This course will introduce students to basic research models, methods, techniques, theoretical ideas, and specific tools that are employed in the humanities and in the social sciences, with attention to the particular prospects, problems or challenges they raise for the study of peoples of African descent, particularly African American. Theory informs practice, and vice versa: In addition to gaining specific research skills, students will also build familiarity with specific theories and assumptions supporting the respective strategies of inquiries employed, drawing on both qualitative, quantitative, and interdisciplinary examples. The coverage will also include library, archival, online, field methods and skills and issues of epistemology and methodology in the discourse and research practices in Black Studies. (“AAAS 863 - Reading the African Diaspora: Methods and Approaches” extends and explores in depth the scope and materials of 754.)
Objectives: Objeves

--to equip students with advanced research skills and knowledge about dominant and innovative theoretical ideas, in general, and those specific to African American and African Studies

--to equip students with skills in locating, gathering, evaluating, organizing, and presenting research data, including field, online, and diverse print and media formats.

--to identify particular challenges and contributions that research practices in black studies bring to the general intellectual discourse and practices in the social sciences and in the humanities

--to appreciate the black experience, worldwide and to be able to design original research projects that explain, in very plausible ways, aspects of this experience

--to equip and thus position students as independent and yet competitive scholars who must effectively participate in the larger world of research and intellectual discourse.

Required Texts:
--BABBIE, EARL. 2004 10^th ed.The Practice of Social Research. Belmont, CA: Thomson & Wadsworth.[NB:
--O’LEARY, ZINA. 2004. The Essential Guide to doing Research. London: Sage Publications.]

Key Supplementary Texts on reserve (See full, appended list of reserve materials):

--ANDERSON, TALMADGE, ed. 1990 Black Studies: Theory, Method, And Cultural Perspectives. Pullman: Washington State University Press.

--DENZIN, NORMA and Yvonna Lincoln, ed. 2000. Handbook of Qualitative Research. 2nd ed.Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications

--O'BARR, WILLIAM M., David H. Spain and Mark A. Tessler, ed. 1973. Survey Research in Africa: Its Applications and Limits. Evanston, Northwestern University Press.

--KI-ZERBO, J.K., ed. 1981. General History of Africa. Methodology and African Prehistory, vol. 1. London: Heinemann.

Requirements:

Grading:

Grading Scale:

A+ = 96–100 A = 94 – 95 A- = 90-93 E = below 60

B+ = 86-89 B = 84-85 B- = 80-83

C+ = 76-79 C = 74-75 C- = 70-73

D+ = 66-69 D = 64-65 D- = 60-63

Policies:

Academic Misconduct: It is the responsibility of the Committee on Academic Misconduct to investigate or establish procedures for the investigation of all reported cases of student academic misconduct. The term "academic misconduct" includes all forms of student academic misconduct wherever committed; illustrated by, but not limited to, cases of plagiarism and dishonest practices in connection with examinations. Instructors shall report all instances of alleged academic misconduct to the committee (Faculty Rule 33356-5-487). Cases of plagiarism will be duly prosecuted, within the university guidelines. For additional information, see the Code of Student Conduct (http://studentaffairs.osu.edu/resource_csc.asp).

Disability Services: Students with disabilities that have been certified by the Office of Disability Services will be appropriately accommodated, and should inform the instructor as soon as possible of their needs. The Office for Disability Services is located in 150 Pomerene Hall, 1760 Neil Avenue; telephone 292-3307, TDD 292-0901; http://www.ods.ohio-state.edu/. If you have trouble accessing my (i.e., instructor’s) homepage where class-related materials are located, contact me immediately (see contact info above).

Assignments and Exams: Unless indicated otherwise, all written assignments must be typed, double-spaced, 12-point Times Roman and all citations, footnotes or endnotes must conform to one citation format consistently (e.g., Chicago, Thurabian, APA, MLA, etc.). To learn/verify citation formats for online/electronic sources (See 3^rd menu item—Writing Aids/Style Sheets-- from my homepage for guides). All readings assignments must be completed before the classes for which they are due. Quizzes will be in mixed formats: objective questions or multiple choice, short essay responses, etc. Quizzes will demonstrate students’ grasp of basic concepts, issues, and facts.

Caveat: Dates of oral presentations on work-in-progress, special reading, and field assignments will be announced in class.

