Week 1
An Introduction to
Social Research

SOCI 316
SOCIAL RESEARCH

Leah C. Schmalzbauer
Amherst College
Sakeef M. Karim
Amherst College

Getting Started—
January 28th

First Order of Business

Two Quick Questions What’s your name? What are your majors?

First Order of Business

Now, it’s our turn.

Getting to Know—
Leah C. Schmalzbauer

A Journey Through Four Books

Click image to launch gallery.

A Journey Through Four Books

A Journey Through Four Books

A Journey Through Four Books

Getting to Know—
Sakeef M. Karim

My Journey

The Broad View

My Journey

Cities Defined by International Migration

My Journey

Cities Defined by International Migration

My Journey

Cities Defined by International Migration

My Journey

Cities Defined by International Migration

My Research

Personal Culture of Immigrant-Origin People

Figure 8 from Karim (2024)

My Research

Exclusionary Politics

Karim and Lukk’s The Radicalization of Mainstream Parties in the 21st Century

This Class

The Syllabus

You can access the syllabus here.

The Syllabus


Office Hours

Tuesdays, 2:00-4:00 PM in Morgan Hall (Room 306) or by appointment.

Fridays, 2:30-5:00 PM in Morgan Hall (Room 203 A) or during a Zoom Open Slot.

Directions (Click to Expand or Close)

Appointment Policy

All meetings, even during office hours, must be scheduled in advance via Google Calendar.

Readings

Non-Textbook Readings

Non-textbook readings can be accessed via the eReserves page on Moodle.

Evaluations

Note: Scroll to access the entire table

Task Description Weight Deadline or Evaluative Time Horizon

Participation

This is a small research seminar. Ergo, class participation is vital. Students must actively engage in class discussions—sharing their thoughts, providing constructive feedback to peers, asking clarifying questions, and keeping us (i.e., the course instructors) informed of any developments vis-à-vis their final research proposals.

30%

All Semester

Memo:
Research Interests

Students are required to submit a concise, 500-word reflection detailing their research interests. In this reflection, students should specify the kinds of social phenomena—e.g., population processes, sexuality, political polarization, ethnic boundaries, digital media, cultural consumption, international migration, economic inequality, carceral policy and so on and so forth—they would like to scrutinize in their final proposal.

7.5%

Friday, February 14th at 8:00 PM.

Annotated Bibliography

Students must submit an annotated bibliography before spring break. This annotated bibliography will, in principle, directly inform—or serve as the foundation for—the literature review they include in their final research proposal. In the bibliography, students must identify at least 10 sources germane to their topic of interest. For each source, students must provide a 100–150-word summary of the key argument(s) proffered by the author(s). Other expectations will be detailed in a short rubric, which we will upload by late-February.

15%

Friday, March 14th at 8:00 PM.

Memo:
Five Survey Questions

Towards the end of the semester, we will conduct a large-scale social survey (with an approximate N of 500) using a survey recruitment firm. This will be a collaborative undertaking: i.e., each student will ideally contribute at least one question to the survey. With this goal in mind, students are required to submit a response memo proposing five potential survey questions. For each question, students must include a 100-word rationale explaining how the proposed item addresses a significant sociological question.

7.5%

Friday, March 28th at 8:00 PM.

Final Presentation

In Part V of the class, students will deliver a 10–15-minute presentation on the research project they have developed over the term. A rubric with grading criteria will be available on this syllabus by early April.

10%

Part V of the semester.

Final Research Proposal

Students are required to submit a detailed research proposal (15-25 pages, double-spaced) on a topic of their choice, subject to the approval of the two course instructors. The chosen topic must be related to the study of human societies and fall within sociology’s broad intellectual mandate. A more detailed set of expectations will be uploaded onto this course syllabus by early-to-mid April.

30%

Friday, May 9th at 8:00 PM.

Evaluations

Let’s look at one row at a time.

Evaluations

Task Description Weight Deadline or Evaluative Time Horizon

Participation

This is a small research seminar. Ergo, class participation is vital. Students must actively engage in class discussions—sharing their thoughts, providing constructive feedback to peers, asking clarifying questions, and keeping us (i.e., the course instructors) informed of any developments vis-à-vis their final research proposals.

30%

All Semester

Evaluations

Task Description Weight Deadline or Evaluative Time Horizon

Memo:
Research Interests

Students are required to submit a concise, 500-word reflection detailing their research interests. In this reflection, students should specify the kinds of social phenomena—e.g., population processes, sexuality, political polarization, ethnic boundaries, digital media, cultural consumption, international migration, economic inequality, carceral policy and so on and so forth—they would like to scrutinize in their final proposal.

7.5%

Friday, February 14th at 8:00 PM.

