Seminar in Criminology Research and Analysis

Fall 2010 Course Syllabus

Course Information
Course Number CRIM 7301
Days & Times Wednesdays: 4:00pm – 6:45pm in GR 3.402

Professor Contact Information

Professor Robert Morris, Ph.D.
Phone (972) 883-6728
Email address morris@utdallas.edu
Office Location Green Hall - GR 3.526
Office Hours: Immediately before/after class or by appointment OR if my door is open.
(Please email me to set up an appointment if you need to meet about
something for more than just a few minutes)

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions

Students taking this course should have a basic understanding of ordinary least squares regression and
correlation and should have successfully completed CRIM 5316 and CRIM 5315 (and preferably the
categorical regression elective). It is recommended that students come to class with a quality data set that
they can use for the class project (preferably their dissertation data). Students who do not have data will
have access to a variety of data sources that can be used to complete course assignments/projects.

Course Description
CRIM 7301 Seminar in Criminology Research and Analysis (3 hours)
Examines a variety of quantitative methods and procedures used in criminological research. Students will
plan and execute an independent research project.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

Upon completing this course, student will:
1. Students will be comfortable gathering, organizing, and cleaning raw quantitative data for
criminological analysis.
2. Students will be able to understand, apply, and present analyses from a variety of staple and
advanced/contemporary quantitative techniques commonly used in criminological research.
3. Students will have completed an independent quantitative research project toward the completion
of the dissertation and/or for publication in a peer reviewed academic journal.

Required Textbooks and Materials:

It is preferable that students obtain a personal copy of STATA. The Intercooled version (IC) is fine
for this class but SE is needed for larger datasets. A 1-year license can be purchased from STATA
for $98. To order a copy, please contact StataCorp directly (use your .edu email): Phone: 800-782-8272
Online: http://www.stata.com/order/new/edu/gradplans/gp-direct.html

Required Books:

1. Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2009). Using multivariate statistics. (6th Ed.). Boston:
Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. 0205459382

2. Long and Freese: Regression models for Categorical Dependent Variables. 1597180114 (2nd
Ed.)

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3. Mitchell: Data Management Using Stata. 9781597180764

4. Luke, D. A. (2004). Multilevel modeling. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 9780761928799

Recommended:
1. Data analysis using Stata: 9781597180467

2. Box-Steffensmeier, J. M., & Jones, B. S. (2004). Event history modeling: A guide for social scientists.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

3. Hoffman. Generalized Linear Models. Pearson.

4. Kline, R. B. (2004). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. (2nd Ed.). The Gulliford
Press. 1572306904

Strongly Recommended Texts (available at book store)

Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2009). Using multivariate statistics. (6th Ed.). Boston:
Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. 0205459382

Allison, P. D. (2001). Missing data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 0761916725

Other Suggested Readings (not required for class)

*Menard, S. (2002) Longitudinal research. (2nd Ed.) Thousand Oaks: Sage. 0761922091

*General data analysis in Stata –RECOMMENDED for STATA USERS

Hoffmann, P. P. (2004). Generalized linear models: An applied approach. Boston: Pearson-Allyn and Bacon.

*Data Management
Long, J. S. (2009). The workflow of data analysis using Stata. College Station, TX: Stata Press.
Luke (2002?). Multilevel modeling. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

*Multilevel Modeling
Raudenbush, S.W., & Bryk, A. S. (2002). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

*Survival Analysis
Box-Steffensmeier, J. M., & Jones, B. S. (2004). Event history modeling: A guide for social scientists. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.

NOTE: Additional readings will be assigned throughout the semester.

Course Format
This class will be offered in a computer lab. The course will consist primarily of practical data
management for quantitative analysis and practical data analysis (applying the statistics to research
questions). Students are EXPECTED to have read all assigned readings prior to coming to class.

This class is a seminar and depends on students to openly discuss the assigned readings in class. You
MUST come to class prepared for discussion. Outside readings are assigned to foster discussion.
Please do not come to class unprepared!

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Grading Policy
Grades are composed of:
Homework Assignments 50% (1/3 article summaries, 2/3 homework)
Research Project 45%
Participation/Discussion 5%

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

Topical Assignments:
For each substantive topic on data analysis, you may be required to complete a related homework
assignment that will be provided to you in class. All homework assignments involved applied data
analysis and the use of a statistical software package (Stata v11 will be used for in class examples, but
you are free to use whatever package you are comfortable with). Homework assignments MUST be
submitted via the course eLearning page. You will submit .txt files for all work (narrative responses,
presentation of programming language (syntax), and procedure output). Homework assignments are DUE
before the following class meeting unless otherwise specified by the Professor. You will be provided with
additional details in regard to homework during class meetings. Homework assignments should be
completed independently, but I encourage students to discuss the subject matter and practice running and
interpreting models together.

Journal Article Summaries

Each week (beginning during the week that OLS is covered), students must submit a review/critique of
a journal article of their choice (as long as it is a CRIM related article) that used any of the techniques
covered in class for the PREVIOUS week. Article reviews should be no longer than 2 single-spaced
pages (12pt Time Font). The structure of the summary should be as follows.
1. General summary of the study and the method/s used (do not paste the abstract).
2. Abridged review of the measures used (unless the measures are unorthodox or groundbreaking).
3. Brief overview of the analytical procedure.
4. Critique of the procedure as applied by the author/s.
a. Was anything left out?
b. Did the author/s violate model assumptions (or fail to acknowledge them) or use the
wrong approach?
5. Critique of the findings presented and the analysis used to develop results.

