Course Syllabus: PPOL-G 631 Research Methods - II Michael P Johnson, Jr. University of Massachusetts Boston
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
University of Massachusetts Boston
From the SelectedWorks of Michael P. Johnson
Spring November 30, 2021
Course Syllabus: PPOL-G 631 Research Methods
II
Michael P Johnson, Jr.
Available at: https://works.bepress.com/michael_johnson/48/University of Massachusetts Boston
Department of Public Policy and Public Affairs
Public Policy Ph.D Program
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods for Public Policy II
Spring 2020
I. Course Administration
Course Meetings:
Wednesday, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM (Online via Zoom)
Professor:
Michael P. Johnson
McCormack Hall, 3rd floor, room 428A
617-287-6967
michael.johnson@umb.edu
Skype: michael.johnson.64
http://www.umb.edu/academics/mgs/faculty/michael_johnson/
Office Hours (Online via Zoom): Monday, 3 – 4 PM; Wednesday, 4 – 5 PM; Thursday, 8 – 9 PM
Course Description:
This is the second course of the research methods sequence that is required for students in the
PhD program in Public Policy. This course will prepare students to produce professional-quality
research and will provide exposure to a variety of special topics in policy analysis. Students will
design and implement a research project suitable for conference presentation or journal
submission that is relevant to their field of interest. The instructor, and guest lecturers as
appropriate, will present topics necessary to develop well-rounded policy researchers, as well as
special topics that are responsive to students’ particular needs.
The primary goal of this course is to help students understand how different research methods
can complement each other to create high-quality research, and to build a community of scholars
that provides substantive yet critical assessments of research progress, as opposed to a mastery of
individual research methods alone. This course will strive to balance discussion of research
methods that may be new to many students, and discussion of students’ own research projects.
Between sixty and eighty minutes of each lecture will be spent discussing readings; the
remainder of each lecture will be devoted to student presentations and critiques of their own
research products which represent their progress towards a conference-quality paper. Where
appropriate, students will be asked to distribute their assignments, sometimes in incomplete draft
form, to classmates for review and discussion.
Lecture topics include quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research methods. Students will
present their own research project in stages throughout the semester and receive feedback on
their progress. They will submit and present their final paper at the end of the semester.
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 1 rev. 4/30/20Topics covered:
Qualitative methods: Text and media content analysis; problem structuring methods and
value-focused thinking
Quantitative methods: Simulation; decision modeling; statistics and econometrics
Policy analysis: Model development; cost-benefit analysis; evaluation; systems thinking
Research design, tools, frameworks: Writing research papers; social experiments; mixed-
methods analysis, transdisciplinary thinking; archival research; community-engaged
operations research
Grading Policy:
The grade allocation is as follows:
Course Component Proportion of Final Grade
Assignments (5) 30%
Course project 50%
Class participation 20%
Assignments consist of components of an actual research project: paper prospectus, literature
review, conceptual framework, outline, data analysis.
The course project is intended to result in a professional-quality research paper, one that could be
submitted for presentation at an academic conference or for publication in an academic journal.
Such a paper requires extensive preparation; therefore, students may consider choosing a topic
that represents an extension of the research proposal they prepared in PPOL-G 630 Research
Methods I, or which extends work they have performed in previous or current research
assistantships. The course paper will address:
A contemporary, policy-relevant problem;
A conceptual framework that explicates the organizational, political and/or policy context
within which the problem of interest can be situated and understood;
A theoretical framework that generates propositions or
Hypotheses that may be evaluated in a rigorous way;
Collection of data, from secondary sources, or, where possible, primary sources;
Support for propositions or hypotheses using models and methods from core Public
Policy PhD program courses, or other well-known methods, applied to data gathered
specifically for this paper, and
Discussion of significance of findings, limitations of analysis and next steps.
Expectations for paper length will be consistent with those that typically apply for academic
conferences: 15 - 20 pages, 1.5-spaced, exclusive of references, figures & tables, and appendices.