Evaluations

Task Description Weight Deadline or Evaluative Time Horizon

Annotated Bibliography

Students must submit an annotated bibliography before spring break. This annotated bibliography will, in principle, directly inform—or serve as the foundation for—the literature review they include in their final research proposal. In the bibliography, students must identify at least 10 sources germane to their topic of interest. For each source, students must provide a 100–150-word summary of the key argument(s) proffered by the author(s). Other expectations will be detailed in a short rubric, which we will upload by late-February.

15%

Friday, March 14th at 8:00 PM.

Evaluations

Task Description Weight Deadline or Evaluative Time Horizon

Memo:
Five Survey Questions

Towards the end of the semester, we will conduct a large-scale social survey (with an approximate N of 500) using a survey recruitment firm. This will be a collaborative undertaking: i.e., each student will ideally contribute at least one question to the survey. With this goal in mind, students are required to submit a response memo proposing five potential survey questions. For each question, students must include a 100-word rationale explaining how the proposed item addresses a significant sociological question.

7.5%

Friday, March 28th at 8:00 PM.

Evaluations

Task Description Weight Deadline or Evaluative Time Horizon

Final Presentation

In Part V of the class, students will deliver a 10–15-minute presentation on the research project they have developed over the term. A rubric with grading criteria will be available on this syllabus by early April.

10%

Part V of the semester.

Evaluations

Task Description Weight Deadline or Evaluative Time Horizon

Final Research Proposal

Students are required to submit a detailed research proposal (15-25 pages, double-spaced) on a topic of their choice, subject to the approval of the two course instructors. The chosen topic must be related to the study of human societies and fall within sociology’s broad intellectual mandate. A more detailed set of expectations will be uploaded onto this course syllabus by early-to-mid April.

30%

Friday, May 9th at 8:00 PM.

Evaluations


Guidelines for Major Assignments

Guidelines for the three key deliverables—i.e., the annotated bibliography; the final presentation; and the final research proposal—will be gradually rolled out (or uploaded online) as deadlines come into focus.

Norms, Rules, Regulations & More

Accessibility and Accommodations

If you require accommodations, please contact Student Accessibility Services as soon as possible and submit an application through the new AIM Portal. More generally, if you have any suggestions about how this class can be more accessible and inclusive, please let us know via e-mail or during office hours.

Norms, Rules, Regulations & More

Class Policies

Please review the Amherst College Honor Code, which can be accessed in its entirety here.

Violations of the Honor Code will be promptly reported to the Dean of Students. As Section 1.1 of the Honor Code indicates, plagiarism is a serious offense. In most cases, students who plagiarize the work of others will fail this class and may face additional disciplinary penalties. Moreover, as detailed in Sections 1.2 to 1.4 of the Honor Code, students must respect others in the classroom, including those whose views deviate from their own. Failure to do so will prompt disciplinary action.

There is no reason to pretend like generative artificial intelligence (GAI) does not exist in the world out there. These systems have arrived, and they may revolutionize how higher education “works.” With this in mind, you are free to use ChatGPT and its analogues for class assignments—but you have to cite the GAI you are using. Failure to do so amounts to plagiarism.

To reiterate:

Generative AI Policy

If you use a GAI tool (like ChatGPT) and do not cite it, it is a form of plagiarism.

You are expected to attend each and every class. If you do not, you will lose points for participation. That said, we are aware that you are all human beings whose lives are often fraught with uncertainty. If something comes up, please let us know and we will do our best to be as accommodating as possible. Extended absences may, however, require additional documentation (e.g., note from a physician).

Provisionally, we have decided to allow students to use laptops and tablets in class. This is, however, highly conditional. If we observe students using their electronic devices for non-academic pursuits (e.g., shopping, consuming social media and so on), we will institute a sweeping ban on electronics. Do not be the one to contravene our social contract.

On weekdays and non-holidays, we will respond to e-mails within 48 hours. If we fail to meet this standard, please send us a follow-up message with a gentle reminder. On weekends and breaks, we will not respond to e-mails unless you have an emergency. If you do, please include EMERGENCY in the subject line.

Assignments must be submitted on time. A late submission will result in a penalty of 5% for each day beyond the deadline. However, as noted, we are well aware that life can present unexpected challenges. If you anticipate missing a deadline or have an emergency, please inform us soon as you can. Extensions may be granted on a case-by-case basis.

Three Basic Expectations


  1. Read carefully but efficiently.

  2. Participate in class conversations. We’ll all learn more that way.

  3. Have fun!

Two Case Studies—
January 30th

Our Goals For Today


  • Review two projects on immigrant families—one qualitative, the other quantitative.

  • Work in small groups to explore and discuss research ideas.

First Up—
Leah C. Schmalzbauer

Meanings of Mobility

Family, Education, and Immigration in the Lives of Latino Youth (Schmalzbauer 2023)

Link via Amherst College Library

Next Up—
Sakeef M. Karim

The Paper

Islam and the Transmission of Cultural Identity in Four European Countries (Karim 2024)

Pre-Print

The “Debate”

The paper is, in a sense, engaging with “debates” related to the cultural incorporation of Muslims in Europe.

