Statistical Methods For The Social Sciences – Learned techniques that sociologists and other social scientists use to summarize numeric data obtained from censuses, surveys, and experiments. The topics included frequency distribution, central tendency, variability, probability theory, and estimation. I also learned how to test hypotheses for group differences in means, for the association between two variables, and for the basics of regression analysis.

 

Research Methods In Sociology – Studied the methods of collecting and analyzing empirical data to test sociological hypotheses. Emphasis is on multivariate analysis of tabular and statistical data. Provided an overview of research methods in the social sciences. Topics covered included hypothesis formulation and theory construction, the measurement of sociological variables, and data collection techniques – experimental, survey, electronic, and observational.

 

Historical Development of Sociological Theory – Examined how theories within the discipline of sociology have developed over time. Through close readings of texts and multimedia, I learned how to critically analyze the thinkers, ideas, and concerns that have shaped classical and contemporary sociological theory. In so doing, I explored the fundamental questions and analytical frameworks that have influenced the field of sociology and discovered how factors such as historical context, power relations, and intellectuals’ personal biographies shape the kinds of theoretical questions and explanations that they produce.