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 2 rev. 4/30/20Class participation consists of productive, informed verbal contributions during lectures,
presentations of in-progress research and constructive feedback for classmates’ presentations,
and presentation of final paper. Students are expected to have completed all assigned readings by
the start of the week’s class meeting. Interim drafts of assignments and feedback on these drafts
from writing partners should be posted on the Blackboard discussion board.
This course, though designed for doctoral students, welcomes master’s students. Masters student
course requirements are identical to those of doctoral students. However, it is understood that
master’s students bring a different set of experiences, perspectives and expectations to the course
as compared with doctoral students. For example, master’s student contributions to the class, in
both written and oral form, are more likely to reflect their current employment experiences. They
may have less time or inclination to explore scholarly resources beyond the required readings.
They have not received training in theories and analytic methods that are intended to produce
independent scholars. Therefore, I will evaluate and grade master’s student course submissions
in comparison to each other master’s students, and not in comparison to doctoral students. I will
apply norms for master’s student grading that reflect the range of quality of submissions and my
subjective assessment of the capabilities of the master’s students.
Readings:
Required (for purchase):
Creswell, John W. 2014. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods
Approaches, Fourth Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. ISBN: 978-1-
4522-2610-1.
Stokey, Elizabeth and Richard Zeckhauser. 1978. A Primer for Policy Analysis. New York:
W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN: 978-0393090987.
Required (excerpts available on Blackboard):
Agresti, A. and B. Finlay. 2008. Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences, 4th Edition.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice-Hall. ISBN: 978-0130272959.
Baum, J.A.C. (Ed.) 2002. The Blackwell Companion to Organizations. Oxford, UK:
Blackwell Publishers, Ltd. ISBN: 978-0631216957.
Briggs, X., Popkin, S.J. and J. Goering. 2010. Moving to Opportunity: The Story of an
American Experiment to Fight Ghetto Poverty. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
ISBN: 978-0195392845.
Creswell, J.W. and V.L. Plano Clark. 2011. Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods
Research, 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. ISBN: 978-
1412975179.
Desai, A. (Ed.) 2012. Simulation for Policy Inquiry. New York: Springer. ISBN: 978-
1461416647.
Edwards, W., Miles, R.F. Jr., D. von Winterfeldt. 2007. Advances in Decision Analysis:
From Foundations to Applications. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN:
978-0521682305.
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 3 rev. 4/30/20Fisher, F., Miller, G.J. and M.S. Sidney (Eds). 2007. Handbook of Public Policy Analysis:
Theory, Politics and Methods. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. ISBN: 978-1574445619.
Greenberg, D., Linksz, D. and M. Mandell. 2003. Social Experimentation and Public
Policymaking. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute Press. ISBN: 978-
0877667117.
Hart, C. 1998. Doing a Literature Review: Releasing the Social Science Research
Imagination. London: SAGE Publications, Ltd. ISBN: 0761959750.
Hedrick, T.E., Bickman, L. and D.J. Rog. 1993. Applied Research Design: A Practical
Guide. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. ISBN: 978-0803932340.
Johnson, M.P. (Ed.) 2012. Community-Based Operations Research: Decision Modeling for
Local Impact and Diverse Populations. New York: Springer. ISBN: 978-1-4614-
0805-5.
Johnson, M.P., Hollander, J. and E.D. Kinsey. 2020. Supporting Shrinkage: Better Planning
and Decision-Making for Legacy Cities, manuscript under development.
Johnson, M.P., Keisler, J., Solak, S., Turcotte, D., Bayram, A. and R.B. Drew. 2016.
Decision Science for Housing and Community Development: Localized and
Evidence-Based Responses to Distressed Housing and Blighted Communities. New
York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 978-1-118-97499-5.
Joymer, R.L., Rouse, W.A. and A.A. Glatthorn. 2013. Writing the Winning Thesis or
Dissertation, 3rd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. ISBN: 978-1452258782.
Kim, D.H. 1992. Systems Archetypes I: Diagnosing Systemic Issues and Designing High-
Leverage Interventions. Waltham, MA: Pegasus Communications. ISBN: 1-883823-
00-5.
