Office 325 Armitage.             Office Hours: MW 1:30-2:30                 Office phone: 225-6013
email: goertzel@crab.rutgers.edu

For up-to-date information on assignments and lectures, consult the Course Log.

This is an introductory course in the methods and techniques of social research as used in, criminal justice, sociology  and related fields. This course is a prerequisite for (50:202:449) Ethics and Policy in Criminal Justice which is offered in the spring term.  It is recommended that students take these two courses in sequence in the same year.

It is helpful if students have had at least an introductory course in sociology or criminal justice before taking this course.  Prior work in statistics is not required.  Topics include research design, conceptualization and measurement, sampling, experiments, survey research, evaluation research, quantifying data, scale construction, making graphs and data analysis.  Particular emphasis is placed on survey research and on time series analysis of trend data.

 Specific objectives of this course are:
1. To learn enough about social research to be able to read original research reports published in social science journals.
2. To learn how to design questionnaires, collect survey data, and analyze the data.
3. To learn how to analyze data from published statistical sources such as The Statistical Abstract of the United States.
4. To learn how to use statistical software packages and how to access statistical data on the World Wide Web.
5. To learn how to make graphs of statistical data.
6. To learn how to present the results of social research to an audience, and on the World Wide Web.
7. To develop skills in the logical and empirical analysis of social problems.

Considerable use is made of computers in this course.  No prior computer background or experience is assumed.  We will use the Excel spreadsheet program, which is available in the computer labs at Rutgers, and the MicroCase Data Analysis System, which is included with your textbook: Contemporary Social Research Methods by Stark and Roberts.  The software is packaged with the accompanying workbook, Social Research Using Microcase by Corbett and Roberts.  Both are available in the bookstore.  You may install this system on your own home computer, or you may use a computer at Rutgers.  In either case, you will need the data disk included with the textbook.  To use the software at Rugers:
1.  Choose a Personal Computer runnning Windows 95 or Windows NT (not a Sun Workstation).  The PC's in BSB108-110 and in the library are good choices, or in the Student Center.
2. Put your data disk in the A drive
3. Find the Statistics menu and double click on it.
4. Find the Microcase icon and double click on it.  If you cannot find it on the Statistics menu, try a different machine
5. Proceed by following the instructionis in the workbook.
6. When you are finished, exit out of Microcase by clicking on the top right X.  Log out by clicking on Start, then Shut Down.  Click on Restart option before shutting down.  Do not forget to remove your disk from the A drive.
 This course will have a WEB site, http://crab.rutgers.edu/~goertzel/methods99.htm
Consult the WEB site for updated assignments and course materials, especially if you miss class.

Grading in this class will be based on the following formula:
    First midterm   10%
    Second midterm 20%
    Final exam   30%
    Attendance 10%
    Homework Assignments 30%

It is your responsibility to sign the attendance roster each day, and to hand in your assignments on time.  Assignments are due at the beginning of the class hour.  Assignments which are up to one week late will receive half credit.

Links to data sources are available here.