COM 417 Syllabus Fall 2003

APPLIED RESEARCH METHODS
(COM 417 - Section 9441)
Fall 2003, Tuesdays 6-10pm
Olin 120

Dr. Aileen Buslig
Olin 325, (218) 299-4236, buslig@cord.edu
http://www.cord.edu/faculty/buslig
Office Hours: MTTh 1:15-2:15pm; T 4:30-6pm; and by appt.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Whatever profession you choose to enter with a degree in communication, a valuable tool for your success is the ability to understand and stay current on the findings of communication researchers. This course is designed to help you accomplish the following goals:

Develop an appreciation for the uses of social research in academic and practical applications
Ability to read, interpret, and critically evaluate methods of data collection and analysis presented in both scholarly and lay articles
Understand basic concepts of research design and statistics, and the problems that can occur in researchers' attempts to test theoretical predictions and answer questions about their topics of interests
Acquire hands-on exposure to, and practice using, social science research methods and concepts
Gain practical experience discussing and presenting the results of one's research

The format of this course will take a seminar approach. This means that while class will sometimes contain lecture and activities, much of the time our meetings will revolve around discussion. Therefore, you should come to class prepared to thoughtfully discuss and analyze the assigned readings and concepts presented in class. Because of the advanced nature of this course, a high level of participation in class discussions is expected.

TEXTBOOKS

Required:
Keyton, J. (2001). Communication research: Asking questions, finding answers. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield.

Also recommended:
Sumser, J. (2001). A guide to empirical research in communication: Rules for looking. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

An APA-Style Manual [e.g., Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association]

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND EVALUATION

There will be three general areas in which you will be expected to contribute to the class and on which you will be evaluated.

Research Projects. Throughout the term you will be learning about the various aspects of conducting and writing research. To put into practice those skills that you will be learning, a major portion of this course will be devoted to learning to develop and implement actual social scientific research studies. In the first month of the semester, we will analyze and interpret data from a previously conducted project, based on a set of hypotheses that we will develop together as a class. In the next part of the semester, you (with a partner), will design and conduct your own actual research project. Much of the semester will be devoted to the development, refinement, and completion of these projects. Both of these assignments will be discussed more fully in class. These projects will count for 50% of your final grade.

Chapter Summaries. During the semester, you will write and present three chapter summaries. The first one of these will be completed individually, the second will be done with a partner, and the third will be completed in a group of 4. The first summaries will help the class to quickly cover important "introductory" concepts necessary for understanding how we study communication in general. The second summaries will cover specific research methodologies used in communication. The third summaries will delineate how one would actually complete a quantitative or qualitative study step-by-step. These written and oral summaries will count for 30% of your final grade.

Class discussion and participation. The remaining 20% of your grade will be based on an assessment of the quality of your contributions to class discussions of the readings and activities, presentations of your research to outside audiences, and the completion of ad hoc assignments made during the term.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON DUE DATES AND PLAGIARISM

Except under rare circumstances, no work will be accepted after the time and date it is due without an approved excuse from me received before the due date. Late work is subject to point deductions for every day an assignment is late. As you might expect, plagiarism and cheating in any form will NOT be tolerated. If you have any question as to what constitutes plagiarism/cheating, ask me.

BASIC PLAN OF ACTION EXPECTED FOR CLASS MEETINGS

September - Class Project #1: Develop and write-up research project based on previously collected data
October - Choose a unifying "theme" for next class project, begin development of Project #2
November - Finalize research design, collect data, begin data analysis
December - Complete data analysis and interpretation, prepare written report of findings, present your research

VERY TENTATIVE COURSE READING SCHEDULE

September

October

November

December

Sept 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
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Oct 7, 14, 28
(no class Oct 21)
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Nov 4, 11, 18, 25
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Dec 2, 9, 16
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Approaches and Problems in Research
Research in Communication; Problems in Doing, Writing, and Reading Research; Asking Questions (RQs & Hs)

Keyton Chapters 1,2,3,4,16,17
Sumser Chapters 1,2,5
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Asking and Answering Questions in Research
Research Ethics; Observation and Measurement; Validity and Reliability; Sampling and Generality

Keyton Chapters 5,6,7,14
Sumser Chapters 3,4
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Research Methodologies
Experimental Research; Survey Research; Content Analysis; Ethnography

Keyton Chapters 8,9,13,15
Sumser Chapters 6,7,8,9
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Analyzing Research
Theory of Statistics; Analyzing Differences Between Groups; Analyzing Relationships Between Variables

Keyton Chapters 10,11,12

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This page is maintained by Aileen Buslig, buslig@cord.edu
Updated 9/15/03