Download Syllabus 2014 as PDF
5797 Study at a Foreign Institution (12 Semester Credit Hours)
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in Comparative Perspective: Assessing Social and Political Change
7th Edition, Summer 2014
I. Summary Description of the OSU Summer School in the Social Sciences (hereafter, Warsaw Summer School)
The Warsaw Summer School is a Study Abroad Program developed and administered by the Cross-National Studies: Interdisciplinary Research and Training Program – CONSIRT (consirt.osu.edu/) through the OSU Office of International Affairs. CONSIRT is a joint endeavor of The Ohio State University (the Departments of Sociology and Political Science) and the Polish Academy of Sciences (the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, and the Graduate School of Social Research). Kazimierz M. Slomczynski, Professor Emeritus, the Department of Sociology at OSU, is the Director of CONSIRT, as well as the Resident Director of the Warsaw Summer School. The Institute of Philosophy and Sociology at the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFiS – PAN) is the hosting institution of the Warsaw Summer School.
The Warsaw Summer School is a unique, interdisciplinary program that fully integrates training in quantitative research methods for the social sciences, students’ independent research, and training in comparative political, economic, and cultural aspects of CEE societies. Students will earn 12 semester credit hours for: SOC 3549: Statistics in Sociology (3 credit hours), (b) its application to studying social and political change in Central and Eastern Europe, subsumed by SOC 4998: Undergraduate Research in Sociology (6 credit hours), and (c) SOC 5503 Social Change in Central and Eastern Europe (3 credit hours). In departments different than Sociology, the Study Abroad course will be considered as equivalent of other similar courses if pre-approved by the appropriate department.
The instructors of the Warsaw Summer School are Professor Kazmierz M. Slomczynski, Dr. Irina Tomescu-Dubrow and Dr. Joshua K. Dubrow from IFiS-PAN and CONSIRT. Both Dr. Tomescu-Dubrow and Dr. Dubrow have received their PhD degree from OSU.
II. Organization of the Warsaw Summer School
As part of the Warsaw Summer School, students engage in (a) individual research and class meetings with the instructors at OSU Main Campus (May 5 – 30, 2014); (b) four weeks of intensive training and research in Warsaw, Poland (June 4 – July 4, 2014) at IFiS-PAN; and (c) individual research and Internet/personal consultations with the instructors upon return to OSU (until August 4).
III. Syllabi – Warsaw Summer School, Poland component
The syllabi refer, in terms of time, location, and requirements, to the coursework that students will carry out in Poland. While the overall structure is set, specific dates/locations are subject to change.
SOC 3549 and SOC 4998
Instructors: Kazimierz M. Slomczynski, Irina Tomescu-Dubrow and Joshua Kjerulf Dubrow
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:30 – 3:30 and by appointment
Email: slomczynski.1@osu.edu, tomescu.1@osu.edu, dubrow.2@osu.edu
Voice messages: Warsaw: (22) 657 2755, Columbus: (614) 292-8078
Mailbox:
Warsaw: Palac Staszica, Room 211
Columbus: 238 Townshend
Times & Locations:
10:00 –11:10, Palac Staszica, Room 164/154
11:30 – 12:45, Palac Staszica, Room 124
16:00 – 18:00, Palac Staszica, Room 164 /154
Computer Room (internet access): 124, 201
Goals
Within the integrated package that the Warsaw Summer School offers, the specific learning goals of SOC 3549 and SOC 4998 are:
First, teaching students how to employ quantitative methods in social sciences to get an in-depth understanding of social and political change in CEE. Relying on the Polish Panel Survey 1988-2008 (POLPAN), you will learn how to apply basic concepts in statistics to substantive problems of the post-communist transformation in Poland using the Statistical Package STATA. By the end of the stats course, you will know:
– How to use STATA for data analysis;
– How to describe variables (distribution shapes, central tendencies, range and dispersions of single variables);
– How to assess relationships between variables (cross-tabulation, correlation, linear regression, comparisons of summary statistics across groups);
– How to interpret research findings (samples and populations, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, understanding “statistical significance”).
