CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

Instructors: Daniela Baroffio Joyee Chatterjee David CraigOffice: ASC 321 ASC 321 ASC 321Office hours: Tu 9:00-11:00 am Tu 1:30-3:30 pm Tu 4:00-6:00 pm

W 12:00-2:00 pm W 10:00-12:00 noon Th 4:00-6:00 pmTh 9:00-11:00 am and by appointment and by appointmentTh 12:30-2:00 pmand by appointment

Email: baroffio@usc.edu jchatter@usc.edu davidcra@usc.edu

Instructors: Ben Lee Nithya Muthuswarmy Brad Shipley Matthew ZhouOffice: ASC 321 ASC 321 ASC 321 ASC 321Office hours: M 4:00-6:00 pm Tu 5:00-7:00 pm W 11:00-2:00 pm Tu 12:00-2:00 pm

Tu 4:00-6:00 pm W 5:00-6:15 pm W 5:00-6:15 pm W 12:00-2:00 pmTh 4:00-6:00 pm and by appointment and by appointment and by appointmentand by appointment

Email: bblee@usc.edu muthuswa@usc.edu shipley@usc.edu liuningz@usc.edu

Check your email linked to Blackboard regularly. The instructors rely on Blackboard’s email to inform students about class agenda and logistical details.

Course Description

What good is learning research methods? Is it like eating vegetables rather than strawberry cheesecake? Yes, it is. But like most vegetables, learning about research methods can be good for you.

Part of the goodness is that learning research methods can serve as a foundation for success in your professional lives. As professionals, part of your responsibilities will involve solving problems. And although solving problems successfully will require many resources (e.g., interpersonal and political skills), a fundamental ability is being able (1) to understand problems conceptually – to break problems down into their important parts and have a sense of how the parts relate to one another and to the whole; and (2) to obtain and analyze relevant data. Conceptualizing problems, and obtaining and analyzing data are two core skills you will refine by learning research methods.

To emphasize the value of learning research methods, consider this: in University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, research methods is a substantial part of a course called Decision Sciences in their highly-ranked MBA program. Research methods is offered in the same spirit at USC’s Marshall School of Business.

Students have taken advantage of this course (and the subsequent CMGT 597) to explore entrepreneurial ideas, test feasibility of business opportunities, and develop projects for clients. The skills you learn in this class will allow you to stand out in your profession as a creative thinker, with the additional ability to design and implement good assessment practices.

Another benefit of learning research methods is that, if you find it interesting, research is a viable career field. Graduates of this course have been hired by market research firms such as Lieberman Worldwide, Western Psychological Testing, and various other firms in research oriented roles.

More generally, in terms of completing your program at Annenberg, this course serves as an early start to the capstone course CMGT 597. A good capstone experience is to gain some expertise in a problem interesting and important to you. You will start gaining or consolidating that expertise by learning more about the problem in this class's assigned project.

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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

Course Materials

Required materials

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th edition), by the American Psychological Association (2009).

APA: The Easy Way! (2nd edition), by Peggy M. Houghton and Timothy J. Houghton (2009).[Choice: If you are familiar with the Publication Manual, you do not need The Easy Way.]

They Say / I Say: The Moves that Matter in Persuasive Writing, by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein (2007).

The Science of Scientific Writing, by George D. Gopen and Judith A. Swan (in American Scientist, 78, 550-558) [available on Blackboard].

Supplemental materials Additional supplemental materials will be introduced as the course progresses.

Recommended materials Business Research Methods (10th edition) (abbreviated as BRM), by Donald Cooper and Pamela

S. Schindler (2006).

Materials on specific methods Moderating to the Max: A Full-Tilt Guide to Creative Insightful Focus Groups and Depth

Interviews, by Jean Bystedt and Gregg Fraley (2003). Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data (3rd edition), by Herbert J. Rubin and Irene S.

