CHAPTER 33
Social Science Courses
CHAPTER CONTENT OUTLINE
I. Social science courses
A. Students in the social sciences learn to evaluate and conduct qualitative and
quantitative research.
2. Quantitative research emphasizes statistical measurement.
B. Social science presentations often seek to predict or explain human behavior or
social forces.
II. Preparing effective presentations in the social sciences
A. Illustrate the research question.
B. Refer to current research in the field to increase the acceptance of your
III. Literature review presentation
A. The literature review presentation reviews the body of research on a particular topic
or issue and offers conclusions about the literature.
B. Literature reviews often include a statement of the topic under review, a description
of available research, an evaluation of the research’s strengths and weaknesses,
conclusions drawn from the research, and suggested directions for future study.
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IV. Program evaluation presentation
A. The program evaluation presentation seeks to measure the effectiveness of a
program.
B. Program evaluation reports typically discuss the program’s mission and
accomplishments, and include a discussion of how the accomplishments were measured
and how well or poorly the program complied with stated objectives.
V. Policy proposal presentation
KEY TERMS
literature review presentation type of oral presentation in which a speaker reviews the body
of research related to a given topic or issue and offers conclusions about the topic based on this
research; frequently delivered in social scientific fields
program evaluation presentation report on a program’s mission with a description of its
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CHAPTER STUDY GUIDE
I. SUMMARY QUESTION
What are some typical oral presentations used in social science courses?
Four types of presentations are used in social science courses. The literature review
II. DISCUSSION QUESTION
1. Discuss some of the characteristics of effective presentations in social science courses.
Characteristics of effective presentations in social science courses include illustrating the
CONTENT PRESENTATION IDEAS
I. STUDENT ACTIVITIES
1. Students often have personal experience giving presentations in other college
courses. Conduct a panel discussion to explore experienced students’ thoughts on their own
presentations.
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2. Suppose you are asked to give a twenty-minute presentation in a social science
course. Write a brief outline of your presentation.
This would work as a group or individual assignment. Either assign the various types of
II. GROUP ACTIVITIES
1. What kind of presentation topics are likely to be assigned in social science courses?
2. Suppose you are asked to conduct a presentation in a social science course. The
presentation calls for both quantitative and qualitative information.
Assign groups of three to five students to create an explanatory research presentation using
a fictitious research project as the subject.
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You may either choose topics for the research projects or let students generate their
own topics. Encourage creativity in designing projects that seek to observe, describe, or
III. ADDITIONAL QUESTION AND ACTIVITIES
QUESTION
The following question may be used by instructors to help illustrate important points in the chapter
and to facilitate students’ learning of this material. This question can be used as:
• Homework
• Quiz
1. What are the key components of a good review-of-the-literature presentation?
The literature review presentation reviews the body of research on a particular topic and
offers conclusions about the literature. Literature reviews often include a description of
available research, an evaluation and conclusions, and suggested directions for future research.
ACTIVITIES
Professor Interview
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Purpose: To learn what professors in other college courses expect from presentations in their
classes.
Instructions: Each student should visit a professor in his or her major department to conduct a
brief interview. Students should ask about the typical presentation in the professor’s class and
describing the interview.
So You Do the Lecture This Week
Purpose: To provide students with an opportunity to create their own college lectures.
Instructions: Each student should prepare a lecture for a course in his or her major. Use the
guidelines in the text to create a lecture that contains an introduction to the topic, a statement of the
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