Second, you will learn how to develop your own research paper on a substantive issue of your choice dealing with the post-communist transformation. As part of independent research you will get a comprehensive understanding of research strategies suitable for comparative analyses, and will work closely with faculty of the Warsaw Summer School while designing and carrying out your own project.
Methodological Topics
The Nature of Social Research; Descriptive Statistics: Measures of Central Tendency and Variability; Probability Distributions; Samples and Populations; Statistical Inference: Testing Differences Between Means; Comparing Groups: Analysis of Variance Comparisons of Two Groups; Correlation and Linear Regression; Introduction to Multivariate Relationships; Advanced Topics.
Required Readings
Levin, Jack and James Alan Fox. Elementary Statistics in Social Research. The Essentials (2nd or 3rd Edition) – hereafter, ESSR
Optional Readings include: Gale Stokes, ed., From Stalinism to Pluralism: A Documentary History of Eastern Europe since 1945, Oxford University Press, 1991; M. F. Goldman, Russia, the Eurasian Republics, and Central/Eastern Europe. Dushkin Publishing Group, 1992-2004 (5th and later editions); Ch. G. A. Bryant and E. Mokrzycki, eds. The New Great Transformation? Change and Continuity in East-Central Europe (Routledge, 1994); J. R. Kluegel, D. S. Mason, and B. Wegener, eds., Social Justice and Political Change: Public Opinion in Capitalist and Post-Communist States (De Gruyter, 1995); K. M. Slomczynski, ed., Social Patterns of Being Political (IFiS, 2000); K. M. Slomczynski, ed., Social Structure: Changes and Linkages (IFiS, 2002). K. M. Slomczynski and S.T. Marquart-Pyatt, eds., Continuity and Change in Social Life (IFiS, 2007).
Course Requirements for SOC 3549:
Class participation: Students have to be prepared to discuss the assigned readings on their due date, and to actively participate in class discussions during lecture, as well as during recitation.
Three Assignments: Assignments will be distributed throughout the course, and will include a combination of problem solving (hand and computer calculations) and interpretation of the results. Assignments introduce students to several key variables that can be developed for the term paper. You need to turn them in on the due date, at the beginning of recitation. While studying with another student is permitted and even encouraged, you need to write the answers in your own words.
Exam: In-class examination at the end of the Study Abroad course. The exam consists of a combination of (a) multiple choice questions; (b) short answer questions; and (c) interpretation of statistical results from software output.
Course Requirements for SOC 4998:
Class participation: You are to continuously present on the development of your research project (research question(s), research hypotheses, analyses) throughout the Warsaw Summer School.
Research Paper: The preparation of the research paper is a multi-stage process. You will start preparing for your project in May 2014, under the supervision of the Warsaw Summer School instructors. During your stay in Warsaw you will fully develop your research question(s) and the corresponding research hypotheses, and perform analyses on POLPAN applying the methods learned in SOC3549. A first version of your paper (hypotheses and analyses) needs to be turned in on July 3, 2014. Instructors will comment on your work, and help you with developing the plan for the final version of the paper.
You need to complete the final version of your term paper no later than August 5, 2014 (Final examinations for 2014 Summer semester at OSU, main campus), and send it in electronically to slomczynski.1@osu.edu.
Grades
For SOC3549, grades are based: 10% on class participation, 55% on the assignments (A1 = 15%; A2 and A3 = 20% each) and 35% on the exam.
For SOC4998, grades are based on the Research paper (35% for the first version; 65% for the final version).
