Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Dr. Adam Stebbing
Contact via Email
South Wing on Level 2, Australian Hearing Hub
By appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
(30cp at 100 level or above including (SOC224 and (SSCI200 or SSC200))) or (3cp from SOC units at 300 level and admission to BSocSc or BSocScLLB)
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit introduces advanced data analysis skills for the social sciences through workshops based on secondary data analysis and project work. The unit will apply all of the skills and capabilities learned through the social science program to the analysis of data in practice. Topics covered include a review of basic quantitative statistics, the development of these skills through forms of regression and the analysis of variance, as well as methods of coding qualitative data for analysis. Practical classes are based on the use of the SPSS statistical package are supported by a choice of secondary data analysis or theoretical library-based projects. Background knowledge of social statistics and social research methods is strongly recommended for prospective students of this unit.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Academic Honesty is an intergral part of the core values and principles contained in the Macquarie University Ethics Statement. Its fundamental principle is that all staff and students act with integrity in the creation, development, application and use of ideas and information. This means that:
More information is available from Policy Central here.
The grade that a student receives will signify their overall performance in meeting the learning outcomes of the unit of study. Graded units will use the following grades
HD High Distinction 85-100
D Distinction 75-84
Cr Credit 65-74
P Pass 50-64
F Fail 0-49
As per university policy, written assessments will be returned to students within three weeks of the submission date. Early assignments will not be marked early. And, the short class test held during the examination period at the end of semester will not be returned to students.
The University recognises that students may experience events or conditions that adversely affect their academic performance. If you experience serious and unavoidable difficulties at exam time or when assessment tasks are due, you can consider applying for Special Consideration.
You need to show that the circumstances:
More information about Special Consideration is available here.
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
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Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Short Quiz 1 | 15% | No | 4th April |
Short Quiz 2 | 25% | No | 9th May |
Research Analysis Task | 50% | No | 9th June |
Workshop Engagement | 10% | No | Ongoing |
Due: 4th April
Weighting: 15%
This short quiz will consist of 15 multiple choice questions and you will have 20 minutes to complete it. You will be asked to read each question and select the BEST response from the available options. The short quiz is designed to provide you with an early insight into how you are going in the course. It will draw on course materials from the lectures and workshops.
The online quiz will become available on Tuesday 3rd April and you can undertake the quiz until Wednesday 4th April (at 11:59 pm EST). It will become available via the SSCI300 iLearn page. The quiz can only be taken once and it is up to you to ensure that you have time available to undertake the quiz.
More information will become available in the early weeks of semester. Please follow the Special Consideration policy when applying for an extension. As per the Faculty of Arts policy, no late submissions will be accepted for the online quiz without an extension.
N.B. In the event of technical difficulties, it is your responsibility to contact the unit convenor before the due date and follow the instructions on iLearn of the process to follow in notifying the university. We advise you to ensure that you can access the link to the quiz on Tuesday 3rd April (without starting the quiz unless you want to).
Due: 9th May
Weighting: 25%
This short quiz will be administered online via the course iLearn page. Students will have 40 minutes to complete the quiz (including 5 minutes reading time). It will focus on course materials up to week 8. The main focus of this quiz will be on practical applications of quantitative analysis techniques in the social sciences. Be warned that interpreting SPSS regression output will be tested in this quiz.
The quiz will comprise multiple-choice and short answer questions. Marks will be awarded for correct answers, but will not be deducted for incorrect ones. The quiz is designed to provide students with an indication of how well they are going with the course and offer further incentive to attend both lectures and workshops. Please follow the directions provided closely when answering short answer questions to avoid losing marks.
The online quiz will become available on Monday 7th May and you can undertake the quiz until Wednesday 9th May (at 11:59 pm EST). It will become available via the SSCI300 iLearn page. The quiz can only be taken once and it is up to you to ensure that you have time available to undertake the quiz.
More information will provided in weeks 7 and 8 of semester. Please follow the Special Consideration policy when applying for an extension. As per the Faculty of Arts policy, no late submissions will be accepted for the online quiz without an extension.
N.B. In the event of technical difficulties, it is your responsibility to contact the unit convenor before the due date and follow the instructions on iLearn of the process to follow in notifying the university. We advise you to ensure that you can access the link to the quiz on Monday 7th May (without starting the quiz unless you want to).
Due: 9th June
Weighting: 50%
The major assessment for SSCI300 is a research report of 1,800 to 2,000 words. This task requires you to exercise your social research imagination to analyse secondary data in relation to a specific research topic. Both the research topics and associated datasets for this task will be provided and become available on the SSCI300 iLearn page during the mid-semester break. Each of the options requires a different balance of qualitative and quantitative analysis to be undertaken.
This task will require you to select a research topic (and its related dataset) from the options made available on the iLearn page. You will need to do some background reading on the topic and critically reflect on it. This task will also require you to analyse qualitative and/or quantitative data using appropriate techniques that we cover in the course, and, write up your findings in the format of a report. And, this task will require you to write a reflection on using NVivo to analyse qualitative data as an appendix (this appendix does not have to count toward you word count, but it should be no more than 350 words).
