Arthur Sakamoto

PREREQUISITE: SOC317L or the equivalent

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course provides an introduction to research methods used in sociological and related social scientific research.  A required lab will provide training in the use of the computer applications.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:

W. Lawrence Neuman (2011), Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 7th edition. 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This seminar provides an overview of sociological and related literatures on social stratification, mobility, and inequality.  A variety of topics from this field will be considered including both theoretical and empirical work.  However, much of the research in this area tends to be quantitative, so one year of prior course work in statistics is recommended for enrolling in this course.  Issues pertaining to race and gender will necessarily arise when studying social inequality, but we will not focus primarily on these topics as there are other courses that do so. 

TEXTS

  There are no textbooks for this course.  All readings may be accessed via the internet at JSTOR, the UT on-line library catalogue or other web sites.  Required readings are indicated by an asterisk.  Recommended readings are indicated by a plus sign.  Readings without an asterisk or plus sign are for listed for students who wish additional references.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Each student should make a class presentation during the semester to discuss a couple of the readings for a particular class meeting (which may also include the non-required readings).  There is a take-home (and open-book) midterm exam consisting of a few essay questions.  At the end of the semester, each student should turn in either: (1) a term paper relating to some topic covered in this course; or (2) a final exam based on take-home essay questions.

GRADING: Grading will be based on a 300-point scale derived as follows:

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Class participation 25

Class presentation 25

Midterm exam 50

Fnal paper or final essay exam 200

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Total course points 300

Letter grades for the course will be assigned as follows: 

A     300 - 285  

A-    284 - 270  

B+   269 - 260  

B     259 - 250  

B-    249 - 240  

C+   239 - 230  

C     229 - 220   

C-    219 - 210  

D+   209 - 200  

D     199 - 190  

D-    189 - 180  

F      179 -   0   

PREREQUISITE: SOC317L or the equivalent

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course provides an introduction to research methods used in sociological and related social scientific research.  A required lab will provide training in the use of the computer applications.  The lab is located in BUR124.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:

W. Lawrence Neuman (2011), Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 7th edition.

REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING: 

All students are responsible for all of the material covered in the lectures and lab.  There will be two in-class exams, a final research project, and six homework assignments.  The in-class exams will primarily cover the material considered in the lectures.  The homework assignments will involve statistical analysis that will be covered in the computer lab.  The final research project may be of the student’s own choosing but is expected to involve statistical analysis of quantitative data.

 Each of the exams is worth 100 points.  The final research project is worth 100 points.  Six homework assignments during the semester will be assigned worth 40 points each, but the lowest homework score will be automatically dropped.  The total points possible for the homework assignments are therefore 200 (based on the five highest homework scores).

 GRADING:  The possible number of total points for the semester is 500.  Letter grades for the course will then be assigned as follows: A   500 - 475; A-  474 - 450; B+ 449 - 433; B   432 - 416; B-  415 - 400; C+ 399 - 383; C   382 - 366; C-  365 - 350; D+ 349 - 333; D   332 - 316; D-  315 - 300; F    299  -  0.

OTHER COURSE POLICIES:

Bonus points: Up to 10 points extra credit will be assigned to those students who had consistent and positive class participation during the semester.  (Zero extra credit points will be assigned to students who did not participate in class discussion.)

Academic integrity: Cases of academic dishonesty will be handled using standard University protocol and policy as described at http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis.php.

Academic accommodations: In keeping with University policy, reasonable accommodations will be made for students with disabilities as is considered further at http://www.utexas.edu/disability/.

Religious observances: Also in keeping with University policy, accommodations will be made for students who wish to observe religious holidays or ceremonies.  However, by University policy, the student must notify me at least fourteen days prior to the date of the absence in order to request a make-up exam.

Medical absences:  Absences from an exam due to a medical issue or illness require valid documentation from the attending physician in order for the student to be eligible to request a make-up exam.  Otherwise, an exam score of 0 will be assigned.

SOC317M: INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL RESEARCH                                            SPRING 2011

 Unique Numbers:  45320, 45327

Instructor: Arthur Sakamoto (telephone: 232-6338)

Instructor’s Office Hours (BUR458): TH 3:00-7:00 or by appointment

Lecture: T,TH    2:00-3:00 in BUR108

Lab (45320): W 1:00-3:00 in BUR124

Lab (45327): W 3:00-5:00 in BUR124

 REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: W. Lawrence Neuman (2011), Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches, 7th edition.

 COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course provides an introduction to research methods used in sociological and related social scientific research.  A required lab will provide training in the use of the computer applications.  The lab is located in BUR124.

