Methods/Data Analysis Courses
Requirement: Complete a minimum of three methods courses. At least two courses must be numerically graded with a minimum grade of 3.0 and at least one course must be *qualitative or mixed methods content.
Definition: Methods Courses explain how something is done. The Oxford Dictionary defines a method as ‘A particular form of procedure for accomplishing or approaching something.’
Notes: 1) This list is not inclusive. If the course you want to take is not listed, please check with the PhD Assistant Director before enrolling and 2) CS&SS and EDPSY are typically methods courses.
Some Advanced Research Methods & Data Analysis Courses that meet PhD course requirements are as follows:
BH 527* – Research Methods in Bioethics (3)
Introduces students to research methods in bioethics, ranging from qualitative to quantitative: interviews, focus groups, surveys, and experimental and observational designs. Students write research questions, match research methods to research questions, and conclude with a proposal that uses a social sciences empirical approach to address their research question. Offered: jointly with PHG 527. Offered: Sp.
BH 548 – Methods in Clinical Ethics (3)
Introduces the history, practice, and research methods in clinical ethics. Case-based examination of methods including principalism, casuistry, narrative methods, virtue ethics. Prerequisite: permission of instructor. Offered: A.
BH 552* – Advanced Qualitative Methods (4)
Examines and compares phenomenology, discourse analysis, and grounded theory. Reviews the history of ideas and critically reads examples of published articles to appreciate how each method frames questions and produces different analyses.
CS&SS 526 – Structural Equation Models for the Social Sciences (3)
Structural equation models for the social sciences, including specification, estimation, and testing. Topics include path analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, linear models with latent variables, MIMIC models, non-recursive models, models for nested data. Emphasizes applications to substantive problems in the social sciences. Prerequisite: SOC 504, SOC 505, SOC 506 or equivalent. Offered: jointly with SOC 529.
CS&SS 569 – Visualizing Data (4)
Explores techniques for visualizing social science data to complement graduate training methods. Emphasis on principles and perception of visualization, novel exploration and presentation of data and statistical models, and implementation of recommended techniques in statistics packages. Prerequisite: SOC 504, SOC 505, and SOC 506; recommended: CS&SS 505 and CS&SS 506.
CS&SS 536 – Analysis of Categorical and Count Data (3)
Analysis of categorical data in the social sciences. Binary, ordered, and multinomial outcomes, event counts, and contingency tables. Focuses on maximum likelihood estimations and interpretations of results. Prerequisite: either SOC 504, SOC 505, SOC 506/CS&SS 507, STAT 423, or STAT 504/CS&SS 504. Offered: jointly with SOC 536/STAT 536. Offered: AUTUMN
CS&SS 560 – Hierarchical Modeling for the Social Sciences (4)
Explores ways in which data are hierarchically organized, such as voters nested within electoral districts that are in turn nested within states. Provides a basic theoretical understanding and practical knowledge of models for clustered data and a set of tools to help make accurate inferences. Prerequisite: SOC 504, SOC 505, SOC 506 or equivalent. Offered: jointly with SOC 560/STAT 560.
CS&SS 569 – Visualizing Data (4)
Explores techniques for visualizing social science data to complement graduate training methods. Emphasis on principles and perception of visualization, novel exploration and presentation of data and statistical models, and implementation of recommended techniques in statistics packages. Prerequisite: SOC 504, SOC 505, and SOC 506. Offered: WINTER
EDLPS 574 – Mixed Methods (3)
Introduces the principles of mixed methods research design, whereby qualitative and quantitative components inform each other in sampling, data collection, and data analysis. Explores design issues and solutions primarily in the context of education policy research.
EDPSY 576 – Multilevel Modeling (3)
Theory and data analysis for modeling nested data with random factors, including linear and generalized linear hierarchical models for cross-sectional data as well as basic growth models. Offered: AUTUMN
EDPSY 513 – Survey Instrument Development (3)
Focuses on understanding tensions and issues involved in designing survey instruments for measuring latent constructs, including basic sampling procedures, best practices in item construction, and considerations about potential mode, method, question sensitivity, and order effects on validity of responses.