Rubin (2010). Case Study Research: Design and Methods (4th edition), by Robert K. Yin (2008).

Materials on writing The Bedford Handbook (8th edition), by Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers (2009). Line by Line: How to Edit Your Own Writing, by Claire Kehrwald Cook (1985)

(http://www.amazon.com/Line-How-Edit-Your-Writing/dp/0395393914/).

Documents on Blackboard

All the important documents detailing the course’s calendar and evaluation criteria are on Blackboard, under Syllabus & Other Controlling Documents. There you will find the course syllabus, and the documents “Course Project Specifications,” and “Evaluation of Papers.”

Also on Blackboard, under Lesson Materials, are the various supplemental materials for the specific sessions. For example, you will find

various articles on writing, to be covered in Week 3; materials on specific methods, such as focus groups and case studies.

Refer to Blackboard regularly for such materials.

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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

Evaluation of Performance

Course ProjectDescription of topic 02% Initial search and gathering of literature on topic 02% Analysis and discussion of writing 01%Writing – Introduction and initial literature review 12% Review of and comment on peers’ introduction 01%Writing – Revised introduction and expanded literature review 20%Writing – Method(s), including design of procedures and instruments 10%Review of and comment on peers’ methods 01%Writing: Revised paper (revised introduction, literature review, and methods) 40% (For all writing assignments, see “Evaluation of Papers” for specific components)

Test on Understanding Plagiarism 02%Test on Assigned Readings 02%Research Ethics Module 01%

Participation in Class 06%

Grading Practice and Philosophy

This course uses the following grading scheme:A 95.0% or higherA- 90.0%-94.9% B+ 87.0%-89.9%B 83.0%-86.9%B- 80.0%-82.9%C+ 77.0%-79.9%C 73.0%-76.9%C- 70.0%-72.9%D 60.0%-69.9%F 59.9% or lower

C- or lower is a failing grade.

To get a better sense of what these numbers mean, consider these scenarios.

You are a professional engaged by your client to deliver a service wrapped in the form of a project. The project earns a B or B+ grade, if you delivered the service competently, on time, within budget, and with adequate quality. Your client is reasonably pleased, and you are on her short list of people to call for the next job.

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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

To earn an A for the project means the equivalent of impressing your client, outperforming her expectations. For example, you manage to deliver on time and with quality even when the job scope and demands unexpectedly expand under unreasonable deadlines. This earns you the equivalent of being called first for another job, or being asked to join the client’s firm.

On the other side of the spectrum, a C- represents a minimally acceptable result, often delivered grudgingly. An example of a C- experience is this: You are at a local franchise restaurant ordering breakfast to go for your colleagues. The service staff packs your order, and moves on to the next customer. You check the bag, and realize that the receipt is missing. You ask for the receipt because you want to be able to show your colleagues what their order costs. However, the service staff says, “No, I can't give you a receipt because the order is closed.” You ask to talk to a supervisor. The supervisor comes to the counter. The staff and the supervisor then speak to each other in a non-English language, saying essentially, “What's her problem? What the eff does she want a receipt for?” You understand perfectly the non-English language, and you say to them, “I need the receipt to show my colleagues, to collect money from them. So give me my effing receipt.” The supervisor reopens the order, and gives you a receipt, making a tremendously displeased face the whole time. So, in this scenario, you got your food and your receipt, so the restaurant staff delivered, but the quality of your experience is poor. The restaurant in this scenario earns no better than a C-.

An example of earning a C- in this course would be turning in a 12-page report when the assignment asks for 20 pages, or otherwise failing to fulfill certain requirements.

A C- or lower represents failure. This may occur when a student misses the required meetings, or fails to turn in assignments, or fails to fulfill major project requirements, or fails to respond to instructors’ guidance. Committing plagiarism earns an F plus a recommendation for suspension or expulsion from the program.

