University of Montana

ScholarWorks Syllabi

Course Syllabi

1-2013

COMM 460.01M: Research Methods Stephen M. Yoshimura University of Montana - Missoula, [email protected]

Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi Recommended Citation Yoshimura, Stephen M., "COMM 460.01M: Research Methods" (2013). Syllabi. Paper 855. http://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi/855

This Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Course Syllabi at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Syllabi by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected].

COMM 460: Communication Research Methods Spring, 2013 CRN # 30365 (Blended course) Classroom: SS 258 In-Class: Tuesday 11-12:30 Online: Thursday 11-12:30 (classroom reserved, but not required) Instructor: Dr. Steve Yoshimura O ffice: UK 347 Phone: 406.243.4951 O ffice Hours: M onday, 1:30-3, Thursday 11-12:30, and always by a p p o in tm e n t Email: stephen.yoshim ura@ um ontana.edu

Course Objectives The purpose o f th is course is to intro du ce you to ways o f conducting research on human com m unication. By finishin g th is course, you should be able to: •

Com prehend and accurately use research vocabulary

•

Locate, read, and w rite ab ou t peer-review ed research on human com m unication

•

Develop questions a b o u t hum an com m unication th a t can be answered th ro u g h research.

•

A pp ly com m unication research m ethods to research questions.

• •

Analyze and in te rp re t data a t a basic level Evaluate th e quality o f research findings

Required Texts •

Baxter, L. A., & Babbie, E. (2004). The basics o f com m unication research. Belm ont, CA: W adsw orth.

•

Am erican Psychological Association (2009). Concise Rules ofAPA style (6 th ed.) W ashington, DC. APA. (Available online, th ro u g h w h a te ve r source you pre fe r)

Course Policies (1)

Attendance and Participation This is a hybrid (B lended) course. Attendance is expected in b o th th e online and face-to-face sections. A tte n d in g th e face-to-face sections means th a t you are b o th physically, m entally, and socially present. A ttendance in th e online section means listening and ta kin g notes on th e course lecture recordings, and participating in the forum s. A fte r listening to th e lecture each week, I w o uld like you to post one com m ent o r question th a t I can b ring to th e class at th e fo llo w in g m eeting. In your post, you can do any o f th e fo llo w in g *:

• Post an op in ion based on additional reading o r research you do on th e topic. • Respond th o u g h tfu lly to th e lecture o r readings fro m you r o w n experience. • Provide links and resources related to th e to p ic th a t w o uld be o f in te rest to o th e r participants. • Pose a th o u g h t-p ro vo kin g question related to th e topic. • Collect m ultiple perspectives on a to p ic o r provide an alternate perspective to th e one curre ntly do m inating th e discussion. • T hou gh tfu lly and respectfully re b u t an othe r p a rticip a n t’s com m ents. • Synthesize th e curre nt class discussion by sum m ing up argum ents o r discussion points. • Ask a question th a t w o uld help clarify your understanding o f th e cu rre n t topic.

* T h ank you t o th e U niversity o f O re gon’s Teaching E ffectiveness Program fo r the se guidelines

Forum posts are due by 9am o f th e day w e m eet in class, and w ill be evaluated by th e criteria above. Posts th a t do n o t m eet any o f th e above criteria, show no relevance to th e course o r to p ic a t hand, show disregard fo r civility norm s, o r are posted a fte r th e due date w ill n o t be given points. In-class activities are only assigned po in ts w hen th e y are sub m itte d in class, and may n o t be made up except w hen a face-to-face class is missed due to a university-sponsored event o r docum ented illness. (2)

