Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2025 - SA 255 D100

Introduction to Social Research (SA) (4)

Class Number: 2541

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Bascom Guffin
    mguffin@sfu.ca
    Office: AQ 5068
    Office Hours: By appointment, in person or online

  • Prerequisites:

    SA 101 or 150.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Explores how sociologists and anthropologists investigate social relations and contexts. Students learn to develop research questions and turn them into research projects. Introduces data collection techniques and related ethical issues, the relationship between theory and research, and other fundamental concepts and issues involved in conducting qualitative and quantitative research. Quantitative.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course will introduce you to how sociologists, anthropologists, and scholars in related fields work to make sense of the social world through data gathering, analysis, and interpretation. In service of this goal, you will learn how to begin to design and practice social research yourself through hands-on experience. The course will address three main research approaches: quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. These cover such methods as surveys, statistics, interviews, ethnographic observation, and audio and visual methods, among others. Through reading, in-class interactions, and hands-on experience, we will consider topics such as creating good research questions; ethical research design and practice; power relations within the research context; collecting, analyzing, and presenting data; productively bringing qualitative and quantitative data together; and critically evaluating research produced by others.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

In this course, students will learn to:

• Create and interpret frequency tables;
• Conduct semi-structured interviews;
• Use field observations, visual methods, and other qualitative tools to tell a story;
• Triangulate qualitative and quantitative data to create deeper social analysis;
• Critically examine how different social research methods are used to address a variety
of questions;
• Consider issues of power within the social research context

Grading

  • Class participation and attendance 20%
  • Quantitative research assignment 15%
  • Qualitative research assignment 15%
  • Mixed methods application assignment 20%
  • Final mixed methods portfolio 30%

NOTES:

Grading: Grades in this class will be based on a percentage scale. Reading responses will not be accepted after 3 p.m. the Tuesday before class; Late submissions for all assignments will result in a grade reduction of 5 percentage points per day, unless due to a medical reason or other significant emergency. The four research assignments must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned.

Grading System: The undergraduate course grading system is A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F, N (N standing indicates student did not complete course requirements). Intervals for the assignment of final letter grades based on course percentage grades are as follows:

A+ (95-100) | A (90-94) | A- (85-89) | B+ (80-84) | B (75-79) | B- (70-74) | C+ (65-69) | C (60-64) | C- (55-59) | D (50-54) | F (0-49) | N*
*N standing to indicate the student did not complete course requirements

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All texts will be available through Canvas or the SFU Library

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.