HDDR 6210 RESEARCH METHODS

Southern Methodist University

Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development

Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management
5228 Tennyson Parkway Suite 118
Plano, TX  75024

972-473-3425

Jan Term

October 25, 2010 – January 14, 2011

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

John Potter, OD, MA

Phone: 972-818-1239

Fax: 972-818-1240

Cell: 314-494-7563

Email: jwpotter@smu.edu

Office Hours: By appointment only

Class Time: Monday 6:00-9:30 PM

Credit: 2 hours

COURSE DESCRIPTION

HDDR 6210 Research Methods (2 credit hours)

The focus will be to provide students with a fundamental understanding in research methods allowing them to be discerning consumers of literature in the dispute resolution field. Students will learn sound research design, inference from data to conclusions, and the assumptions underlying various methods. In this way, students will be empowered to judge for themselves the value, validity, and reliability of studies they read.

http://smu.edu/education/disputeresolution/coursedescriptions.asp

KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

Required Reading

Day, R, & Gastel, B. (2006). How to Write and publish a scientific paper. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Supplemental Readings

Druckman, D. (2005). Doing research: methods of inquiry in conflict analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

Rubin, A. (2007). Statistics for evidence-based practice and evaluation. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

CLASS SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNMENTS

1/4 of the final grade will be based on the first examination.  1/2 of the final grade will be based on the second examination.  1/4 of the final grade will be based on attendance and class participation.

STUDENT EVALUATION AND GRADING SCALE

COURSE POLICIES

Honor Code

Students are reminded of the SMU Honor Code as referenced in the Student Hand Book.  Intellectual integrity and academic honesty are both the foundations and the goals for this program.  Please reference and review the university policies on the responsibilities, policies, and penalties regarding academic honesty found at:

http://www.smu.edu/studentlife/PCL_05_HC.asp

Notification of Absence Due to Religious Holy Day(s)

Students who will be absent from class for the observance of a religious holiday must notify the instructor in advance.  Please refer to the Student Obligations section of the university catalog for more explanations.  You are required to complete any assignments or take any examinations missed as a result of the absence within the time frame specified by your instructor.

Disabilities Accommodations

Students needing academic accommodations for disability must contact Ms. Rebecca Marin, Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities (214-768-4557) to verify the disability and establish eligibility for accommodations.  They should then schedule an appointment with the professor to make appropriate arrangements.

Add/Drop Policy

If you are unable to complete this course, you must officially withdraw by the university deadline; the last day to Add/Drop regular courses without a grade record or Billing.  Withdrawing is a formal procedure which you must initiate; your instructor cannot do it for you.

SMU Emergency Preparedness

As part of the federal government response to the H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a nationwide public health emergency preparedness declaration on April 26, 2009. The declaration was renewed on July 23, 2009 and is currently in force. For the semester ahead, there is concern that the level and intensity of flu cases could increase substantially.
1) For updates on the campus-wide status of flu conditions at SMU, please visit http://www.smu.edu.
2) If flu conditions require cancellation of a class session or other changes for this course, an email will be sent to all class members.
3) In the event of a major campus emergency at SMU, course requirements, deadlines, and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances beyond the instructor’s control.

Optional (or you may want to include the information in the last two paragraphs)

Grade of Incomplete

                A student may receive a grade of I (Incomplete) if at least 50 percent of the course requirements have been completed with passing grades, but for some justifiable reason, acceptable to the instructor, the student has been unable to complete the full requirements of the course. At the time a grade of I is given, the instructor must stipulate in writing to the student and to the University registrar the requirements and completion date that are to be met and the grade that will be given if the requirements are not met by the completion date. The maximum period of time allowed to clear the Incomplete grade normally is 12 months. If the Incomplete grade is not cleared by the date set by the instructor or by the end of the 12-month Policies and Procedures 25 deadline, the grade of I will be changed to the grade provided by the instructor at the time the Incomplete grade was assigned or to a grade of F if no alternate grade was provided. The grade of I is not given in lieu of a grade of F or W, or other grade, each of which is prescribed for other specific circumstances.

                If the student’s work is incomplete, poor quality and not acceptable, a grade of F will be given. The grade of I does not authorize a student to attend the course during a later term. Graduation candidates must clear all Incomplete grades prior to the deadline in the Official University Calendar, which may allow less time than 12 months. Failure to do so can result in removal from the degree candidacy list and/or conversion of the grade of I to the grade indicated by the instructor at the time the grade of I was given.

                For graduate students, a maximum of two (six hours) concurrently held grades of Incomplete in courses other than thesis is allowed. If this maximum is reached, the student will be allowed to take only one three-hour course per term until the Incomplete total is reduced. Students who accumulate a total of three grades of Incomplete in courses other than thesis will be put on probation and not allowed to enroll further until the total is reduced.