My 2015 Communication Research syllabus for Shepherd University. This is an applied research class. Learn more about the class and assignments at: MattKushin.com

1. Matthew
J.
Kushin,
PhD
Shepherd
University
Course
Syllabus
.:.
1
COMM
435:
Communication
Research
Spring
2015
|
3
Credit
Hours
Lecture:
01:
Location:
KN
G07
Time:
T/Thurs
11-­‐12:15pm
Text:
· Measure
what
Matters:
Online
Tools
for
Understanding
Customers,
Social
Media,
Engagement,
and
Key
Relationships
by
Paine
(ISBN:
979-­‐0-­‐470-­‐92010-­‐7)
· Additional
required
readings
available
online
The
Shepherd
bookstore
online
tool
for
finding
best
price
on
new,
used,
rentals:
http://shepherd.verbacompare.com/
Course
Documents
&
Assignments
accessible
on
Sakai:
courses.shepherd.edu
Course
Overview
This
course
examines
the
role
of
research
as
a
critical
component
of
public
relations
and
strategic
communication.
Students
learn
skills
necessary
to
plan,
conduct,
and
interpret
basic
research.
Both
qualitative
and
quantitative
techniques
of
data
collection
and
analysis
are
explored.
An
emphasis
is
placed
on
both
understanding
audiences
as
well
as
analyzing
media
content.
Students
learn
to
conduct
research
across
communication
modalities
including
through
interpersonal
and
computer-­‐mediated
means.
LEAP
Goals:
#1:
Knowledge
of
Human
Cultures
&
the
Physical
&
Natural
World
#2:
Intellectual
&
Practical
Skills
throughout
the
Curriculum
Learning
Outcomes:
▪
Study
of
the
Social
Sciences
▪
Inquiry
&
Analysis
▪
Critical
Thinking
▪
Oral
&
Written
Communication
▪
Information
Literacy
▪
Collaborative
Work
▪
Lifelong
Learning
Objectives:
This
course
• Provides
the
skills
needed
to
understand
and
interpret
research
applications,
methods,
and
results.
• Introduces
students
to
a
range
of
social
scientific
and
communication
studies
research
methods
(qualitative
and
quantitative
perspectives,
data
collection
procedures
&
analytical
procedures).
• Teaches
students
how
to
conduct
various
forms
of
research
for
strategic
campaigns
and
PR.
• Offers
practice
in
basic
research
writing
skills.
• Provides
hands-­‐on
practice
conducting
surveys,
focus
groups,
interviews
and
content
analysis.
• Emphasizes
research
across
new
media,
legacy
media,
and
interpersonal
and
online
environments.
• Provides
the
knowledge
base
and
experience
with
which
to
pursue
advanced
research
methods.
Assessment
based
on
ability
to:
§ Analyze
and
interpret
research
findings.
§ Write
research
proposals
and
manuscripts.
§ Plan
and
execute
content
analysis,
computer-­‐assisted
sentiment
analysis,
surveys,
interviews,
focus
groups.
§ Demonstrate
understanding
of
different
research
approaches,
their
applications,
strengths,
and
weaknesses.
§ Adhere
to
research
ethics
and
professional
standards.
§ Work
effectively
in
teams
to
complete
course
projects
Software
Learned:
Computer-­‐assisted
content
analysis
(Yoshikoder)
Digital
Survey
programming
with
XLS
Forms
Open
Data
Kit
Collector
-­‐
field
data
collection
SPSS
Professor:
Matthew
J.
Kushin,
PhD
email:
mkushin@shepherd.edu
Phone:
304-­‐876-­‐5361
Office
hours:
L10K
MW:
11-­‐2pm,
or
apt.
apt.

2. Matthew
J.
Kushin,
PhD
Shepherd
University
Course
Syllabus
.:.
2
Tentative
Schedule
Note:
Readings
are
to
be
completed
by
the
date
listed
below.
Schedule
is
subject
to
change.
