3a. Introduction to Sociological Theory

Master Research Methods

Table of Contents

1. Introduction and Basic Research Principles

1a. Introduction (0:36)
1b. Two Tensions (0:42)
1c. Qualitative or Quantitative Data (2:14)
1d. Deductive or Inductive Approach (4:07)
1e. Types of Research Methods & Quiz to Help You Decide (6:37)
1f. The Main Parts of a Research Paper (5:00)
1g. Basics in Research Ethics with Human Subjects (7:15)

2. Picking and Focusing Your Topic

2a. Topic Selection & Professional Associations (6:09)
2b. You Can Study Anything, Even if it's Not Real: The Thomas Theorem (1:59)
2c. Operationalization: Turning Fuzzy Ideas Into Measurable Units (1:23)
2d. Turning a Topic Into a Research Question (1:13)
2e. Pick Your Topic and Make a Plan
2f. Time Saver: Two Common Mistakes to Avoid: 1) Too Broad, 2) Inaccessible Data (3:12)
2g. Time Saver: Use Opinion Data to Simplify Your Topic (0:56)

3. Introduction to Sociological Theory and the Sociology Style Tool

3a. Introduction to Sociological Theory (6:58)
3b. Sociology Style Assessment
3c. The Three Traditions and Their Tasks (4:15)
3d. Social Change: Idealism vs Materialism (3:23)
3e. Social Order: Conflict vs Solidarity (2:27)
3f. Social Knowledge: Interpretivism vs Positivism (3:27)

4. Understanding Journal Articles

4a. What is a Journal Article? (1:20)
4b. Why Blind Peer Review Matters (1:38)
4c. Getting Used to Qualitative & Quantitative Journal Articles (11:22)
4d. Time Saver: How to Skim Journal Articles Efficiently (5:50)
4e. Time Saver: Harvesting Insights from Review Articles (6:02)
4f. Going Deeper: Four Types of Journal Focus (3:44)
4g. Going Deeper: Journal Impact Factor & Rankings (7:54)

5. Using Google Scholar to Find Scholarly Sources

5a. Introduction to Google Scholar (4:23)
5b. More Google Scholar Tools (5:59)
5c. Advanced Search Tips (3:20)
5d. My Library in Google Scholar (3:09)
5e. Alerts & Library Links (3:29)

6. Introduction to Qualitative Methodologies

6a. Introduction to Qualitative Research (1:56)
6b. What is Your Goal? Explain the: Culture, Process, or Situation (3:52)
6c. Explain the Culture: Ethnography (4:16)
6d. Explain the Process: Grounded Theory (4:02)
6e. Explain the Situation: Case Studies (3:26)
6f. Pursue Data You Can Get (3:16)
6g. Your Method and Research Question Must be Aligned (3:49)
6h. Time Saver: Have Only One Question & One Method (1:40)
6i. Time Saver: Do a Comparative Project (4:07)

7. How to Use Dedoose for Your Qualitative Data

7a. Introduction to Dedoose (2:49)
7b. Creating an Account (2:24)
7c. Uploading Files and Adding Descriptors (5:13)
7d. Adding Codes (2:38)
7e. Coding Part 2 (3:27)
7f. Analyzing Tab Overview (4:40)

8. Making Online Surveys with Google Forms

8a. Setting Up a Survey in Google Forms (4:35)
8b. Tips on Including IRB Ethical Information in Your Survey Description (6:02)
8c. Writing Questions- Scales, Short Answer, Multiple Choice (5:04)
8d. Writing Questions- Drop Down Menus, Media in Questions, Paragraph Response (5:09)
8e. Writing Questions- Grids, Date or Time Response, Choose Between Images (7:12)
8f. Viewing Your Data in Google Forms (4:57)
8g. Viewing Your Data in Google Sheets and Excel (1:35)
8h. Editing Settings in Google Forms (4:41)
8i. Sending Your Survey in Google Forms (1:42)

9. Collecting Survey Respondents with Amazon Mechanical Turk

10. Using ASA and APA Style

11. Publicly Available Data and the General Social Survey (GSS)