Jump to: Course Reserves & Recommended Readings | Assigned Readings | References (Peruse as Needed)
Course Reserves & Recommended Readings
Several readings are required for this workshop, and some are offered as references for your work. However, the following books are highly recommended now and in your future practice…
On writing the thesis:
Eco, U. (2015). How to Write a Thesis. MIT Press. (Ebook via Libraries: https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/14098191)
Pasek, J. (2012). Writing the empirical social science research paper: a guide for the perplexed. Empirical Social Science Paper, 1-13. https://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/empirical-social-science.pdf. This paper describes how to structure a social science paper/thesis while itself is structured as a social science paper! When in doubt, check this paper out.
On methods:
Singleton, Royce A. and Bruce C. Straits. 2009. Approaches to Social Research, Fifth Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Book on reserve in library, or a version on the Internet Archive.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications. Book on reserve in library.
Salganik, M. J. (2019). Bit by Bit: Social Research in the Digital Age. Princeton University Press. (CU Libraries: https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/12865275; Online first-edition: https://www.bitbybitbook.com/en/1st-ed/preface/)
Assigned Readings
The Scholars’ Journey
The Guardian. 2005. “In the beginning there was the Flying Spaghetti Monster” https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1498162/In-the-beginning-there-was-the-Flying-Spaghetti-Monster.html
Watch – The Word – Sink or Swim, when Stephen Colbert used to a comedy show called “The Colbert Report”: https://www.cc.com/video/w6itwj/the-colbert-report-the-word-sink-or-swim (Video might be gone, but a transcript is here.)
SKIM: Pasek, J. (2012). Writing the empirical social science research paper: a guide for the perplexed. Empirical Social Science Paper, 1-13. Online at: https://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/empirical-social-science.pdf
The following are supplemental:
“Considerations for Inquiry’s Journey.” Pages 421-466 in Craig C. Lundberg and Cheri A. Young (eds.). 2005. Foundations for Inquiry: Choices and Trade-Offs in the Organizational Sciences. Stanford University Press. (On Reserve at Avery https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/5445028)
Booth, Wayne C., G.G. Colomb and J.M. Williams. 2003. Chapter 3 “From Topics to Questions” and Chapter 4 “From Questions to Problems,” in The Craft of Research, Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, pp. 40-71. https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/14054185
McGrath, Joseph E. 1981. “Dilemmatics: The Study of Research Choices and Dilemmas.” American Behavioral Scientist 25(2): 179-211. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-M852212VPAE5622
To Whom Are We Speaking (Refinements)
Siemiatycki, Matti. 2012. “The Role of the Planning Scholar: Research, Conflict, and Social Change.” Journal of Planning Education and Research32: 147-159. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG0409
Becker, Howard. 1967. “Whose Side are we on?” Social Problems 14(3): 239-47. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG0545
Singleton, Royce A. and Bruce C. Straits. 2009. Chapter 1 in Approaches to Social Research, Fifth Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (On Reserve. https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/1232883 )
The following are supplemental:
Rittel, H. and Webber, M. (1973) Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning, Policy Sciences Vol.4, 155- 169. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG0713
Flyvbjerg, Bent, Making Social Science Matter (October 1, 2012). Georgios Papanagnou, ed., Social Science and Policy Challenges: Democracy, Values, and Capacities, Paris: UNESCO Publishing, pp. 25-56. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2278218
Forsyth, Ann. 2012. “Alternative Cultures in Planning Research—From Extending Scientific Frontiers to Exploring Enduring Questions.” Journal of Planning Education and Research 32: 160-168. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG0751
Campbell, Heather. 2012. “Planning to Change the World: Between Knowledge and Action Lies Synthesis.” Journal of Planning Education and Research 32: 135-146. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG0819
Fischer, F. and Forester, (1993) J. Editors’ Introduction, in The Argumentative Turn in Policy Analysis and Planning. Duke University Press. https://doi-org.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/10.1215/9780822381815
Becker, Howard S. 1996. “The Epistemology of Qualitative Research.” Pp. 53-71 in R. Jessor, A. Colby, and R Schweder (eds.), Ethnography and Human Development: Context and Meaning in Social Inquiry. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (On Reserve. https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/1832444)
Theories and Literature Reviews
Not required, but highly recommended:
Singleton, Royce A.and Bruce C. Straits. 2009. Chapters 4 and 5 in Approaches to Social Research, Fifth Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (On Reserve. https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/1232883 )
The following are supplemental:
Sutton, R., and B. Staw. “What Theory is Not.” Administrative Science Quarterly 40 (1995): 371-384. (http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG2528)
Weick, K. “What Theory is Not, Theorizing is.” Administrative Science Quarterly 40 (1995): 385-390. (http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG2601)
DiMaggio, P. “Comments on “What theory is not.” Administrative Science Quarterly 40 (1995): 391-397 (http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG2632)
Research Ethics
Peruse Columbia University’s Human Research Protection Office and IRBs website:
https://research.columbia.edu/human-research-protection-office-and-irbs
Skim Regulations (especially the Ethical Principals) at https://research.columbia.edu/human-subjects-research-regulations and protocol resources at https://research.columbia.edu/irb-protocol-resources.