Kirst, M., Schaefer-McDaniel, N., Hwang, S. and P. O’Campo (Eds.) 2011. Converging
Disciplines: A Transdisciplinary Research Approach to Urban Health Problems.
New York: Springer. ISBN: 978-1-4419-6329-1.
Leavy, P. 2011. Essentials of Transdisciplinary Research: Using Problem-Centered
Methodologies. Abington, Oxon, UK: Routledge. ISBN: 978-1598745931.
Locke, L.F., Spirduso, W.W. and S.J. Silverman. 2014. Proposals that Work: A Guide for
Planning Dissertations and Grant Proposals, 6th Edition. Los Angeles: SAGE
Publications. ISBN: 978-1452216850.
Meadows, D.H. 2008. Thinking in Systems: A Primer. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea
Green Publishing Company.
Midgley, G. 2001. Systemic Intervention: Philosophy, Methodology, Practice. New York:
Springer. ISBN: 978-0306464881.
Neuendorf, K.A. 2016. The Content Analysis Guidebook, 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA:
SAGE Publications, Inc. ISBN: 978-1412979474.
Neuendorf, K.A. 2001. The Content Analysis Guidebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
Publications, Inc. ISBN: 978-0761919780.
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 4 rev. 4/30/20Roberts, C.M. 2010. The Dissertation Journey, 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
ISBN: 978-1412977982.
Spadero, A. (Ed.) 2007. Microsimulation as a Tool for the Evaluation of Public Policies:
Methods and Applications. Bilbao, Spain: Fundación BBVA. ISBN: 978-84-96515-
17-8.
Strober, M.H. 2010. Interdisciplinary Conversations: Challenging Habits of Thought. Palo
Alto, CA: Stanford University Press. ISBN: 978-0804772310.
Studenmund, A.H. 2000. Using Econometrics: A Practical Guide, 4th Edition. New York:
Addison-Wesley. ISBN: 978-0321064813.
Selected journal articles, book chapters, research reports and white papers.
Supplementary:
Hindle, G.A. and R. Vidgen. 2018. Developing a business analytics methodology: A case
study in the foodbank sector. European Journal of Operational Research 268: 836–
851. doi: 10.1016/j.ejor.2017.06.031.
Johnson, M.P., Solak, S., Drew, R.B. and J. Keisler. 2013. Property Value Impacts of
Foreclosed Housing Acquisitions under Uncertainty. Socio-Economic Planning
Sciences 47(4): 292 – 308. doi: 10.1016/j.seps.2013.07.003.
Keeney, R.L. 1996. Value-Focused Thinking: A Path to Creative Decisionmaking.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN: 978-0674931985.
Krippendorf, K.A. 2018. Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology, 4th Edition.
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. ISBN: 978-1506395661.
Midgley, G. and A. E. Ochoa-Arias, Eds. 2004. Community Operational Research: OR and
Systems Thinking for Community Development. New York: Kluwer
Academic/Plenum Publishers. ISBN: 978-1-4613-4716-3.
Neuendorf, K.A. 2006. The Content Analysis Guidebook Online. Web:
http://academic.csuohio.edu/kneuendorf/content/.
Maxwell, J.A. 2012. Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach, 3rd Edition.
Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. ISBN: 978-1412981194.
Patton, M.Q. 2010. Developmental Evaluation: Applying Complexity Concepts to Enhance
Innovation and Use. New York: Guilford Press. ISBN: 978-1606238721.
Richards, L. 2006. “Teach-yourself NVivo 7: The Introductory Tutorials”. Web:
http://download.qsrinternational.com/Document/NVivo7/NVivo7_Tutorials_Lyn_Ri
chards.pdf. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
Schutt, R.K. 2014. Investigating the Social World: The Process and Practice of Research,
8th Edition. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications. ISBN: 978-1483350677.
Strauss, A. and J. Corbin. 1998. Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures
for Producing Grounded Theory, 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
Publications. ISBN: 978-0803959408.
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 5 rev. 4/30/20Van Evera, S. 1997. Guide to Methods for Students of Political Science. Ithaca, NY: Cornell
University Press. ISBN: 978-0801484575.
