The aim of this course is to provide students with an overview of the methods, practices, and outcomes of applied social research. Major emphasis will be placed on applications of survey and evaluation research methods to the study of contemporary social issues. We will begin each segment of the course with a brief overview of the relevant research methodology. To provide students with an overview of the life cycle of the research process, we will follow a number of contemporary research enterprises from their inception in a research proposal through their realization in publications many years later. Using this strategy, we will review the basic stages and issues in empirical research, including conceptualization, operationalization, causal explanation, criteria for selecting research strategies and research designs, sampling theory, and some basic issues in data collection and analysis. We will also have the opportunity to observe the ways in which serendipity, opportunity, and luck -- both good and bad -- can reshape the research process.

A full syllabus for the course can be found as the first attachment below.