Timing of Grades and Comments, and Response to Comments

The instructors often give comments on assignments before determining a grade, i.e., you receive comments first, grades later. Grading is better done only after the instructors have reviewed every student’s assignment, and developed a sense of the collective as well as the individual quality.

In their comments, the instructors often require that you revise and improve on multiple and specific parts of your assignments. You must revise and improve. You may not selectively respond to certain comments and ignore others. Not responding to instructors’ comments constitutes a risk for failure. If you do not agree with the instructor’s point, you must explain your position well.

Course Project

The course project is an opportunity for you to learn more about a topic interesting and important to you. The project is a multi-month effort that should represent your best intellectual and professional work to date.

Please refer to the document “Course Project Specifications” for details, available on Blackboard under Syllabus & Other Controlling Documents. The following are important administrative issues about delivery of assignments:

First, email is the primary way to deliver assignments, even when other ways (e.g. Turnitin on Blackboard) are required. Assignments must be emailed to designated instructors (specified for each assignment).

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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

Certain assignments must also be submitted via Turnitin on Blackboard. These assignments are: (1) introduction and initial literature review, (2) revised introduction, and expanded literature review, and (3) final revised paper. See the document “Course Project Specifications” for more detailed instructions. If you have trouble submitting assignments to TurnItIn, contact Matthew Zhou (liuningz@usc.edu).

Second, delivering your assignments on time is crucial to your success in this course and in CMGT 597. Successful delivery means that the assignment must be received (not merely sent) by the deadline. Note that between sending and receiving, even a well-functioning email system may take up to 5 minutes. Timeliness applies to both email and Turnitin deliverables. Late assignments incur significant penalties (e.g., half of the possible score at best). Any late assignment still has to be completed and delivered, or it may prevent you from completing the course.

Deadlines are set at 60 minutes before class starts that week (unless otherwise indicated). For example, the first project deliverable is due in Week 2; if you are in the Wednesday afternoon session, the deadline is September 3, 2014, 1:00 pm; if you are in the evening session, the deadline is September 3, 2014, 5:30 pm. If your submission (via either email or Turnitin) is received at 1:01 pm or 5:31 pm or later, it is late.

Third, all assignment submissions must be properly named, specifically for attached documents. For example, if your name is Cathy Tan, for the first submission, the attached document must be named:

Tan, Cathy C540-1 Topic Descriptions.

See the Course Project Specifications for each assignment’s name. Improperly naming documents annoys the instructors, who may impose a penalty for the submission.

Fourth, to confirm for yourself that the instructors have received your assignment, send it also to your email account. Doing so substitutes for asking the instructors to acknowledge receipt manually. The instructors are not being uncommunicative, but time spent replying 60 times per assignment is time better devoted to guiding you through your project.

Fifth, all documents should be in Microsoft Word format (to allow comments to be annotated on the document). All page length requirements are for double-spaced pages, with 1-inch margins, in 12-point Times New Roman font. Files must be readable, i.e., non-corrupted, either accidentally or deliberately. When receiving a file, the instructors will make one attempt to open and read it. If that fails, the instructors will ask you to resend. However, the resubmission will be considered as received at its own time, and if it is past the deadline, it is late.

Note: The instructors structure these disincentives for two reasons. The first is that we have found verbal instructions alone to be ineffective in inculcating successful actions. We have tried. After multiple semesters and hundreds of students, we realized that attaching a meaningful signal (in the form of grade penalties) works. The second and more important reason is to allow the instructors to serve you better (e.g., focus energy and time on the substantive arguments in your writing rather than on fiddling with file formats), and to encourage you to make progress in this intensely-paced course.

Writing Quality

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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

The course project demands much in terms of writing. The quality of your writing will significantly influence how instructors evaluate your work.

The instructors learned through many encounters that many students judge themselves to be good writers. This judgment is often over-optimistic. The writing demands in this course are very high, complex, and constant. Even competent writers will be challenged. Hence, be prepared to expend much effort in improving your writing. The instructors encourage you to be open and receptive to feedback for improving.

