Overview

Course Information
Class
Time: Tuesdays, 3:30 PM – 6:15 PM
Location: HB Crouse Hall, Kittredge Auditorium
Instructor
Professor Jack Reilly
Office: Eggers 225F (in the Policy Studies suite)
Office Hours: Friday, 11 AM - Noon and 3-4 PM, and by appointment
e-mail: jlreilly@syr.edu
Undergraduate Course Assistants
Your Undergraduate Course Assistant (UCA) is your supervisor for the semester and your first point of contact for questions about the course and your project.
Course Description
The purpose of this experiential-learning methods course is to teach you how to write a professional report, characteristic of a nonprofit, academic, or government agency. This course will help improve your research sophistication and understanding of social science research and will further your skills in the Microsoft Office suite. The instructor will lecture, hold discussions, and administer trainings in class, and students will be responsible for completing assignments by applying taught skills.
During our class, you will be assigned a client based on your interests. You will be acting as a research consultant to your assigned client, your Undergraduate Course Assistant will act as your supervisor, and the professor will act as the CEO. You will spend approximately 90 hours developing surveys, collecting and analyzing data, giving and receiving feedback, and creating a report for your client. Your goal is to satisfy the client and meet the standards of conduct and performance set by the supervisors and CEO.
Chain of Command
Direct any questions about expectations first to your supervisor — that is, your UCA. They will elevate them as needed.
Prerequisites
PST 101, MAX 201, and admittance to the Policy Studies major.
Learning Objectives
1.	Frame a research question and define a research scope
2.	Gather information and data from a variety of sources
3.	Judge sources’ credibility, authority, relevance, bias, and accuracy
4.	Calculate results, support arguments, and draw conclusions
5.	Demonstrate software and technology proficiency
6.	Present conclusions or data visually, clearly, and succinctly
Required Materials
Computer access with Microsoft Office. No textbooks are required.
Microsoft Office
As a current student, you can use your SU student electronic account to download and install Office 365 applications (including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) on up to five computers (PC and Mac) and five mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, Android). Students should download Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in the first week of class.
While you can technically use Office on mobile devices, you should use a full computer (Mac or PC) for data analysis in the class. The mobile versions of the applications are not feature complete.
Online Course Resources
Blackboard is our internet-based course platform: https://blackboard.syr.edu. Log in with your NetID and password. Nearly all assignments are submitted through Blackboard; the Project Application is submitted through a Qualtrics link instead.
This website holds the course syllabus, schedule, and assignment descriptions. Please note that class attendance is the primary source of course-related announcements and material.