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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication Research

Summer 2009 Tuesday

Course syllabus

Course Number:CMGT 540

Title:Uses of Communication Research

Semester:Summer 2009

Time:Tuesday 6.00-10.00

Room: GFS 101

Instructors:Mathew Curtis and Andrew Schrock

Office:Mathew ASC 221 Phone (213) 821-4430

Andrew N/A

Office hours:Mathew Tuesday 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. and by appointment

Andrew Tuesday 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. and by appointment

Mobile:Mathew 310 591-9099

Andrew 714 330-6545

Email:

Course website:blackboard.usc.edu

Course description

This course introduces you to the basic set of knowledge and skills needed to design and implement research projects. You will learn to form appropriate research questions and answer such questions by collecting and interpreting data. After completion of this course, you will be equipped to move beyond being passive observers of research, to become discriminating consumers and competent practitioners.

The structure of the course is a series of mini-projects where you apply the knowledge you gain in lecture to real world problems. During the semester you will learn specific research methodologies and utilize these methods to answer a question of your choosing.

A secondary aim of the course is to impart somewhat vicariously a set of skills that will be useful in your professional careers. In your careers you will undoubtedly have to make decisions and act under uncertain or confusing conditions. Under such conditions, the important skills are about dealing with information: knowing where to look for information, how to judge the quality of information, how to make sense out of information. Dealing with information is a core part of doing research, and so you will have many opportunities to practice those skills.

Goals of the course

By the end of the course you should be able to do the following:

  • Formulate testable research questions/hypotheses.
  • Determine the possible method(s) to answer research questions.
  • Utilize a variety of research methods to address research questions.
  • Find relevant documentation/support for your initial claims.
  • Pilot test measures and protocols.
  • Learn how to interpret data qualitatively and quantitatively.
  • Present research findings in an informative manner.

Course materials

Required materials:

The Handbook of Online Research Methods

by Professor Nigel G Fielding (Editor), Dr. Raymond M. Lee (Editor), Grant Blank (Editor). ISBN # 1412922933. Available online at Amazon.com.

Potentially useful materials:

  • Lecture outlines (available from instructor/blackboard).
  • The basics of communication research by Leslie Baxter and Earl Babbie (2004).
  • Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edition) (abbreviated as APA), by the American Psychological Association (2001).
  • Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research (3rd edition),by Richard A. Kruegar and Mary Anne Casey (2000).
  • The content analysis guidebook, by Kimberly A. Neuendorf (2002).
  • Case study research: Design and methods (3rd edition), by Robert K. Yin (2003).
  • Using SPSS for Windows and Macintosh (4th edition), by Samuel. B. Green and Neil. J. Salkind.
  • Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook (2nd edition), by Matthew B. Miles and A. Michael Huberman (1994).

Evaluation of performance

Mini Research Projects72% (6*12)

Presentation8%

Attendance and participation5%

Computing Labs10%

Final Paper5%

Mini-Research Projects (72%)

The research projects are your chance to investigate something of interest to you. What would be useful for you to know more about? I will supply you with the skills needed to define your problem and design a plan to research your question. You are the person who decides what it is you research. In all probability you will know more about your research area than I will but you will learn from the course that knowledge of research methodology allows anyone to effectively investigate, or evaluate, topics about which they have minimal prior understanding.

Presentation (8%)

At the end of the course you will make a brief presentation to the rest of the class. Specific details of this presentation will be announced toward the end of the course. Briefly, you will take one of your completed mini-research projects, edit your idea based on my feedback and then present your research plan to the class.

Attendance and participation (5%)

Your presence in class and your active oral participation are essential in this course.

At every class you should be prepared to discuss, if called upon, the substance of ideas and concepts from current and past lectures.

Computing Labs (10%)

Research generates data. Lots of data. Statistical skills are needed to interpret the data you gather. We will cover statistical concepts within the lectures but perhaps the most effective way to learn statistics is via ‘hands-on’ use of statistical programs within the computing lab.

Final Paper (5%)

You will take one of your mini-research projects and expand this into final paper. This final paper is a more comprehensive examination of a research question. Typically, students build upon one of their earlier research ideas but you are welcome to address a new research question if you wish. The goal here is to design a research plan that combines methodologies learnt in the class. The mini-research papers completed earlier in the semester utilize only a single methodology

Paper guidelines

Papers must be type-written or word-processed, double-spaced, with 12 point font.

Papers should be stapled in the top left corner.

Before you turn in your paper make sure you keep a copy of it.

Please ensure that each paper is written in APA style. Refer to the APA manual.

Finally, typos and spelling errors are unforgivable at this level and reflect poorly on you.

Effective behaviors and ineffective behaviors

To be successful in a course like this demands somewhat different behaviors from behaviors that may have allowed you to succeed in other courses. It is often feasible in other courses to have a surge of effort in the last three or two weeks write a paper, and earn a good grade. This sort of behavior does not work in this course due to regular mini-research projects. The most effective behaviors are to work hard consistently, and seek guidance actively. As graduate students I expect you to be active consumers in the course.

Academic integrity

The Annenberg School for Communication is committed to upholding the University’s Academic Integrity code as detailed in the in the SCampus Guide. It is the policy of the School of Communication to report all violations of the code. Any serious violation or pattern of violations of the Academic Integrity Code will result in the student’s expulsion of the Communication major or minor.

USC policy for students with disabilities

Students requesting academic accommodations based on a disability are required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP when adequate documentation is filed. Please be sure this letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is open Monday-Friday, 8:30-5:00. The office is in the Student Union 301 and their phone number is (213) 740-0776.

Lateness

I realize that working professionals occasionally must submit an assignment late. To encourage everyone to hand in assignments, I will accept late work. However, in fairness to those who do turn things in on time there will be a price to pay for late work. I will grade all late assignments and then deduct percentage points. Work less than 24 hours late will be deducted 10%, work more than 24 hours late but under a week late will be deducted 25%. Each additional week will result in a further 25% deduction per week late up to a maximum of a 50% deduction.

The Grade of Incomplete (IN)

A grade of incomplete can be assigned only if there is work not completed because of documented illness or some other emergency. Students must NOT assume that I will agree to the grade of IN. Removal of the grade of IN must be instituted by the student and agreed to by myself and the department and reported on the official “Incomplete Completion Form”

May 26, 2009
Week 1
Mathew Andrew / Introduction
Choosing topics, narrowing questions
Theory and data, Overview of research methods
Defining questions conceptually and operationally
Information searching and reviewing previous studies
How to find supporting documentation
June 2 2009
Week 2 Mathew / Levels of measurement
Measurement reliability and measurement validity
Case studyFocus groups
June 9, 2009
Week 3 Andrew / Focus groups (online)
Ethics & Blogs
Online Focus groups (Read chapters 16 & 17 in textbook, chapter 5 in Qualitative Research Methods for the Social Sciences by Bruce L. Berg [PDF])
June 16, 2009
Week 4 Mathew / Survey design
Online validity threats
Online surveys (Read chapters 10 – 13)
Case study mini-project due
June 23, 2009
Week 5
Mathew Andrew / Computing lab – Survey Monkey
Review of APA style formatting (highlights from APA)
Focus group mini-project due
June 30, 2009
Week 6
Mathew Andrew / Content analysis
Social networks (Read chapters 7 – 9 in text)
July 7, 2009
Week 7
Mathew / Logic of hypothesis testing
Introduction to quantitative data analysis – SPSS and basic descriptive statistics
Survey mini-project due
July 14, 2009
Week 8 Andrew / SPSS Computing lab
Data mining and secondary analysis (Read chapters 21 & 23 in text)
Content analysis mini-project due
July 21, 2009
Week 9 Andrew / Google Analytics (Reading from Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics [PDF])
July 28, 2009
Week 10 Mathew / Experiments
In-depth interviews (Read chapter 15 in text) and field dependent research
Sampling, external validity, causation, internal validity, and threats
Google analytics mini-project due
August 4, 2009
Week 11
Andrew / Virtual Environments and future Internet-based research (Read chapters 18 & 28 in text)
Experiments mini-project due
August 11, 2009
Week 12
Mathew Andrew / Presentations
Final paper due