EDPSY 581 – Seminar in Educational Psychology (1, max 5)
Advanced seminar on selected topics in educational psychology. A critical appraisal of current research. Offered: AUTUMN
EDPSY 586 – Qualitative Methods of Educational Research (5)
Survey of various qualitative research methods from a variety of disciplinary perspectives (anthropology, sociology, applied linguistics, cognitive psychology, policy analysis, and evaluation) with intensive experience in collection, analysis, and reporting of data. Prerequisite: second-year doctoral standing and one course in statistics, and permission of instructor. Offered: AUTUMN
EDPSY 575 – Structural Equation Modeling I (3)
Theory and data analysis using linear structural equation models. Topics include path analysis, exploratory and confirmatory latent variable factor analysis, and structural regression models to evaluate relationships among latent variables .
EDPSY 588 – Structural Equation Modeling II (3)
Advanced topics in structural equation modeling, focused heavily on models for latent and manifest variables, as well as multilevel structural equation models. Prerequisite: EDPSY 575; recommended: EDPSY 576.
EDPSY 594 – Computerized Adaptive Testing
Explorers concepts and models for computerized adaptive testing (CAT). Prerequisite: EDPSY 591.
EPI 511 – Introduction to Epidemiology (4)
Epidemiologic methods for non-epidemiology majors. Focuses on research designs and methods to describe distribution and determinants of disease and health events in populations; uses quantitative and biomedical information to infer whether causal relationships exist between potential causes and disease in populations. Offered: AUTUMN
EPI 585 – Injury And Violence: A Public Health Approach (3)
Focuses on broad concepts including a conceptual model, surveillance, research methods, control and prevention of injuries. Topics include unintentional injuries from motor vehicle crashes, falls, drowning, sports injuries and intentional injuries from youth violence, intimate partner violence, homicide and suicide.
G H 538 – Advanced Qualitative Research Design and Methods in Global Health (3)
Provides students with both a theoretical foundation in qualitative approaches to research in public health and in-depth training in qualitative research design, methods, and proposal development. Focuses on how to frame research questions, design appropriate research strategies, conduct interviews, gather other qualitative data, write proposals, and analyze data. Students should prepare by identifying a topic for a research project proposal. Offered: SPRING
GEOG 576 – Research Seminar: Geographies of Racial Formations and Postcolonialism (5)
Overview of key insights from ethnic and Native studies, postcolonial, and critical race theories. Focuses on how geographers can build from this literature to deepen our understanding of the relationship between race, state formations, and power relations. Offered: WINTER
GWSS 503 – Feminist Research and Methods of Inquiry (5)
Explores appropriate research methodologies for interdisciplinary work. Asks how scholarship is related to feminism as a social movement and to the institutions in which we work. Focuses on how similar objects of study are constituted in different disciplines for feminist scholars. Offered: SPRING
HSERV 529 – Introduction to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis of Evidence (3)
Conceptual understanding of the quantitative methods used to synthesize evidence. Methods for pooling evidence across independent studies, pooling binary/continuous outcomes, differences between fixed and random effects models, and guidelines for appraising published systematic reviews/meta-analyses. Prerequisite: either introductory level courses in statistics, epidemiology, or biostatistics or permission of instructor. Offered: jointly with BIME 541/EPI 541/PHARM 529.
HSERV 553 – Health Policy Development and Advocacy in the United States (4)
Practice-oriented course designed to enhance knowledge and cultivate skills for U.S. health policy development. Students learn effective policy analysis, research, and communications skills.