The following are supplemental:
Haraway, Donna. 1991. “Situated Knowledge: The Science Question in Feminism and the Privilege of Partial Perspective.” Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature. New York: Routledge. (CU Libraries: https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/891851)
Curran, Sara. 2006. “Ethical Considerations for Research in Cross-Cultural Settings.” Pages 197-216 in A Handbook for Social Science Field Research. Sage. http://methods.sagepub.com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/book/a-handbook-for-social-science-field-research?utm_source=ss360&utm_medium=discovery-provider
Heckman, James J. and Jeffrey A. Smith. 1995. “Assessing the Case for Social Experiments.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 9 (2): 85-110. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG2741
Causality and Experiment Design (also Specific Methods References, below)
Geertz, C. (2008). Thick description: Toward an interpretive theory of culture. In The cultural geography reader (pp. 41-51). Routledge. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG2707
Marini, Margaret and Burton Singer. 1988. “Causality in the Social Sciences.” Sociological Methodology 18: 347-409. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG3242
Not required, but highly recommended:
Singleton, Royce A. and Bruce C. Straits. 2009. Chapter 3 in Approaches to Social Research, Fifth Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (On Reserve. https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/1232883 )
The following are supplemental:
King, Gary, Robert O. Keohane, and Sidney Verba. 1994. Designing Social Inquiry: Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Page 35-49 and 76-91. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG3316
Hesse-Biber, Sharlene Nagy and Patricia Leavy. 2006. “Analysis and Interpretation of Qualitative Data.” Chapter 10 in The Practice of Qualitative Research. Sage Publications. (CU Libraries: https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/7876392)
Little, Daniel. 1993. “Evidence and Objectivity in the Social Sciences.” Social Research 60: 363-96. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG3431
Adcock, Robert and David Collier. 2001. “Measurement Validity: A Shared Standard for Qualitative and Quantitative Research.” American Political Science Review 95(3): 529-546. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG3502
Yee, Albert. 1996. “The Causal Effects of Ideas on Policies.” International Organization 50(1): 69-109. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG3528
Denzin, Norman K. and Yvonna S. Lincoln (Eds). 2003. Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials. Second Edition. Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks. (CU Libraries:
https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/2191230)
Geddes, Barbara. 2003. “How the Cases You Choose Affect the Answers You Get: Selection Bias and Related Issues.” Paradigms and Sandcastles: Theory Building and Research Design in Comparative Politics. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan. Skim pages 89-129. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG2942
References – Peruse as Needed!
