COMM 320 COMMUNICATION RESEARCH METHODS

Syllabus Spring 2011

INSTRUCTOR: OFFICE:

Dr. Daina Nathaniel Dana 107

OFFICE PHONE: 704-688-2743 OFFICE HOURS: TR 12:00-1:30pm, W 4:00-6:00pm EMAIL: nathanid@queens.edu

TEXT: Communication Research Methods in Postmodern Culture: A Revisionist Approach by Larry Leslie. Allyn and Bacon (publishers).

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This Communication Research Methods course is designed to help you understand how to investigate the various forms of human interaction you have been studying in Communication courses at Queens. It is designed to give you a solid experience in research methodology for the Communication discipline. For those of you anticipating graduate studies in Communication, this course will give you an idea of the type of research work you will be expected to conduct at the MA and PhD levels.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. To expose students to a variety of research methods across the various sub-disciplines within Communication. 2. To foster student understanding of how research projects are constructed. 3. To help students understand the practical application of Communication research methods in their everyday lives. 4. To deepen student awareness of the communication processes in todays world.

CLASS POLICIES:
A. It is imperative that you come to class regularly. After all, someone is paying a lot of money for you to earn a college degree and that should be money well spent. For the duration of the semester you are allowed two unexcused absences. Excused absences are allowed only in cases where you are involved in a university sponsored activity, are severely ill, or a close member of your family has passed away and you must attend funeral services. If you are taking part in any university sponsored activity, you must let me know at least one week in advance, not the day of the event. In addition, student athletes who are in season must provide me with a copy of their schedules at the beginning of the semester. If you become very ill, remember to get documentation from a doctor stating that you were too ill to be in class. Attendance and participation is worth a portion of the final grade. Any student who misses more than two class days will earn a one letter grade reduction. This means that if at the end your final grade is a B, it will become a C. Any student who misses more than four class periods for any reason automatically fails the course. When you miss class it is your responsibility to get the notes from one of your classmates. I do not provide lecture notes. B. Students are also expected to be on time to class. Excessive late arrivals are disruptive and will negatively impact your final participation grade. C. All cell phones must be turned off before entering the classroom since they can be disruptive during class. All phones must be powered off during presentations. If a student is found using the phone during class, he/she will be asked to leave and will incur an unexcused absence for that day. D. Class meetings run approximately 2.5 hours. During that time students are expected to be in the classroom and attentive to the lecture/activities of the day. Constant chatter and going in

and out of the classroom is disruptive to all and is discouraged. Avoid walking in and out of class as well as other disruptions that disturb the productivity of the class. We will have a break half way through the period. E. Finally, I also discourage students from bringing copious amounts of food to class. Unless there are some extraordinary circumstances, please exercise some constraint and have your meals outside of class time.

GOOD WRITING PRACTICES:

1. Review and follow honor code guidelines regarding plagiarism. Submitting an assignment that includes plagiarized material can earn you expulsion from the university at worst, a grade of 0 at best or an F in the course. 2. Submit all formal writing double-spaced, in 12-point type using Times New Roman font. 3. Conform to a standard academic citation style, specifically the American Psychological Association (APA) style. 4. Make sure that each of your documents notes the title, your name, course number and e-mail address. 5. Cite all material that is not your own, even if you quote from class textbooks.

SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENTS:
All written assignments must be submitted in class on the day they are due according to the guidelines outlined above and per the assignment description. Only in exceptional circumstances (determined by me) can you turn in an assignment late but you need to make that arrangement with me in advance. All late work, once it is not turned in by the date on the syllabus, is penalized by 25% for the first day (which is calculated from after the end of the class period), and 50% for the second day. Work handed in three days late or more earn a zero. Please note that as the semester gets very busy, I can take up to two weeks to have papers graded and returned to you. Final grades are posted on MyQueens at the end of the semester. Legally I cannot send you final grades via email so be patient for final grades to be posted. Graded materials that have not been distributed by the end of the semester may be collected at my office in the following semester.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Human Subjects Research All persons who engage in research that involves interaction with human subjects are expected to behave in the most ethical manner in conducting this research. Queens University of Charlotte supports the growing efforts by faculty and students to engage in research projects and in the field of Communication, much of this research involves direct interaction with people. As laid out by federal guidelines instituted by the Office of Human Subjects Research under the National Institute of Health, all persons engaging in research involving human subjects are required to follow certain protocol for the specific protection of at-risk populations. Given that you will engage in research as part of this course, and that you may use research methods that require human interaction (questionnaires, focus groups, interviews), all procedures set out by the Queens University of Charlotte Institutional Review Board must be followed. This may require the completion of a human subjects research tutorial and the submission of various forms to the

