Intro to Research Methods

Exams. There will be three exams--two midterms and a final. All exams will be a combination of multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and essay questions. A sample exam has been provided for you to look at. The dates of the exams can be found in the Course Calendar.

Course Projects. There will be two course projects assigned during the quarter. A description of these projects can be found by clicking on the following hyperlinks:  Participant Observation  or  Content Analysis  

Grade Option. Your overall grade will be based on your performance on the exams and the course project. In determining your grade, you can chose from the following grading options (see Attendance/Participation section as well):

Option I	Option II*
Course Project I (20%)	Course Project I (25%)
Course Project II (20%)	Course Project II (25%)
Midterm Exam I (20%)	Midterm Exam I (25%)
Midterm Exam II (20%)	Midterm Exam II (25%)
Final Exam (20%)	Final Exam (25%)
	* Lowest grade is dropped.

Everyone must take the final (even if you plan to drop the final by exercising Option II).  All grades will be posted on the web page for this course as soon as the grading is finished.

Attendance/Participation. You are required to come to class. Attendance will be taken on a regular basis. If you miss more than one class (without a valid excuse) you will forfeit the opportunity to exercise grading Option II. Simply put, if you miss more than one class, you won’t be able to drop your lowest score for the course.

Overall Course Grade. Your overall course grade will be calculated according to the following criteria:

1. For each assignment you will earn a score. Your score will be based by comparing the points you earned against the highest points earned on that assignment (divide your points by the highest points earned).
2. You will also earn a overall score which represents how well you did in the course. This score will be calculated by taking the sum of your assignment scores divided by the highest scores earned on all of the assignments.
3. Your grade will be determined based on where your overall score using the following scale: