Fall 2006

Thursdays 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., Metro Center

Syllabus - Adobe PDF version of the syllabus.

• If the PDF file does not open, you may need to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader

• College and MPA Departmental Policies http://www.brockport.edu/pubadmin/current/policies.html

Reading List - Access the online readings through a chronological reading list.

• Click here for some tips regarding what to concentrate on in the first two weeks' of readings from the text.

Power Point Presentations

• Causality, Design, and the Fundamentals of Management Inquiry (9/14)
• Operationalization and Measurement (9/21)

Assignments

• Assignment 1 - Evaluation of Academic Journal Article (due 9/21)
• Assignment 2 - Measuring "Quality of Life" (due 9/28)
• Assignment 3 - Performance Measurement (due 10/12)
• Assignment 4 - Needs Assessment (due 10/26)
• Assignment 5 - Customer Satisfaction Survey (due 11/2). For bonus points, create your survey with Zoomerang.
• Culminating Projects - (due 12/7) .
  • Part I: Reflective Analysis (15%)
  • Part II: Presentation (10%)
    • Benchmarking and Best Practices Resources
    • Common Data-Gathering Methodological Framework - Tips on how to efficiently search for appropriate information.
    • Example: Traumatic Brain Injury Organization

Interesting Web Articles on "Indirect Indicators"

• NPR, All Things Considered, September 27, 2004. State of Iraqi Society and U.S. Politics: Two Views
• June 11, 2003. Moscow Times. "Income Statistics Called Deceptive," By Boris Grozovsky and Rinat Sagdiyev Vedomosti
  • Look for the sentence half-way through the article that reads, "Spending, then, is used as an indirect indicator of an individual's income level."
• Post to a discussion list (see first sentence)."I was referring to actual data on wages and incomes, not unemployment as some kind of indirect indicator of wages and incomes. "
• "The Past and Future of Welfare Reform Print Mail" By Douglas J. Besharov. December 22, 2002. American Enterprise Institute.
  • Caseload churning, an indirect indicator [of hardship], has been rising rapidly."
• Dr. ShibleyTelhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, University of Maryland. "The Causes of the 9/ll Attacks and the Scope of the Threat.
  • Looks at indirect indicators of Arab anger at the United States.
• "Addressing the Root Causes of Terrorism," Matthew Hersey and Charles Hauss.
• "Another indirect indicator that it is possible and necessary for the two groups to work together is the State Department's web site on conflict resolution and the current crisis."

Quality-of-Life and Social Indicators Data:

• Census Data - SUNY Brockport's Federal Government Documents Page is a good starting point for government data.
• BestPlaces.net
• MSN TerraServer Satellite photos and demographic information.
• A Methodological Review of Maharishi Effect Research How sound are their arguments concerning causality?
• Intercity Hardship Index
• New York State County Health Indicators Profiles
• IDB Population Pyramids Database Census Bureau International Population Database
  • Map of the World UN
  • Map of the World CIA

Resources

• One of the most important resources you'll find is the companion site to the main text used in this course, Earl Babbie's The Practice of Social Research. At the site you'll find practice quizzes, tutorials, flashcards, and numerous other resources to help you learn the course material. Be sure to avail yourself of this excellent resource.
• Needs Assessment Resources I have created this web site to include the most important "social indicators" statistic
• For a useful overview for writing executive summaries, take a look at the resources available at the Howe Writing Initiative from the Richard T. Farmer School of Business at Miami University—especially the two documents entitled "Executive Summary" and "Summary vs. Executive Summary."
• How to calculate the percentage increase or decrease from one time period to the next. Courtesy of Ask Dr. Math.
• Sample size calculator