Universitys IRB. More information about this board and its requirements regarding human subjects research at Queens University of Charlotte can be found under the Shared Documents tab on MyQueens. Support: Whom do I contact? For training, contact Jada Williams for orientation and instruction in Moodle (our online Learning Management System) at williamsja@queens.edu. Scheduled orientations will also be announced on RexText and on the help page. For log-in, Qmail, Moodle or online registration problems, contact the QUEST help desk at 704-337-2323. Library: For Everett Library, call 704-337-2401 (Circulation Desk) or 704-337-7127 (Reference Desk). Bookstore: Visit www.queensbookstore.com or call 704-337-2413. Disability Accommodations: If you are a student with a verified disability and you require accommodations, please provide me with the necessary memorandum that was given to you by Student Disability Services. Contact: The Coordinator of Disability Services: Sandy Rogelberg, 704-337-2508. Honor Code The Honor Code, which permeates all phases of university life, is based on three fundamental principles. It assumes that Queens students: a) are truthful at all times, b) respect the property of others (this includes written works, thus, plagiarism is a Honor Code violation), and c) are honest in tests, examinations, term papers, and all other academic assignments. It is a violation of the Honor Code for a student to be untruthful concerning the reason for a class absence. If you believe that you have witnessed a violation of the Queens Honor Code, I encourage you to speak with me confidentially. All members of the Queens community adhere to the Honor Code, these expectations are outlined in the Honor Code Booklet, http://portal.queens.edu. University Closings / Cancelled Classes In the rare occasion when it is necessary to close the university announcements will be made on TV and radio, and will be posted on the Queens web site, www.queens.edu. The best way for the Queens community to receive fast and accurate information about closings is to sign up for QALERT. QALERT: Receive campus emergency notifications via voicemail, text and/or email, sign up at www.queens.edu/alert. Remember, you must register as a new user each academic year, even if youve signed up in the past. The system is wiped clean every August, and you will receive a message before that happens. For more information, e-mail alert@queens.edu. NOTE: If classes are meeting but you feel that you cannot find a safe way to get to class, you should notify me as soon as possible.

Intellectual Property Policy Queens University of Charlotte faculty and students adhere to the Queens Intellectual Property Policy and U.S. Copyright Law. See Faculty Handbook, http://moodle.queens.edu, and the Queens University of Charlotte website at http://www.queens.edu.

EARNING THE GRADE YOU WANT

Group project and Presentation Exercises Midterm Exam Final Exam Attendance and Participation 40% 20% 15% 15% 10% 100%

Your grade will be determined on the following scale: 100-94% A 93-90% A89-87% B+ 86-84% B 79-77% C+ 76-74% C 69-65% D+ 64-60% D

83-80% B73-70% C<59% F

Midterm and Final Exams

Both exams will include material covered in the textbooks and in class lectures. The exams may be in the form of short-answer questions, multiple choice or true-false. The final exam is NOT comprehensive. A missed exam will be counted as a zero. Only in cases of dire emergencies, such as a death in the family or documented severe illness can a make-up exam be given and may consist of all essays. Proper documentation has to be provided in the case of emergencies.

Homework Exercises
During the course of the semester, there will be several assigned exercises which will be graded as part of your assessment in this class. The details of these exercises will be discussed in class and posted on Moodle (where applicable) in advance of the due date. Late assignments will be penalized as outlined above.

Group Project
Students will work in groups on a research project in keeping with their interests in Communication. A list of suggested topics will be posted on Moodle early in the semester. You dont have to select your topic from this list, which is just a suggestion but you must clear any topic with me. No two groups must work on the same topic. I will include the suggested theoretical framework to be used with each topic. For this project, you will need to do the following: Select a topic that is related to the study of Communication from the list provided. Decide on a theoretical framework and review the literature relevant to the topic. Develop research questions and/or hypotheses based on the literature. Identify the concepts involved in the hypotheses and research questions and write up the conceptual and operational definitions for each concept.

