Faculty of Human, Social and Political Science HSPS Tripos

Soc 5 / Crim 2: Statistics and Methods

Teaching Staff:
Dr Maria Iacovou (mi305@cam.ac.uk) [quantitative and survey methods lectures; course organiser]
Dr Darin Weinberg (dtw23@cam.ac.uk) [qualitative methods lectures for Soc 5 students]
Dr Maria M. Ttofi (mt394@cam.ac.uk) [qualitative methods lectures for Crim 2 students]

About the paper

This paper is divided into three sections, each relating to one area of research methods. 12 lectures are
devoted to quantitative methods and statistics, and 4 lectures each to survey methods and qualitative
methods.

The course is designed not only to teach you about the theoretical aspects of sociological research, but
also to give you hands-on practice in carrying out the research. You’ll use the statistical package STATA
to analyse data from some of the same data sets that professional researchers might use. And you’ll
learn how to design an online survey and to collect responses using the Qualtrics computer package.

Some students are slightly apprehensive about taking Soc 5 / Crim 2 because they are worried it will be
too mathematical. In fact, the course does not assume any knowledge of maths beyond the basics that
you will have learned at GCSE level. It’s taught in a very interactive way, with a lot more fun and
laughter than you might expect. If you are at all worried about this, please get in touch to ask.

The course will enable you to read and understand published research based on quantitative methods
in your own field of interest - an extremely useful skill, even if you don’t propose to do quantitative
research yourself. In addition, a working understanding of statistics and quantitative research is
extremely marketable and can greatly enhance your employment prospects in a range of areas.

Structure of the course

In comparison with other papers in the Tripos, Soc 5 requires much less reading and writing, but you will
attend more lectures, and there are also lab sessions where you will learn data analysis techniques.

The material in Soc 5 / Crim 2 is taught in a progressive way – you will only be able to understand each
lecture if you have attended the previous lectures and lab sessions.

So please, before registering for this paper, check the timetable carefully, and ensure that you are
able to attend all the lectures and lab sessions. We’ll provide support if you need to catch up, but
attendance is really important.

Aims and Objectives

After completing this paper, students will:

 Have learned about a range of quantitative and qualitative methods used in empirical research
 Be able to read critically, and comment on, published research using these methods
 Know how to apply these methods correctly using appropriate software packages, and how to
apply statistical tests to assess the validity of results
 Appreciate the limitations of the methods taught, and common mistakes which may be made in
empirical research
 Understand the importance of documentation and replicability
 Have experience of writing up the results of empirical research
 Know where to go to find information on more complex research methods

1
Paper content
The course is organised into three sections. The largest covers statistical methods: descriptive
statistics; bivariate correlation; multivariate linear regression, and factor analysis. Students will read
published work employing each of the methods; learn how to implement the method in STATA with
“real” data, and how to test whether results are statistically valid.
The second module covers sampling and survey design: it will provide an insight into the process by
which surveys large and small are designed and implemented; how errors may arise, and ways to
minimize error; the importance of careful sample selection; different ways in which a sample may
be selected; how survey questions are selected, tested and validated; and weighting and
imputation. You'll learn how to use Qualtrics, a leading survey design package.
The third module covers topics in qualitative research methods. The content is different for Soc 5
and Crim 2 students. Soc 5 will cover the purpose and principles of qualitative research, different
types of qualitative research, including ethnographies, focus groups, interviewing, using internet-
based material, and how to analyse qualitative data. Crim 2 students will select seminars on a
range of criminological topics (see page 5).
Prerequisites: No prior knowledge is needed. You will need your own computer to access the course
materials and statistical packages.
Mode of assessment
A one-hour multiple-choice exam on quantitative methods and statistics
A two-hour examination, in which students will answer two questions

Both sections of the assessment will be conducted on an "open-book" basis.

Mode of teaching

12 two-hour lectures
Quantitative methods 8 two-hour lab sessions
4 one-hour supervisions
4 two-hour lectures
Survey methods
1 one-hour supervision
4 1-hour lectures
Qualitative methods
1 one-hour supervision
Exam revision 2 supervisions

COVID adjustments
We're currently planning for face-to-face delivery of all parts of this paper. If this becomes impossible,
we'll go online; last year, this proved to be a good (although less fun) substitute. All lectures will also be
available as recordings to download; these recorded lectures are not a full substitute for the interactive
nature of face-to-face or online lectures, but form a useful guide for revision.
Please note that the workshops are NOT recorded, because they are very interactive, with most
conversation taking place on a one-to-one basis.

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Lecture List

Survey design and methods

1 MT, Week 1 Dr M Iacovou Types of Survey Data

2 MT, Week 2 Dr M Iacovou Sampling

3 MT, Week 3 Dr M Iacovou Validity and Reliability

4 MT, Week 4 Dr M Iacovou Weighting and imputation

Qualitative methods

1 MT, Week 1 Dr D Weinberg Science, Logic and the Real

2 MT, Week 2 Dr D Weinberg On Natural Sciences and Social Sciences

3 MT, Week 3 Dr D Weinberg What are Qualitative Research Methods?

Qualitative Interviewing, Life History and Narrative

4 MT, Week 4 Dr D Weinberg
Analysis
Quantitative methods

1 MT, Week 5a Dr M Iacovou Background to statistical inference and hypothesis testing

Variables, and variable types; graphical tools for describing
2 MT, Week 5b Dr M Iacovou
distributions
Measures of central tendency & dispersion; summary
3 MT, Week 6a Dr M Iacovou
statistics