Late W ork Assignm ents becom e late w h en the y are turne d in a fte r th e class period o f th e ir due date. A late assignment w ill receive a 10% penalty for each weekday th a t it is late. The assistants in th e main office do not m ark tim es o r dates on papers th a t are turne d in to them . Exceptions to th e late penalty w ill n o t be d istribu te d freely. If you are sick w hen an assignm ent is due and w a n t to tu rn it in late, you must provide a legitimate doctor’s note th a t indicates th e days th a t you were unable to atten d class. This m ust be turne d in w ith y ou r com pleted assignment. If you w ill miss class due to a university-sponsored activity, you are required to (a) intro du ce you rself p rio r to missing class, (b ) provide a copy o f your travel schedule th a t indicates th e days you w ill be missing, and (c) discuss w ith me y ou r plans fo r m aking up th e w ork. A Note on Computer Problems: You are responsible fo r k n o w in g how your com p uter w o rks and the po tentia l problem s o f using it. Save your w o rk frequ en tly, take care o f you r discs, make sure th a t your com p uter is using an updated viru s-prote ction program , and make every a tte m p t to p rin t you r papers ahead o f tim e. Given th e co m p u te r resources on this campus, I cannot reasonably accept com puter-related excuses fo r late w o rk.

(3)

Group collaboration This course requires th a t you to w o rk collaboratively. You are expected to act responsibly and manage problem atic issues as the y arise (do n o t le t the m take care o f themselves). Your c o n trib u tio n to collaborative w o rk is expected. A lth o u g h grades on collaborative w o rk w ill be shared, I retain th e ab ility to make adjustm ents and m od ifica tions to th e assignment, group/dyad, o r individual’ s grade fo r reasons related to non-equitable con tribu tions, non-participation, o r group conflict.

(4)

Submitting W ritten Work: All papers m ust be typed, double-spaced, and in th e ap pro pria te fo rm a t (APA). All papers m ust have a cover page in APA style. Staple your w o rk in th e upper left-hand corner. Please provide me w ith hard-copies o f you r w o rk. Do n o t send me email copies o f your w o rk w ith o u t firs t o b tain ing d irect perm ission fro m me. Assignm ents due at tim es o th e r than class m eetings should be subm itted directly to m y o ffice (LA 347).

(5)

Exam policy: The exams w ill be taken in class, and can be taken alone o r collaboratively w ith one o th e r person. For each exam, I w ill d istrib u te an online survey th a t allow s you to declare w h e th e r you w ish to take th e exam alone or collaboratively. If you choose to take th e exam collaboratively, you may choose one p a rtn e r to w o rk w ith . Your p a rtn e r m ust be declared in advance, and b o th partners m ust agree to take th e exam w ith each other. You w ill be allow ed to choose a specific partner, o r ask me to assign you a partner. You can choose th e same fo rm a t fo r each exam, o r choose d iffe re n t fo rm a ts o r d iffe re n t partners. Flowever, no exam can be made up w ith o u t a valid and le gitim a te excuse. Valid and legitim ate w ill be decided on th e basis o f evidence provided. Note th a t valid and legitim ate never involves plane tickets, vacations, o u td o o r recreation, o r any o th e r random and unverifiable excuses. Dr.’s notes m ust be originals (no photocopies, carbons, faxes, o r emails).

Your attendance is expected at all classes. Therefore, you are expected to be available fo r any date at w hich th e exam is held. If exam dates change, exams w ill n o t be held a t o th e r tim es to accom m odate absences fo r reasons o th e r than university sponsored events o r docum ented illnesses. Exams taken at tim es o th e r tha n th e scheduled day may be in essay fo rm a t. (6)

