Professor Wattier's POL 660 Course Syllabus
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Department: Government, Law, and International Affairs
Course Number: POL 660 Credit Hours: 3 Semester: Spring, 2003
I. Title: Research Methods in Public Affairs
II. Instructor: Mark J. Wattier
Campus Office: BB-153C Business Building South
Telephone: (270) 762-2695
E-mail: Mark.Wattier@MurrayState.edu or markwattier@comcast.net
Office hours:
III. Class location and meeting times: 6:00-9:00 pm Wednesday, BB-551.
IV. Catalog description: Examines the process of research in public affairs with an emphasis on quantitative methods and techniques.
V. Purpose: Political Science 660 is a course on research in public affairs with an emphasis on quantitative methods. POL 660 is a required course for the Master of Public Administration(MPA). This course is designed to survey the fundamental aspects of the research process.
VI. Course objectives: This course has the following learning objectives:
VII. Course outline
Course Introduction: 1/23
I. Overview of the Research Process: 1/30
Read:
Manheim & Rich (M&R), chap. 1
Corbett (C), chap. 1; C, "Getting Started," pp.xi-xx
Homework: C, Exercise 1, beginning on p.17
Bonus:
Kerlinger, F. N., Problem formulation and hypothesis generation[PDF]. In L. D. Hayes and R. D. Hedlund (Eds.), The conduct of political inquiry, pp.64-71. [Bonus Assignment: Discuss the most important point he makes about "problems" and about hypotheses.]
II. Concepts and Hypotheses: 2/6
Read: M&R, chap. 2; C, chaps. 4 & 5
Homework: C, Exercise 4, beginning on p.73; C, Exercise 5, beginning on p.91
Bonus:
Lastrucci, C. Concepts in empirical research[PDF]. In Hayes and Hedlund, pp. 72-77. [Bonus Assignment: What "rules" for defining concepts does Lastrucci discuss?]
Seidel, A. D. Producing usable research: A selected review[PDF]. Policy Studies Review, 1983, 3(1), 52-56. [Bonus Assignment: What hypotheses does Seidel propose? Has Seidel obeyed Lastrucci's rules?}
III. Literature Review: 2/13
Read: M&R, chaps. 3 & 21
Homework: M&R, Research Exercise, 1.a - 1.g, p.49. For 1.f please read only the journal article.
Bonus:
Nelson, B. J. 1996. Public Policy and Administration: An Overview[PDF]. In R. E. Goodin and H. Klingemann (eds), A new handbook of political science. New York: Oxford University Press. [Bonus Assignment: Discuss, in detail, a major theory reviewed by Nelson.]
[Bonus Assignment: Determine whether it's possible to do an online bibliographic search at your site.]
IV. Operationalization and Measurement: 2/20
Read: M&R, chap. 4 and 8; C, chaps. 2 & 3
Homework: C, Exercise 2, beginning on p.33; C, Exercise 3, beginning on p.57
Bonus:
Lazarsfeld, P. F. The translation of concepts into indices[PDF]. In Hayes and Hedlund, pp. 78-81. [Bonus Assignment: Discuss the "steps" involved in translating concepts into empirical indices. Effect those steps for one of Grizzle's performance dimensions.]
Grizzle, G. A. Measuring state and local government performance: Issues to resolve before implementing a performance measurement system[PDF]. State and Local Government Review, 1982, 14(3), 132-136. [Bonus Assignment: List the aspects of performance she has identified. Discuss how each dimension could be defined operationally.]
Stevens, S. S. On the theory of scales of measurement[PDF]. Science, 1946, 103(2684), 677-680. [Bonus Assignment: Describe the different levels of measurement.]
Web Site: Frontline: Secrets of the SAT
2/27: First Examination (Study Tips)
3/6: Problem Statement Due
V. Research Design and Sampling: 3/6
Read: M&R, chaps. 5 & 6; C, chap. 6
Homework: C, Exercise 6, beginning on p. 115
Bonus:
Carey, A. The Hawthorne studies: A radical criticism[PDF]. American Sociological Review, 1967, 32, 403-416.
Campbell, D.R. Factors relevant to the validity of experiments in social settings[PDF]. Psychological Bulletin, 1957, 54 (4), 297-312.
[Bonus Assignment for Carey and Campbell: To what extent do the Hawthorne studies have problems with internal and external validity? If you were to design a similar study today, what, if any, modifications would you make in the original Hawthorne design?]
VI. Data Production I--Survey Research: 3/13
Read: M&R, chaps. 7 and 18
Homework: M&R, Research Exercise 4, p.146; M&R, Research Exercise 1, p.328-329
Bonus:
Stipak, B. Local Governments' Use of Citizen Surveys[PDF]. Public Administration Review, 1980, 40(5), 521-525.
Rochefort, D. A. & Boyer, C. A. Use of Public Opinion Data in Public Administration[PDF]. Public Administration Review, 1988, 48(2), 649-660.
