Data analysis in social studies (II) - lecture WSE-BD-ADBS(II)-w
The course provides students with essential competencies in acquiring, analyzing, and interpreting social data from major publicly available integrated digital databases. Students explore the foundations of classical empirical sociology and its influence on modern analytical methods, studying the contributions of Spencer, Durkheim, Quetelet, the Chicago School, and Lazarsfeld.
The main part of the course focuses on the structure, origin, and research value of key social databases, including G.P. Murdock’s Ethnographic Atlas, Demographic Health Surveys, IPUMS-International, Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), and Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness (GLOBE).
Students learn to assess the scope and research potential of various data infrastructures, analyzing their structure and content in terms of spatial distribution and the possibility of integrating information from multiple sources. The course also introduces fundamental methods for data extraction and preliminary analysis—both online and offline—allowing application across various areas of social sciences, regardless of specialization or professional path.
Each lecture focuses on a specific database, discussing its methodology, data acquisition methods, and connections to key sociological theories, ensuring comprehensive preparation for research work.
Topics include:
1. Introduction: Classical empirical sociology from Spencer to Lazarsfeld
2. G.P. Murdock, the Ethnographic Atlas, and its long-term significance
3. IPUMS-International and the revolution of population microdata
4. Demographic Health Surveys: The survey revolution in developing countries
5. SHARE: Research on health, aging populations, and retirement processes in Europe
6. The GLOBE Project: Cross-cultural data on leadership styles and management approaches
7. Review and final assessment
(in Polish) Dyscyplina naukowa, do której odnoszą się efekty uczenia się
(in Polish) Grupa przedmiotów ogólnouczenianych
Subject level
Learning outcome code/codes
Type of subject
Preliminary Requirements
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Learning Outcomes of the Course, divided into knowledge, competencies, and skills:
Knowledge:
1.Understanding the main traditions of empirical social research and the role of "data" ("social facts") in the sociological knowledge process.
2. In-depth knowledge of the availability and limitations of both pre-existing and newly generated data.
3. Familiarity with various types of pre-existing databases for social research.
Competencies:
1. Ability to identify key pre-existing databases and their applications in different fields of social sciences.
2. Capacity for critical assessment of the research value of selected data infrastructures.
Skills:
1. Practical ability to obtain information from selected pre-existing databases.
2. Ability to identify suitable data infrastructures for targeted social diagnostics.
Assessment criteria
The final grade will be based on the test results, which require a minimum of 60% of the points to pass.
Bibliography
Komor M., Model międzykulturowy GLOBE, „Handel Wewnętrzny” 2011, nr 1 (styczeń-luty), s. 11-17
MIŚTA, Rafał. Representativeness and cultural variation of ethnic groups from the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in G.P. Murdock’s Ethnographic Atlas. LUD. Organ Polskiego Towarzystwa Ludoznawczego [online]. 16 grudzień 2022, T. 106, s. 173–207.
Ruggles, S. Big Microdata for Population Research. Demography 51, 287–297 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-013-0240-2
Rynko, M., & Palczyńska, M. (2016). Przegląd badań panelowych procesu starzenia się na świecie.
Short Fabic M, Choi Y, Bird S. A systematic review of Demographic and Health Surveys: data availability and utilization for research. Bull World Health Organ. 2012 Aug 1;90(8):604-12. doi: 10.2471/BLT.11.095513.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: