MB561: Introduction to Research Design (4 units)
R. Daniel Shaw, Professor of Anthropology and
Doctoral Studies Program Coordinator
Fall 2005 Pasadena
DESCRIPTION:
This course is available to all who are
interested in designing cross cultural research, but is designed primarily to
equip School of Intercultural Studies doctoral students to prepare, critique,
and implement a Program Design appropriate for their doctoral studies.
Missiology is multidisciplinary and integrative of the cognate disciplines within
the field broadly including theology, history, the state of the Church,
leadership and the social sciences. This course introduces students to research
design appropriate for such interdisciplinary study. It also serves as an
introduction to the SIS doctoral program, and enables students to develop a
research design that is both flexible and focused while providing a tool for
communicating effectively with a student’s mentor and guidance committee.
Benefits include understanding how to search and critique the literature,
methodological approaches, and proposal writing.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
• Gain an understanding of the research
design process and the theoretical rationale for it.
• Be able to apply this understanding to writing a defendable Program Design.
• Utilize the resulting Program Design to accomplish the research and writing
appropriate to Doctoral Studies.
COURSE FORMAT:
• Students should sign up with the SIS Director for
Doctoral Studies BY AUGUST 15.
• The
course will be taught using an intensive one and one-half week (8 day) format
Sept. 6-14, 2005. Three post-course seminars during the Fall term (Sept. 30,
Oct. 14, and 28, from 9:00 AM to noon) will enhance the application of course
skills to writing a Program Design Paper to present to a mentor and guidance
committee.
REQUIRED PRE-READING: (These books must be read
and critiqued BEFORE attending the first class meeting.)
Elliston,
E. J., Introduction to Missiological Research. Unpub. mss. Hope Univ.
1997.
Booth, C. W., Colomb, and Williams, The Craft of Research. U. Chicago,
1995.
REQUIRED READING:
Madsen,
D., Successful Dissertations and Theses: A Guide to Graduate Student
Research from Proposal to Completion. Jossey-Bass. 1992 or latest edition.
(Read after intensive course is over)
RECOMMENDED READING:
Babbie,
E. The Practice of Social Research. Wadsworth, 1997.
Isaac and Michael, Handbook in Research and Evaluation. Edits
Publishers, 1995 or latest edition.
Maxwell, J. Qualitative Research Design, 2nd
Edition. Sage, Applied Social Research
Methods Series, Vol. 41, 2005.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Booth
et. al. and Elliston need to be read before class begins. Each student must
bring a one-page review for each of these two books to the first class meeting
as well as the Research Design Worksheet received when signing up for the
course. Each
review should include a discussion of the main intent of the author and
students’ critique/response as they anticipate doctoral research. Assignments
during the classroom time will consist of processing the steps necessary to
make an oral presentation of a basic research design on the last day of the
class. The final project will be due on Friday, Nov. 4, 2005. The concepts
developed in this paper will provide a guide for research and writing
throughout the doctoral studies program.
PREREQUISITES:
None.
RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:
Elective for M.A./Th.M students. Required for all
SIS Doctoral students. This course is not a specific research methods course
and thus may not be used to meet “research methods” requirements in the
doctoral studies program. Students are not permitted to audit this course.
FINAL EXAM: None.