SOC 5503
Instructors for SOC 5503: Joshua Kjerulf Dubrow and faculty from IFiS PAN
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 1:30 – 3:30 and by appointment
Email: dubrow.2@osu.edu
Phone: Warsaw: 48 (22) 657 2755
Mailbox: Warsaw: Palac Staszica, Room 211
Times & Locations: See Course Outline
Description of SOC 5503
Within the integrated package that the Warsaw Summer School offers, the learning goals specific to SOC 5503 are:
a) Gain in-depth knowledge of the history and culture of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE);
b) Enable students to develop their research projects for SOC 4998;
c) Encourage students to extend their learning beyond the classroom environment.
In achieving these learning goals, SOC 5503 embraces the uniqueness of OSU Study Abroad by fully integrating students’ personal experiences in Eastern Europe with the main topics of study. For example, in addition to lectures and multimedia materials on how World War Two and the Cold War impacted Polish society, you will participate in the interactive Museum of the Warsaw Uprising and visit key WWII and Communist-era places and monuments in three Polish cities (Warsaw, Krakow and Lodz); you will see first-hand Stalinist buildings and the Socialist Realist art adorning them to get a feel of the Communist-era art and architecture; you will engage with businesses and academic and political institutions and their people to make sense of the effects that post-Communism and European Union membership have had on economics, education and politics in CEE generally, and Poland specifically.
Topics of Study
I. Warsaw and Eastern Europe: History, Society and Culture
II. World War Two and the Introduction of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe
III. Life under Communism, 1945 – 1989
IV. Transition from Communism to Post-Communism in CEE
V. Social and Political Changes in CEE, 1989 to Present
VI. Inequalities in CEE (focusing on ethnicity, gender and class)
VII. Special Topics in CEE (Crime; Political Participation)
Evaluation
Class participation (30%): You are to actively participate in class discussions and group exercises, expressing your informed opinions.
Essay (40%): You are required to write an essay that is grounded in lectures, readings, videos, place visits, and your personal experiences in CEE. Guidelines for the essay will be distributed during the Summer School.
Treasure Hunt in Three Polish Cities (30%): You are required to visit places, monuments and other historical treasures in three Polish cities (Warsaw, Lodz and Krakow) as you are able. You “collect” these places, meaning that you will record your visit by completing an official Treasure Hunt document. More details in class.
Learning Materials
Required Readings
To understand the impact of World War Two on Eastern Europe, read select chapters of Applebaum, Anne. 2012. Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe. Double Day: New York.
— Chapter 4, “Violence,” pp. 88 – 115
— Chapter 5, “Ethnic Cleansing,” pp. 116 – 147
While the whole book is excellent, the following chapters that discusses what Communism is, was and why it collapsed in late 20th Century are found in Brown, Archie. 2009. The Rise and Fall of Communism. Vintage: London,.
— Chapter 1, “The Idea of Communism,” pp. 9 – 26
— Chapter 6, “What Do We Mean by a Communist System?” pp. 101 – 116
— Chapter 7, “The Appeals of Communism,” pp. 117 – 134
— Chapter 28, “Why Did Communism Last So Long?” pp. 574 – 586
— Chapter 29, “What Caused the Collapse of Communism?” pp. 587 – 602
Media articles about post-Communism are found in “The Post-Communist Reader,” available on the course website.
Optional Videos
Selections from CNN’s Cold War Series: Comrades, 1917 – 1945; Iron Curtain, 1945 – 1947; Marshall Plan, 1947 – 1952; Reds, 1947 – 1953; After Stalin, 1953 – 1956; The Wall, 1958 – 1963; Red Spring (1960s); Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD); Star Wars, 1981 -1988; The Wall Comes Down, 1989; Kapitalism: Our Secret Recipe (Romania; 2011). Popular Music about 1989: Scorpion’s Winds of Change.
Class Policies for SOC 3549, SOC 4998 and SOC 5503
Grading
| A 94-100 | B+ 87-89 | C+ 77-79 | D+ 65-69 | E (Failure) 59-0 |
| A- 90-93 | B 84-86 | C 74-76 | D 60-64 | |
| B- 80-83 | C- 70-73 |
Attendance is mandatory for lecture, seminars, and recitation sessions. A significant percentage of your grade is made up of attendance and class participation. You are responsible for all announcements made, handouts distributed, and material discussed during lectures, seminars, and recitations.