 REQUIREMENTS AND EXAM POLICY:  All students are responsible for all of the material covered in the lectures and lab.  There will be two in-class exams, a final research project, and six homework assignments.  The in-class exams will primarily cover the material considered in the lectures.  The homework assignments will involve statistical analysis that will be covered in the computer lab.  The final research project may be of the student’s own choosing but is expected to involve statistical analysis of quantitative data.  Each of the exams is worth 100 points.  The final research project is worth 100 points.  Six homework assignments during the semester will be assigned worth 40 points each, but the lowest homework score will be automatically dropped.  The total points possible for the homework assignments are therefore 200 (based on the five highest homework scores).

 GRADING:  The possible number of total points for the semester is 500.  Letter grades for the course will then be assigned as follows: A   500 - 475; A-  474 - 450; B+ 449 - 433; B   432 - 416; B-  415 - 400; C+ 399 - 383; C   382 - 366; C-  365 - 350; D+ 349 - 333; D   332 - 316; D-  315 - 300; F    299  -  0.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course provides a general overview of sociological studies of inequality and stratification.  The focus will be on the U.S. although some comparisons will be made with other nations.  Topics include theoretical and historical perspectives; social and economic classes; income distribution; poverty and economic well-being; social mobility; families and education; firms and organizations; labor markets; race and ethnicity; gender; and political inequalities.

READINGS: The required textbook is The American Class Structure in an Age of Growing Inequality (2011) by Dennis Gilbert (8^th edition, SAGE/Pine Forge Press).  Other assigned articles are available via the internet.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: The course requirements include completing: (1) a final exam; (2) three in-class exams; and (3) a final research project. 

GRADING: Grades will be assigned according to the following

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First in-class exam                                100             20%

Second in-class exam                            100             20%

Third in-class exam                               100             20%

Final exam                                             150             30%

Final research project                              50             10%

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 TOTAL                                                500            100%

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The number of total points for the semester is 500.  Letter grades for the course will then be assigned as follows:

A   500 - 475;

A-  474 - 450;

B+ 449 - 433;

B   432 - 416;

B-  415 - 400;

C+ 399 - 383;

C   382 - 366;

C-  365 - 350;

D+ 349 - 333;

D   332 - 316;

D-  315 - 300;

F    299  -  0.

              BONUS POINTS: Up to 10 bonus points will be given for strong class participation during the semester.

              0 bonus points will be assigned for persons with poor class attendance or limited class participation.

SOC396L: THE SOCIOLOGY OF POVERTY IN THE U.S

Unique Number:                                                           Fall 2011:

Instructor: Arthur Sakamoto (Office: BUR458)       Telephone: 232-6338 (email:asakamoto@austin.utexas.edu)  

            COURSE DESCRIPTION: This seminar reviews some of the sociological literature on poverty and related aspects of inequality.  The focus will be on the U.S. although some comparisons will be made with other developed nations.  Both quantitative as well as qualitative research on American poverty will be considered.  Due the expansive size of this literature, only selective readings will be required.

            READINGS: For this course the required books are:  (1) David T. Ellwood (1988) Poor Support: Poverty in the American Family; (2) Maria Cancian and Sheldon Danziger, editors (2009) Changing Poverty, Changing Policies; and (3) David J. Harding, Michele Lamont, and Mario Luis Small (2010) Reconsidering Culture and Poverty.

            COURSE REQUIREMENTS: The course requirements include: (1) two class presentations; (2) a midterm exam; and (3) a research paper or final exam.  The exams will have an essay format and will cover the required readings during the semester. 

             GRADING: Grading will be based on a 300-point scale derived as follows:

             -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

             first class presentation                25

             second class presentation             25

             class participation                      25

             midterm exam                          75

             research paper or final exam        150

             -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

              total course points                      300

             Letter grades for the course will be assigned as follows:  A (300 – 285); A- (284 – 270); B+ (269 – 260); B (259-250); B- (249 – 240); C+ (239 – 230); C (229 – 220); C- (219 – 210); D+ (209 –  200); D (199 – 190); D- (189 -180); F (179 - 0).  

SOC385L/SSC385

SOCIAL STATISTICS: LINEAR MODELS AND STRUCTURAL EQUATIONS

 Spring Semester 2010                                             Instructor: Arthur Sakamoto

 Unique number: 46525/59260                                Office: BUR458, 232-6338

 Lecture: MW 3:30-4:45pm  BUR220                     Office hours: MW 5:00-6:30pm 

OBJECTIVES:  This course is oriented towards second semester graduate students in sociology.  It provides an introduction to the use of multiple regression and related models.  We will seek a balance between theory and practice.  We will consider the basic statistical concepts necessary to apply these models, but we will not emphasize mathematical derivations and statistical theory per se.  After completing this course, students should have enough knowledge to understand the main ideas and issues involved in most quantitative research articles in the major sociological journals.  They should also be much better prepared to complete a major quantitative research project of their own or enroll in more advanced statistics courses. 