The effort to improve must come from you. The instructors will highlight where your writing needs to improve, and point you to resources. Then, it is your responsibility to use these resources to improve. One such resource is Communication Management’s writing instructor – Dr. Michael Robinson (cmgt@usc.edu). Contact Dr. Robinson about his writing workshops and consultation hours.

How will writing quality be evaluated? One basic component is writing mechanics. Good mechanics refer to careful attention to spelling, punctuation, and grammar; good grammar includes subject-verb agreement, appropriate use of parallel structures, absence of sentence fragments, and so on. Another aspect of mechanics is the use of proper vocabulary and expressions. For a refresher, refer to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar. More resources are listed at http://college.usc.edu/writingcenter/information_for_students/online_resources.html. Another conveniently packaged resource is the recommended text, The Bedford Handbook.

Another component of writing quality is organization. In a well-organized paper, the arguments flow smoothly; the transitions from one idea to another are well written, i.e., the reader knows when different arguments are being presented and can grasp the important and subtle distinctions. A well-organized paper respects the reader’s cognitive burden and shepherds the reader’s attention carefully. How to learn about organizing a paper well? Three good resources exist. The first is the article “The Science of Scientific Writing,” available on Blackboard. The second is the required text They Say / I Say, especially Chapter 8. The third is the recommended text Edit Yourself. Consult these resources, become familiar with their guidance, and implement in your writing.

The basic criterion is to communicate well to your readers (your instructors and your peers). If your readers cannot understand your writing due to flaws in grammar, vocabulary or organization, then the quality of your thinking cannot be appreciated. The instructors cannot spend minutes to decipher a sentence you wrote. You cannot ask instructors to ignore poor writing in order to focus on content.

A paper with good ideas but bad writing will earn a poor grade, as specified in the evaluation rubric (“Evaluation of Papers”). The demands are especially stringent. If your writing performs poorly in the quality requirement (i.e., scoring on the lowest category), it represents unsatisfactory performance. The instructors will require you to attend to those areas and revise before proceeding. For example, upon detecting the 8 th error in vocabulary, expression, spelling, punctuation, typography or other mechanics in your draft, the instructors will impose a score of “0” in that category, and may stop reading and return your paper. You then have to revise and resubmit within 7 days.

When evaluating your writing, the instructors may correct the first few language errors. Thereafter, the instructor may only indicate that flaws are present. In such instances, you must take the initiative to identify and correct those flaws, rather than expect instructors to perform that task.

For more details about writing quality and how the instructors will evaluate it, please refer to the document “Evaluation of Papers.”

Test on Understanding Plagiarism

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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

Plagiarism is a serious infraction in this course. We will devote significant energy to understand what constitutes plagiarism and how to not commit it. The lesson is on Week 3. After the lesson, to anchor the learning, you will be tested. The test will be administered via Blackboard online. More instructions will be provided in time.

Test(s) on Assigned Readings

The test(s) are meant to motivate you to read the assigned materials. The test(s) will consist of no more than 10 questions in multiple-choice or short answer format, to be completed within 10 minutes.

Why have the test(s)? They aim to give you the incentive to read the assigned materials before class. Previous experience with this class indicated that some students consistently avoid completing the assigned reading. Reading may be a chore, but it remains an important chore nonetheless. The readings are assigned to assist you in getting the most out of this class. Time in class is better spent discussing the important points in the material, rather than having the instructors transmit for the first time information that you can get from reading. With even a passing read of the material, we have a chance to learn more and more deeply, and have a better experience. Research on learning has consistently shown that students who engage with the material in multiple formats (e.g., through reading and then through listening in lecture) increase their absorption of the new knowledge.