Academic Misconduct: All students m ust practice academic honesty. Academ ic m isconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course in stru cto r and/or a disciplinary sanction by th e University. All students need to be fam iliar w ith the stud ent conduct code. Please see th e S tudent Conduct Code fo r de finitions and consequences o f cheating and plagiarism at: www.umt.edu/SA/VPSA/index.cfm/page/1321. A ccording to th e U niversity o f M ontana Bulletin, “ Plagiarism is th e representing o f a n o th e r’s w o rk as o ne’s ow n. It is a particularly intolerable offense in th e academic com m unity and is strictly forb id d e n . Students w ho plagiarize may fail th e course and may be rem anded to Academ ic Court fo r possible suspension or expulsion... Students m ust always be very careful to acknow ledge any kind o f b o rro w in g th a t is included in th e ir w o rk. This means n o t only b o rro w e d w o rdin g, b u t also ideas. A ckno w ledg em e nt o f w h a te ve r is n o t one’s o w n original w o rk is th e p ro p e r and honest use o f sources. Failure to acknow ledge w h a te ve r is n o t one’s o w n original w o rk is plagiarism ” (Plagiarism W arning, para. 1). Papers w ritte n fo r o th e r courses are also unacceptable to subm it.

(7)

Incompletesand course withdrawals: See th e University o f Montana Catalog fo r m ore in fo rm a tio n on the policy regarding these options. Incom pletes are very rarely granted, and only under th e m ost unique circumstances. You may w ith d ra w fro m th e course until th e 45th day o f th e semester. A fte r th a t, you may p e titio n to w ith d ra w , b u t only fo r medical reasons, fam ily emergencies, a change in w o rk schedule, o r o th e r un controllable reason. It is th e policy o f th e university, depa rtm e nt, and this course to n o t norm ally gra nt w ith d ra w a l p e titio n s a fte r th e 45th day w ith o u t docum entation.

(8 ) Grade requirements and the Credit/No Credit grade option: This course is required fo r Com m unication Studies Majors. If you entered UM a fte r th e 2005 course catalog, you m ust take th e course fo r a tra d itio n a l le tte r grade, and earn at least a C- in ord er fo r th e course to co u n t to w a rd s your graduation. As fo r o th e r grade options, please no te th a t th e university b u lle tin indicates th a t th e Credit/No Credit grade o p tio n exists “ to encourage students to ven ture in to courses w here the y m ig h t otherw ise hesitate because o f uncertainty regarding th e ir ap titu d e o r pre pa ration ...’’(Credit/No Credit Grading [CR, NCR, para. 1). It does n o t exist as p ro te ctio n fro m p o o r perform ance a fte r th e 30th day o f in stru ction . So, if you desire th e credit/no credit grade op tion , you m ust indicate this decision to me w ith in th e firs t 30 days o f th e semester. (9)

Unique Needs I and th e University w a n t everyone to have a fa ir chance a t do in g w ell in class. If you have unique needs th a t help you overcom e some challenge to you r learning, please see Disability Services fo r S tudents (DSS) in the Lommasson Center (Room 144; 243-2243). They w ill help you determ ine w h a t types o f resources are available to help you and w ill provide you w ith a le tte r to me detailing those resources. Give me th e le tte r and w e w ill w o rk to g e th e r to make sure th a t you begin w ith a “ level playing fie ld ” fo r you r perform ance in th is course.

(10) If you participate in University-sponsored activities (e.g.. sports, debate, etc.): I need a le tte r fro m your coach docum enting you r pa rticip ation , as w ell as copy o f your schedule indicating w hich days o f class y ou’ ll need to miss due to you r activity. You are responsible fo r g e ttin g notes and m aking arrangem ents to tu rn in your assignm ents/take exams.

Course Assignments

Detailed assignm ent instructions are available elsewhere on th e course w ebsite. Grades fo r collaboratively com pleted activities and assignm ents w ill be shared am ong th e collaborators. •

In-class activities (Each activity = 5 po in ts possible,50 to ta l po in ts

•

Online fo ru m posts (10 required posts, each po st = 3 points; 30 po in ts to ta l)

available)

Research paper (130 available po in ts) •

Purpose statem ent: 20 points

•

Literature review: 30 points

•

M ethod proposal: 30 points

•

M ethod re p o rt and O bservation results: 40 points

•

Full re p o rt, including discussion: 30 points

• •

Exam 1: 50 points Exam 2: 50 points

•

Exam 3: 50 points

Total course po in ts available: 380

Course Calendar This schedule may be revised as necessary. W eek

Topics and course activities

W eek 1 1/29 1/31

Class: Course In tro d u ctio n and overview Online: Com m unication Research Paradigms and th e Cycle o f Social Scientific Research Online forum: Discuss research paradigms or the cycle of research

