Tuum Est Course Time: Location: TA Office Hours: Location: Course Description SOCIOLOGY 217 (202): RESEARCH METHODS UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA WINTER 2021 (TERM 2) Professor Ghaziani Department of Sociology amin.ghaziani@ubc.ca 604-822-2268 TA Ryan Liggayu Department of Sociology ryanligg.soci@gmail.com Tu Th 3:30 - 5:00 PM Zoom, synchronous (see p. 2 for link) Professor Office Hours: Location: Tu Th: 5:00 - 6:00 PM Immediately after class (same Zoom link) Mondays 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM Canvas > Collaborate Ultra This course will introduce you to the logic, methods, and analysis of social research. You may feel that this training is unnecessary for you if you don't plan to go to graduate school, or if you don't intend to pursue a research-related career. But this is a narrow, instrumentalist view of knowledge and education. You must have a grasp of basic research-what it is, how it works, and how to evaluate it-In order to assess what is happening in the world. We live in a boisterous epoch of "fake news" and "rigged elections." This inevitably raises some questions: How do you assess "fake" from "fact"? FACTS FAKE NEWS How do we gain knowledge about the world? How is ordinary human inquiry different from scientific research? How do you assess if a claim is valid, reliable, or representative? If people can collect data in different ways, how do you determine which one to choose - and what you can, or cannot, learn from your available options? Sociology 217 covers all aspects of the research process: from the types of questions that researchers ask to the qualitative, comparative, and statistical analysis of data. Our objective is to learn about the most common research strategies that exist in the social sciences. To do this, we will adopt a broad and introductory focus. (This is not a statistics course, although we will discuss the logic and interpretation of statistical evidence.) I will train you how to consume social research with a greater level of sophistication than you had before taking my class. By the end of the term, you will seldom feel that academic articles are obscure or otherwise incomprehensible because they are full of jargon. Page 1 of 12
The Virtual Classroom Covid-19 has disrupted traditional modes of education. Here's what you can expect from me as we engage virtually: Zoom Link https://ubc.zoom.us/j/66566887132?pwd=dlJpN0tyUVJQQWxyUzc3SisvcHJtUT09 | Meeting ID: 665 6688 7132 | Passcode: 217 Office Hours My office hours are immediately after class. Use the same Zoom link to join, or just stay in class after it ends. Live or Recorded Lectures? I will deliver all my lectures synchronously. Live classes provide a sense of stability and normality during unsettled times. To help those of you who experience time zone challenges, I will record my lectures as well. You can access the recordings on Canvas, under "Zoom," and then under "Cloud Recordings." How should you listen and participate? Please mute your microphone. You do not have to turn on your camera. With