To return to the Kemper Faculty Home Page, click here.

To return to the ANTH 6332 Home Page, click here.

ANTH 6332

Research in the Hispanic Community

Summer 2007

Prof. Robert V. Kemper; Heroy Bldg. 405; phone: 214-768-2928; email: rkemper@smu.edu

Course Description: This course is designed to provide graduate students with first-hand experience in doing ethnographic and survey research in Hispanic communities located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and its extensions in north Texas. Students will focus their fieldwork on neighborhoods and communities surrounding designated schools with bilingual and bicultural student populations. The research enterprise (project design, implementation, data analysis, and report-writing) is done in teams and involves shared responsibilities for the final written report and oral presentation.

SYLLABUS AND SCHEDULE

SYLLABUS

Location: 

This field-based course will meet on the SMU campus in room 143 Dallas Hall at 6:00 p.m. to 8:50 p.m. on 17 May and 24 May.  Subsequent meetings will be arranged.  These may take place on campus or off campus at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 901 N. Zang Blvd., 75208, in the north Oak Cliff sector of Dallas.

Required (*) and Recommended Readings:

*Andranovich, Gregory D. and Gerry Riposa (1993) Doing Urban Research. (Applied Social Research Methods Series Volume 33) Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

*Beebe, James (2001) Rapid Assessment Process: An Introduction. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.

Fetterman, David M. (1989) Ethnography Step-by-Step. (Applied Social Research Methods Series Volume 17) Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

*Marin, Gerardo and Barbara VanOss Marin (1991) Research with Hispanic Populations. (Applied Social Research Methods Series Volume 23) Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

Norusis, Marija J. (2002) SPSS 11.0 Guide to Data Analysis: Instructor's Guide. Chicago, IL: SPSS, Inc.

Schensul, Jean J. and Margaret D. LeCompte (1999) The Ethnographer's Toolkit. (7 volumes). Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.

Spradley, James P. (1980) Participant Observation. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

Required and recommended readings will be found on reserve at the ISEM Library and/or on the course web site.  In addition, Compact Disk-based data sources may be distributed in class and/or placed on reserve at the CMIT.

Course Requirements

As members of research teams, students are responsible collectively for readings and reporting on books, articles, and Internet resources, but the primary focus is the satisfactory completion of a team research project carried out in an Hispanic community setting. The same course grade will be assigned to members of a given "team," unless there is reason to believe that a student did much less (or much more) work than did the other students on that team.

The SMU Student “Code of Conduct”

Students are expected to abide by the SMU Code of Conduct in all matters related to this course, including work inside and outside of the classroom.  For details, please see http://www.smu.edu/studentlife/PCL_03_Conduct_Code.asp

Policy on Make-ups, Lateness, and Attendance:

Students are expected to attend all class sessions.  If you will not be able to attend a specific session, you must make arrangements with another student to get copies of notes, etc.  Assignments must be turned in on time; for each 24-hour period an assignment is late, one full grade will be deducted (e.g., an “A” paper will become a “B” paper).  Appropriate medical and family excuses will be accepted in order to establish new dates for assignments.  Make-ups for the Final Examination will require substantial justification.

Excused Absences for University Extracurricular Activities

Students participating in an officially sanctioned, scheduled University extracurricular activity will be given the opportunity to make up class assignments or other graded assignments missed as a result of their participation.  It is the responsibility of the student to make arrangements with the instructor prior to any missed scheduled examination or other missed assignment for making up the work.  (University Undergraduate Catalogue)

Altschuler Learning Enhancement Center

Students who require extra assistance with writing, reading, or test-taking should consult the Altschuler Learning Enhancement Center staff.  For details, please see http://www.smu.edu/alec/home/

Disability Accommodations

Students needing academic accommodations for a disability must first contact Ms. Rebecca Marin, Coordinator, 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.  (See University Policy No. 2.4.)  Please see http://www.smu.edu/studentlife/OSSD_Facts.asp

Religious Observances

Religiously observant students wishing to be absent on holidays that require missing class should notify their professors in writing at the beginning of the semester, and should discuss with them, in advance, acceptable ways of making up any work missed because of the absence.  (See University Policy No. 1.9.)

SCHEDULE

DATE

TOPIC

Readings:

Readings:

Project Design and Implementation: general issues; Questionnaire construction, pre-testing, and fieldwork; parental surveys; business surveys; community institutional surveys; team progress reports.

Readings:

Qualitative data analysis and quantitative data analysis (statistical procedures and SPSS); Team progress reports.

Readings:

Assembling the written reports and the oral presentations; Team progress reports.

Readings:

as needed