Miller, T. I. & Miller M. A. Standards of excellence: U. S. residents evaluations of local government services[PDF]. Public Administration Review, 1991, 51(6), 503-514.
[Bonus Assignment for Stipak, Rochefort & Boyer, and Miller & Miller: How have public administrators used public opinion data in their jobs?]
VII. Data Production II--Content, Direct Observation, Focus Groups, and Q-Methodology:
Read: M&R, chaps. 9, 19, & 20; Mark J. Wattier, "Voter Targeting using the Q-Method" [PDF]
Homework: M&R, Research Exercise 3, p.175
Bonus:
Manheim, J. B. & Albritton, R. B. Changing National Images, in M&R, pp. 374-397. [Bonus Assignment: What data collection method did Manheim and Albritton use? Why did they select this method?]
Fenno, Richard F., Jr. U.S. House Members in Their Constituencies: An Exploration.[PDF] American Political Science Review, 1977, 71, 883-917. [Bonus Assignment: What data collection method did Fenno use? Why did he select this method?]
Visit:
VIII. Data Production III--Aggregate and Comparative:
Read: M&R, chaps. 10 & 11
Homework: M&R, Research Exercise 4, p.196; M&R, Research Exercise 3, p.211
Bonus Readings:
Robinson, W. S. Ecological Correlations and the Behavior of Individuals.[PDF] American Sociological Review, 1950, 15, 351-357. [Bonus Assignment: What's the ecological inference problem?]
Visit Gary King's web site: http://GKing.Harvard.Edu. [Bonus Assignment: What's King's solution to the ecological inference problem?]
Lijphart, A. Comparative politics and the comparative method.[PDF] American Political Science Review, 1971, 65, 682-693. [Bonus Assignment: How can the comparative method be used to study the effects of context and culture?]
Visit:
TBA: Second Examination (Study Tips)
IX. Data Preparation and Processing:
Read: M&R, chap. 12; C, chap. 7
Homework: C, Exercise 7, beginning on p. 135
Bonus Assignment:
Describe how data are processed (i.e., entered) in SPSS, SYSTAT, SAS, and STATA (each software package has a Web site).
Read: M&R, chap. 13 & 14; C, chap. 8
Homework: C, Exercise 8, beginning on p. 149
Bonus:
Kerrigan, J. E., & Hinton, D. W. Knowledge and skills needs for tomorrow's public administrators.[PDF] Public Administration Review, 1980, 40(5), 469-473. [Bonus Assignment: What statistic(s) did Kerrigan and Hinton use? Did they do so appropriately? Why or why not?]
4/24: Paper Outline Due (C, Exercise 14, beginning on p. 277)
XI. Bivariate Analysis I:
Read: M&R, Chap. 15; C, chap. 9
Homework: C, Exercise 9, beginning on p.167
Bonus:
Rosener, J. B. Making Bureaucrats Responsive[PDF]. Public Administration Review, 1982, 42(4), 339-345. [Bonus Assignment: What statistic(s) did Rosener use? Did she do so appropriately? Why or why not?]
XII. Bivariate Analysis II:
Read: C, chaps. 10 & 12
Homework: C, Exercise 10, beginning on p.195; C, Exercise 12, beginning on p.231
Bonus:
Nachmias, D., & Moderacki, P. J. Patterns of support for merit pay and EEO performance: The inherent difficulties of implementing innovation.[PDF] Policy Studies Journal, 1982, 11, 318-327. [Bonus Assignment: What statistic(s) did Nachmias and Moderacki use? Did they do so appropriately? Why or why not?]
XIII. Multivariate Analysis:
Read: M&R, chap. 16; C, chap. 13
Homework: C, Exercise 13, beginning on p. 255
Bonus:
Saltzstein, G. H. Personnel directors and female employment representation: A new addition to models of equal employment opportunity policy? Social Science Quarterly, 1983, 64, 734-746. [Bonus Assignment: What statistic(s) did Saltzstein use? Did he do so appropriately? Why or why not?]
Jacobs, D., & Waldman, D. Toward a fiscal sociology: Determinants of tax regressivity in the American states.[PDF] Social Science Quarterly, 1983, 64, 550-565.
Franke, R. H. & Kaul, J. D. The Hawthorne experiments: First statistical interpretations.[PDF] In R. D. Bingham & C. L. Felbinger (eds.), Evaluation in practice. New York: Longman, 1989. [Bonus Assignment: What statistic(s) did Franke and Kaul use? Did they do so appropriately? Why or why not?]
5/8: Data-Analysis Paper Due
5/8: Third Examination (Study Tips)
VIII. Instructional activities: We shall study research methods in multiple ways, including but not limited to lectures, class discussions, reports, assigned readings, and web sites.
IX. Field and clinical experiences: None.
X. Resources: Course resources include an instructor with over twenty years experience, a web site created to complement this course, microcomputer labs, two excellent books, and students ready, willing, and able to learn.