Research Ethics Module

The research ethics module is a set of lessons focusing on the awareness and care you should take when you collect and present data about subjects. Refer to the document “Research Ethics Module;” it has explicit instructions on how to enroll. Complete the module by Week 10. Email Dr. Matthew Zhou (only, at liuningz@usc.edu) by the standard deadline a pdf or html of the web page indicating completion. Completing the research ethics module is a requirement before data collection. If you do not complete the research ethics module, you cannot proceed with your project.

Attendance and Punctuality, Participation and Attention in Class

Come to class. If you are not here, we cannot teach you, and you cannot learn from us. At the same time, the instructors understand that many of you are working professionals and also have personal commitments. So, we realize that you may be forced to miss an occasional class. You are therefore allowed one absence without penalty. Thereafter, the first unexcused absence costs 2% of the total grade, the second an additional 3%, the third an additional 5% (i.e., having three unexcused absences costs 10%). Being absent from more than three classes opens the possibility that you may fail the course.

Note that several class sessions are devoted to meetings with instructors. During those sessions, there will not be formal lessons taught in a classroom setting. Instead, the time is for you to meet with the instructors to review your project progress. During such sessions, an in-person meeting or another form of communication (approved by the instructor) constitutes attendance.

Come to class on time. Being on time is appreciated and is respectful to instructors and peers. Being late will incur half the penalty for absences, as will leaving early. If you leave early, inform the instructor in person if it will not disrupt the class; otherwise send an email within 24 hours to the instructors informing them of your early departure.

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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

Come to class prepared to discuss and ask questions about the material. Asking a question or contributing to the discussion counts as participation. Judgment of participation is based on the aggregate of instructors’ impressions gained throughout the semester. If you participate frequently and enthusiastically, you will earn the full score. You will not earn the full score by merely attending classes. Simply attending classes and only occasionally participating will result in a mediocre score (e.g., half of the possible score). If you are disengaged or disrespectful, you will earn zero.

Use of Laptops, Tablets and Smartphones During Class.

Many of you expect to be able to use your personal laptops and tablets in class. Such devices are useful, but also distracting. We know that with your device in front of you, you may be tempted to attend to Facebook, YouTube or IM while the instructors are teaching. As instructors, we find this very frustrating. Schools elsewhere (notably USC’s Marshall School of Business) have banned the use of laptops in their classes.

We would not like to impose such a blanket ban. Instead, for certain sessions, the instructors may specify laptops not to be used. Please adhere to such requirements. We operate more on principles, and the operating principle is mutual respect. The instructors are committed to provide you the best possible learning experience for a challenging course. In return, we ask that you extend us the basic courtesy of paying attention in class. Choosing not to do is a demonstration of disrespect, expressed as low scores in participation.

CMGT 597 Presentations

At the end of CMGT 597 a select number of students will make presentations on their projects. These presentations provide good insights into the form of your project in the near future. It is also a good way to learn about the work your peers are conducting. This semester these presentations will take place on Monday December 8, 6.00 pm. Attendance at these presentations is strongly encouraged. Typically, the session lasts about 90 minutes. More details will be announced later in the course.

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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

Statement on Academic Conduct and Support Systems 

Academic Conduct

Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a serious academic offense with serious consequences.  Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism in SCampus in Section 11, Behavior Violating University Standardshttps://scampus.usc.edu/1100-behavior-violating-university-standards-and-appropriate-sanctions/.  Other forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable.  See additional information in SCampus and university policies on scientific misconduct, http://policy.usc.edu/scientific-misconduct/.

Discrimination, sexual assault, and harassment are not tolerated by the university.  You are encouraged to report any incidents to the Office of Equity and Diversity http://equity.usc.edu/ or to the Department of Public Safety http://capsnet.usc.edu/department/department-public-safety/online-forms/contact-us.  This is important for the safety whole USC community.  Another member of the university community – such as a friend, classmate, advisor, or faculty member – can help initiate the report, or can initiate the report on behalf of another person.  The Center for Women and Men http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/cwm/ provides 24/7 confidential support, and the sexual assault resource center webpage sarc@usc.edu describes reporting options and other resources.