[Week#]
Week
of
Day
Topic
Due
assignments
in
bold;
assigned
in
italics
Reading
Due
[1]
1/12
Tues
Intro
to
Class
Thurs
Intro
to
Research:
Applied;
Qualitative
http://bit.ly/researchPRlens
http://www.xavier.edu/librar
y/help/qualitative_quantitati
ve.pdf
[2]
1/19
Tues
Intro
to
Research:
Quantitative;
Role
in
strategic
campaigns
Chapter
1
Thurs
Campaign
Assumptions;
The
Research
Plan
Participation
1:
Problems,
Objectives,
Research
Objectives
(in
class)
Chapter
2
http://bit.ly/470_BDRP
[3]
1/26
Tues
How
Do
We
Measure?
Elements
of
Research
Group
Contracts
Chapter
3
Thurs
Reliability
&
Validity
Participation
2:
Levels
of
Measurement
(in
class)
Chapter
4
[4]
2/2
Tues
What
are
research
methods?;
Content
Analysis
Participation
3
Content
Analysis
–
Part
1
(in
class)
http://www.audiencedialogu
e.net/kya16b.html
Thurs
Coding;
Reliability
Participation
3
Content
Analysis
–
Part
2
(in
class)
Participation
4:
Twitter
and
Operationalization
Read:
“Twitter
Study
Reveals…”
Print
and
Bring
to
Class:
“How
our
study
was
conducted..”:
“Criticisms
of
the
coding
method.”
[5]
2/9
Tues
Media
Placement
Content
Analysis
Project
#1:
Media
Placement
http://bit.ly/435_newmodel
Thurs
Data
Entry;
Analyzing
results
in
SPSS
Bring
earphones
to
class!
[6]
2/16
Tues
Finish
SPSS
analysis;
Writing
Results
and
Discussion
Bring
earphones
to
class!
Thurs
Project
1
Work
Day:
Open
Lab
Chapter
5-­‐6
[7]
2/23
Tues
Ethics
&
IRB
Project
#1:
Media
Placement
Group
Report
Card
(in
class)
Exam
(Take
home)
Thurs
Sentiment
Analysis
Sentiment
Analysis
Exercise
(in
class)
http://nyti.ms/FSM_sentiment
http://nyti.ms/11OsyLY
http://ift.tt/1n9oJNx
[8]
3/2
Tues
Computer-­‐assisted
content
analysis
Computer
Assisted
Content
Analysis
Exercise
(in
class)
Project
2:
Computer-­‐assisted
sentiment
analysis
Exam
(Take
Home)
http://mashable.com/2011/
11/08/natural-­‐language-­‐
processing-­‐social-­‐media/
Thurs
Secondary
Research;
Benchmarks
and
KPIs
Participation
–
Dissecting
a
research
article;
Participation
–
Lit
Reviews
(both
in
class)
Read
and
bring
a
copy:
“Why
do
consumers
open
direct
mail?”
–
rather
than

3. Matthew
J.
Kushin,
PhD
Shepherd
University
Course
Syllabus
.:.
3
Issue
a
Team
member
A
Warning
Deadline
everyone
doing
a
different
section,
have
them
do
a
compare-­‐contrast
of
2
different
articles
in
terms
of
METHODS;
RESULTS;
Discussion?
Or
just
METHODS
and
DISCUSSION?
[9]
3/9
Tues
Analyzing
and
interpreting
data
Participation
We
will
do
Project
#2
data
analysis
in
class,
Jumpstart
Methods
&
Results
sections
Print
and
bring
to
class:
http://bit.ly/435_methodsexer
cise1
Thurs
Qualitative
Research;
Interviews
&
Focus
Groups
Measure
What
Matters
–
7-­‐10
[10]
3/16
Tues
Spring
Break
–
No
Class
Thurs
Spring
Break
–
No
Class
[11]
3/23
Tues
Surveys
Participation:
Writing
Survey
Questions
Final
Project
Project
#2
Due
Project
#2:
Group
report
card
(in
class)
Read:
A
great
example
of
an
applied
survey
research
study:
“Putting
the
‘community’
back
in
College”
(on
Sakai)
Check
out:
Pollingreport.com
–
look
at
wording
of
some
surveys,
and
results
reported.
Thurs
Informed
Consent;
Measurement;
Measuring
Relationships
Measuring
Relationships
Exercise
(in
class)
Fire
a
Team
Member
Deadline
http://bit.ly/435_measurerel
ationships
(long,
but
worth
it!)