W eek 2

Class: Paradigm activity Online: Developing research questions and hypotheses + APA style Online forum: Discuss Research questions or hypotheses

For online: Reinard (2001; Available on M oodle), and A pp en dix D and E in BB

Class: flo w to develop research questions and w rite hypotheses Online: Conceptualizing and operationalizing variables Online forum: Discuss Conceptualizing and Operationalizing variables

For online: BB Chapter 6 Due (By Thursday @ 4pm): Purpose statement

Class: Finding conceptual de finitions and operationalizations Online: The Ethics o f con du cting and w ritin g ab ou t research Online forum: Discuss research ethics,

For online: BB Chapter 5 This week: Locate and read scholarly sources fo r your lite rature review, and

or ask and answer questions about the exam study guide

begin w ritin g you r paper.

Class: Exam 1 Online: V alidity and Reliability Online forum: Discuss validity and reliability

For online: BB chapter 6, esp. pp. 121128 This week: Continue w ritin g the Literature Review.

2/5 2/7

W eek 3 2/12 2/14

W eek 4 2/19 2/21

W eek 5 2/26 2/28

Readings/assignment due dates BB = Baxter 81 Babbie For class: Course syllabus For online: BB Chapter 3 and 4

W eek 6

Class: Assessing reliab ility and validity Online: Sampling Online forum: Discuss Sampling

For online: BB Chapter 7 Due: Literature review (in class)

Class: Sampling strategies Online: Survey Research and Intensive Longitudinal M ethods Online forum: Discuss either survey research or Intensive Longitudinal Methods

For online: BB Chapter 8 BB Chapter 14, esp. pp. 340-342 This week: W rite you r m ethod proposal

3/ 19/ 3/21

Class: Developing surveys Online: Experiments Online forum: Discuss experimental design

For online: BB Chapter 9 Due: (by Thursday @ 4pm): Method proposal

W eek 9 3/26 3/28

Class: Evaluating experim ents Online: Naturalistic Research and te x t analysis Online forum: Discuss naturalistic research or te x t analysis

For online: ( i) “ How to do fie ld observations” handout on M oodle (2) BB Part 3 In tro (pp. 296-300) (3) Chapter 13

3/5 3/7 W eek 7 3/12 3/ H

W eek 8

Once 1approve your m ethod proposal, begin conducting field observations o r o th e r approved method. W eek 10

Spring Break

4/2 4/4 W eek 11

Class: Exam 2

This week: Continue/Finish conducting fie ld observations (o r oth er method), and w rite your M ethod Report and Results.

W eek 12 4/16 4/18

Class: T ext analysis: Practice and in te rp re ta tio n Online: Descriptive Statistics/M easures o f Central Tendency and Inferential S ta tistics-T e stin g Elypotheses Online Forum: Discuss hypothesis te stin g

For class: BB Chapter 10 For online: BB chapter 12, pp. 271-282 Due (In class): Method Report and Study Results

W eek 13

Class: In te rp re tin g statistics Online: Testing and A nalyzing Group Differences (t-te s t) Online forum: O ptional discussion

For online: BB pp. 283-286

4/9

4/23 4/25

This week: Revise previous papers, and begin w ritin g Discussion section W eek 14 4/30 5/2 W eek 15

Class: M aking sense o f gro up difference statistics Online: Associations Between Variables (C orrelation) Online forum: O ptional Discussion

5/9

Class: M aking sense o f correlations Online: Course conclusion Online forum: O ptional Discussion

W eek 16

Final Exam: Tuesday, May 14, 8:00am - 10:00am

5/7

For online: BB pp. 290-292 Due (By Thursday @ 4pm): Full report, including discussion