cover to your paper.  We don’t accept magazine or newspaper articles.  

Reading:  Babbie Appendix A

  

 

January 25

Writing for Social Scientists

Reading:  Babbie, Chapter 17

      Becker, Ch. 1, 2, and 3

      A Graduate School Thesis Guidelines pp. 410-432

 

Classroom Assignment: Please write a one page reaction paper to Becker and make three copies to share with the class.

 

 

 

February 1

 Social Research

Reading:  Babbie Chapters 1,2, 4, 5, 6

Logic of Social Research and Structure of Inquiry

Reading:  “Discrimination and Thomas Sowell” by Christopher Jencks, 

                 “Research for Organizing” pp. 16-21

 
February 8

Field Research

Reading: Babbie, Ch. 10

                 “Rachel and Her Children” by Jonathan Kozol (excerpt) pp. 143-152

              

Assignment:  Homework ethnography assignment today.  You must go into a social setting and describe group dynamics.  Past projects have covered:  folks that wait for buses at the downtown Greyhound bus station, an adult bar, narcotics anonymous meeting, bible study group, high school basketball or prom,  and so on.   This should be about 3 to 5 pages and you must share it with the class—so make four copies.  Do not engage in any illegal activity and tell the policeman that this was a class assignment.

 

 

February 15

Introduction to Survey Research

Reading: Babbie, Ch. 9  Appendix G

                Dillman, pgs. 1 to 155.

                “Public Opinion Polls are Often Too Public and Far Off Base” by D. Roediger 

                “How Questions Affect Responses,”

                 Jerry Falwell Funds Solicitation Letter

                 “Official Ballot,”

                “Kentucky State Lottery Questionnaire,”

                “Callers Can’t Reach Out & Touch 27.5% of Houston Phones” pp.54                                                   

               “20 Questions A Journalist Should Ask About Poll Results”

               “Can You Trust Polls?” pp. 66-69 ”Gallup’s Credibility Gap”pp.70-74

               ”Misty Science”

Classroom Assignment:  Students will be broken up into groups and brainstorm questions for their proposed survey

 

February 22

Advanced Survey Research

Reading:  Dillman, pgs. 160 to 251

Assignment:  This assignment counts double!  A firm has just hired you to put together several surveys covering several important social issues. You have been asked to put together at least one of these questionnaires by next  March 1st by 5:30 p.m. Your new boss has thundered: “There will be no extensions of this deadline!”  Because of fear of suddenly getting sick or a family emergency you begin putting together the survey immediately and not the night before. Your survey should be original effort—if you use questions from other surveys let me know. As part of your survey, you should add a scaled item. You should have a demographic section and introductory comments that will get people interested in taking part in the survey.  Finally, you should include a memo that notes “issues” that need to be discussed with your new boss.

 Here are some subjects students have done in the past:

  • Lottery survey
  • Survey of drug and sex in high schools
  • What is the best way for children to learn?
  • Everyday life after September 11, 2001. In what ways has everyday life changed or not changed for Americans?
  • Estimate the nursing home needs of the elderly
  • You can choose to do any kind of survey as long as it relates to urban and public affairs.

 

Last Day to drop class without academic penalty is February 28th!

 

March 1

Midterm Examination

 

March 8

Experiments and Presentation of Student Surveys (please make copies for everyone)

Reading:  Babbie, Ch. 8

                 “Overview: Internal and External Validity in an Experimental Design” 

                                   by Donald Campbell and Julian Stanley  pp 75-81

                 “Status of Frustrator as an Inhibitor of Horn-Honking Responses”      

                                   by Anthony Doob and Alan Gross pp 82-89               

                 “Family Violence and Breast Feeding” by Louise Acheson  pp 122-127  

                 “The Individual in a Social World: Essays and Experiments” by S. Milgram

                                  Chapters  1,10, 11, 20 required.   Chapters 2, 7, 14 recommended

Film/Video:  Obedience

 