Print
and
bring
[12]
3/30
Tues
Measurements
Workshop
Thurs
Sampling
&
Sampling
Error
Participation
11
–
A
Taste
of
Sampling
(in
class)
Group
Meeting
Sign
Up
Final
Project:
Proposal
Due
Measure
What
Matters
–
11;
13
[13]
4/6
Tues
Digital
Surveys
&
Field
Data
Collection;
Group
Time
Participation
13
-­‐
Digital
Survey
Programming
with
XLS
Forms
(in
class)
Do
not
begin
any
data
collection
until
you
have
my
approval
today;
However,
you
can
begin
recruiting
subjects
for
interviews/focus
groups.
http://bit.ly/435_guidelinesf
orstats
Thurs
Data
Collection
Analysis
(Open
Lab:
Attendance
Optional;
except
for
required
group
meetings)
*You
should
be
either
recruiting
subjects
or
out
collecting
data!
[14]
4/13
Tues
Data
Collection
Analysis
(Open
Lab:
Attendance
Optional;
except
for
required
group
meetings)
Note:
All
survey
data
collection
must
be
complete
by
8am
Monday
of
last
week
of
class
so
I
can
clean
the
data!
*You
should
be
out
collecting
data!
CRITICAL:
In
order
for
Dr.
K
to
be
able
to
clean
your
data
so
it
can
be
analyzed
in
SPSS,
it
must
be
turned
into
dropbox
by
Thursday
at
Noon.
Email
me
when
its
submitted.
Thurs
Spring
Recess
–
no
class

4. Matthew
J.
Kushin,
PhD
Shepherd
University
Course
Syllabus
.:.
4
Indicate
days
we
will
meet
in
G8
Lab.
Final
Exam
Date
&
Time:
____________
(see
calendar
on
shepherd.edu)
Assignments
Project
1:
Media
Placement
Content
Analysis
11%
Project
2:
Social
Media
Computer
Assisted
Sentiment
Analysis
15%
Project
3:
Proposal
7%
Project
3:
Interviews/Focus
Groups,
Surveys
21%
Team
Report
Card
18%
(
projects
1,
2:
5%
each;
project
3:
8%)
Exam
(non-­‐traditional
format)
15%
Participation
Assignments
13%
Final
Grades:
Final
grades
will
be
determined
with
the
following
scale.
There
is
no
rounding:
A
=
100-­‐90%
B
=
89.9-­‐80%
C=
79.9-­‐70%
D=
69.9-­‐60%
F
=0-­‐59.9%
All
assignments
due
by
the
start
of
class
on
the
due
date
unless
specified
otherwise.
Resources
Department
Social
Media
@shepcomm
instagram.com/sucomm
shepcommblog.wordpress.com
Dr.
Kushin
@mjkushin
If
you
are
intent
on
studying
strategic
comm,
you
need
to
1)
read,
and
2)
be
professionally
active
on
social
media.
I
post
and
share
content
related
to
school,
social
media,
and
PR.
o Lists
I
cultivate:
§ https://twitter.com/mjkushin/social-­‐media
-­‐
General
Social
Media
News
§ https://twitter.com/mjkushin/shep
-­‐
Shepherd
and
local
–
play
your
cards
right
and
you
might
end
up
on
this
list!
§ https://twitter.com/mjkushin/strategic
-­‐
PR,
marketing,
etc.,
w/
a
bend
toward
new
media.
Social
Media
Policy
Will
you
be
my
friend
on
Facebook?
No.
I
keep
Facebook
as
my
“private”
space.
I
will
interact
with
you
on:
Twitter,
Google+,
LinkedIn
Equipment
Checkout:
For
some
of
the
projects
in
this
class
you’ll
need
media
equipment.
If
you
don’t
have
your
own,
you
can
check
them
out
from
the
library.
I
suggest
planning
ahead.
You
are
responsible
for
any
equipment
you
check
out
and
for
adhering
to
all
library
policy.
Find
equipment
&
policy
info
here:
http://www.shepherd.edu/libweb/libservices/borrowing.html
Course
Policies
Classroom
Environment:
Play
(mp3
players,
games
on
handheld
devices,
etc),
reading
non-­‐course
related
materials,
or
working
on
assignments
for
other
classes
is
distracting.
We’re
all
here
to
learn
and
people
pay
a
lot
of
money
for
their
education.
