Research Methods in Communication Studies (201-DL-20)
Instructors
TJ Billard
Meeting Info
Online: TBA
Overview of class
Social science research informs the practices of various actors, ranging from government to business to nonprofit corporations and beyond. But in order for social scientific knowledge to be used correctly and well, certain principles pertaining to both research methods and data interpretation must be understood. In this introductory research methods course, students will both evaluate the quality and meaning of social scientific research and put the principles of effective research into professional practice. They will also evaluate popular media representations of social scientific research. This work will involve critically analyzing the ways journalists represent the truthfulness, reliability, and validity of social science research; critiquing the design and interpretation of published social science research studies; and evaluating the ethics of research design, implementation, and publication.
The course is conducted completely online. A technology fee will be added to tuition.
Registration Requirements
Prerequisites: none
Learning Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to
Identify the elements of effective research design using qualitative and quantitative social scientific methods.
Interpret data from social scientific research studies and draw appropriate conclusions.
Evaluate the quality and validity of research findings in published social scientific studies.
Critique journalistic representations of social scientific research findings, assessing their accuracy and bias.
Construct effective research designs for use in professional situations in communication industries.
Communicate the results of social scientific research studies in written and oral formats.
Class Attributes
Asynchronous:Remote class-no scheduled mtg time