This task should be submitted via Turnitin and it will be marked via GradeMark. Please do not submit hard copies of this task and ensure that you have access to the Turnitin link well before the due date. More information about this task, the three options, how to present it and how to analyse data will be provided in the lectures, workshops and on the iLearn page.
N.B. As an important part of this task is to reflect on appropriate uses of computer software in the social sciences, you are required to use NVivo to analyse the data you are provided with. SPSS should also be used if relevant to your research question and data. More information about how to access these software programs will be provided during the semester.
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 10%
The weekly workshops are compulsory. To meet the requirements of this course, you need to attend at least 80 per cent of workshops. In addition to attending, you are also expected to actively participate. Contributing to workshops is particularly important in this course because of its practical focus. You can demonstrate active engagement by participating in workshop activities (in both the qualitative and quantitative modules of the course). We will look for evidence that you have done the workshop activities and your ability to engage respectfully with other students. Reflections might focus on what your experience of using the software programs and results imply for social science research methodologies and, where relevant, what implications your findings have for understanding society. You can also demonstrate engagement by posing questions to other students and responding respectfully to questions asked by others. As an incentive, 10 percent of your final mark will be awarded for your attendance and your participation.
N.B. Lecture attendance may also be taken into account.
Lectures are in 04 Western Road Room 220 (previously W5C 220) on Mondays from 9am to 11am. Lecture recordings and visual materials can also be accessed using ECHO360 on iLearn.
Workshops will take place in 25a Wally's Walk G07 Computer Lab (previously W6B 157).
The following technologies are used in SSCI300...
iLearn
Important information about the weekly schedule for SSCI300, course readings and assessment are all available on the course iLearn page. If you do not have access, please contact IT help. You are required to check iLearn and your student email regularly for course updates and information.
iLab
iLab is the university's Remote Desktop system that allows you to connect to university computers remotely. This allows you to use SPSS (and NVivo) over the internet on an off-campus computer (desktop computer or laptop). Please note that NVivo can also be downloaded from the Software Downloads section of the student portal. More information will be provided in class sessions and is available here.
In the event that students cannot access iLab, the university has some computers with SPSS and NVivo in the library and C5C computer labs that are available to students outside of class hours. Please note that these labs can become very busy in peak periods.
Turnitin and GradeMark
The written assessment for SSCI300 needs to be submitted via Turnitin. A link to Turnitin is available via the Assessments tab on the iLearn page. Please contact the convenor if you cannot find it (do not leave it until the day of the assessment). Assessments will be marked via GradeMark and returned to students electronically.
SPSS and NVivo
We will use both SPSS and NVivo in SSCI300. Students have access to both programs free of charge on in the workshops, on campus in the library computer labs and off-campus through iLab (see above). If you have a PC or a Mac, you can download a copy of NVivo from the software downloads section of the student portal on the Macquarie University website (note that the Mac version of NVivo has fewer features). We will be using the PC version in class.
Textbooks
This course draws on one required textbook:
Bazeley, P. and K. Jackson (2013) Qualitative Data Analysis with NVivo, 2nd Edition, Sage: Thousand Oaks.
For those interested in a textbook for the first half of the course, the following is recommended (but not required):
Pallant, J. (2013) SPSS Survival Manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS, 5th Edition, Allen & Unwin: Sydney.
Readings on e-reserve
Additional readings for the course should be available free-of-charge via e-Reserve. e-Reserve has been incorporated into the MultiSearch tool that is accessible via the Macquarie University library website.
Changes since the last offering of this unit
This course has not been offered externally in previous years.
Wk |
Lecture Topics |
Workshop Topics |
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1 |
Introduction to SSCI300: The practice of social science research
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No workshops |
2
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From Survey Methods to Quantitative Data Analysis |
SPSS 1: Investigating variables |
3
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Developing Hypotheses: The ‘bread and butter’ of quantitative reasoning |
SPSS 2: Analysing tables and graphs Activity: Designing hypotheses |
4
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Making Inferences and Testing Hypotheses |
SPSS 3: Confidence intervals & Cross-tabs Activity: Refining hypotheses |
5
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Testing for Associations |
SPSS 4: Gamma & Correlation |
6
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Easter Monday (no lecture) |
No workshops |
7
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Introducing Linear Regression |
SPSS 5: Linear regression |
8
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Interpreting Logistic Regression Models |
SPSS 6: Binary logistic regression |
9
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Making Sense of Qualitative Data with Computers / Coding & Writing Memos |
NVivo 1: Exploring data |
10
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Thematic Analysis: The staple of qualitative research |
NVivo 2: Nodes, memos & annotations |
11
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Thematic Analysis II: Identifying ‘categories’ and ‘themes’ |
Major Project Workshop |
12
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Grounded Theory, Discourse Analysis & Analysing Narratives |
NVivo 3: Going further with nodes & queries |
13
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Mixed Methods Social Research |
NVivo 4: Visualising codes |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/student-conduct
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
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Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.
This graduate capability is supported by:
This course has not been offered externally in previous years.
Date | Description |
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15/01/2018 | I have changed the lecture times to remove an error. |