Use
of
Internet
devices
to
take
notes
&
gather
information
to
inform
classroom
discussion
is
strongly
encouraged.
But
browsing
&
social
interaction
are
not
so
please
minimize
use
during
class.
If
[15]
4/20
Tues
Inferential
Stats;
Tests
of
Significance;
SPSS
analysis
High-­‐five
awards
Course
evaluations
*
We
will
analyze
your
data
in
class
today.
To
download
survey
data
from
FormHub
see
Part
4:
http://bit.ly/435_lab_digitalsurvey
Thurs
Data
Collection
Analysis;
SPSS
help
in
lab
(Open
Lab:
Attendance
Optional)

5. Matthew
J.
Kushin,
PhD
Shepherd
University
Course
Syllabus
.:.
5
your
use
of
any
device
becomes
disruptive,
it
will
negatively
impact
your
participation
grade.
Although
I
may
speak
with
you
about
this,
do
not
expect
a
warning
prior
to
reduction
nor
for
the
instructor
to
inform
you
that
your
grade
has
been
reduced.
If
your
ringer
goes
off
during
class,
please
turn
it
off.
If
you
feel
the
call
may
be
an
emergency,
please
step
out
of
class.
Participation
Grade:
A
portion
of
your
grade
comes
from
participation.
These
are
not
“free”
points
distributed
to
students
just
for
showing
up.
They
must
be
earned.
This
grade
is
calculated
based
on
various
“participation
challenge”
assignments
I
will
assign
throughout
the
semester,
general
participation
in
classroom
discussion
and
evidence
of
preparation
(e.g.,
attending
class
having
completed
the
readings),
and
the
student’s
contribution
to
a
productive,
inclusive
and
respectful
educational
environment
for
the
professor
and
fellow
students.
Attendance,
Being
On
Time,
&
Leaving
Early:
Most
of
your
work
in
this
class
is
in
a
group.
Your
group
mates
depend
on
your
attendance
and
participation
in
the
group
project.
If
you
have
4
unexcused
absences,
you
will
receive
a
reduction
in
your
final
grade
in
this
class
of
5%
(e.g.,
80%
becomes
a
75%).
There
is
an
additional
5%
final
grade
reduction
for
a
5
th
unexcused
absence.
Missing
6
classes,
unexcused,
will
result
in
a
failing
course
grade.
For
a
class
to
be
considered
an
excused
absence,
a
printed,
doctor/care
provider’s
note
or
note
from
professor
or
coach
is
required
within
a
week
of
the
missed
class.
(I
do
not
want
any
personal
information
regarding
your
visit
on
the
Dr.’s
note).
You
MUST
attend
your
classes
regularly
and
engage
in
the
requirements
for
each
class;
otherwise,
your
financial
aid
may
be
revoked
either
partially
or
in
full.
This
would
result
in
an
amount
due
by
you
to
the
University
immediately.
Please
refer
to
shepherd.edu/faoweb
for
more
details.
If
you
know
you
will
be
missing
classes
–
work
with
me
ahead
of
time.
High-­‐fives
will
be
given
to
students
who
miss
no
more
than
2
classes
at
the
end
of
the
semester;
two-­‐handed
high
fives
for
students
who
miss
no
classes.
Class
participation
is
important
for
the
success
of
the
class
and
to
your
success.
You
are
expected
to
attend
class
regularly
and
on
time
and
to
stay
for
the
duration
of
class.
Students
who
arrive
more
than
5
minutes
late
or
leave
lecture
before
it
is
complete
without
notifying
the
instructor
prior
to
the
start
of
class
will
receive
a
reduction
in
their
overall
attendance
&
participation
grade.
Do
not
expect
a
warning
or
notification
of
grade
reduction.
Make-­‐up
Exams:
Make
up
exams
will
be
offered
only
once
per
student
with
proper
documentation
(e.g.,
doctor’s
note)
of
absence
and
will
be
evaluated
on
a
case-­‐by-­‐case
basis.
Make-­‐up
exams
will
be
offered
during
office
hours
and
must
be
complete
by
the
end
of
the
same
working
day
the
student
returns
to
class.
Make
up
exams
will
not
be
offered
beyond
2
weeks
after
it
is
scheduled
on
the
syllabus.