Weiss, R.S. 1995. Learning from Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview
Studies. New York: The Free Press. ISBN: 978-0684823126.
Zheng, K., Padman, R., Krackhardt, D., Johnson, M.P. and H.S. Diamond. 2010. Social
Networks and Physician Adoption of Electronic Health Records: Insights from a
Pilot Study. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association 17(3): 328 –
336. doi: 10.1136/jamia.2009.000877.
Readings designated as “Required (for purchase)” are available at the UMass Boston bookstore,
or from commercial vendors. Readings designated as “Required (excerpts available on
Blackboard)” or “Supplementary” may be downloaded from the Blackboard Learn course
website or directly from the Internet. Readings will be assigned the week before the lecture in
which they are to be discussed.
Lecture and Lab Resources:
All class meetings will take place in McCormack Hall, third floor, room 440 (M-3-440; Public
Policy conference room) unless otherwise indicated in the syllabus. Some class meetings, or
portions thereof, that require access to software will use the Public Policy and Public Affairs
Department computer lab, M-3-414 or other venues. The Public Policy and Public Affairs
computer lab is available for student use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Access to this lab
requires a key code available from the professor.
***Modified March 24, 2020: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all instruction at UMass
Boston has been moved online. All lectures from March 25 – May 13 will be online, accessible
via Zoom voice & video. Online class meetings will be recorded and posted to Blackboard.
Web Resources:
This course has a Blackboard Learn course management website containing lectures, readings,
assignments, Internet resources and a discussion board for questions of general interest and
responses. The instructor will post general questions received by email, and responses to these
questions to the Blackboard discussion board.
To access the Blackboard Learn course page:
Go to https://umb.umassonline.net/;
Enter your UMass Boston email username (the part before “@umb.edu”) and password;
Choose “PPOL-G 631 P 1 01 Research Methods II Spring 2020” from the “My Courses”
portion of the “My UMass Boston” page.
Other websites that may have resources relevant to our course content include:
Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM):
http://www.appam.org/.
Urban Affairs Association: http://urbanaffairsassociation.org/.
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 6 rev. 4/30/20 Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning: https://www.acsp.org/default.aspx.
INFORMS Online: Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences:
http://www.informs.org/.
Accommodations:
Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 offers guidelines for curriculum
modifications and adaptations for students with documented disabilities. If applicable, students
may obtain adaptation recommendations from the Ross Center for Disability Services, M-1-401,
617-287-7430. The student must present these recommendations and discuss them with each
professor within a reasonable period, preferably by the end of Drop/Add period.
Written Work:
Students are encouraged to use the American Psychological Association (APA) style standards in
their written work. I encourage students to utilize the Graduate Writing Center when necessary.
The Center’s website is:
https://www.umb.edu/academics/vpass/academic_support/tutoring/graduate_writing_center. A
related website is http://blogs.umb.edu/gwc/. It is important to seek assistance from the Center
earlier, rather than later, in the semester.
Student Conduct:
Students are required to adhere to the University of Massachusetts Boston Student Code of
Conduct. The Code is available online at:
https://www.umb.edu/life_on_campus/dean_of_students/student_conduct. See particularly
Appendix B: Academic Honesty
(https://www.umb.edu/editor_uploads/images/life_on_campus/FINALUMBCode9-5-18-
Appendix_B_V2.pdf). Section I of this appendix states in part, that:
“The University defines violations to include, but not be limited to, the following:
1. Submitting as one’s own an author’s published or unpublished work (e.g. material from a
journal, Internet site, newspaper, encyclopedia), in whole, in part, or in paraphrase,
without fully and properly crediting the author.
2. Submitting as one’s own work or materials obtained from another student, individual, or
agency without full and proper attribution.
3. Submitting as one’s own work material that has been produced through unacknowledged
or unauthorized collaboration with others.
4. Submitting substantially the same work to more than one course without prior approval
from all instructors involved: i.e., dual or multiple submission.”
You are encouraged to visit and review the UMass website on Plagiarism & Citations:
https://umb.libguides.com/c.php?g=351180.
