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PHD–GP 5902 Research MethodsFall 2020Instructor InformationProfessor Rachel SwanerEmail: rls200@nyu.eduPhone: 917-445-7219Office hours: by appointmentClass Meeting Time: Mondays, 12:30 pm - 2:10 pmClass Location: Zoom (see the links on the Zoom tab in the NYU Classes site) Course DescriptionResearch is an important part of the policy process: it can inform the development of programs and policies so that they are responsive to community needs, it can help us determine what the impact of these programs and policies are, and it can help us better understand populations or social phenomena. This course serves as an introduction to how to ethically do research commonly used in social science. Students will become familiar with the concepts, methods, and applications of research and evaluation; learn how to critically consume research; and propose an appropriate research project to inform an important policy issue. As your own doctoral research proceeds, you will certainly find it necessary to delve more deeply into whichever research methods are most relevant for your work. Over the course of the semester, we will also account for the richness and complexity of human interaction and social structures, and appreciate the potential and limits of research. Course Learning ObjectivesCourse objectives include:Becoming familiar with the concepts, language, methods, and applications of research; Developing the ability to formulate clear research questions;Developing the ability to identify an appropriate research design to answer research questions and contribute to generalizable knowledge;Learning how to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the research design in any given study;Strengthening our ability to incorporate anti-oppression practice into research studies;Writing a detailed, feasible, and rigorous research proposal.Learning Assessment TableGraded AssignmentCourse Objective CoveredParticipation#1, #2, #3, #4, #5Memos#1, #2, #3, #5, #6Final Paper#1, #2, #3, #5, #6Course RequirementsWe will be covering social science research and evaluation topics in a community-learning environment, and as such, class preparation and participation by everyone are absolutely essential. Students are expected to read all texts in advance and be prepared to contribute to class discussions. There is both a speaking and listening component to participation: sharing your ideas and reflecting on/responding to the ideas of others.Some of the readings provide rich descriptions of that week’s topic; others are case studies that show how the topic has been implemented in practice; finally, some are essays that will expose us to key concepts in order to strengthen our ability to apply feminist, anti-racist, and non-Western frameworks to our research. All readings are under Resources on NYU Classes.In addition to the reading assignments and class participation, students will write five brief memos and develop a final research design paper in the format of a grant proposal. More detailed instructions for each assignment are posted on NYU Classes under Assignments.For Zoom MeetingsYou are expected to participate in each class with your Zoom audio and video on. Please review Wagner’s Zoom in the Classroom series about classroom etiquette, participation, and more. Students may not share the Zoom classroom recordings. The recordings are kept within the NYU Classes site and are for students enrolled in this course only.GradingRelative Weight of AssignmentsClass Participation: 10%Memos: 50%Final Paper: 40%Final GradesA: 94+A-: 88.5 - 94.0B+: 85.5 - 88.4B: 82.5 - 85.4B-: 78.5 - 82.4C+: 76.5 - 78.4C: 73.5 - 76.4C-: 68.5 - 73.4Course Readings and SchedulePart I: Planning a Research Project“Research is not an innocent or distant academic exercise but an activity that has something at stake and that occurs in a set of political and social conditions.” – Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Decolonizing Methodologies Class 1: Sep. 9Topics:IntroductionsOverview of the CourseThe Field of Research: Explore, Describe, ExplainReadings:Linda Tuhiwai Smith. 1999. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. London: Zed Books. Introduction, pages 1-18.Class 2: Sep. 14Topics:Research QuestionsResearch Data Collection MethodsReadings:Russell K Schutt. 2012. Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research, 7th Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Chapter 2, pages 25-58.Patrick White. 2009. Developing Research Questions: A Guide for Social Scientists. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. Chapter 2, pages 33-58.Eve Tuck. 2009. “Suspending Damage: A Letter to Communities.” Harvard Educational Review, 79(3): 409-427.Class 3: Sep. 21Topics:Basic Quantitative Social Research DesignsSurvey ResearchDescriptive AnalysisReadings:Russell K Schutt. 2012. Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research, 7th Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Chapter 8, pages 229-274.S Loeb, S Dynarski, D McFarland, P Morris, S Reardon, and S Reber. 2017. Descriptive analysis in education: A guide for researchers. (NCEE 2017–4023). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. Assignment Due:Memo #1: Choosing a Research Topic and Developing Research QuestionsClass 4: Sep. 28Topics:Basic Qualitative Social Research DesignsInterviews & Focus GroupsEthnographyGuest speaker: Megha Ramaswamy, Professor at Kansas University Medical CenterReadings:Jane Ritchie and Jane Lewis, editors. 2003. Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for Social Science Students and Researchers. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Chapters 5-7, pages 109-198.David M Fetterman. 2008. Ethnography. In The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, Editor LM Given. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Pages 288-292.Eve Tuck and K Wayne Yang. 2014. “R-Words: Refusing Research.” In Humanizing Research: Decolonizing Qualitative Inquiry With Youth and Communities, Editors D Paris and MT Winn. Thousand Oaks: Sage: Chapter 12, pages 223-247.Optional: Nikki Jones. 2010. Between Good and Ghetto. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. Introduction and Chapter 1, pages 1-45.Class 5: Oct. 5Topic:Complex Research Designs: Mixed MethodsReadings:John Creswell and Vicki Plano Clark. 2018. Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Chapter 1.R Swaner, E White, A Martinez, A Camacho, B Spate, J Alexander, L Webb, and K Evans. 2020. ‘Gotta Make your Own Heaven’: Guns, Safety, and the Edge of Adulthood in New York City. Center for Court Innovation: New York. (do not read the executive summary)Joya Misra, Celeste Vaughan, and Venus Mary Green. 2020. “Methods of Intersectional Research.” Sociological Spectrum.Class 6: Oct. 12Topics:MeasuresReliability and ValidityReadings:Russell K Schutt. 2012. Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research, 7th Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Chapter 4, pages 93-130.Dana Boyd and Alice Marwick. 2011. “Bullying as True Drama.” NY Times, September 22, 2011. Available at: Kolata. 2016. “We’re So Confused: The Problems With Food and Exercise Studies.” NY Times, August 11, 2016. Available at: Crenshaw. 1989. “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics.” University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989:(1), Article 8, pages 139-167.Assignment Due:Memo #2: Selecting Research Methods and Defending MethodologyClass 7: Oct. 19Topics:Non-Probability SamplingProbability SamplingRespondent-Driven SamplingReadings:Russell K Schutt. 2012. Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research, 7th Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Chapter 5, pages 135-167.Jane Ritchie, Jane Lewis, and Gillian El am. 2003. Designing and Selecting Samples. In Qualitative Research Practice: A Guide for Social Science Students and Researchers, Editors J Ritchie and J Lewis. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Chapters 4, pages 77-108.Kath Browne and Catherine Nash. 2016. Queer Methods and Methodologies. In The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies, 1st Edition, Editor NA Naples. Malden: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.Part II: Evaluating Policies and Programs“How we frame the problem—and who we frame as the problem—shapes the answers we find.” – Ibram X. Kendi, How to Be an AntiracistClass 8: Oct. 26Topics:Evaluation OverviewNeeds AssessmentReadings:Russell K Schutt. 2012. Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research, 7th Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Chapter 11, pages 358-384.Belle Ruth Witkin. 1994. “Needs Assessment Since 1981: The state of the practice.” Evaluation Practice, 15(1): 17-27.James Altschuld. 2004. “Emerging Dimensions of Needs Assessment.” Performance Improvement, 43(1): 10-15.Heather Berberet. 2006. “Putting the pieces together for queer youth: a model of integrated assessment of need and program planning.” Child Welfare, 85(2): 361-384.Samuel Loewenberg. 2012. “Mapping Toilets in a Mumbai Slum Yields Unexpected Results.” NY Times, July 22, 2012. Available at: Due:Memo #3: Developing Concepts, Measures, and SamplesClass 9: Nov 2Topics:Explicating and Assessing Program TheoryTheories of Change and Logic ModelsReasons for Program FailureReadings:WK Kellogg Foundation. 2004. Logic Model Development Guide.HT Chen, JCS Wang, and LH Lin. 1997. “Evaluating the process and outcome of a garbage reduction program in Taiwan.” Evaluation Review, 21(1): 27-42.Karin Becker. 2017. “Dance your heart out: a community’s approach to addressing cardiovascular health by using a logic model.” Family and Community Health, 40(3): 212-220.Class 10: Nov. 9Topics:Process Evaluation and Implementation AnalysisReadings:A Curran, J Gittelsohn, J Anliker, B Ethelbah, K Blake, S Sharma , and B Cabellero. 2005. “Process evaluation of a store-based environmental obesity intervention on two American Indian reservations.” Health Education Research, 20(6): 719-729.SM Coulon, DK Wilson, S Griffin, SM St George, KA Alia, NN Trumpeter, AK Wandersman, M Forthofer, S Robinson, and B Gadson. 