Late
assignments:
Late
means
turned
in
ANYTIME
AFTER
the
end
of
scheduled
class
time
on
the
due
date.
2
minutes
late
and
2
hours
late
are
treated
equally.
Late
assignments
will
be
accepted
for
a
20%
reduction
in
grade.
(except
participation
challenges
–
which
can
only
receive
50%
credit
if
the
student
is
not
present
when
due;
and
presentation
assignments
which
cannot
be
made
up).
Late
assignments
will
not
be
accepted
beyond
1
class
period
late.
Students
are
responsible
for
remembering
to
turn
in
assignments
(whether
online
or
in
person)
prior
to
end
of
class
on
the
due
date.
In
the
rare
case
that
a
student
is
not
able
to
attend
class
on
the
date
an
assignment
is
due,
the
student
may
submit
the
assignment
electronically
BEFORE
the
end
of
class
on
the
assigned
day
for
full
credit.
If
you
are
having
email/internet
issues,
you
can
fax
it
to
the
communication
department
or
slide
it
under
Dr.
K’s
office
door.
There
will
be
no
exceptions
to
the
late
assignment
policy.
Email
&
Electronic
Communication
Policy:
I
will
prioritize
&
make
every
effort
to
respond
to
communications
sent
during
virtual
office
hours
ASAP.
However,
for
electronic
communication
occurring
outside
of
established
Office
Hours:
v Students
can
expect
to
get
a
response
to
an
email
from
me
within
48
hours
of
sending
it,
often
much
sooner.
If
you
don’t
hear
from
me
within
48
hours,
send
a
polite
reminder.
v If
you
send
me
an
email
or
any
other
electronic
communication
and
I
do
not
respond
to
it,
then
I
did
not
receive
it.
You
will
always
get
a
response
from
me
if
I
received
something.

6. Matthew
J.
Kushin,
PhD
Shepherd
University
Course
Syllabus
.:.
6
v Students
should
not
expect
responses
on
weekends
or
after
6pm.
v Email
subject
lines
should
include:
Class
Title
&
Your
name.
e.g.,
“Comm
203
–
Jane
Doe”
v In
case
of
real
emergency
needing
response
ASAP,
add
“[emergency]”
to
subject
line.
Don’t
abuse
this!
Academic
Dishonesty.
Each
student
in
this
course
is
expected
to
abide
by
the
Shepherd
University
Academic
Integrity
Procedures
found
in
the
Shepherd
University
Student
Handbook
(http://www.shepherd.edu/students/studenthandbook.pdf).
By
submitting
academic
work,
students
warrant
that
the
work
is
their
own
and
that
unauthorized
materials
or
resources
were
not
used.
Plagiarism,
fraud,
unauthorized
use
of
resources–cheating
in
all
its
forms
is
not
tolerated.
All
members
of
the
Shepherd
community
are
responsible
for
maintaining
their
own
academic
integrity
and
for
reporting
suspected
academic
dishonesty.
Plagiarism
is
the
act
of
stealing
and
using,
as
one’s
own,
the
ideas
of
another
or
the
written
expression
of
the
ideas
of
another.
Students
guilty
of
academic
dishonesty
in
any
course
will
receive
sanction
from
the
course
instructor
and
may
face
sanctions
by
the
University,
particularly
if
there
is
a
second
reported
offense.
Sanctions
may
include
dismissal
from
the
University.
In
this
course
you
will
fail
any
assignment
you
plagiarize
on.
Additional
sanctions
may
be
taken
at
the
discretion
of
the
instructor
including
but
not
limited
to
reporting
the
incident
to
the
proper
university
authorities.
Disability
Support
Services:
Disability
Support
Services
at
Shepherd
University
believes
that
every
student
should
succeed,
and
works
closely
with
students
to
meet
their
needs.
Students
requesting
any
disability
related
accommodation
should
contact
the
Disability
Coordinator
at
304-­‐876-­‐5453.
This
includes
students
with
learning
disabilities
needing
classroom
accommodations,
students
requesting
specific
housing
accommodations
for
health-­‐
related
reasons,
and
all
other
disability
accommodations.
Accommodations
need
to
be
documented
and
provided
to
instructors.
Please
see
http://www.shepherd.edu/mcssweb/dss/default.html
for
more
information.
.