Support Systems

A number of USC’s schools provide support for students who need help with scholarly writing.  Check with your advisor or program staff to find out more.  Students whose primary language is not English should check with the American Language Institute http://dornsife.usc.edu/ali, which sponsors courses and workshops specifically for international graduate students.  The Office of Disability Services and Programs http://sait.usc.edu/academicsupport/centerprograms/dsp/home_index.htmlprovides certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations.  If an officially  declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency Information http://emergency.usc.edu/will provide safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued by means of blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technology.

Students with Disabilities

Students requesting academic accommodations based on a disability are required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP when adequate documentation is filed. Please be sure this letter is delivered to your instructors as early in the semester as possible. DSP is open Monday-Friday, 8:30-5:00. The office is in the Student Union 301, their number is (213) 740-0776.

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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

Aug 27, 2014 (W)Week 1All instructors

VENUE: Regular classroom

Materials to be distributed:Course Syllabus; Project Specifications; Evaluation of Papers; How Poor Writing Hurts; Plagiarism and How to Avoid Committing It; Ethics Module; Exercises on understanding plagiarism (to be discussed in Week 3).

Discussion: Review course syllabus; C540’s relation to C597.Overview of the research process; Topics, theory and methods. Avoiding plagiarism; following APA style; Research ethics.

Sep 3, 2014 (W)Week 2All instructors

VENUE: To be determined

Readings: BRM, Ch. 4, pp. 83-96 (esp. how to define research questions);Article: The Strategic Question Approach to Market Research;BRM, Ch. 7, pp. 162-166 (qualitative vs. quantitative approaches);Article: Fishing the Quantitative Pool Yields Qualitative Insights.

Lecture & Discussion: Library staff on database resources.On starting your project; brainstorming for topics.

Project Activity: Search of materials on topic.Project Deliverable: Assignment 1: Description of topics. Bring a copy of topic descriptions to class.

Sep 10, 2014 (W)Week 3Ben Lee

VENUE: This and subsequent classes will be held in the regular classroom, unless instructed otherwise.

Readings: Documents: Course Project Specifications (pp. 5-8); Plagiarism and How to Avoid Committing It;Book: APA: The Easy Way! (entire book) orPublication Manual APA, pp. 41-59 (sample paper),pp. 62-63 (organization of headings),pp. 169-173 (quotation formats), pp. 174-179 (citing references in text),pp. 180-192 (constructing a reference list), pp. 193-224 (reference examples);They Say / I Say, Ch. 3 & 8.Articles: Samples showing good introductions and literature reviews.

Lecture & Discussion: Understanding plagiarism and how to avoid committing it (including exercises).Writing the introduction and literature review.

Lesson Activity: Understanding and identifying plagiarism (exercises from Week 1); analysis and discussion of sample writing.Project Deliverable: Assignment 2: Initial search of relevant source materials on topic.

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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

Sep 17, 2014 (W)Week 4Brad Shipley

Readings: BRM, Ch. 6, pp. 141-156 (on research design, causality);Article: The Science of Scientific Writing;Book: They Say/I Say (entire book, especially Ch. 3 & Ch. 8).

Discussion: Framing the problem well. Writing the literature review.

Lesson Deliverable: Proof of passing test on understanding plagiarism.

Sep 24, 2014 (W)Week 5All instructors

Project Activity: Individual meetings with instructors in ASC 321 (No formal class; meet with supervising instructor; email instructor at least 5 days in advance to schedule a meeting; offer several dates and times; be ready to meet during class time; bring a copy of your work’s latest iteration.)

Sep 27, 2014 (Sa)5:30 pm

Project Deliverable: Assignment 3: Introduction and initial literature review plus source materials to instructors and peer reader. Physical copies of source materials may be submitted in class on Week 6.