4 MT, Week 6b Dr M Iacovou Working with the normal distribution

5 MT, Week 7 Dr M Iacovou Bivariate analysis – cross-tabulations

6 MT, Week 8 Dr M Iacovou Bivariate analysis II

7 LT, Week 1 Dr M Iacovou OLS regression

8 LT, Week 2 Dr M Iacovou Logistic regression

9 LT, Week 3 Dr M Iacovou More on regressions

10 LT, Week 4 Dr M Iacovou Even more on regressions

11 LT, Week 5 Dr M Iacovou Factor Analysis

12 LT, Week 6 Dr M Iacovou Final considerations

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Reading list

Quantitative Methods
The course does not rely heavily on reading; most of what you need to know will come from the
lectures, and you’ll also receive handouts for the tutorials and practical sessions. The following sources
are helpful:
Bryman, A. (2021) Social Research Methods. This is the main text for the course. There are several
older editions of this book, which are also fine to use.
Field, A. (2013) Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics
Smithson, M. (2000) Statistics with confidence
Levin, J. & Fox, J.A. (2003) Elementary Statistics in Social Research
Acock, A. (2016) A gentle introduction to Stata
The course requires NO mathematical knowledge. But if you’re good at maths and want to read up on
the maths behind the techniques we use on this course, please just ask.

Survey design and methods (please see also the separate reading lists included with each of the
topics)
de Vaus, D. A. (2014) Surveys in Social Research (6th ed). London: Routledge (chs. 1-2, 6-8).
Best, S. & Kruger, B. (2004) “Internet Data Collection”, Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences,
141. Thousand Oaks: SAGE.
Kara, H. (2018) “Write a Questionnaire”, Little Quick Fix, London: Sage.
Schuman, H. (2002) “Sense and nonsense about surveys”, Contexts, 1(2): 40-47. Online:
http://users.soc.umn.edu/~uggen/Schuman_Contexts_02.pdf
Converse, J. M. & S. Presser (1986) “Survey Questions: handcrafting the standardized questionnaire”,
Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences, 63. London: Sage.
Smith, E. (2008) “Pitfalls and promises: the use of secondary data analysis in educational research”,
British Journal of Education, 56(3): 323-339.

Qualitative Methods (Soc 5)

Emerson, Robert M. 2001. Contemporary Field Research: Perspectives and Formulations, second
edition. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press
Gubrium, Jaber F., and James A. Holstein. 1997. The New Language of Qualitative Methods. Oxford:
Oxford University Press
Heritage, John. 1984. Garfinkel and Ethnomethodology. Cambridge: Polity
Schegloff, Emanuel. 1991. "Reflections on Talk and Social Structure." In Talk and Social Structure:
Studies in Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis. Edited by Deirdre Boden and Don H.
Zimmerman. Berkeley: University of California Press
*Weinberg, Darin (ed.). 2002. Qualitative Research Methods. Malden, MA: Blackwell

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Qualitative methods for CRIM 2 students: Criminological Research Methods
Students taking CRIM 2 should choose 4 of the sessions described below (from the qualitative
methods lectures in particular). The lectures will be online this coming term, but you will be invited to
join an in-person discussion group (45 minutes) on a Tuesday morning. Two different time slots will be
offered, and you should choose one of them. The lectures will include examples from criminological
research. The discussions will take place in the Institute of Criminology on the Sidgwick Site. Reading
will be provided once you have chosen the four sessions. One supervision will be offered (date and time
to be arranged with Loraine Gelsthorpe).
If you have any questions, please contact Loraine Gelsthorpe lrg10@crim.ac.uk
Criminological Research Methods;
Course Convenor: Maria M. Ttofi
All pre-recorded seminars will be uploaded online on the Friday ahead of the allocated Q&A sessions.
Q&A sessions will be face-to-face and will take place on Tuesdays (unless otherwise indicated). Students
in Group A and Group B are expected to attend face-to-face meetings based on indicated time slots
shown in the Student Handbook. Meetings take place in seminar rooms B3/B4 unless otherwise
indicated
NOTE—time slots for Q&A not shown on this document; update will follow soon
Tuesday 13 October
1. Introduction to research – questions and their answers 09:00-12:30 Caroline Lanskey, Maria Ttofi
Tuesday 20 October
2. Sampling and surveys 09:00-10:30 Maria Ttofi
3. Experimental research 11:00-12:30 Maria Ttofi
Tuesday 27 October
4. Quantitative data analysis: Basic principles 09:00-10:30 Maria Ttofi
5. Systematic reviews and meta-analysis 11:00-12:30 Maria Ttofi
Tuesday 3 November
6. Qualitative Systematic Reviews 09:00-10:30 Katherine Auty
7. Qualitative Systematic reviews: Practical workshop 11:00-12:30 Katherine Auty
Thursday 12 November
8. Ethnographic and observational research 09:00-10:30 Ben Crewe
9. Interviewing 11:00-12:30 Ben Crewe
Tuesday 17 November
10. Documents and discourse analysis 09:00-10:30 Loraine Gelsthorpe
11. Qualitative data analysis 11:00-12:30 Ben Laws
Tuesday 24 November
12. Mixed methods research 09:00-10:30 Ben Crewe
13. Research ethics 11:00-12:30 Loraine Gelsthorpe
Tuesday 1 December
14. Critiquing qualitative and quantitative methods 09:00-12:30 Ben Laws
research workshop
15. Practical workshop: writing a research proposal 11:00-12:30 Maria Ttofi