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Syllabus
Introduction to Data Analysis and
Databases
in Communication
COM5331-
Section 02
Fall Semester,
2008
Numbers, when tortured beyond their capacity
to explain, will confess to anything.
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CONTACT
INFORMATION |
| Instructor |
Dr.
Barry Sapolsky
Office: 3129 UC-Bldg. C
Phone: 644-8774
Office Hrs: Tu/Th 1:30 - 2:30 pm
Email: bsapolsky@fsu.edu
|
| Class Meetings |
Section 2:
Tu/Th 11:00 - 12:15 4130 UC-Bldg. C |
| Lab |
Section 2
Th 5:15-8:00 p.m. Room 4130 UC-Bldg. C |
| TAs |
Nakia Beasley (nmb03d@fsu.edu) and Suekyung
(Sue) Lee (sl05h@fsu.edu) |
COURSE
MATERIALS |
| Readings |
The
course reader, written by Dr. Sapolsky, is available on the course
Web site. |
| Web site |
Dr. Sapolsky's
Web site contains various course materials including: (a) the
Course Reader, (b) various data sets to be used in the course,
(c) questionnaires for the data sets, and (d) previous exams used
in COM5331
http://sapolsky.comm.fsu.edu |
COURSE
DESCRIPTION |
| COM5331
introduces students to data analysis strategies and basic
concepts of data base creation and management. The course
focuses on survey research data and employs SPSS for Windows
and Microsoft Access. Attention is also given to graphing
and technical writing. |
COURSE
CONTENT |
A
week-by-week description of the course content, assignments, due
dates, readings, etc. is available on the course Website under
"Schedule". |
COURSE
OBJECTIVES |
| Students
in COM5331 will learn: |
| 1 |
Data
analysis and statistical procedures (on Windows-based computers
using SPSS for Windows Version 16.0) used in courses such as
ADV-5505 (Media Market Research) and COM-5316 (Quantitative
Methods in Communication Research), in master's projects, and
in theses and dissertations. |
| 2 |
Database
creation and management using Microsoft Access. |
| 3 |
Graphing
of research data using Word, Excel and Powerpoint. |
| 4 |
Basic principles
of "technical" writing |
COURSE
POLICIES |
| Class
Attendance |
Class
attendance is strongly encouraged but is not mandatory. |
| Lab
Attendance |
Students
are required to attend labs for exams. Students are not required
to attend lab if there is not an exam scheduled. |
| Student
"Secret" Code Number |
Your
instructor will post student grades on the Announcements
page by a "secret" code number. Email your
instructor a 5-digit number that will be used to identify
your grade. By providing your instructor with this code
number you are giving your instructor permission to post
your grade on the Assignments page. |
| Student Requests for Letters of Recommendation |
On
occasion, students request a letter
of recommendation for jobs or advanced study (e.g., Ph.D.). Before
I agree (and I do so on a case-by-case basis), to write
a letter of recommendation, at a minimum
I must have known a student over the course of
at least two (2) semesters and the student must have
taken at least one course from me and received an "A-" or "A”.
In addition, I must have reviewed at least one written
work that the student has completed here at FSU. Accompanying
the request should be an updated resume. |
| Exams |
Students
must take exams on the days scheduled. Work
or personal obligations (including weddings, vacations, etc.)
will not be acceptable reasons for requests to take the exam
at another day/time.
There will be no exceptions
to this policy.
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EVALUATION |
| Evaluation
of students will be based upon performance on the following:
|
| Exam
#1 |
25% |
| Exam
#2 |
25% |
| Exam
#3 |
25% |
| Final
Exam |
25% |
| |
Grading
Standard: Students will be assigned points for each component
listed above. The Department of Communication is committed to
reducing grade inflation in its courses. To that end, a department-wide
grading standard has been adopted to insure that an "A"
is reserved for outstanding performance. "A" and "A
-" grades represent work whose superior quality indicates
a full mastery of the subject. An "A" represents work
of extraordinary distinction.
The
percentage of points required to receive various letter grades
is as follows: |
A |
94% |
B- |
80% |
A- |
90% |
C+ |
76% |
B+ |
87% |
C |
72% |
B |
83% |
C- |
68% |
ASSIGNMENTS |
| Exams |
There
will be four exams. The
final exam is cumulative. |
| Exercises |
At
the end of 12 chapters in the reader (and on the Assignments
page - "Additional Exercises") are exercises in which
students can apply the concepts covered in the chapters. The
exercises will not
be graded (answers for each assignment are available on
the Website). The instructor or a TA will review the exercises
during class or lab time at students’ request. |
| Student
Survey |
A
tradition in this course is the collection of data using the "Student
Survey." Students in the course hand out copies of the
questionnaire to students on campus (using the "intercept" method)
or the questionnaires are distributed in introductory Communication
classes. Completed questionnaires are coded and the data entered
into a file for later analyses using SPSSWIN. The purpose of the
Student Survey is to provide students with hands-on experience
gathering and entering data. Data files from previous years'
Student Surveys are also available for analysis. |
ACADEMIC
HONOR CODE |
Students
are expected to uphold the Academic Honor Code published in The
Florida State University Bulletin and the Student Handbook. The
Academic Honor System of The Florida State University is based
on the premise that each student has the responsibility (1) to
uphold the highest standards of academic integrity in the student's
own work, (2) to refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity
in the university community, and (3) to foster a high sense of
integrity and social responsibility on the part of the university
community.
To read the complete
FSU Academic
Honor Code. Honor
Policy
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AMERICANS
WITH DISABILITIES ACT |
Students
with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register
with and provide documentation to the Student
Disability
Resource
Center;
(2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation
and what type. This should be done during the first week of class.
For
more information about services available to FSU students with
disabilities, contact the
Student
Disability
Resource
Center
in 08 Kellum Hall (644-9566 (voice)
or 644-8504 (TDD) The Center can be
reached by email at: SDRC@admin.fsu.edu
and its web site is:
http://www.fsu.edu/~staffair/dean/StudentDisability/ |
OTHER
INFORMATION |
| E-MAIL: |
All
students are expected to provide Dr. Sapolsky with an email
address. You are strongly encouraged
to use this e-mail account to communicate your questions
to Dr. Sapolsky.
You
can register online for a free e-mail account from ACNS
(Academic Computing and Network Services). Log on to the internet
and enter the following address:
http://register.acns.fsu.edu
You
will need a valid FSU ID card and your social security number
to register for a new account. |
| Course
Announcements: |
On
Dr. Sapolsky’s web site, click on “Courses”
and you will see Announcements regarding the course. Be sure to
routinely check this page for updates, changes, etc. |
| Computer
lab: |
Lab
time has been reserved for COM-5331.Students
in COM-5331 have first priority to use the computers during
these hours. The exams will be done in the lab. The teaching
assistant will be available to meet with students during a
portion of the lab time. You are encouraged to set up a time
to meet with the TA during lab. Please email the TA
if you will be arriving late to lab and want the TA to be there
to assist you. |
| Using
the course reader: |
Students
are strongly encouraged to try the various procedures described
in the Reader. The data files (and questionnaires) referred to in
the Reader will be available on the Website. The exercises at the
end of the chapters are a good way to become familiar with new concepts. |
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