Methods and Techniques of Social Research.    Assignment One.

Type Your Name Here:

This assignment must be completed and turned in to the "Assignment Box" on our course's WEBCT site by the time announced on the Schedule and Assignments Page.    Your first step is to open the assignment in an html editor.  To do this in Netscape, click on "file" and then on "edit page."  In Internet Explorer, click on "edit" and "page" and the file will open in the Microsoft Frontpage html editor.  If neither of these works, just save the file and open it in your word processor;  in this case make sure to save it in html format - *.htm -  rather than in *.doc or *.wpd format.  Any late model word processor will have this capability.  In any case, you should save the file on your own hard disk or floppy disk, giving it the name methodsone.   Your editor will add the file extension .htm, making the full name methodsone.htm.  [If your editor makes it psone.html that is o.k. too.]    You should keep the assignment open in one window, while you do the other tasks in another window.  As you complete the tasks, type the answers into the file.  When you are done, follow the instructions in the last item below to turn it in.

1.  If you have an Internet email account where you usually receive mail,  type in the address here.  If you do not have one, open one on clam and type in the address here:

2.  Sign up for The New York Times on the WEB, and paste in here the headline and first paragraph from a news story from today's Times.  We will be using material from the Times occasionally during the semester.

3.  This semester, I intend to automatically enroll all students on the class mlist at their clam address.  If you add the class after the first day, however, you will have to do this yourself.  Or, if you prefer to receive class email at another address you should join the mlist yourself by send an email from that address to the majordomo program.   Instructions for doing so are at the bottom of this assignment.  We have found, however, that some online email services, such at hotmail, may be configured not to accept mailings from mlists.
In any event, please check off one of the following:
             I will receive course email at my clam address as listed with the registrar's office.  If I do not receive any mail after the first class, I will send enroll myself by following the instructions.
             I have joined the mlist from another address, or I will do so shortly.

4.  This semester, I will attempt to automatically enroll all students in the WEBCT system, a new feature offered by the system.  Go to WEBCT and log onto "MY WEBCT" using your clam user name and password.  See if "Methods and Techniques of Social Research" appears.  If it does not, follow the instructions to add the course to your WEBCT homepage.  You will find it under Sociology, 920:301.

4.  Type a paragraph on the topic:  "Why New Jersey crime has hit its lowest rate in the last three decades."  After typing your paragraph in this file, highlight the text,  copy it, then paste it into the "N.J. Crime" discussion forum on  the WEBCT Bulletin Board  (Click on "Discussions" then on "NJ Crime" then on "Compose".  Then use the mouse to highlight your comment and copy it into the clipboard.  Then past it into the discussion forum).

5.  Now save this file, in html or ascii text file format, with the name methodsone.htm (or any name you prefer) on your hard drive, your H drive on clam, or a floppy disk. Then upload it and deposit it in the "Assignment Dropbox" on WEB CT.  Be sure to have WEBCT send you a confirmation letter stating that your assignment has been received.  Save this letter.  In the unlikely event that there should be any problem with WEBCT accepting your assignment, print out the confirmation letter with all the header information and bring it to the instructor.  Otherwise "the computer lost my assignment" will not be a valid excuse.  Click Here for Instructions on Submitting Assignments.

Mlist instructions:

This class has a computerized mailing list.  This list is used for occasional messages from the Instructors and from students (if it is not abused).  If you enrolled before the first class, you will be automatically enrolled at your clam address.  If you wish to receive messages at another address, or if you are not automatically enrolled for some reason, you must sign up for the mailing list by sending an email message to:
           majordomo@camden.rutgers.edu
In the text of the message (not in the subject line, which can be left blank) say the following
     subscribe mlist-soc-socialresearch
               end
You may send your email message from any Internet account, including your clam account, and the email will come to that address.  You may enroll at two sites if you wish, and receive two copies of all emails. If you do not have an account for receiving email, first open an account on clam,  then learn how to use Netscape Mail.

If you wish to withdraw from the mlist, from any address, send an email from that address to:
    majordomo@camden.rutgers.edu

with the following message:
   unsubscribe mlist-soc-socialresearch
      end

Majordomo will send a response to your email account.  If you have successfully joined the list, it will tell you so.  If it tells you there is a problem, figure out what it is and apply again.  Usually the problems occur because you leave a space between the parts of mlist-sts-internet  or because you put "end" on the same line as the "subscribe mlist-soc-socialresearch" command.