Exam Make-Ups: Except for extreme circumstances, there will be no make-up for the assignments and/or exam. If you miss the exam for a legitimate reason (documented) there will be a chance to make up the missed credit.
Academic Misconduct: The University’s Code of Student Conduct defines academic misconduct as “[a]ny activity that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the University, or subvert the educational process.” While many people associate academic misconduct with only “cheating,” academic misconduct actually includes a wider scope of student behaviors, which include (but are not limited to): violation of program or course rules and regulations; knowingly providing or receiving information during an exam (this includes providing information on exam questions for make-ups); possession and/or use of unauthorized materials during an exam; submitting plagiarized work for a course assignment; falsification, fabrication, or dishonesty in reporting laboratory (research) results; serving as or asking another student to serve as a substitute (a ‘ringer’) while taking an exam; alteration of grades in an effort to change earned credit or a grade; and alteration and/or unauthorized use of University forms.
Course Outline (SOC 3549, SOC 4998 & SOC 5503)
June 4, Wednesday
8:00 – 14:00 – Arrival You will be met at the airport; transport to the Hotel Hera.
16:00 – 18:00 Undergraduate Research; Orientation Meeting. (Meeting Place: Lobby Hera)
June 5, Thursday
10:00 – 11:20 – Populations and Samples, Variables and their Values, Organizing the Data, I Room 164
READINGS: ESSR, Organizing the Data
11:30 – 12:45 – Populations and Samples, Variables and their
Values, Organizing the Data, II: application to students’ research projects Room 122
12:45 – 13:45 – Lunch. IFiS
14:00 – 15:30 – World War Two and the Introduction of Communism in CEE Room 164
15:35 – 17:30 – Undergraduate Research: Practical Orientation
June 6, Friday
10:00 – 11:20 – Measures of Central Tendency, I
READINGS: ESSR, Measures of Central Tendency
11:30 – 12:45 – Measures of Central Tendency, II
14:00 – 18:00 – CEE: Warsaw Uprising Museum (faculty-led; Meeting Place: Entry Hall, IFiS)
June 7, Saturday
10:30 – approx. 16:30 – Tour of Warsaw (faculty-led; Meeting Place: Lobby Hera)
June 8, Sunday
Free time
19:00 – Dinner. Meeting at TBA
June 9, Monday
10:00 – 11:20 – Measures of Variability, I
READINGS: ESSR, Measures of Variability
11:30 – 12:45 – Measures of Variability, II: application to students’ research projects
14:00 – 15:30 – Lecture: Life under Communism, 1945 – 1989
15:35 – 18:00 – Undergraduate Research
June 10, Tuesday
10:00 – 11:20 – Probability Distributions, I
READINGS: ESSR, Probability and the Normal Curve
11:30 – 12:45 – Probability Distributions, II: application to students’ research projects
14:00 – 15:30 – Lecture: Transition from Communism to Post-Communism in CEE
15:35 – 18:00 – Undergraduate Research
June 11, Wednesday
10:00 – 11:20 – Statistical Inference, Significance Tests, I
READINGS: ESSR, Samples and Populations
11:30 – 12:45 – Statistical Inference, Significance Tests, I: application to students’ research projects
*14:00 – 15:00 – Presentation by OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
15:30 – 18:00 – Undergraduate Research
June 12, Thursday
10:00 – 13:30 – Undergraduate Research
14:30 – 18:30 – Undergraduate Research