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 7 rev. 4/30/20II. Class Meeting Schedule
Date Topic Description
January 29 Lecture #1 - Reading:
Introduction to Stokey and Zeckhauser:
policy analysis
Chapter 1, “Thinking About Policy Choices”, p. 1 –
7.
Chapter 2, “Models: A General Discussion”, p. 8 –
21.
Discussion: Preliminary ideas for semester paper
Assignment #1: 1-page paper prospectus: topic, goal,
research question, data, methods, anticipated research
questions, significance (due February 12)
February 5 Lecture #2 – Reading:
Writing a Required:
research paper,
Part I: Academic Creswell, Chapter 1, “The Selection of a Research
paper Approach”, p. 1 – 23.
fundamentals Hedrick, Bickman and Rog:
Chapter 1, “The Nature of Applied Research”, p. 1 –
14.
Chapter 2, “Defining the Focus of the Research”, p.
15 – 37.
“PhD: How to write a great research paper”.
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AYxMbYZQ
1Y.
Joymer, Rouse, and Glatthorn, Chapter 12: “Mastering
the Academic Style”, p. 170 – 192.
Locke, Spirduso, and Silverman, Chapter 7: “Style and
Form in Writing the Proposal”, p. 127 – 136.
Santiago, A.M., Galster, G.C., Kaiser, A.A., Santiago-
San-Roman, A., Grace, R.A. and A.W. Linn. 2010.
Low-Income Homeownership: Does it Necessarily
Mean Sacrificing Neighborhood Quality to Buy a
Home? Journal of Urban Affairs 32(2): 171 – 198.
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9906.2009.00478.x.
Optional:
“How to Write a Scientific Research Paper, Part 1”
YouTube:
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 8 rev. 4/30/20Date Topic Description
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oAFVHb21H
M
“How to Write a Scientific Research Paper, Part 2”
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QV2c6QKsM
A&feature=fvwrel
“How to Write a Scientific Research Paper, Part 3”
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuwFDwVWp
4A&feature=relmfu
Discussion: Progress towards paper prospectus
February 12 Lecture #3 – Reading:
Writing a Required:
research paper,
Part II: Literature Creswell, Chapter 2, “Review of the Literature”, p. 25
reviews – 50.
Hart, Chapter 1, “The Literature Review in Research”,
p. 1 – 25.
Lee, H. 2010. “Using Concept Maps to Organize
Reviews of Literature”. Web:
https://www.causeweb.org/cause/sites/default/files
/webinars/materials/2010-04-06.ppt.
NCSU Libraries. 2016. “Literature Reviews: An
Overview for Graduate Students”. YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2d7y_r65HU.
Roberts, Chapter 9, “Reviewing the Literature”, p. 85
– 110.
Jiminez-Castellanos, O. 2010. Relationship Between
Educational Resources and School Achievement:
A Mixed Method Intra-District Analysis. Urban
Review 42:351–371. doi: 10.1007/s11256-010-
0166-6.
Optional:
Johnson, M.P., Hollander, J. and Kinsey, E.D. 2020.
Supporting Shrinkage: Better Planning and
Decision-Making for Legacy Cities, in
development. “Chapter 2: What Can Data and
Technology Do for Shrinking Cities and Distressed
Communities?”
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 9 rev. 4/30/20Date Topic Description
Discussion: Completed paper prospectus
Assignment #2: Literature review and
conceptual/theoretical framework (due March 6)
February 19 Lecture #4 – Reading:
Writing a Stokey and Zeckhauser, Chapter 3, “The Model of
research paper, Choice”, p. 22 – 44.
part III:
Theoretical and Creswell, Chapter 3, “The Use of Theory”, p. 51 – 76.
conceptual Roberts, Chapter 11, “Writing the Introduction”, p.
frameworks 129 - 134
Levin, J. and S. Tadelis. 2010. Contracting for
Government Services: Theory and Evidence from
U.S. Cities. The Journal of Industrial Economics
58(3): 507 - 541. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-
6451.2010.00430.x.
