Week 1: Course introduction and replication
Key points
- For all students:
- Overview of empirical social science research (Ragin & Amoroso, 2011)
- Purposes of social science research (Ragin & Amoroso, 2011)
- For students who want to Early-Pass the Standard Test - Quantitative, the following readings are also required.
- What is “reproducibility” and why it is important (Freese & Peterson, 2017; Pedersen & Stritch, 2018)
- Typology of replication studies (Freese & Peterson, 2017)
Before class
Required readings
- Ragin, C. C., & Amoroso, L. M. (2011). What Is (and Is Not) Social Research? In Constructing Social Research: The Unity and Diversity of Method (pp. 5–32). Pine Forge Press.
- Ragin, C. C., & Amoroso, L. M. (2011). The Goals of Social Research. In Constructing Social Research: The Unity and Diversity of Method (pp. 135–162). Pine Forge Press.
- Freese, J., & Peterson, D. (2017). Replication in Social Science. Annual Review of Sociology, 43(1), 147–165. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-060116-053450
- Pedersen, M. J., & Stritch, J. M. (2018). RNICE Model: Evaluating the Contribution of Replication Studies in Public Administration and Management Research. Public Administration Review, 78(4), 606–612. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12910
Recommended readings for Early-Pass
- Christensen, G., & Miguel, E. (2018). Transparency, Reproducibility, and the Credibility of Economics Research. Journal of Economic Literature, 56(3), 920–980. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.20171350
- Walker, R. M., James, O., & Brewer, G. A. (2017). Replication, Experiments and Knowledge in Public Management Research. Public Management Review, 19(9), 1221–1234. https://doi.org/10.1080/14719037.2017.1282003
- Duvendack, M., & Palmer-Jones, R. (2013). Replication of Quantitative Work in Development Studies: Experiences and Suggestions. Progress in Development Studies, 13(4), 307–322. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464993413490480
- Tsang, E. W. K., & Kwan, K.-M. (1999). Replication and Theory Development in Organizational Science: A Critical Realist Perspective. The Academy of Management Review, 24(4), 759–780. https://doi.org/10.2307/259353
Inspiring video
In class
- Course introduction: websites, Canvas, and other tools/platforms for this class (1h)
- Review Standard Tests (40 mins)
- Key concepts and frameworks (15 mins)
- Week 1 Q&A (30 mins)
After class
Prepare articles for replications
Start to choose the article for the replication project. Prepare either ONE of the following items OR all the items for sharing next week. The general idea of this task is to push you to start–“Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
- An oral introduction about your replication interests, directions, and methods, etc.
- An oral introduction about the article(s) you may choose, why you choose them, and your replication plan.
- A short rough presentation about your replication plan.
This after-class activity is NOT for grading, just for in-class sharing and discussion. This activity helps you prepare the replication plan, but it is NOT the replication plan. The articles you select are tentative. You can do it either individually or in a group. If you do this activity in a group, this activity helps you form a group, but the group may NOT be the final group for the replication project.