Program
of Study

Elective Courses

Cross-Cultural Survey Measurement
History of Survey Research
Internet Surveys
Polling, Public Opinion, & Public Policy
Psychology of Survey Research: Cognitive & Social Processes
Public Opinion & Political Communication
Rating Scale & Questionnaire Design & Analysis
Sampling Theory I
Sampling Theory II
Survey Nonresponse
Survey Research Ethics

Anticipated schedule of elective courses

Cross-Cultural Survey Measurement. PA-581.
Addresses cultural factors that influence survey data collection, questionnaire translation issues, and available methods for assessing measurement equivalence and detecting bias. 2 hours.

Course syllabus                   Course web site

History of Survey Research. PA-586.
Reviews and interprets the historical development of various elements of survey research, including sampling theory, standardized instrumentation, estimation procedures, and technological advances. 2 hours.

Course syllabus                   Course web site

Internet Surveys. PA-584.
Addresses the methods of the rapidly evolving field of Internet survey research, including key advantages and disadvantages. 2 hours.

Course syllabus                   Course web site

Polling, Public Opinion, & Public Policy. PA-578.
Applications of survey and public opinion data to issues of public policy. 4 hours.

Course syllabus                   Course web site

Psychology of Survey Research: Cognitive & Social Processes. PA-583.
Addresses current survey information processing models to guide questionnaire development. Major topics include question interpretation, memory retrieval processes, judgment formation, and respondent editing. 2 hours.

Course syllabus                   Course web site

Public Opinion & Political Communication. POLS-467 (same as COMM-467).
Addresses the nature of public opinion and political communications systems. Patterns of opinion distribution and its measurement. Forces shaping public opinion and its impact on public policy. 4 hours.

Course syllabus                   Course web site

Rating Scale & Questionnaire Design & Analysis. EPSY-504.
Will prepare students in Ph.D. programs with the skills necessary to develop rating scales designed to measure latent constructs and questionnaires designed to gather factual information (the emphasis is on rating scales; questionnaires, mailed / telephone / interview surveys, and sampling are covered extensively by other departments), assess reliability and validity for persons, items, and judges, evaluate the functioning of a rating scale, and analyze and report results using methods based in latent trait theory, specifically Rasch measurement. During the course, students will analyze and report the results of their own rating scale. 4 hours.

Course syllabus                   Course web site

Sampling Theory I. STAT-531.
Foundations of survey design and inference for finite populations; the Horvitz-Thompson estimator; simple random, cluster, systematic survey designs; auxiliary size measures in design and inference. 4 hours.

Course syllabus                   Course web site

Sampling Theory II. STAT-532.
Uses of auxiliary size measures in survey sampling; cluster sampling; systematic sampling; stratified sampling; superpopulation methods; randomized response methods; resampling; nonresponse; small area estimations. 4 hours.

Course syllabus                   Course web site

Survey Nonresponse. PA-580.
Addresses current theories of unit and survey nonresponse and procedures for assessing and adjusting for nonreponse bias. 2 hours.

Course syllabus                   Course web site

Survey Research Ethics. PA-585.
Addresses current debates regarding the ethical treatment of research subjects as it applies to survey respondents, including review of relevant federal and state regulations, and standards and guidelines for reporting survey procedures and findings. 2 hours.

Course syllabus                   Course web site

Special Topics in Survey Methodology. PA-587.
This course will examine current development and issues relevant to survey research methodology. 2 hours.

Course syllabus (spring 2006: Behvavior Coding)  

Anticipated Schedule of Elective Courses