IMPORTANT DATES IMPORTANT DATES

Quiz # 1 OCT 15	QUIZ # 2 NOV 14
FINAL RES. DESIGN DUE NOV 30		Thanksgiving Day NOV 22 no classes
Veterans Day NOV 12 (Fri) no classes		Columbus Day NOV 23no classes
Methodology critique 1 due (10%) OCT 22 Metholodogy critique 2 due (10%) OCT 31		Last Day of classes NOV 30 (Fri) Official Final Exam date *Wed Dec 5 11:30 - 1:18 PM [NO FINAL EXAM]*

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

WEEK 1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION

--Course overview
--Dialectics of the Information Age/Machinery and production of knowledge: powers, privileges, practices and uses of Research
-- the discipline (s) of Black Studies and the academe
Readings: O’Leary, Essential Guide, chapter 1, pp. 1-14; 22-27

Babbie, “Introduction,” (2004 10^th edition), pp. 5-12 (NB: premodern, modern, postmodern)

WEEK 2 SPECIAL LIBRARY-SKILL- BUILDING WORKSHOP

Readings: Chapter 2, O’ Leary-- Managing the Process

Chapter 6, O’Leary—Working with Literature (no homework for this chapter)
Babbie, “Foundations of Social Science,” pp. 12-21

WEEK 3 BASIC CONCEPTS; type of research and philosophical bases;

Readings: O’Leary, Chapter 3—“Developing Your Research Question”

O’Leary, Chapter 5—“Indicators of Good Research”; Chapter 7—“Methodological Design

Babbie, “Foundations of Social Science,”pp. 12-21

WEEK 4 SELECTIVE RESEARCH PARADIGMS

`Readings: Babbie, Chapter 2—“Paradigms, Theory, and Social Research, ” The Practice of social

Research, pp. 33-56 (reserve)

Kuhn, Structure of Scientific Revolutions (reserve) pp. tba

Anderson, “Black Studies: Overview and Theoretical Perspectives,” in Anderson, Black

Studies; Theory, Method…, pp. 1-10 (reserve)

Taylor, “The Study of Black People: A Survey of Empirical and Theoretical Models,” in

Anderson, Black Studies; Theory, Method…, pp. 11-17 (reserve)

Harding, “Is there a Feminist Method” [Introduction], in Harding, Feminism and Methodology,

Chapter 1; Ladner, “Introduction to Tomorrow’s Tomorrow: the Black Woman,” in Harding,

Feminism And Methodology, Chapter VI

Olesen, “Feminism and Qualitative Research at and into the Millennium,” in Lincoln and Denzin,

Handbook of Qualitative Research, Chapter 8, pp. 215-256 (reserve)

WEEK 5 QUALITATIVE METHODS: ETHNOGRAPHIES AND CASE STUDIES

O’Leary, Chapters 9”Investigating Complexities of the Social World”

Babbie, Chapter 10, “Qualitative Field Research,” pp. 281-298

Tedlock, “Ethnography and Ethnographic Representation,” in Lincoln and Denzin, Chapter 17,

pp. 455-486

WEEK 6 QUALITATIVE METHODS: observation, interviewing techniques

Babbie, ‘Conducting Qualitative Field Research,’ pp.299-307

O’Leary, Chapter 11 “Data Collection”

--field equipment (purpose, selection, emerging tools. and basic skills)

WEEK 7 ORAL HISTORY, [AUTO]BIOGRAPHY, CONTENT ANALYSIS

O’Leary, pp. 178-180

Vansina, “Methodology of Oral History,” in Ki-Zerbo, General History of Africa

Hodder, “The Interpretation of Documents and Material Culture,” in Lincoln and Denzin,

Chapter 26, pp. 703-716

Kincheloe and McLaren, “Rethinking Critical Theory and Qualitative Research,” in Lincoln and

Denzin, Chapter 10, pp. 279-314.

Babbie, pp. ‘Content Analysis,’ pp. 314-335

WEEK 8 SAMPLING TECHNIQUES and the QUESTIONNAIRE; PROBLEMS IN APPLYING THE QUANTITATIVE METHODS TO AFRICAN AND AFRICAN AMERICAN SOCIETIES

O’Leary, Chapter 8 “Exploring Populations”; Chapter 12 “Data Management and Analysis”

Babbie, Chapter 7 “The Logic of Sampling”

Selected readings from Survey Research in Africa (reserve) and Afro-American Anthropology (reserve)

WEEK 10 RESEARCH WRITING SKILLS; ORAL PRESENTATIONAND FINAL DISCUSSION OF RESEARCH PROJECTS (O’Leary, Chapter 13)