Social Research Seminar -- Sustainability and Social Change
E. Melanie DuPuis
Classroom: 314 UCDC
Classroom: 314 UCDC
Office: Room 325 UCDC
Phone: (831) 247-6079
Do not call my office phone (I do not check messages there).
Office Hours: Monday 5-7, Friday 3-5 and by appt
What can we do to create a more sustainable world? How do different people answer this question? How can we design research and gather evidence in a way that will contribute answers to this question? This course will train you to look at the different points of view on sustainability and design a research project that will contribute to the current public conversation on creating a more sustainable world.
Ethical Conduct:
Please review the Code of Conduct for this class. These are from the UCSC rules of ethics, but your own campus follows rules that are closely similar. This code includes standards concerning the academic work you do, including the requirement that your work be original, written for this class (with exceptions discussed with the professor ahead of time) and not plagiarized from other sources. I reserve the right to turn your work into Turnitin.com.
Please also review the UCSC Principles of Community, which will hopefully describe how members of this classroom community treat each other. The key word is "respect."
Please also review the UCSC Principles of Community, which will hopefully describe how members of this classroom community treat each other. The key word is "respect."
Required:
Here is an overview of free, on-line statistics packages, if you are interested in doing numerical analysis. There is also a dedicated computer with an SPSS package available.
The rest of the class readings are available as links on this syllabus or in the Area of Expertise part of the course blog. You will be expected to research and obtain your own readings for your area of expertise. The readings on line are only a start.
I manage a Facebook page called "Sustainability Research" -- joining is optional (it's open so no need for personal friend-ing).
The rest of the class readings are available as links on this syllabus or in the Area of Expertise part of the course blog. You will be expected to research and obtain your own readings for your area of expertise. The readings on line are only a start.
I manage a Facebook page called "Sustainability Research" -- joining is optional (it's open so no need for personal friend-ing).
SCHEDULE
Week One (1/4): Academic Research Design: An Overview
We will begin with our first in-class lab on Research Design Criteria. We will then use the results of this lab to understand how to discover different points of view about an issue. We will look at how different points of view are often based in different criteria priorities. We will explore how academic research work attempts to take different points of view into account through the literature review process. We will then look over the Research Design Steps.
Week Two (1/11): Step 2: Literature Review: A Conversation with Different Points of View
Academic research is reflective. Journalists such as David Owen draw from academic research when covering particular issues, but while he does make a compelling argument, he does not have to follow the rules of academic research. In his article, "Green Manhattan", he argues that cities like New York provide the most sustainable way to live. We will compare this article to a more reflective academic research piece: Byrne et al.'s "Energy as a Social Project." We will talk about both the substantive sustainability issues presented in these two pieces as well as talk about the differences in the type of intellectual work -- journalistic vs. academic -- they represent.
You should also look at the "Areas of Expertise" section and pick an area to focus on. You will, in Week 3, need to have one of these areas of focus readings well understood, plus another reading that expands the conversation. Since this is a ten week course, you should start reading right away, as this will provide the beginning of your literature review. Some of you have not done literature reviews and some of you have done many. But all of you will benefit from reading the literature review how to:
Week Three: Step 3 (1/18): Forming a Sustainability Research Question
This week, your area of expertise reading is due. You will need to read the articles listed on the website plus at least one article that you have found through your own research that provides a significantly different perspective on the issue. You will come to class with three powerpoint slides that describe the perspectives you have discovered in the conversations that have gone on in your area of expertise. You may also use your research to provide examples to illustrate points made in this conversation. The Facebook posts on the Sustainability Research page are a good source of examples.
Trochim: Problem Formation
Trochim: Problem Formation
Trochim: The Philosophy of Research (need to read all links (in blue) as well)
Lab #2: Bounding Your Project: Life Cycle Analysis vs. Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Lab #2: Bounding Your Project: Life Cycle Analysis vs. Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Week Four (1/25): NO CLASS -- Required office hour meeting w/ professor
Week Five (2/1): Step 1-3 Presentations and Draft Due
Week Five (2/1): Step 1-3 Presentations and Draft Due
Three-page literature review due Friday noon. 5 minute presentation on Step 1-3 in class (you should have a Powerpoint slide for each step).
Here is a suggested slide deck for your presentation. Note that the research strategy slide is optional since I did not ask for this under the "grading" page. You might want to use this slide to suggest some possible strategies in order to get input from myself and the group, but you will not be graded on this slide.
We will then look at how evidence gets used and abused in policy debates, focussing specifically on the job creation numbers used to make arguments on behalf of the Keystone Pipeline. We will look at criticisms of the numbers by OMB Watch and others. We will ask: "What is the 'right' way to measure job-creation numbers?"
Having trouble writing quickly enough to meet writing deadlines? You may want to read this article on writing quickly. We will also do an exercise in class on quick memo writing.
Here is a suggested slide deck for your presentation. Note that the research strategy slide is optional since I did not ask for this under the "grading" page. You might want to use this slide to suggest some possible strategies in order to get input from myself and the group, but you will not be graded on this slide.
We will then look at how evidence gets used and abused in policy debates, focussing specifically on the job creation numbers used to make arguments on behalf of the Keystone Pipeline. We will look at criticisms of the numbers by OMB Watch and others. We will ask: "What is the 'right' way to measure job-creation numbers?"
Having trouble writing quickly enough to meet writing deadlines? You may want to read this article on writing quickly. We will also do an exercise in class on quick memo writing.
REQUIRED: Office hours meeting with instructor
Week Five (2/8): Step 4: Gathering Evidence: Measurement Strategies
Academic researchers make arguments based on evidence. While anyone can make a claim of fact, researchers do so based on three formal rules of measurement: sampling, validity and reliability. We will look at an academic article by Marina Alberiti, "Measuring Urban Sustainability", that looks at how we measure the sustainability of cities. We will see how she follows these rules of academic research, and talk about what we will need to do to follow these rules in our own research papers.
By this time, all students should have a ✔ or a ✔+ on their literature review, meaning that all that reading is complete and the student is embarked on collecting evidence to answer their research question. Each student should come to class prepared to answer the following questions:
Academic researchers make arguments based on evidence. While anyone can make a claim of fact, researchers do so based on three formal rules of measurement: sampling, validity and reliability. We will look at an academic article by Marina Alberiti, "Measuring Urban Sustainability", that looks at how we measure the sustainability of cities. We will see how she follows these rules of academic research, and talk about what we will need to do to follow these rules in our own research papers.
Sampling – picking what you study:
Validity – attempting to lessen bias:
Measurement – trickier than it seems:
Lab #3: Measuring your Carbon Footprint
Week Six (2/15): More on Validity
This class will provide more training in research design, issues of validity and reliability, iterating between your research question and the evidence you collect, etc. Class will run from 10-12.
REQUIRED: Office hour meeting with me, 8-10.
If you are doing either case studies or Policy Evaluation, you should look at the links below.
This class will provide more training in research design, issues of validity and reliability, iterating between your research question and the evidence you collect, etc. Class will run from 10-12.
REQUIRED: Office hour meeting with me, 8-10.
If you are doing either case studies or Policy Evaluation, you should look at the links below.
Case Studies:
Policy Evaluation:
Week Seven (2/22): Update -- Steps 1-4 Drafts Due
- How has your research question evolved?
- How does your method of gathering evidence relate to your research question?
- How can you defend your method as both reliable and valid?
Week Eight (2/29): Tradeoffs and Policy Alternatives
We will read an article on policy options (TBA) and talk about the policy options section of your paper.
Week Nine (3/7): No class, required meeting with Professor, work on paper
Week Ten (3/14): Presentations -- Paper Due
