Overview
Description
Review major method designs and statistical techniques, with a focus on applications suitable for judicial management , policy development, evaluation research, and critiquing scientific research.
Units
Lecture3
Catalog Details
Offering
Offered: Every Spring - Even Years
Terms
spring
Attributes
Standard
Learning Outcomes
- demonstrate understanding of the purposes of science and appreciation for scientific analysis in the justice system.
- demonstrate understanding of how research ideas and theories can be turned into concrete quantitative and qualitative measurable variables.
- demonstrate understanding of the various constraints and ethical issues applied researchers have in the justice system.
- describe the various research designs used in the field and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each of these designs.
- formulate a research question, operationalize variables, and think about ways to analyze variables.
- select a sample, collect data, and code data.
- critique and assess the quality (validity and reliability) of social science research.
- demonstrate basic statistical analysis and writing skills needed to interpret, summarize, critique, and report data.
- demonstrate valuable skills in understanding and conducting evaluation research.
- develop a professional project proposal suitable for use as a basis for a research project in judicial studies and/or that can be submitted to a funding agency (e.g., National Science Foundation or National Institute of Justice) for future implementation in the student’s research.