1. Quantitative Research Methods and Analysis What is your superpower?
Sociology 364
Quantitative Research Methods and Analysis
What is your superpower?

2. Why you should take this course
A short rant

3. Intellectual Reasons As a person Appreciate data Better listener
Informed consumer
Facts “everyone knows”

4. Social Facts (?)
* Philosophy majors score higher on the LSAT than Sociology majors do
* Owning a home leads to higher grades for child
* Going to church makes you fat
* Feminists make better partners

5. Correlation does not equal causation!!

6. SPSS Tattoos?

7. Instrumental Reasons Required for your degree
Tell your parents you are learning something useful
Survey methods and SPSS on resume
Social science, public sector, public policy, marketing, financial analysis, risk assessment, education, human resources
Washington Post Job Search
Bring resume to class exercise

8. Intellectual Reasons, pt. 2
As a sociologist
Move beyond consumption to discovery
Fun??
Create new knowledge
Community Service Learning
Rappahannock Legal Services
UMW Campus Climate
Fredericksburg Survey of Homeless Attitudes
Intentional Communities

9. Rappahannock Legal Services
Repeat
Contact: Ann Kloeckner (Wednesday)
Needs Assessment Survey to be updated, disseminated, entered, analyzed
Issues: legal issues, poverty, inequality, race/ethnicity, gender, immigrant status
Target N: 100+ low income residents
Involves travel to Tappahannock and Culpeper if available

10. UMW Campus Climate Repeat
Contact: Leah Cox, Diversity & Inclusion (Wednesday)
Campus survey to assess discrimination
Issues: student discrimination, race/ethnicity, gender, class, religion, politics, sexual orientation, campus activities
Survey: updated, disseminated, entered, analyzed
Target N: All UMW students

11. Attitudes about Local Homeless
New
Contact: Fredericksburg Continuum of Care, Kate Gibson, Danielle O’Leary (Friday)
Population: Residents of District 16
Surveys: N = 300, currently being administered; will need cleaning and analysis
Issues: attitudes about homeless population and knowledge of homeless issues and solutions; demographics

12. Intentional Communities
New
Contact: Dr. Schleef (Friday)
Needs Assessment Survey to be administered
Issues: intentional communities, inequalities, alternatives economies, what’s working, what isn’t, demographics
Survey: written, but to be tweaked and administered (some face to face, some on line), then entered and analyzed
Target N: 100 residents of 5+ communes
Will involve visiting communes