HSERV 581 – Strategies of Health Promotion
Assessment of health promotion planning, implementation, and evaluation strategies for their strengths, weaknesses, and effectiveness. Students critique strategies to modify behavioral factors that influence lifestyles of individuals, including decisions influencing their reciprocal relationship with environmental factors affecting the health of individuals, organizations, and communities. Offered: AUTUMN
NMETH 582 – Qualitative Research Inquiry And Methods (4)
An introductory seminar appraising multiple interpretive traditions, methodologies, and research questions, designs and methods for knowledge development about health related issues. Explores moral, ethical, and research consent issues. Offered: SPRING
NMETH 583 – Advanced Qualitative Research Methods (4)
Advanced seminar and practicum focused on study design, analysis, and dissemination within a selected interpretive tradition. Demonstration of a selected research strategy and method is required. Offered: AUTUMN
NMETH 588 – Mixed Methods Research for Health Sciences (4)
Focuses on understanding research designs that combine qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis and integration to answer critical healthcare questions. Includes application of analysis and synthesis of selected design approaches using real data. Offered: AUTUMN
NMETH 590 – Special Topics in Nursing Research (Min 2, Max 5)
Examination of a specific research method, with evaluation of appropriateness, efficiency, rigor of measurement, and potential for inference for nursing research.
NMETH 594 – Innovations in Health Systems Delivery: Implementation and Measurement (3)
Overview of T3/T4 research focusing on translation of effective interventions into practice and the community. Innovations in health services research including frameworks, appropriate study designs, methods, modalities, strategies and tools (formative, implementation, dissemination and communication). Introduces basic cost/comparative effectiveness. Offered: WINTER
PBSCI 546 – Psychiatric Epidemiology (3)
Using epidemiological methods to study mental illness. Topics include contributions of mental illness to global disease burden; major population-based studies of mental illness; measurement of psychopathology; culture and mental illness; role of neurodevelopment, genetics, social and physical environment in etiology of mental disorders; mental health services research.
POLS/CSSS 510 – Maximum Likelihood Methods for the Social Sciences (5)
Introduces maximum likelihood, a more general method for modeling social phenomena than linear regression. Topics include discrete, time series, and spatial data, model interpretation, and fitting. Prerequisite: POL S 501/CS&SS 501; POL S 503/CS&SS 503. Offered: jointly with POL S 510. Offered: AUTUMN
PPM 512 – Data Analysis Practicum (4)
Develops the methodological capacity to undertake independent research. Includes reading, critiquing, and replicating portions of selected empirical papers from a range of scholarly areas. Provides opportunities to deal with issues of research design, data limitations, measurement, model specification, and interpretation.
PSYCH 528 – Practical Methods for Behavioral Research (4)
Examination of methodological, practical, and communication problems associated with research on human behavior. Topics include: selecting research problems, use of theory, types of validity, common sense about statistics, when to replicate, dealing with unpredicted results, strategies for presentation and publication. Offered: SPRING
Soc Wl 585* – Qualitative Methods in Social Work Research I (3)
The first in a two-quarter sequence offering intensive experience in the theory and application of qualitative and ethnographic research methods. Prepares students for conducting qualitative studies and for combining qualitative and quantitative research methods. Focuses on applications especially relevant to social welfare.
Soc Wl 586* – Qualitative Methods in Social Work Research II (3)
The second in a two-quarter sequence offering intensive experience in the theory and application of qualitative and ethnographic research methods. Prepares students for conducting qualitative studies and for combining qualitative and quantitative research methods. Focuses on applications especially relevant to social welfare.
Soc Wl 589 – Multivariate Data Analysis for the Social Sciences (4, max. 8)
Multivariate analysis aims to summarize and describe patterns among multiple observed characteristics. Explores theoretical introduction and practical skills to carry out multivariate analysis methods such as cluster analysis, principal components, factor analysis, and latent class analysis. Prerequisite: SOC 504; SOC 505; and SOC 506/CS&SS 507. Offered: jointly with CS&SS 589
Soc Wl 590 – Topics in Advanced Research Methods (3)
Special topics in social and behavioral research design for advanced graduate students. Topics vary and focus on community-based research methods and measurement construction for culturally diverse populations. Prerequisite: doctoral student in social welfare or related discipline; advanced master’s level students by permission of instructor.
SOC WL 591 – Topics in Advanced Research Methods (min 1, max 5)
Special topics in social and behavioral research design for advanced graduate students. Topics vary and focus on community-based research methods and measurement construction for culturally diverse populations. Prerequisite: doctoral student in social welfare or related discipline; advanced master’s level students by permission of instructor. Offered: SPRING