Survey Methods / Sampling / Design
Singleton, Royce A.and Bruce C. Straits. 2009. Chapters 6, 9 and 10 in Approaches to Social Research, Fifth Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (On Reserve. https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/1232883 )
Dillman, Don A. 2006. Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Pages 3-31. (CU Libraries: https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/5796511)
Tourangeau, Roger and Tom W. Smith. 1996. “Asking Sensitive Questions: The Impact of Data Collection Mode, Question Format, and Question Context.” Public Opinion Quarterly 60(2): 275-304. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG2357
Schaeffer, Nora Cate and Stanley Presser. 2003. “The Science of Asking Questions.” Annual Review of Sociology 29: 65-88. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG2327
Fowler, Floyd F. 1998. “Design and Evaluation of Survey Questions.” Pp. 343-374 in L. Bickman and D.J. Rog, (eds.), Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage. https://web-b-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=cfc3e578-f5a8-420a-8e78-2cf227a03be8%40sessionmgr102&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=986799&db=e025xna
Interviewing
Weiss, Robert S. 1994. Learning from Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies. New York: Free Press. Read chapters 1-4; Skim the remainder as interested. (CU Libraries: https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/3301500)
Leech, Beth. 2002. “Asking Questions: Techniques for Semistructured Interviews.” Political Science & Politics 35(4):665-668. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG1950
Pawson, Ray. 1996. “Theorizing the Interview.” British Journal of Sociology 47(2): 285-314. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG1913
Rubin, Herbert J and Irene S. Rubin. 2004. Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. https://dx-doi-org.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/10.4135/9781452226651
Seidman, I. E. 1998. Interviewing as Qualitative Research, Second Edition. NY: Teachers College Press. https://search-alexanderstreet-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/view/work/bibliographic_entity%7Cbibliographic_details%7C3367663
Woliver, Laura R. 2002. Ethical Dilemmas in Personal Interviewing. Political Science & Politics 35(4): 677-678. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG1615
Case Studies
George, Alexander L., and Andrew Bennett. 2005. Case Studies and Theory Development in the Social Science. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. Read pages 3-36, skim pages 73-108. (CU Libraries: https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/5330822)
Seawright, Jason and John Gerring. 2008. “Case Selection Techniques in Case Study Research: A Menu of Qualitative and Quantitative Options.” Political Research Quarterly 61: 294-308. http://www.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/cul/resolve?AH-J7Q2212VPAG1458
Gerring, John. 2007. “The Case Study: What it is and What it Does.” In Charles Boix and Susan Stokes (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics, pp 90-122. (https://www-oxfordhandbooks-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199566020.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199566020)
Yin, Robert. 2008. Case Study Research: Design and Methods Third Edition. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Read pages 1-19, skim 20-56, and the remainder of the book as interested. (Book on reserve. https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/SCSB-7707037)
Introduction to Qualitative Research / Field and Ethnographic Methods
Barrett, Christopher B. and Jeffrey W. Cason. 1997. “The Logistics of Fieldwork” and “The Challenges of the Field,” in Overseas Research: A Practical Guide. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. (CU Libraries: https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/1994776)
Emerson, Robert, Rachel Fretz and Linda Shaw. 1995. “Fieldnotes in Ethnographic Research” and “In the Field: Participating, Observing, and Jotting Fieldnotes.” In Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 1-35. (CU Libraries: https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/8970607)
Whyte, William Foote. 1984. Learning from the Field: A Guide from Experience. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. (CU Libraries: https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/SCSB-7696733)
Capstones: Precedent Analysis
Boling, E. (2021). The Nature and Use of Precedent in Designing. In J. K. McDonald & R. E. West (Eds.), Design for Learning: Principles, Processes, and Praxis. EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/id/precedent (alternative link)
Archisoup. (2023). Architecture Precedent Study Guide – How to use precedents studies to improve your design process – Archisoup | Architecture Guides & Resources. https://www.archisoup.com/studio-guide/precedent-study-guide (wayback link)
Capstones: Project Brief + Project Management
Standford d.School. 2016. Design Project Soping Guide. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57c6b79629687fde090a0fdd/t/605946fe112632197cd8c58a/1616463615221/Design+Project+Scoping+Guide+V7.pdf
Adobe Communications Team (2022). What is a Creative Brief + How to Write it + Template | Adobe Workfront. https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/creative-brief (archived link)
Heerkens, G. R. (2002). Project management. McGraw Hill Professional. https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/15923382
Birkedal, Robin. How To Write A Project Scope Statement (+ Steps & Examples). DigitalProjectManager. https://thedigitalprojectmanager.com/project-scope-statement/ (archived link)
