Schedule and readings

Course calendar

Reading quizzes are due on Mondays and lab assignments are due on Wednesdays. Any other assignment due dates are noted in the schedule below.

Monday (Lecture) Wednesday (Lab)
9/3
Intro to course: Linking data and justice
9/8
Research ethics, data misuse
Syllabus quiz due		 9/10
Coding basics
9/15
Finding a research question		 9/17
Data sources and data cleaning
9/22
Building an experiment		 9/24
Web scraping
9/29
Non-experimental methods		 10/1
Text data
Guest speaker: Gretta Kissell
10/6
Validity, confounds, and sources of error		 10/8
Geospatial data
Guest speaker: Gianna Campa
10/13
Making sense of results
Participation reflection due		 10/15
Social network data
Guest speaker: Dr. Peter Dixon
10/20
Causal processes and interventions
Guest speaker: Dr. Kara Rudolph		 10/22
Data analysis
10/27
Individual differences
Guest speakers: Dr. Niall Bolger and Dr. Geraldine Downey		 10/29
Data visualization
11/3
Fall break		 11/5
Advanced data cleaning
Guest speaker: Oliver Bjornsson (NYC Open Data)
11/10
Narrative identity and change
Guest speakers: Jarrell Daniels and Jason Bostic		 11/12
Advanced data visualization
Final project outline due
11/17
Science communication, data journalism
Guest speaker: Ellis Simani (ProPublica)		 11/19
Work on projects
11/24
Bias in data and algorithms
Guest speakers: Dr. Chris Wiggins and Dr. Dae Il Kim		 11/26
Thanksgiving break
12/1
Work on projects		 12/3
Policy presentations
12/8
Policy presentations
12/15
Final paper due

Readings

We’ll be using two textbooks throughout this course.

Jhangiani, R. S., Cuttler, C., & Leighton, D. C. (2019). Research methods in psychology. (4th ed.) Kwantlen Polytechnic University. https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/psychmethods4e/

van Holm, E. (2021). Introduction to Research Methods. https://bookdown.org/ejvanholm/Textbook/

Both textbooks are open-source, meaning they’re freely available. You can download them or read them online.

All readings are to be completed by the date listed. Readings are subject to change.

9/8: Research ethics and data misuse

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 3
  • Herington, J., Li, K., & Pisani, A. R. (2024). Expanding the role of justice in secondary research using digital psychological data. American Psychologist, 79(1), 123–136. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001190

9/15: Finding a research question

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 2.9, Ch. 2.10, Ch. 2.11
  • Van Holm, Ch. 2, Ch. 4
  • Reddan, M. C., Garcia, S. B., Golarai, G., Eberhardt, J. L., & Zaki, J. (2024). Film intervention increases empathic understanding of formerly incarcerated people and support for criminal justice reform. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(44). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2322819121

9/22: Building an experiment

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 5
  • Kahn, K.B. and Davies, P.G. (2017), What Influences Shooter Bias? The Effects of Suspect Race, Neighborhood, and Clothing on Decisions to Shoot. Journal of Social Issues, 73: 723-743. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12245

9/29: Non-experimental methods

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 6
  • van Holm, Ch. 8
  • Babvey, P., Capela, F., Cappa, C., Lipizzi, C., Petrowski, N., & Ramirez-Marquez, J. (2021). Using social media data for assessing children’s exposure to violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Child abuse & neglect, 116, 104747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104747

10/6: Validity, confounds, and sources of error

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 4
  • van Holm, Ch. 5, Ch. 19 (excluding the Practice section)
  • Nardone, A., Rudolph, K. E., Morello-Frosch, R., & Casey, J. A. (2021). Redlines and greenspace: the relationship between historical redlining and 2010 greenspace across the United States. Environmental health perspectives, 129(1), 017006. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP7495

10/13: Making sense of results

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 9, Ch. 12.52, Ch. 12.53, Ch. 13.57
  • Avram, R., Koepcke, E. J., Moussawi, A., & Nuñez, M. (2024). Do Cure Violence Programs Reduce Gun Violence? Evidence from New York City. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2406.02459

10/20: Causal processes and interventions

  • Jhangiani, Ch. 8
  • van Holm, Ch. 10 (excluding the Practice section)
  • Matthay, E. C., Farkas, K., Rudolph, K. E., Zimmerman, S., Barragan, M., Goin, D. E., & Ahern, J. (2019). Firearm and nonfirearm violence after operation peacemaker fellowship in Richmond, California, 1996–2016. American Journal of Public Health, 109(11), 1605-1611. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305288

10/27: Individual differences

  • van Holm, Ch.7, Ch. 14, Ch. 15 (excluding the Practice sections)
  • Legewie J, Fagan J (2019). Aggressive policing and the educational performance of minority youth. American Sociological Review. 84(2): 220-247. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122419826020

11/3: FALL BREAK

  • van Holm, Ch. 11

11/10: Narrative identity and change

  • Harding, D. J., Dobson, C. C., Wyse, J. J., B., & Morenoff, J. D. (2017). Narrative change, narrative stability, and structural constraint: The case of prisoner reentry narratives. American Journal of Cultural Sociology, 5(1-2), 261-304. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41290-016-0004-8
  • Azad, A., & Carlsson, J. (2024). Identity status and narrative identity processes in female adolescents’ stories about committing crimes and being convicted. Journal of Adolescence, 96(1), 124-135. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12261

11/17: Science communication and data journalism

11/24: Bias in data and algorithms