COMPUTER:  Several homework assignments will require the use of a computer and statistical software.  Students may use any computer and statistical software to solve the homework problems. 

PREREQUISITES:  SOC384L or the equivalent (i.e., a prior graduate statistics course.)

TEXTBOOKS:  None.  The required reading is entirely from the lecture notes that are provided by the instructor and may be accessed through Blackboard.

REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING:  Homework will be due approximately every 2 weeks.  There will be 7 homework assignments during the semester, but the lowest score will be automatically dropped (only the best 6 scores will be counted).  There will also be a midterm exam and a final exam.  In determining course grades, homework will count 120 points; the midterm exam will count 100 points; and the final exam will count 180 points.  Course grades will be assigned as follows (out of a total of 400 points for the course):  A 400-380; A- 379-360; B+ 359-340; B 339-320; B- 319-300; C+ 299-280; C 279-260; C- 259-240; D 239-220; F 219-0.  I will give up to 5 bonus (i.e., additional or extra) points at the end of the semester for students with consistent and positive class participation.  The midterm exam will be held in class on Wednesday, March 10, 2010.  The final exam will be held during the regularly scheduled final examination time as determined for this class by the University.  The exams are open-book but closed-computer.

TOPICS: simple regression, least squares estimation, mathematical assumptions of regression model, statistical inference, properties of estimators, MLE,  multiple regression, multicollinearity, p-value, statistical tests, dummy variables, interactions, transformations, nonlinearities, logistic regression, probit regression, F-tests, path analysis, heteroscedasticity, WLS, autocorrelation, generalized differences, correlation between X and the error term, measurement error, instrumental variable estimation, simultaneous equations models, identification problem, order condition, just-identified, over-identified, two-stage least squares, sample selection model 

Spring 2010 “Signature Course” UGS302:  Poverty and Rising Class Inequality in America

Unique Number: 63810                                                            Class time: MWF 2:00pm-3:00pm

Professor: Arthur Sakamoto (Office: BUR458)                     Office hours: MW 5:00pm-6:30pm

Telephone: 232-6338 (email: asakamoto@austin.utexas.edu)  Classroom: BUR228

Student Mentor: Katherine Foehrkolb (email: k.foehrkolb914@gmail.com)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  This course focuses on poverty and rising class inequality in contemporary America.   The topics to be investigated include the history and measurement of poverty in the U.S., the demographic characteristics of the poor, the sources and causes of poverty in the U.S., political and policy considerations, sociological theories of inequality and stratification, and related sociological issues.  Our objective is not to engage in political rhetoric but to develop a greater understanding of the issues involved in debates about poverty, inequality, and related public policy.  Emphasis will be placed on improving analytical and communication skills through expository writing, effective class discussion, and student presentations.  Some interdisciplinary perspectives will be included into the course.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Attend all classes having read the assigned readings for that day. 
2. Do two class presentations.
3. Take two multiple-choice quizzes.
4. Complete three writing assignments of at least 1000 words each.
5. Of the three writing assignments, the second is a required re-write of the first assignment.
6. Complete a campus research project of at least 750 words.
7. Meet with the professor during his office hours at least once during the semester.
8. Attend the University Lecture (by Professor Rob Crosnoe) that is scheduled for Monday, February 1, 2010 from 7:00pm to 8:30pm at ACE 2.302.
9. Complete the final exam that will be held during the final-examinations week as scheduled by the University.  During the three-hour final exam, the student should complete an essay of at least 500 words.

GRADING: Grading will be determined by the student’s total course points based on the following assignments. 

                                                                                Points            %

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Class Presentation  #1                                               20             4.00

Class Presentation  #2                                               20             4.00

Quiz #1                                                                      40             8.00

Quiz #2                                                                      40             8.00

Class Participation for January and February           11             2.20

Class Attendance for January and February               5              1.00

Class Participation for March                                     6              1.20

Class Attendance for March                                       2              0.40

Class Participation for April and May                       11             2.20

Class Attendance for April and May                          5              1.00

Office Visit                                                                 5              1.00     

Second and Third Writing Assignment Scores        200           40.00

Campus Research Project                                          75            15.00

Final Exam                                                                 60            12.00

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 TOTAL                                                                    500          100.00%

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The possible number of total points for the semester is 500.  Letter grades for the course will then be assigned as follows:

A   500 - 475;

A-  474 - 450;

B+ 449 - 433;

B   432 - 416;

B-  415 - 400;

C+ 399 - 383;

C   382 - 366;

C-  365 - 350;

D+ 349 - 333;

D   332 - 316;

D-  315 - 300;

F    299  -  0.

CLASS POLICIES:  Absences will be excused for documented medical reasons as well as for religious services or religious activities.  Assignments turned in late without valid medical or religious justifications will be penalized.  This course will abide by and follow all University policies regarding scholastic dishonesty as summarized at http://dea