Oct 1, 2014 (W)Week 6Daniela Baroffio

Readings: Supplemental materials on focus groups;BRM, Ch. 7, pp. 166-185.

Lecture & Discussion: Overview of qualitative research: ethnography, observation, interviews, and focus groups. How to collect data given the qualitative question.

Lesson Activity: In-class practice focus groups or interviews.Project Activity: Exchange of source materials with peer reviewers.

Oct 8, 2014 (W)Week 7Matthew Zhou

Readings:http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/measure.php (read all subsections: construct validity through to unobtrusive measures)http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/design.php (read all subsections: internal validity through to advances in quasi-experimentation)http://mailer.fsu.edu/~slosh/MethodsQuestionnaires.htmlhttp://www.casro.org/survandyou.cfmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

Test on above readings.

Lecture & Discussion: Experiments and surveys; How to write good questionnaires.

Project Deliverable: Comments on peer’s Introduction and initial literature review to peer and instructors.

Oct 15, 2014 (W)Week 8All instructors

Project Activity: Meetings with instructors in ASC 321 (No formal class; meet with supervising instructor; email instructor at least 5 days in advance to schedule a meeting; offer several dates and times; be ready to meet during class time; bring a copy of your work’s latest iteration.)

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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

Oct 22, 2014 (W)Week 9Brad Shipley

Readings: Designing Case Studies, in Case Study Research: Design and Methods (4e);Sample case studies;Sample measurement scales;BRM, Ch. 11, pp. 278-287 (measurement nature and scales); Ch. 11, pp. 287-295 (on good measurement).

Lecture & Discussion: Case study.How to find existing measurements.

Project Activity: Preparing for review of peers’ methods;Project Deliverable: Assignment 4: Introduction (revised) & literature review (expanded)

Oct 29, 2014 (W)Week 10All instructors

Project Activity: Individual meetings with instructors in ASC 321 ((No formal class; meet with supervising instructor; email instructor at least 5 days in advance to schedule a meeting; offer several dates and times; be ready to meet during class time; bring a copy of your work’s latest iteration.)

Lesson Deliverable: Completion of research ethics module (email to Matthew Zhou, liuningz@usc.edu). You must complete the research ethics module before collecting data; if you do not, you cannot proceed.Project Check: You may start data collection only after your instructor approves.

Nov 5, 2014 (W)Week 11Ben Lee

Lecture & Discussion: Review and choice of methods.

Nov 10, 2014 (M)5:30 pm

Project Deliverable: Assignment 5: Initial draft of methods and design of procedures and instruments to instructors and review team membersProject Check: You may start data collection only after your instructor approves.

Nov 12, 2014 (W)Week 12Matthew ZhouAll instructors

Readings: Supplemental materials on data analysis and SPSS.BRM, Ch. 16, pp. 459-463 (cross-tabulation);Ch. 17, pp. 468-472, p. 478.

Lecture & Discussion: Quantitative data analysis.

Project Activity: In-class meeting with team members to review methods.Project Activity: Individual meetings with instructors in ASC 321

Nov 19, 2014 (W)Week 13Matthew ZhouAll instructors

Readings: Supplemental materials on data analysis and SPSS.BRM, Ch. 16, pp. 459-463 (cross-tabulation);Ch. 17, pp. 468-472, p. 478.

Lecture & Discussion: Quantitative data analysis.

Project Activity: In-class meeting with team members to review methods.Project Activity: Individual meetings with instructors in ASC 321

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CMGT 540: Uses of Communication ResearchFall 2014Course Syllabus (rev 20140912)

Nov 26, 2014 (W)Week 14

Thanksgiving Eve – no class

Dec 3, 2014 (W)Week 15Ben Lee

Lecture & Discussion: Preview of C597.

Dec 10, 2014 (W) Project Deliverable: Assignment 6: Revised paper - revised introduction, literature review, and methods.

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