Academic Planner

JKA 430E/4
PROJECT: SELECTED
SOCIAL ISSUES
Academic Session
2010/2011

VIDEO CONFERENCE CLASS

DATES
Video
Conference Time

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2

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 Students need to fill in the date and time of video conference sessions.
Please refer to the video conference time table for the Academic Session
2010/2011 provided.

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JKA 430E/4 – PROJECT: SELECTED SOCIAL ISSUES

Course Coordinator: Dr Fatan Hamamah Yahaya

A. Introduction

Dear Students,

Welcome to JKA 430E/4. This course is for students majoring in anthropology

and sociology. This course will introduce students to the writing of a research
project.

B. Objectives of the course

This course aims to expose students to first hand research experience by

involving them in various activities and stages in the anthropology and sociology
research process. The stages include selection of research topic, preparation of
research proposal, selection of research methods, data collection, data analysis
and writing of the research report.

C. Course Contents

• Overview:

Anthropologists and Sociologists conduct systematic research to answer

factual, comparative, developmental, or theoretical questions. In this course
you will learn the research processes and methods of data collection. Finally,
the ethical dilemmas faced by sociological researchers are discussed.

Sociological Questions:

The types of sociological questions are factual, comparative,

developmental, or theoretical. Some examples: What are the circumstances
in which minority groups live? How can mass starvation exist in a world that is
far wealthier than it has ever been? Is the family beginning to disintegrate as
an institution?

The Research Process:

Defining the research problem

Research problems may be suggested by gaps in the existing literature,

theoretical debates, or practical issues in the social world. The processes
are as follows:

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 1. Reviewing the evidence
2. Specify the problem statement
3. Working out a design
4. Carrying out the research
5. Interpreting the results
6. Reporting the findings

Understanding Cause and Effect

o Correlation: the existence of a regular relationship between two
sets of occurrences or variables.
o Causation: a relationship in which one event or situation brings
about the other.

Correlation does not imply causation. But a causal relationship

must mean that two variables are correlated.

o Independent variable: the variable that produces an effect upon

another.
o Dependent variable: the variable that is affected by the
independent variable.

Research Methods

• Ethnography - a way of studying people firsthand using participant

observation, which entails hanging out with them and participating in their
daily lives. It is a powerful research tool that usually generates richer and
more in-depth information than other methods. It can provide a broader
understanding of social processes. Its drawbacks are that it can only be
used to study small groups of people and the findings can only be applied
to the community studied. It is not easy to generalize based on the
findings of a single fieldwork study.

• Survey - a method that is useful for gathering less detailed information

from a larger group. The people answering the survey are referred to by
sociologists as the population. Surveys make possible the efficient
collection of data on a large number of individuals, which allows precise
comparisons of respondents’ answers. On the downside, the material
gathered may be superficial; the differences between respondents might
be glossed over.

• Experiments - a method that involves testing a hypothesis in a highly

controlled environment. Experiments are used more widely in the natural
sciences but can be highly effective when used appropriately in the social
sciences. As a method, experiments are useful because they allow the
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 researcher to control specific variables. However, their usefulness is
limited because many aspects of social life cannot be tested in a
laboratory and the responses of those tested may be affected by their
uncontrolled surroundings.

• Life histories - biographical material assembled about particular

individuals--usually as recalled by the individuals themselves.

• Comparative Research - research in which one social context within a

society is related to another society or contrasting examples from different
societies.

• Historical analysis - analysis that is essential when a study is either

wholly historical or has a defined historical dimension.

• Documentary research - a method to study something with a historical

basis, such as the Industrial Revolution. It involves studying documentary
sources -- such as government statistics, newspapers, and journals—to
explain a certain type of human behavior during a certain time in history.
Documentary research can provide sources of in-depth materials as well
as data on large numbers, according to the type of documents studied.
However, the researcher is dependent on the sources that exist, which
may be partial and difficult to interpret in terms of how far they represent
real tendencies.

Research in the Real World: Method, Problems, and Pitfalls

Each research method has its advantages and limitations. It is common to

combine several methods in a single piece of research, using each to
supplement and check on the others (called triangulation).

Ethical dilemmas - dilemmas that may arise where deception is practiced

against those who are the subjects of the research or where the publication of
research findings might adversely affect the feelings or lives of those studied.

Researchers need to be sensitive to the dilemmas they pose.

The Influence of Sociology

Sociological research is usually of interest to many more people than just the
intellectual community of sociologists. This is because sociology involves the
study not only of modern societies but also of a significant aspect of how those
societies are shaped. Sociological research provides us with our knowledge of
the state of social behavior, and this knowledge shapes how we behave. This is
called the reflexive nature of sociology.
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D. Assignment (Project Report Writing)

Students are required to write a research report based on an earlier compulsory

JKA319E course on research proposal that explain every step involves in the
research process. Students are not allowed to change the research topic as
already stated in JKA319E.

E. Supervisor

Please check your supervisor at JKA 430E/4 portal.

F. Assessment (100%)

The final grade will be determined on the basis of students’ performance in the
following areas:

• Seminar Presentation during the Intensive Course and e-forum

participation: (Seminar 25%, inclusive of forum 5%).
• Final Report: 70%

Report writing format: This manuscript should be between 45 -100 pages long,
type on A4-paper using APA style format of referencing.

• Activities and Important Deadlines:

ACTIVITY TOPIC DEADLINE

1 Research topic (final) 5 August 2010
2 Writing:
Problem statement, 30 August 2010
Research Objective &
Hypothesis
3 Writing: Literature review, 30 September 2010
Concepts & Methods
4 Data Collection (Fieldwork) 30 October 2010
5 Findings: Analysis of data PRESENTATION DURING
from fieldwork INTENSIVE COURSE
From 29 November to
(Questionnaires & Interview
19 December 2010
questions)
6 Keep 0n Writing January – February 2011
7 Finalized Report March 2011
8 Submit Report 15 April 2011

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F. Main Textbook

Giddens, Anthony. (2007). Fifth Edition. Sociology. UK: Polity.

Neumann L.W. (2006). Sixth Edition. Social Research Methods: Qualitative and
Quantitative Approaches. Boston: Pearson Education, Allyn & Bacon.

G. Intensive Course

The Intensive Course for A.S 2010/11 is from 29 November 2010 to 19

December 2010.

H. Video Conferencing

Two lectures via video conferencing will be conducted by the course manager(s).

F. E-portal

Any extra information (lectures, video conferencing, intensive course and

supplementary readings) can be downloaded from the PPPJJ e-portal. Please
make sure you access the portal regularly.

Should you encounter any problem in doing this course, please don’t hesitate to
contact the course managers. Thank you and happy learning!

Course Managers:
Dr Fatan Hamamah Yahaya
Dato’ Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Razha Hj. Abd.Rashid
Encik Suresh Kumar a/l N. Vellymalay
Puan Soijah Likin

Address:
Anthropology & Sociology Section
School of Distance Education
Universiti Sains Malaysia
11800 Minden, Penang.

Telephone: (O)
04-653 2316 /2313/ 4551/2280

E-mail:
hamamah@usm.my; raza@usm.my; suresh@usm.my; soijah@usm.my

Fax:
04-657 6000