NOTE: All summaries MUST be submitted via the eLearning webpage. Paper copies will not be
accepted. You should be prepared to discuss your summary during class.

Course Project and Presentation

Students will work individually to complete a research project with the goal being the submission of a
manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal and/or for use as part of the dissertation. Each project must be
approved by the UT Dallas institutional review board (IRB). Papers should be submitted in APA
format; however, if you plan to submit work to a journal that requires a different format, you should use
that format for your style of citation, headings, tables, etc.

Papers should be no longer than 35 pages (preferably around 25 pages), but not less than 20 (including
title page, references, tables, and etc.). Extensions to the deadline for the submission of a “final” and
“polished” product will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will only be allowed for papers that
have a realistic shot at being published in a peer-reviewed outlet.

A typical paper of this nature will be broken down by the following (weighting will be topic specific):
1. Introduction and statement of the problem (2-4 pages)
2. Literature review (5-7 pages)

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 3. Methods/Analytical Procedure/research questions (2-5 pages)
4. Findings/Results (3-6 pages)
5. Discussion/Conclusion/Policy Implications (5-8 pages)
6. References
7. Tables/figures (these should be “publish ready”)
8. Appendices (To include your organized DO file and a FINAL Log file—to be submitted as a text
file)
9. Cover letter to journal editor (affix to end of paper)—this must be included even if your paper is
not ready for submission.

*Include tables and figures at the end of the paper and include a reference to tables in a manner consistent
with a journal submission (e.g., use “-Table 1 About Here-” between the paragraphs where the table
should appear).

Note that depending on your topic, data, measures, and analysis, your paper’s structure may vary from the
above example. Your project MUST be submitted electronically via the eLearning portal on or before the
due date noted below. Paper copies will not be accepted and all paper will be screened via turnitin on
eLearning.

Also note that you are encouraged to utilize your classmates for peer review prior to submission of your
final product.

Students will present their findings on an assigned date at the end of the semester. Consider the
presentation like one would see in a panel at a national conference (i.e., ASC or ACJS).
Presentations will be cut off at 12 minutes, no exceptions. The use of a slideshow and handouts are
STRONGLY encouraged.

Late papers will not receive credit, NO EXCEPTIONS. You may turn in your paper early,
however.

Participation/Attendance Grade
Attendance and thoughtful participation in each meeting is expected of ALL students. DO NOT come to
class unprepared! Attendance requirements will follow UT Dallas Academic Policy Statement 800401.
Do not arrive to class late. If I feel that your in-class participation was lacking, you will not receive
participation credit.

Discussion: Students will be assigned to various course readings (see below) and may be required to
facilitate class discussion throughout the semester. Discussion assignments will be assigned during the
first class meeting.

Grading: Grades will be based on the below scale. Final grades will be rounded to the nearest integer
(e.g., 89.5 = 90 = A; 89.4 = 89 = B)

Grade Scale
A+ = 97% and up
A = 93% - 96%
A- = 90% - 92%
B+ = 87% - 89%
B = 83% - 86%
B- = 80% - 82%
C = 70% - 79%
F = Below 70%

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Assignments & Academic Calendar (TENTATIVE)

NOTE: READING ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN CLASS or VIA EMAIL.

Section 1 Data Management and Analysis Basics

Section 2 Data Screening, Transformation, and Missing Data
Section 3 Exploring Raw Data (bivariate analysis), Scale development, Analysis Organization
Section 4 OLS Regression/Interactions/Polynomial Regression
Section 5 Factor Analysis and Latent Class Analysis
Section 6 General Linearized Modeling (Logit, Poisson, Neg. Binomial, Nominal Models, etc.)
Section 7 Event History Analysis (aka Survival Analysis)
Section 8 Multilevel Modeling (aka Hierarchical Linear and non-Linear Modeling—HLM)
Section 9 Growth Curve Modeling (trajectory analysis)

Note: Topic format and/or order of presentation may change at my discretion…

NO CLASS MEEING ON November 10th due to ASC meeting.

PROJECT DUE DATE: December 1 2010

Class notes can be downloaded from: www.utdallas.edu/~morris/index_files/crim7301.pdf

* Password will be provided in class.

NOTE: Readings in addition to those listed above may be assigned throughout the semester at the
discretion of the professor. Reading schedule may change as the semester progresses.

Class Attendance
This course is a graduate level seminar. Class Attendance is expected at each and every meeting; roll
will be taken accordingly. DO NOT ARRIVE LATE! More than 2 unexcused missed class
meetings will result in a FAILING grade. You should be well prepared to offer a meaningful
discussion and critique all readings assigned to each respective class meeting. Note the last day to
drop a graduate course in the Academic Calendar available via the UTD webpage (Fall 10’ –
last day to drop with a W is Monday, Nov. 8).

Sound recording devices are NOT allowed in the classroom.

Information regarding Religious Holy Days, Grade Appeals, Disability Services, “Student Conduct,” and
etc. Is no longer required to be presented in course syllabi at UT Dallas. Students who wish to review this
ancillary material may do so by visiting the following web link: http://go.utdallas.edu/syllabus-policies.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

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