applied social research
Students in our Applied Social Research concentration (32 credits) take the courses in our core curriculum. They deepen their skills and knowledge with an Advanced Methods course (711 or 765) and two electives of their choosing, including an internship if desired.
Advanced Methods
DATA 765 Special Topics in Research Methods
2 hr plus conf. and lab; 4 cr. 6 contact. Special topics in research methods. This course may be repeated for credit by permission of the department as the topic changes.
Topics change regularly. Examples include:
– Program and Policy Evaluation
– Geographic Information Systems
– Using Education Data for Research
– Social Media Marketing Analytics
– Web Survey Design
– NLP and Text Mining
– Data Visualization
– Methods of Causal Inference
OR
DATA 711 Qualitative Methods
2 hr. plus conf.; 3 cr. Qualitative concepts and methods of sociological research; application of such concepts and methods in representative published studies.
ELECTIVES
Students choose two electives.
DATA 728 The Sociology of Organizations: Government and Non-Profits
2 hr. plus conf.; 3 cr. This course explores issues of organization and management of government and non-profit organizations with an emphasis on applying research and theory to case studies of government and non-profit organizations.
DATA 736. Demography
2 hr. plus conf.; 3 cr. Survey of population studies, including: basic demographic processes and population structures; overview of demographic data, methods, and concepts; and discussion of population issues.
DATA 788 Cooperative Education Field Placement
Hr. and cr. vary. Pre-req.: Permission of the department. Students will apply skills learned in courses in paid positions. A written report linking experience with skills and concepts learned in the classroom is required.
DATA 789 Internship in Social Research
Hr. and cr. vary. Pre-req.: Permission of the department. Students will apply skills learned in courses in volunteer positions. A written report linking experience with skills and concepts learned in the classroom is required.
DATA 790 Seminar in Selected Topics in Sociology
2 hr. plus conf.; 3 cr. This course may be repeated for credit by permission of the department as the topic changes.
Topics change regularly. Examples include:
– Oral History
– Marketing
– Consumer Behavior
– Database Marketing
– Urban Policy and Planning
– Sociology of Education
– Racial and Ethnic Segregation
– Healthcare Policy