Spring 2019  |  SOC 4881 Section 001: Population Studies Research Practicum (66444)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
A-F or Audit
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
01/22/2019 - 05/06/2019
Mon, Wed 01:00PM - 02:15PM
UMTC, West Bank
Blegen Hall 430
Enrollment Status:
Open (19 of 25 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Students enrolled in this course will gain hands-on experience with population studies research by (1) working under the mentorship of an individual researcher or a research team at the Minnesota Population Center (MPC) and (2) attending and reflecting in writing on MPC's weekly research seminar. In addition, students in the course will meet weekly with the instructor to discuss their research experiences and to develop and present a final research poster.
Class Notes:
Click this link for more detailed information: http://classinfo.umn.edu/?warre046+SOC4881+Spring2019
Class Description:

The University of Minnesota is among the most vibrant and productive research universities in the country. Its faculty are leaders and pioneers in many scientific (including social scientific) fields, and the university annually attracts tens of millions of dollars in federal and private research support. However, undergraduate students often have a hard time connecting to the research going on around them in a way that improves their skills, provides valuable experiences to them, or helps them explore their professional interests.


SOC 4881 is designed to meaningfully connect undergraduate students to an ongoing population studies research project, to see that project through from the "idea stage" to a finished product, and to explore scientific research as a potential career option. (Population studies, by the way, is an interdisciplinary field of study that uses demographic data and methods to describe, explain, and predict social phenomena.) In spring 2019, students in SOC 4881 will investigate the impact of having race-, gender-, and/or class-atypical names - e.g., a woman named "Michael" or an African-American named "Julio" - on people's educational attainments, marital outcomes, occupational attainments, income, and longevity. This a project that will draw on prior research in sociology, economics, public policy, and demography to study issues related to discrimination and bias in various institutional settings.


Students in SOC 4881 will be involved in every phase of the project - including problem formulation; literature review and critique; decisions about conceptualization and measurement; empirical analyses; writing; and the presentation and publication of results. Each week, students will also listen to a research presentation at the Minnesota Population Center and reflect on the presentation in a way that will further their exposure to all phases of the research process. Along the way, students will also learn about ethical issues as they pertain to population and social scientific research; how research projects are funded; how scientists present, discuss, and critique one another's work; and how scientific publishing works. Finally, students will develop specific skills in the analysis of quantitative data.


Spring 2019 is the first time SOC 4881 has been offered. The preliminary syllabus is posted on the course web page at www.rob-warren.com/4881. Going forward, student course evaluations for the most recent version of SOC 4881 will also be posted on the course web page.

Who Should Take This Class?:

This course will be especially valuable for students who are (1) interested in learning more about the scientific research process and/or (2) considering careers in scientific research. It might be most valuable for students interested in social scientific, public health, or population studies research. Students considering attending graduate programs in those fields are especially likely to benefit from the course.


Students who have not taken undergraduate courses in research methods or statistics may find SOC 4881 more challenging, but they are still welcome to enroll.

Learning Objectives:
Students in SOC 4881 will learn how scientific research projects are conceived, defined, funded, and executed and how their results are communicated, evaluated, critiqued, and disseminated.

The University of Minnesota has defined several "Student Learning Outcomes" that will be pursued in SOC 4881. These include:
- Identifying, defining, and solving problems.
- Locating and critically evaluating information.
- Mastering a body of knowledge and a mode of inquiry.
- Communicating effectively.
- Understanding the role of creativity, innovation, discovery, and expression across disciplines.
Grading:
Course grades will be determined by:
1. Individual written and other assignments (60%)
2. Group project assignments (40%)
Exam Format:

There will be no exams in this course.

Class Format:

Class sessions will feature a lively mixture of short presentations, visitors/guests, discussions, and group activities. There will be very little lecturing!

Workload:

SOC 4881 will require about 10 hours of work per week (including 2.5 hours in class each week). The time spent out of class will include watching MPC Seminar presentations (1.0 hours per week), reading, and writing.

Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/66444/1193
Syllabus:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/syllabi/warre046_SOC4881_Spring2019.pdf
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
6 November 2018

ClassInfo Links - Spring 2019 Sociology Classes

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