2012. “Formative Process Evaluation for Implementing a Social Marketing Intervention to Increase Walking Among African Americans in the Positive Action for Today’s Health Trial.” American Journal of Public Health, 102(12): 2315-2321.Assignment Due:Memo #4: Why Did the “Dress for Success” Program Fail? Class 11: Nov. 16Topics:Impact Evaluation: Overview of DesignsInternal and External ValidityReadings:Russell K Schutt. 2012. Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research, 7th Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Chapter 7, pages 198-225.David Bornstein. 2012. “The Dawn of the Evidence-Based Budget.” NY Times, May 30, 2012. Available at: Porter. 2016. “Job Training Works. So Why Not Do More of It?” NY Times, July 5, 2016. Available at: Reynolds. 2019. “Why So Many of Us Don’t Lost Weight When We Exercise.” NY Times, July 3, 2019. Available at: HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" 12: Nov. 23Topics:In-Depth Look at Experiments and Quasi-ExperimentsReadings:C Seron, GV Ryzin, M Frankel, and J Kovath. 2001. “The impact of legal counsel on outcomes for poor tenants in New York City’s housing court: results of a randomized experiment.” Law & Society Review, 35(2): 419-434.Aaron E Carroll. 2018. “Workplace Wellness Programs Don’t Work Well. Why Some Studies Show Otherwise.” NY Times, August 6, 2018. Available at: Ripley A and Timothy Williams. 2017. “Body Cameras Have Little Effect on Police Behavior, Study Says.” NY Times, October 20, 2017. Available at: Elbel, R Kersh, BL Brescoll, and LB Dixon. 2009. “Calorie Labeling and Food Choices: A First Look at the Effects on Low-Income People in New York City.” Health Affairs, 28(6): w1110-w1121.J Cantor, A Torres, C Abrams, and B Elbel. 2015. “Five Years Later: Awareness of New York City’s Calorie Labels Declined, With No Changes in Calories Purchased.” Health Affairs, 34(11): 1893-1900.Aaron E Carroll. 2015. “The Failure of Calorie Counts on Menus.” NY Times, November 30, 2015. Available at: Due:Memo #5: Critiquing and Strengthening an Impact EvaluationPart III: Research Ethics and Critical Engagement “When we write about the experiences of a group to which we do not belong, we should think about the ethics of our action, considering whether or not our work will be used to reinforce and perpetuate domination. – bell hooks, Talking BackClass 13: Nov. 30Topics:Research EthicsReadings:Russell K Schutt. 2012. Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research, 7th Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Chapter 3, pages 63-89.Marcus Gaddy and Kassie Scott. 2020. Principles for Advancing Equitable Dara Practice. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. Available at: The New York Times Editorial Board. 2013. “An Ethical Breakdown.” NY Times, April 15, 2013. Available at: Murphy. 2017. “Some Social Scientists Are Tired of Asking for Permission.” The NY Times, May 22, 2017. Available at: 14: Dec. 7Topics:Anti-Oppression ResearchParticipatory ResearchCritical EngagementReadings:The Sage Encyclopedia of Action Research. 2014. “Anti-Oppression Research.” Editors David Coghlan and Mary Brydon-Miller. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Pages 40-44.The Sage Encyclopedia of Action Research. 2014. “Participatory Action Research.” Thousand Oaks: Sage. Pages 583-588.Michelle Fine and Maria Elena Torre. 2019. “Critical Participatory Action Research: A Feminist Project for Validity and Solidarity.” Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(4): 433-444.Arjun Appadurai. 2006. “The Right to Research.” Globalisation, Societies and Education, 4(2): 167-177.Right to the City Alliance. 2010. We Call These Projects Home: Solving the Housing Crisis from the Ground Up. Available at: Paper Due: Dec. 14Writing a Research Project Grant ProposalAcademic IntegrityAcademic integrity is a vital component of Wagner and NYU. All students enrolled in this class are required to read and abide by HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" Wagner’s Academic Code. All Wagner students have already read and signed the? HYPERLINK "" \t "_blank" Wagner Academic Oath. Plagiarism of any form will not be tolerated and students in this class are expected to?report violations to me.?If any student in this class is unsure about what is expected of you and how to abide by the academic code, you should consult with me.Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at NYUAcademic accommodations are available for students with disabilities. Please visit the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) website and click on the Reasonable Accommodations and How to Register tab or call or email CSD at (212-998-4980 or mosescsd@nyu.edu) for information. Students who are requesting academic accommodations are strongly advised to reach out to the Moses Center as early as possible in the semester for assistance.NYU’s Calendar Policy on Religious HolidaysNYU’s Calendar Policy on Religious Holidays states that members of any religious group may, without penalty, absent themselves from classes when required in compliance with their religious obligations. Please notify me in advance of religious holidays that might coincide with exams to schedule mutually acceptable alternatives. ................
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