To address the hypotheses, develop a paper questionnaire using between 10 and 15 questions. (Questions can be mostly close-ended utilizing scales and levels of measurement). Identify your sample (e.g. age group, occupation, place of distributing the questionnaire). Conduct a pilot study (i.e. pretest the questionnaire for any problems) with three people and revise your questionnaire based on this pilot study. Distribute the questionnaires to a convenient, purposive sample of 50 people. Analyze and interpret the data using the theoretical framework and illustrate your findings using graphic representations. You will do the data analysis manually. If you have problems working with your project partner(s), please report it to me ASAP. In your final product, you should have: A minimum of 20-page paper, typed, double-spaced, NOT INCLUDING the title page and the references list. You are required to use the style of the latest version of the American Psychological Association (APA) in your citations of the sources and in writing up the references list for the paper. Guidelines for APA style and format are available in the library and online. You should use communication journals and other communication books for your paper. You should have a minimum of eight scholarly sources. The paper will be graded on the following: Content, Research, Style and Writing conventions.

The paper format should be as follows: Title page. Introduction and background: The introduction should include a thesis statement (topic statement) expressing the focus of the study. The introduction should also include the purpose and significance of the paper and some basic information that sets the stage for your paper. Literature Review: This section should include an explanation of the theoretical framework and a review of the sources related to your topic in theme-drive sub-sections. Research questions and/or hypotheses based on the literature. Methodology: In this section, you will explain the sample you used (which is a convenient and purposive sample of 50 respondents) and the methodology which is a face-to-face survey, using a paper questionnaire. Findings: This section includes your response rate and your findings which either support or fail to support your hypotheses and answer your research questions. You will need to use graphic representations. Analysis and Conclusion: In this section, you should draw a conclusion regarding the implications of your findings in the context of the theoretical framework including the limitations of the study. References Suggested schedule for completing your project: February 2 February 9 March 9 Choose group project topic and develop two hypothesis and one research question based on your preliminary review of the literature. Start literature review and research. Group conferences with Dr. Nathaniel Be ready with lit. review, RQs and/or hypotheses, and questionnaire

April 4 April 20

Group conferences with Dr. Nathaniel Be ready with results, finding and preliminary analysis Group presentations; final papers due

Class Presentation: All groups will be required to present their research and their findings in class. Each presentation should last for 15 minutes and should utilize PowerPoint. It should include a title page, highlights of the main sources reviewed in the literature, explanation of the theoretical framework, hypotheses and RQs, sample and method, graphic representations of the findings, and conclusion. In the presentation, you should be: Well organized Clear Informative Professional Well prepared Dressed formally

CLASS SCHEDULE
Week 1: 01/12 Introduction to the course Chapter 1 Ethical considerations for human subjects Week 2: 01/19 Chapter 2: Knowledge, Culture and Research Conducting library research EXERCISE DUE: Human Subjects tutorial Week 3: 01/26 Chapter 11: Writing Style Chapter 12: Report Format Discussion of final project and assigning of groups Week 4: 02/02 Chapter 13: An Individual Research Proposal Chapter 3: Getting Started (skim) Chapter 4: Designing a research study Week 5: 02/09 Chapter 7: Historical Research Chapter 8: Oral History Discussion of Historical Research paper RQ/HYPOTHESES DUE Week 6: 02/16 Chapter 5: Focus Group Research Week 7: 02/23 MIDTERM EXAM Week 8: 03/02 Chapter 6: Survey Research Discussion of article critique assignment EXERCISE DUE: Historical paper Week 9: 03/09 Group conferences with Dr. Nathaniel. You will be required to sign up for a time. ABSTRACT, DRAFTS OF LITERATURE REVIEW AND METHODOLOGY DUE Week 10: 03/16 SPRING BREAK Week 11: 03/23 Chapter 9: Textual Analysis

Week 12: 03/30 Chapter 10: Feminist Methodology EXERCISE DUE: Article critique Week 13: 04/06 Group conferences with Dr. Nathaniel. You will be required to sign up for a time. RESULTS, FINDINGS AND PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS DUE Week 14: 04/13 FINAL EXAM Week 15: 04/20 Group presentation of projects* *This will be only class that we stay later than 8:30pm, so that all groups present. Be prepared for this in advance.

*Readings are due on the day the chapter will be covered in class. Additional materials will be posted on the class Moodle website. Syllabus Change Policy: This syllabus is designed as a guide for the course and is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.