Discussion: Progress towards literature review and
conceptual/theoretical framework
Assignment #1 (Paper prospectus) graded & returned
February 26 Lecture #5 – Reading:
Mixed methods Required:
research
Creswell, Chapter 10, “Mixed Methods Procedures”,
p. 215 – 240.
Commonwealth of Learning. 2004. Module A5: Mixed
Research Methods. Practitioner Research and
Evaluation Skills Training in Open and Distance
Learning. Web:
http://www.col.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/A5.p
df.
Horne, S., Scales Rostosky, S. and E.D.B. Riggle.
2011. Impact of Marriage Restriction Amendments
on Family Members of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual
Individuals: A Mixed-Method Approach. Journal
of Social Issues 67(2): 358 – 375. doi:
10.1111/j.1540-4560.2011.01702.x.
Optional:
Creswell and Plano Clark:
Chapter 1, “The Nature of Mixed Methods
Research”, p. 1 – 18.
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 10 rev. 4/30/20Date Topic Description
Chapter 2, “The Foundations of Mixed Methods
Research”, p. 19 – 52.
Discussion: Progress towards literature review and
conceptual/theoretical framework
March 4 Lecture #6 – Reading:
Variable Studenmund, Chapter 6, “Specification: Choosing the
specification Independent Variables” p. 156 – 197.
Agresti and Finlay, Chapter 10, “Introduction to
Multivariate Relationships”, p. 301 – 320.
Manturuk, K., Lindblad, M. and R. Quercia. 2010.
Friends and Neighbors: Homeownership and
Social Capital among Low-to-Moderate Income
Families. Journal of Urban Affairs 32(4): 471 –
488. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9906.2010.00494.x.
Discussion: Progress towards literature review and
conceptual/theoretical framework (due March 6)
Assignment #3: Data and analytic methods (due April 3)
March 11 Lecture #7 - Reading:
Policy evaluation Stokey and Zeckhauser:
and cost-benefit
analysis Chapter 9, “Project Evaluation: Benefit-Cost
Analysis”, p. 134 – 158.
Chapter 10, “The Valuation of Future
Consequences: Discounting”, p. 159 – 167
Fisher, Miller and Sidney:
Chapter 26, “Policy Evaluation and Evaluation
Research”, p. 393 – 402.
Chapter 31: “Cost-Benefit Analysis”, p. 465 – 480.
Martin, F. 2001. Should Cities Subsidize Nonprofit
International Organizations? A Case Study and
Cost Benefit Analysis. Journal of Urban Affairs
23(3 – 4): 361 – 373. doi: 10.1111/0735-
2166.00094.
Discussion: Progress towards data and analytic methods
section
Assignment #2 (Literature review and
conceptual/theoretical framework) graded & returned
March 18: No class – Spring Break
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 11 rev. 4/30/20Date Topic Description
March 25 Lecture #8 - Reading:
Content analysis
Neuendorf (2016):
(Jennifer Gregg,
guest lecturer) Chapter 1, “Defining Content Analysis”, p. 1 – 25.
[ONLINE] Chapter 2, “Milestones in the History of Content
Analysis”, p. 27 – 45.
Larsen, A.L. and N.L. Rahn. 2014. Vocabulary
Instruction on Sesame Street: A Content Analysis
of the Word on the Street Initiative. Language,
Speech and Hearing Services in Schools 46: 207 –
221. doi: 10.1044/2015_LSHSS-14-0079.
Segev, S., Fernandes, J. and C. Hong. 2016. Is Your
Product Really Green? A Content Analysis to
Reassess Green Advertising. Journal of
Advertising 45(1): 85 – 93. doi:
10.1080/00913367.2015.1083918.
Discussion: Progress towards data and analytic methods
section
April 1 Lecture #9 – Reading:
Systems thinking Required:
[ONLINE] Meadows, Chapter 1, “The Basics”, p. 11 – 34.
Midgley, Chapter 1, “Systems Thinking for the 21st
Century”, p. 1 – 16.
Lane, D.C., Munro, E. and E. Husemann. 2016.
Blending Systems Thinking Approaches for
Organisational Analysis: Reviewing Child
Protection in England. European Journal of
Operational Research 215: 613 – 623. doi:
10.1016/j.ejor.2015.10.041.