XI. Grading procedures: The final course grade is a "weighted average" of the course requirements: each of the examinations, 15 percent; homework assignments, 15 percent; data-analysis paper, 15 percent; class participation, 10 percent; and bonus assignments, 15 percent. My grading scale is:
| A+ | 100 or higher |
| A | 90 to 99 |
| B | 80 to 89 |
| C | 70 to 79 |
| D | 60 to 69 |
| E | 00 to 59 |
Examinations: This course has three essay examinations. (Please note the date of each examination in the course outline.) Each examination will cover approximately one-third of the assigned reading and lecture material. In other words, the examinations are not comprehensive. Each examination will have three major sections: (1) concept identification, (2) conceptual distinctions, and (3) an analytical essay. In the concept identification section you will be asked to define seven of ten concepts from the reading and lecture. In the conceptual distinction section you will be asked to identify the basic distinction among three of five pairs of concepts. In the essay section you will be asked to analyze a "research task" with the concepts tested in the previously mentioned sections. In the essay section, you will have a choice of questions to answer.
Make-up examinations: Each student is expected to take his examination on the regularly scheduled day (see examination dates in the course outline). If an examination cannot be taken on the scheduled day, the instructor must be notified at least twenty-four hours before the examination. Make-up examinations will be arranged when extremely extenuating circumstances are evident. If you miss both the regularly scheduled examination and its make-up, a grade of E will be assigned the examination(s) in question.
Homework Assignments: I firmly believe that one learns research methods by doing some of the tasks involved in a research process. Each unit of the course has a homework assignment. These assignments are due the day of the class.
Data-Analysis Paper: This course requires a paper (e.g., see Pat Young's excellent paper on euthanasia [PDF]). It is due on May 8, 2003, at the beginning of class (6:00 p.m.). The paper should resemble the example in Manheim, Rich, and Willnat (see pp. 374-397). The paper must test some hypothesis with quantitative data from one of the data sets on the MicroCase CD (see Corbett and Le Roy, Appendix A).
By March 6, please give me a written statement of your topic for the term paper. This topic statement should be in the form of a research question of the form, "what is the relation between X and Y?" For example, what is the relation between civic attitudes (the X or independent variable) and turnout (the Y or dependent variable)? Or, what is the relation between party competition and state aid to the poor? I must approve your research topic.
By April 24, please submit a detailed, subject-sentence outline of your term paper using "exercise 14" in Corbett and Le Roy (pp. 277-282) as a guide. Please note that I do expect you to review some relevant literature (see Corbett and Le Roy, question 5, p. 279).
The term paper should be presented in a standard term-paper format. If you are not familiar with a standard format, consult one of the following publication manuals: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (4th ed.), MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (4th ed.), or A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (6th ed.). See, also, the Bibliography Styles Handbook at:
http://www.english.uiuc.edu/cws/wworkshop/bibliostyles.htm
For this paper I strongly recommend that you use APA Style (PDF). The paper must be typed; no hand-written papers will be accepted. A recommended length for the paper is from 10 to 12 type-written pages of text. Title and abstract pages and charts, graphs, references, appendices, tables, and other supplementary material do not count toward the total page count. The paper should be your own work (see Statement on Plagiarism [PDF] and Academic Dishonesty [PDF] policy) and well written (see The Write Stuff [PDF]). The paper grade is 15 percent of the course grade. Each paper must have a title page.
Bonus Assignments: The course outline includes several "bonus" assignments. Each bonus assignment listed in the course outline is worth 10 points. The week before a bonus assignment is due I shall give questions I want you to answer. A one-page summary of each assignment you select is due the day of class. During the semester I shall also announce other bonus assignments. The grade for assignments will be based on the total number of points earned (see grading scale below). A maximum of 115 bonus points may be earned. Points earned in excess of 100 will be added to the lowest examination score.
Class participation: Please read each assignment carefully and, to the best of your ability, be prepared to discuss the assignment in class. Class preparation is important because the subject of this course requires detailed and systematic study. A single reading of an assignment will not normally prepare you sufficiently for class discussion. Several readings of each assignment may be necessary. Class participation is important. It is 10 percent of the final course grade. By class participation I mean both asking and answering questions about the general subject of each lecture topic. I sincerely welcome and wish to encourage your participation in class discussions. Class attendance is surely a necessary condition for class participation; however, class attendance without participation does not earn class participation credit.
XII. Attendance policy: Students are expected to attend class.XIII. Textbooks: This course has two required textbooks--Empirical Political Analysis (5th ed.), by Manheim, Rich, and Willnat; and Research Methods in Political Science (5th ed.), by Corbett and Le Roy. The Course Outline includes lecture topics, "due dates," and bonus, reading, and homework assignments.
XIV. Prerequisites: POL 360 or its equivalent or consent of instructor.
Web Address: http://www.mursuky.edu/polcrjlst/p660f99.htm