Required Research Credit

 
Sociological and psychological theories are developed through scientific studies of human behavior. In order for you to gain an appreciation of the critical role that research plays in the social sciences, you are required to earn 2 hours of research credit. Credit can be earned via two methods: (i) volunteering to participate a research experiment conducted by faculty and graduate students in the sociology department and (ii) reading published research articles on a particular topic (approved by the instructor) and submitting a written review of them.

Experimental Participation:
You will receive 1 research credit hour for each partial-to-full hour of experimental participation. That is, experiments requiring up to one hour to complete are worth 1 hour; experiments requiring between 1 and 2 hours to complete are worth 2 hours.

Those who wish to participate can indicate so by signing up on a sheet that will be circulated in class. If you decide later to participate, you can sign up on the sheet by the instructor's office door or by contacting the instructor. A research assistant will call you to schedule you for an experimental session at a time convenient for you. The research assistant will tell where your particular session will be held and give you additional information about the study in which you will be participating.

The study in which you will participate has been approved by the University Committee on the Protection of Human Subjects. This is an independent committee responsible for evaluating the ethics & safety of all research conducted at Notre Dame. You will be asked to read and sign a consent form at the beginning of every experiment. Experimenters must provide sufficient truthful information about the experiment before it begins so that you are capable of giving "informed consent."

Written Research Reviews:
If you choose this option to satisfy your research requirement, please see the instructor for details concerning the length of the paper, how it will be evaluated, and how research credit points will be determined.