June 13, Friday
10:00 – 12:00 – Undergraduate Research
June 13, Friday – June 15, Sunday
Trip to Lodz (Faculty-led); CEE Lectures; Symposium – Study Tour
Accommodation: Hotel Polonia
June 16, Monday
10:00 – 11:20 –Testing Differences between Means, I
READINGS: ESSR, Testing Differences between Means;
11:30 – 12:45 – Testing Differences between Means, II: application to students’ research projects; Assignment no. 1 due
14:00 – 15:30 – Guest Lecture: “The EU, the ‘Big Bang’ Eastern Enlargement, and Emerging Euroscepticism,” by Peter Tunkis, Room 164
15:35 – 18:00 – Undergraduate Research
June 17, Tuesday
10:00 – 11:20 – ANOVA, I
READINGS: ESSR, Analysis of Variance
11:30 – 12:45 – ANOVA, II: application to students’ research projects
14:00 – 15:30 – CEE Lecture: The Roma in Central and Eastern Europe
15:35 – 18:00 – Undergraduate Research
June 18, Wednesday
10:00 – 11:20 – Measures of Association; Contingency Tables, I
11:30 – 12:45 – Measures of Association; Contingency Tables, II
14:00 – 15:00 – Guest Lecture CEE: Dr. Anna Kierstyn, “Crime in Poland”
15:30 – 18:00 – Undergraduate Research
June 19, Thursday
10:00 – 11:20 – Correlation and Regression, A-I
READINGS: ESSR, Correlation
11:00 –12:45 – Correlation and Regression, A-II: application to students’ research projects
Assignment no. 2 due.
13:45 – 18:00 – Undergraduate Research
June 20, Friday
10:00 – 11:20 – Correlation and Regression, B-I
READINGS: ESSR, Regression Analysis
11:00 –12:45 – Correlation and Regression, BII: application to students’ research projects
14:00 – 15:30 – Social and Political Changes in CEE, 1989 to Present
15:35 – 18:00 – Undergraduate Research
June 21, Saturday – June 22, Sunday
Free time
June 23, Monday
10:00 – 11:20 –Advanced Statistical Analysis, A-I
11:30 – 12:45 – Advanced Statistical Analysis, A-II: application to students’ research projects
12:45 – 13:45 – Lunch. Place TBA
14:00 – 15:30 – Guest Lecture CEE
15:35 – 18:00 – Undergraduate Research
June 24, Tuesday
10:00 – 11:20 – Advanced Statistical Analysis, B-I
11:30 – 12:45 – Advanced Statistical Analysis, B-II: application to students’ research projects
13:45 – 18:00 – Undergraduate Research
June 25, Wednesday
10:00 – 13:30 – Undergraduate Research
14:30 – 18:30 – Undergraduate Research
June 26, Thursday
10:00 – 11:20 – Lecture: CEE
11:30 – 14:00 – Undergraduate Research
Departure to Krakow – Meet in the Entry Hall of IFiS. Time TBA.
June 26 – June 29, Sunday
Krakow (Faculty-led) Instructional activities & timing TBA
Accommodation: Student Hotel Żaczek
June 30, Monday
10:00 – 11:20 – Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences: Summary.
Assignment no. 3 due.
11:30 – 12:45 – Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences: Exam Review, Part I
14:00 – 15:30 – Lectures in CEE
15:35 – 18:00 – Undergraduate Research
July 1, Tuesday
9:00 – 13:00 – Exam Review, Part II
14:00 – 18:00 – Undergraduate Research
July 2, Wednesday
10:00 – 11:15 – Exam
13:00 – 18:30 – Undergraduate Research
18:30 Dinner; Meeting Place TBA
July 3, Thursday
12:30 – 13:30 – Lunch & Summary Session. Place TBA
13:30 – 18:30 – Undergraduate Research;
First version of Paper due
July 4, Friday
Departures
August 5, Tuesday, by 6 PM
Essay due, via email to Dubrow.2@osu.edu
August 5, Tuesday, by 6 PM
Final Paper due, via email to Slomczynski.1@osu.edu.
Summer School in Social Sciences 