Optional:
Caffrey, L. and E. Munro. 2017. A Systems Approach
to Policy Evaluation. Evaluation 23(4): 463 – 478.
doi: 10.1177/1356389017730727.
Kim, p. 5 – 7.
Discussion: Progress towards data and analytic methods
section
Assignment #4: Paper outline (due April 17)
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 12 rev. 4/30/20Date Topic Description
April 8 Lecture #10 – Reading:
Social Greenberg, Linksz, and Mandell:
experiments
Chapter 2, “Social Experimentation”, p. 11 – 44.
[ONLINE]
Chapter 3, “Conceptual Framework and
Methodology”, p. 45 – 64.
Fisher, Miller and Sidney, Chapter 25, “Social
Experiments and Public Policy”
Briggs, Popkin and Goering:
Chapter 1, “Places and Lives”, p. 3 – 24.
Chapter 3, “Great Expectations and Muddling
Through”, p. 44 – 66.
Chapter 4, “The Unequal Geography of
Opportunity”, p. 67 – 85.
Chapter 10, “Lessons”, p. 223 – 237.
Appendix, “Studying Moving to Opportunity”, p.
239 – 251.
Discussion: Progress towards paper outline
Assignment #3 (Data and analytic methods section)
graded & returned
April 15 Lecture #11 – Reading:
Qualitative
Required:
methods in
decision Smith, C.M. and D. Shaw. 2019. The Characteristics
modeling of Problem Structuring Methods: A Literature
Review. European Journal of Operational
(Maria Pache de
Research 274: 403 – 426. doi:
Athayde, guest 10.1016/j.ejor.2018.05.003.
lecturer)
Keeney, R.L. 1996. Value-Focused Thinking:
[ONLINE] Identifying Decision Opportunities and Creating
Alternatives. European Journal of Operational
Research 92: 537 – 549. doi: 10.1016/0377-
2217(96)00004-5.
Edwards, Miles and von Winterfeldt:
Chapter 1, “Introduction”, p. 1 – 12.
Chapter 18, “What Have We Learned from Our
Mistakes?”, p. 351 – 374.
Keisler, J., Turcotte, D.A., Drew, R. and M.P.
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 13 rev. 4/30/20Date Topic Description
Johnson. 2014. Value-Focused Thinking for
Community-Based Organizations: Objectives and
Acceptance in Local Development. EURO Journal
on Decision Processes 2: 221 – 246. doi:
10.1007/s40070-014-0032-y.
Optional:
Keeney. R.L. 2012. Value-Focused Brainstorming.
Decision Analysis 9(4): 303 – 313.
Mingers, J. 2009. “Taming Hard Problems with Soft
O.R.” OR/MS Today, April 2009. Web:
https://pubsonline.informs.org/do/10.1287/LYTX.
2009.04.04/full/.
Ranyard, J.C., Fildes, R. and T.-I. Hu. 2015.
Reassessing the Scope of OR Practice: The
Influences of Problem Structuring Methods and the
Analytics Movement. European Journal of
Operational Research 245(1): 1 – 13. doi:
10.1016/j.ejor.2015.01.058.
Discussion: Progress towards paper outline
Assignment #5: Preliminary findings (due May 8)
April 22 Lecture #12 - Reading:
Transdisciplinary
Required:
research (Rosalyn
Negron, guest Leavy, Chapter 1: “Transdisciplinarity: Disciplinary
lecture) to Transdisciplinary Knowledge-Building”, p. 13
– 35.
[ONLINE]
Max-Neef, M.A. 2005. Foundations of
Transdisciplinarity. Ecological Economics 53: 5
– 6. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.01.014
Spreng, D. 2014. Transdisciplinary Energy
Research: Reflecting the Context. Energy
Research & Social Science 1: 65 – 73. doi:
10.1016/j.erss.2014.02.005.
Strober, Chapter 3, “Difficult Dialogues: Talking
Across Cultures”, p. 31 – 49.
