Fall 2003: World Cultural Comparisons 11-12:20 Tues Thurs SST 155 (Computer Lab)
Anthropology 174AW 60240: Douglas R. White - mirror site at uci (2002) Office Hours T,Th 10-11 SSPA 4170 (949) 824 5893
Post your proposals, queries, comments, course notes here
ORDER OF PRESENTATIONS and proposal topics
Introduction to the anthropological sciences of ethnology/ethnography and archaeology. We focus here on comparative research and theory, culminating in processes of discovery and hypothesis testing using world cultural databases. Students have access to these materials in the lab and by request on CD rom. This year's class features the use of SPSS, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. To learn about SPSS you may consult the Tutorial also at c: drive. Term paper project will be based on research using the cross-cultural database. Materials needed for the project will be provided, but students need to find references relevant to their topic in the cross-cultural literature from review articles provided and from the library.
Writing assignments and oral presentations for the class: a 1-2 page proposal, a preliminary study for the term project (8-10 pp. plus appendices), an oral presentation of the final project using transparencies, powerpoint or a web page to show results, and a term paper (12-15 pp. plus appendices), all to be provided on disk as part of the assignment.
Text: Your primary guide and orientation
Using SPSS: Analysis and Comparison in the Social Sciences
For those who want to deal with the time dimension and archaeological data see Peregrine's archaeological Atlas of Cultural Evolution
Class Objectives: During the first two weeks you should become familiar with the
cross-cultural data resources (maps for distributions of variables, codes and codebook,
guides to the variables in the codes) and how to use SPSS to access data and show
relationships between variables. Early readings will provide an overview and review of
literatures useful for your term projects in finding previous studies on possible topics
for your research. Your goals early on should be to master use of SPSS for variables
and selective recoding, correlations and cross-tabs, and learning how to test hypotheses.
During the quarter you need to learn how to come up with hypotheses and how to test them
with SPSS using the cross-cultural database. You need to think about how these relate
to general theories about culture and society that will be discussed in class, and learn
how to write up and present your materials in class and for the term project. Ample
feedback is provided by the instructor. The general goal here is to learn how to put social
science theories to the test empirically using a sample of case studies, whether you deal
with biology, economics, religion, expressive culture, social organization, politics or the like.
There are no disciplinary or statistical prerequites and you may focus your research on any
subject for which
there are adequate data in the datasets provided (but the database will be worldwide in scope).
The writing goals are to learn fairly simple strategies for writing
up results of empirical research using tables showing relationships among variables.
Because this is a writing class, it will also help your grade if you review the
Practice Grammar Tests found at the On-Line Writing Lab. Take the tests
and you will learn about Punctuation and Mechanics of writing, Grammar Skills, and Writing Techniques. Well worth your time.
A sample final paper
example of a powerpoint presentation
example of a web presentation
Provided by World Cultures Electronic Journal
- Pre-Coded Variables for the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample, from World Cultures, 1998, William Divale, editor
Week 1: Read two articles of your choice from
Cross-Cultural Research: A Cumulative Database and its Uses
and be prepared to discuss them when called upon!
http://eee.uci.edu/02f/60380/files/SCCSarticles.htm
- Oct 1: Introduction to Cross-Cultural Research - Evolutionary Adaptation and Complexity in the Self-Organization of Cultural Interactions
- Standard Cross Cultural Sample, Murdock and White
- Standard Cross Cultural Survey, reviewed by Philip Silverman and Jacquelyn Messinger, with codebooks for SPSS files STDS01-22
- Oct 3: Introduction to SPSS for Cross-Cultural Research with the Standard Sample
- Essential Data Codebook: copies to a 3.5" diskette for home use
- Searchable Combined Standard Cross-Cultural Sample Codebook, SCCCodes.doc for All variables: 1-1863 SCCCodes.txt: 1-1863 backups (Note: The correspondence between SPSS and Codebook numbers holds from 1-1805: after that you have to rely on the names of the variables for a match)
- Using SPSS in the lab -- and accessing codebooks - essential instructions
- Testing Hypotheses with SPSS Contingency Tables David W. Stockburger, Introductory Statistics: Concepts, Models, and Applications.
- Contingency Table Analysis for Ordinal (sequenced) Categories
- Contingency Table Analysis Cramer's V (adjusted phi) for nominal correlation up to 5x5 categories
- Contingency Table Analysis Exact Significant test for up to 6x6 Nominal Categories
- 2x2 Contingency Table Analysis (SISA)
- Chi Square Calculator for CrossTabs -
- a good intro here too to stats
- Quantitative Methods -Dave Garson
- Selecting Statistics -Bill Trochim
- Supplementary:
- White and Veit's EthnoAtlas - a (Standard Sample)
- Equal Area projection of continents (correcting Eurocentric bias)
eco animation from satellite
- "Focused Ethnographic Bibliography: Standard Cross-Cultural Sample" Douglas R. White, Behavior Science Research 23:1-145. html version a - b
- Publishing opportunity: UCI Undergraduate Research Journal
- Essential Data Codebook: copies to a 3.5" diskette for home use
Week 2: Find your a Research Topic - and two of the following articles
Week 3: State your hypotheses and Paige and Paige on "Reproductive Ritual" (social theory for pre-state societies), check out
controls and embedding in civilizations
Week 4: Check out your variables and their correlations and find further sources on your topic; readings below help in the library search and discuss problems of explanation and methodology
Week 5: Research your Topics and analyze your variables - and finish library research on relevant cross-cultural literature;
How will you write up your research report?
Week 6: Getting References, Tables and your argument in order - reading on reliability
Week 7: Getting your Tables and your Argument in order - review INTRODUCTION
Week 8: Research Presentations by Class Members
Week 9: Research Presentations by Class Members
Week 10: Research Presentations by Class Members
INTERNET INFORMATION: Standard Cross-Cultural Sample
INTERNET INFORMATION: SPSS (for use with standard sample)
INTERNET INFORMATION: Ethno-Atlas
Related Course Materials at other Universities:
INTERNET INFORMATION: Other
Recommended
An extraordinarily useful reference if you can get it:
Towards Explaining Human Culture: A criticial review of the findings of worldwide cross-cultural research. David Levinson
Supplementary Text: OUT OF PRINT Order CD ROM with the computer lab database for home use
INTERNET INFORMATION: Reference books on writing
Remember: Final papers should discuss at least one specific ethnographic case from your readings that is relevant
to your hypotheses by way of illustration
REPORTS: ??
Cross-Cultural Research Methods $22.00.
The Management of Conflict.
Marc Howard Ross. Barnes&Noble Price: $18.00 new, $13.50 used. Available: Ships in 1-2 weeks (There may be copies in the bookstore)
The Politics of Reproductive Ritual
Karen E. Paige Jeffrey M. Paige. Barnes&Noble Price: $16.95 In Stock: 24 hours (Same Day). Not in the bookstore: order off the web from Barnes and Noble.
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