SOCI 2012 - Introduction to Social Research
North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2024
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code SOCI 2012 Course Introduction to Social Research Coordinating Unit Sociology, Criminology and Gender Studies Term Semester 2 Level Undergraduate Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Prerequisites At least 12 units of Level I undergraduate study Incompatible GWSI 2015, GWSI 2110, GWSI 3015, GSSA 2110 Assessment Mid-term exam (15%), Assignment 1 (10%), Assignment 2 (15%), Assignment 3 (30%), Final exam (30%) Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Dr Djordje Stefanovic
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course students will be able to:
1 Understand the purpose of social research and its potential to investigate contemporary social issues through both quantitative and qualitative approaches. 2 Identify the range of methods, techniques and skills used in contemporary social research and their capacity to solve specific social problems. 3 Demonstrate skills in social science methods including the ethical and practical aspects of researching social problems, critical reading, reflection and analytical writing. 4 Work with others in the exploration of ideas and to collectively develop arguments and negotiate solutions to problems. 5 Undertake a research project including formulating a research problem and its key questions University Graduate Attributes
This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:
University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s) Attribute 1: Deep discipline knowledge and intellectual breadth
Graduates have comprehensive knowledge and understanding of their subject area, the ability to engage with different traditions of thought, and the ability to apply their knowledge in practice including in multi-disciplinary or multi-professional contexts.
1,2,3 Attribute 2: Creative and critical thinking, and problem solving
Graduates are effective problems-solvers, able to apply critical, creative and evidence-based thinking to conceive innovative responses to future challenges.
2,3,4,5 Attribute 3: Teamwork and communication skills
Graduates convey ideas and information effectively to a range of audiences for a variety of purposes and contribute in a positive and collaborative manner to achieving common goals.
4 Attribute 4: Professionalism and leadership readiness
Graduates engage in professional behaviour and have the potential to be entrepreneurial and take leadership roles in their chosen occupations or careers and communities.
1,2,3,4,5 Attribute 5: Intercultural and ethical competency
Graduates are responsible and effective global citizens whose personal values and practices are consistent with their roles as responsible members of society.
2,3,4 Attribute 6: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency
Graduates have an understanding of, and respect for, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, culture and knowledge.
. Attribute 7: Digital capabilities
Graduates are well prepared for living, learning and working in a digital society.
. Attribute 8: Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
Graduates are self-aware and reflective; they are flexible and resilient and have the capacity to accept and give constructive feedback; they act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions.
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Learning Resources
Required Resources
Investigating the Social World (9th edition) by Russell K. Schutt, Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2019.
- Etext version available online at
- Hardcopy available at the Barr Smith Library, High Use area.
Recommended Resources
Online Learning
Lectures, assignment instructions, and model assignments will be posted to the MyUni course site. Tutorials will take place via Zoom or in person, as scheduled. Office hours can be attended either in person or by the Zoom link, with students attending in person given the priority. Quizzes, exams and assignments will be submitted at MyUni. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
No information currently available.
Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
WORKLOAD - STRUCTURED LEARNING TOTAL HOURS 1 x 3-hour lecture (or equivalent) per week 36 hours per semester WORKLOAD - SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING TOTAL HOURS 2.5 hours reading per week 30 hours per semester 1 hour on-line quiz answering per week 12 hours per semester 5.5 hours assignment preparation each week on average 66 hours per semester 1 hour exam review per week 12 hours per semester TOTAL: 156 hours per semester Learning Activities Summary
Schedule 1 Science, Society, and Social Research 2 Research Ethics 3 Research Design and Causation 4 Conceptualization and Measurement 5 Sampling and Generalizability 6 Experiments 7 Survey Research 8 Qualitative Methods 9 Quantiative Methods 10 Evaluation and Policy Research 11 Big Data Analysis 12 Future of Research Methods -
Assessment
The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:
- Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
- Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
- Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
- Assessment must maintain academic standards.
Assessment Summary
Assessment Task Task Type Weighting % Learning Course Outcome (s) Midterm Exam Formative & Summative 15% 1, 2, 3 Assignment One (Prospectus) Formative & Summative 10% 1, 2, 5 Assignment Two (Single Study Review) Formative & Summative 15% 1, 2, 5 Assignment Three (Literature Review) Summative 40% 1, 2, 4, 5 Final Exam Summative 30% 1, 2, 3 Assessment Related Requirements
Students are required to complete all assessment tasks to be eligible to pass this course.Assessment Detail
Mid term exam (15%):The midterm exam will be multiple choice, open-book, take home exam. The midterm questions will be posted at MyUni. You will need to submit the answers by a date to be specified. The midterm will test your ability to correctly apply the course materials to identify, diagnose, and solve research problems in various situations. Details of this assessment will be provided in the pre-recorded lecture.
Assignments One (Prospectus) (10%): The prospectus is the first step towards producing your state-of-art literature review. It should briefly outline your research question, your theoretical rationale, and 8 relevant academic sources you propose to review. In total, the prospectus should be not more than 400 words long, not including the end of text References. It is important to justify your proposed research question as interesting and worth answering. Details of this assessment will be provided in a pre-recorded lecture.
Assignments Two (Single Study Review) (15%): In the second assignment, you will apply your new methodological skills to analyse an assigned research article, and to identify its main strengths and weaknesses. The article to be analysed and the questions you need to answer will be made available at MyUni. You will need to submit the answers at MyUni. Detail of this assignment will be discussed in a pre-recorded lecture.
Assignment Three (Literature Review) (30%): In this assignment you will do a thorough literature review, addressing a topic of your choice. The Literature Review will be not more than 1,800 words long, not including end of text references. As a critical review of the “state of knowledge” on your topic, it will allow you to situate your research question as having the potential to add to or correct an existing theory, thereby helping us to understand the phenomena in question. For this reason, it is crucial to find proper academic sources to review.
A literature review is not simply a list of the research on a topic, nor is it merely a summary of the arguments others have made concerning a topic. A literature review is an essay which allows you to survey the field as it is, with an eye to the contribution that you will make to the literature through your research question. Therefore, you should be particularly attentive to the questions that are unanswered (or unasked) in the literature, the theoretical concepts in the field which are inadequate, the errors that exist in our current ways of looking at the topic, and so on. The literature review will not involve any primary data collection.
You should begin to conduct your review of the literature with a question that is as specific as possible, knowing that it will change as you interact with the literature. The assignment three will build on the work and skills you developed in the assignments one and two. By the time you write your literature review, your research question should be carefully formulated in researchable terms. Details of this assessment will be discussed in a pre-recorded lecture.
Final Exam (30%): You will be expected to display understanding, integration, and critical reflection on the required readings and lectures. The final exam will be multiple choice, open-book, take home exam. The format will be similar as the midterm exam. Details of this assessment will be provided in in a pre-recorded lecture.
Note: : Further information on the expectations for the Assignments and Exams will be provided at the MyUni and discussed in tutorials.
Submission
No information currently available.
Course Grading
Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:
M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme) Grade Mark Description FNS Fail No Submission F 1-49 Fail P 50-64 Pass C 65-74 Credit D 75-84 Distinction HD 85-100 High Distinction CN Continuing NFE No Formal Examination RP Result Pending Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.
Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.
Final results for this course will be made available through .
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Student Feedback
The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.
SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
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Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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Fraud Awareness
Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.
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