Optional:
Lang, D.J., Wiek, A., Bergmann, M., Stauffacher,
M., Martens, P., Moll, P., Swilling, M. and C.J.
Thomas. 2008. Transdisciplinary Research in
Sustainability Science: Practice, Principles, and
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 14 rev. 4/30/20Date Topic Description
Challenges. Sustainability Science 7
(Supplement 1): 25 – 43. doi: 10.1007/s11625-
011-0149-x.
Discussion: Progress towards preliminary findings
Assignment #4 (Paper outline) graded & returned
April 29 Lecture #13 – Reading:
Archival research
Lee, A. “How (and How Not) to Use Archival Sources
(Jessica Holden, in Political Science”. Working paper. Web:
Healey Library, http://www.rochester.edu/college/faculty/alexande
guest lecture) r_lee/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/archives.pdf.
[ONLINE] Schmidt, L. 2016. “Using Archives: A Guide to
Effective Research.” Society of American
Archivists. Web:
https://www2.archivists.org/usingarchives.
Baum, Chapter 35, “Archival Research Methods”, p.
805 – 828.
“Collecting and Using Archival Data.” Community
Tool Box, University of Kansas,
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-
contents/evaluate/evaluate-community-
interventions/archival-data/main.
Healey Library: “Primary Sources for Online
Learning”,
https://umb.libguides.com/primarysourcesonline.
One of the following:
Burgoon, B., Fine, J., Jacoby, W. and D. Tichenor.
2010. Immigration and the Transformation of
American Unionism. The International Migration
Review 44(4): 933 – 973. doi: 10.1111/j.1747-
7379.2010.00831.x.
or
Iveson, K. 2014. Building a City For ‘The People’:
The Politics of Alliance-Building in the Sydney
Green Ban Movement. Antipode 46(4): 992 –
1013. doi: 10.1111/anti.12047.
Class activity: “Sample primary source exercise”,
https://umb.libguides.com/c.php?g=1014687&p=7356
867.
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 15 rev. 4/30/20Date Topic Description
Discussion: Progress towards preliminary findings
May 6 Lecture #14 – Reading:
Simulation Stokey and Zeckhauser, Chapter 6, “Simulation”.
[ONLINE] Desai, Chapter 1, “Public Policy Inquiry and
Simulations”, pp. 1 – 13. doi: 10.1007/978-1-
4614-1665-4_1.
Kiel, D. 2006. A Primer for Agent-Based Modeling in
Public Administration: Exploring Complexity in
“Would-Be” Administrative Worlds. Public
Administration Quarterly 29(3): 268 – 296.
Schelling, T.C. 1971. Dynamic Models of
Segregation. The Journal of Mathematical
Sociology 1(2): 143 – 186. doi:
10.1080/0022250X.1971.9989794.
Spadero, Chapter 4, “Microsimulation of Health Care
Policies”, p. 113 – 147.
Discussion: Progress towards preliminary findings
Final paper: Due Friday, May 24
May 13 Lecture #15 – Reading:
Community- Johnson, Chapter 1, “Community-Based Operations
engaged Research: Introduction, Theory and Applications”,
operations p. 3 – 36. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4614-0806-2_1.
research
Johnson, M.P., Midgley, G. and G. Chichirau. 2018.
[NO CLASS Emerging Trends and New Frontiers in
MEETING. Community Operational Research. European
Students will post Journal of Operational Research 268(3): 1178 -
two questions 1191. doi: 10.1016/j.ejor.2017.11.032.
about CBOR to
the Blackboard Ferretti, V. and E. Gandino. 2018. Co-Designing the
discussion board. Solution Space for Rural Regeneration in a New
Prof. Johnson will World Heritage Site: A Choice Experiments
respond to a Approach. European Journal of Operational
select group of Research 268(3): 1077 – 1091. doi:
question via a 10.1016/j.ejor.2017.10.003.
video posted to Assignment #5 (Preliminary findings) graded and returned
Blackboard.]
May 20 Final paper presentations
Final papers due Sunday, May 24 at midnight
PPOL-G 631 Research Methods II syllabus 16 rev. 4/30/20You can also read