The “Debate”


In the case of Muslim immigrants in Europe, the causal arrow follows a Weberian trajectory from culture and religious affiliation to relational and socioeconomic outcomes. Parental influences aiming at cultural maintenance and discrimination from natives are the two sides of the predicament faced by the second-generation Muslim youths.

(Drouhot and Nee 2019, 188–89, EMPHASIS ADDED)

The “Debate”

Some (Stylized) Context

My Argument

  • Studies exploring the integration of European immigrants tend to highlight cultural differences between Muslim children and their immigrant-origin classmates (Bisin et al. 2008; Drouhot 2021).

  • What explains this cultural distance? Drouhot and Nee (2019):

    • Discrimination from native majorities.
    • Cultural transfers from parents to children.

  • The cultural retention thesis is only valid if we reduce personal culture (Kiley and Vaisey 2020; Lersch 2023; Lizardo 2017) to single issue domains or attitudinal dimensions.

  • If we study multiple dimensions of cultural meaning at the same time, we may observe more cultural disjunctures or discontinuities within European Muslim households.

    • The transmission advantage among Muslim parents in Europe may disappear entirely.

Empirical Targets: Latent Cultural Identities

Empirical Targets: Latent Cultural Identities

Empirical Targets: Latent Cultural Identities

Respondent

Attachment to
Islam

Attachment to
Algeria

Attachment to
France

Gender
Norms

Adel
(Father)

Traditional

Amina
(Daughter)

Egalitarian

Empirical Targets: Latent Cultural Identities

Empirical Targets: Latent Cultural Identities

Empirical Targets: Latent Cultural Identities

Empirical Targets: Latent Cultural Identities

Empirical Targets: Cultural Transmission

Data Source: CILS4EU

Cultural Identity Profiles in the Data

Figure 3 from Karim (2024).

Note: Scroll to access the entire graphic—or click the image.

Cultural Transmission Patterns

Figure 6 from Karim (2024).

Cultural Transmission Patterns

Among Christians

Adaptation of Figure 7 from Karim (2024).

Cultural Transmission Patterns

Among Muslims

Adaptation of Figure 7 from Karim (2024).

Cultural Transmission Patterns

Figure 8 from Karim (2024).

Take-Home Message


Ultimately, I find scant evidence to support the claim that intergenerational transmission drives cultural differences between Muslim adolescents and their immigrant-origin peers. Overall, these results challenge the cultural retention thesis. Compared to transmission within families, forces exogenous to the family unit—such as the social closure wrought by discrimination or Islamic revivalism … appear to be more proximately associated with the cultural identities of Muslim children.

(Karim 2024, 758–59, EMPHASIS ADDED)

Small Group Exercise

A Question For All of You

So, what are you interested in researching?

Enjoy the Weekend

References

Note: Scroll to access the entire bibliography

Bisin, Alberto, Thierry Verdier, Eleonora Patacchini, and Yves Zenou. 2008. “Are Muslim Immigrants Different in Terms of Cultural Integration?” Journal of the European Economic Association 6 (2/3): 445–56. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40282654.
Drouhot, Lucas G. 2021. “Cracks in the Melting Pot? Religiosity and Assimilation Among the Diverse Muslim Population in France.” American Journal of Sociology 126 (4): 795–851. https://doi.org/10.1086/712804.
Drouhot, Lucas G., and Victor Nee. 2019. “Assimilation and the Second Generation in Europe and America: Blending and Segregating Social Dynamics Between Immigrants and Natives.” Annual Review of Sociology 45 (Volume 45, 2019): 177–99. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-073117-041335.
Karim, Sakeef M. 2024. “Islam and the Transmission of Cultural Identity in Four European Countries.” Social Forces 103 (2): 756–79. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soae076.
Kiley, Kevin, and Stephen Vaisey. 2020. “Measuring Stability and Change in Personal Culture Using Panel Data.” American Sociological Review 85 (3): 477–506. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122420921538.
Lersch, Philipp M. 2023. “Change in Personal Culture over the Life Course.” American Sociological Review 88 (2): 220–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/00031224231156456.
Lizardo, Omar. 2017. “Improving Cultural Analysis: Considering Personal Culture in Its Declarative and Nondeclarative Modes.” American Sociological Review 82 (1): 88–115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122416675175.
Llaudet, Elena, and Kōsuke Imai. 2023. Data Analysis for Social Science: A Friendly and Practical Introduction. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University press.
Schmalzbauer, Leah. 2023. Meanings of Mobility: Family, Education, and Immigration in the Lives of Latino Youth. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Small, Mario Luis, and Jessica McCrory Calarco. 2022. Qualitative Literacy: A Guide to Evaluating Ethnographic and Interview Research. University of California Press. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520390676.