March 16

Unobtrusive Research / Census Analysis

Reading:  Babbie, Ch. 11

                  “Homeless Census in March Raises Fears Method May Cut Tally,

                                                                        Hurting Funding” by William Celis III

                  “Census Count No Help to Homeless” by Richard Appelbaum and 

                                                                                                              Peter Dreier

                  Community for Creative Non-Violence Press Release, Multiple Listing 

                                                                                                                       Pages

                  What the Census looked like in 1850’s in Indiana Kentucky State Data 

                                Center:  What is available; how to access data and analyze it

Assignment:You need to conduct a census profile of your neighborhood that you grew up in or currently live in:  covering income, age, race, housing costs, housing age, transportation and other issues.  How has your neighborhood changed over time?  What other kinds of data (property valuation office, photographs etc.) can inform your portrait of the neighborhood?  This can be presented in Table format, make sure you list sources.   Also, make sure you calculate percentage increases correctly.  Bonus points if you put in bar and pie charts.  The text (written part) should only be one page and the tables, bar charts, maps and photos can only be four more pages.

 

March 14-20th  Spring Vacation; No Classes

 

March 22

The case study as a Research Method

Reading:  Feagin, Orum, and Sjoberg VII – 173, 269 to 279.

Film/Video: Social Life of Small Urban Spaces:  William Whyte

 

March 29

Evaluation Research

Reading:  Babbie, Ch. 12 

                  “An Evaluation of Residential Satisfaction of Hope VI: A Study of the 

                    Park DuValle Revitalization Project by Michael Brazley Ph.D. Thesis 

                    in Urban and Public Affairs at UofL

                  “Newport Hope VI evaluation” by John Gilderbloom

                  Analyzing elderly disabled needs

Film/Video:  Defensible Space with Oscar Newman

 

April 5

Introductory Analysis

Reading:  Babbie, Ch. 13, 14, and 15 Appendices B-F

                 “Where Do the Homeless Come From?” by William Tucker pp 162-170

Assignment: A short one page review of Tucker’s article from the National Review—strengths and weaknesses.

Film/Video:  Defensible Space with Oscar Newman

 

April 12

Intermediate Analysis—guest grad students Reading:  Babbie, Ch. 16 “Determinants of Rent: An Intercity Analysis,” Miscellaneous Charts, 

                                                          Tables, and Excerpts of Articles pp. 190-121

               

 

 

April 19

Advanced Analysis (Part 1)

Reading:  Babbie, Appendix H

                “Beginning SPSS for Windows Version 9.0”

                “Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations”

 
April 26

Grant Writing Made Easy

Grant Writing: To Do Good Research You Need Money, Lots of It

Tools and Ethics:

   Video Tape and Test on Ethics (start the class on this)

  Reading:  “Ethical Issues in Academic Science: A Survey” pp. 171-174

                    “Ethics Quiz” pp. 175-177 “Fraud in Science” pp. 178-179

                    “An Experiment with Lives” pp. 188

                    “Science by Press Release” by Frank Resnik

                    “Unpublished Research is Worrying Doctors”

                           by Lawrence K. Altman pp. 189

                    “Don’t Talk to the Humans” by Christopher Shea pp. 180-187

                     The University of Louisville Policies and Procedures

                     Becker, Ch. 4 to 6

                     Babbie, Ch. 18 pp. 273-330

Film/Video: University of Louisville Research Ethics Video

 

 

May 3 

FINAL EXAMINATION—We will use questions from past exams. We expect this exam to be typed up on computer.  You can do this at home, office or school.   You need to turn it in

 

NOTE: In consultation with students, I reserve the right to make changes in the organization of the course. This allows the class to be flexible and responsive to the needs of students. The above dates are target times when the subjects will be covered in class. Please try to consume all food and drink before class, after class, or during breaks. Please no smoking, gunplay, drinking, or drugs. All pagers and telephones must be turned off. Finally, do not leave the class early. Go to school happy!  Enjoy!  Peace!  And make a distinction!

 

Academic Honesty:

Please note that I will be enforcing the University of Louisville’s code of student rights and responsibilities. It can be found at
http://www.louisville.edu/student/services/registrar/GI-5-30%20.pdf
beginning on page 26."

There is also a student code listed at the following address, but it omits the information on academic dishonesty:

http://campuslife.louisville.edu/cloffice/conduct/index.html

Bottom line if you cheat you flunk the class and I will make every effort to have you removed from the University of Louisville.