CJ 8305/605 Spring 10:
Sequence of Topics and Readings

course: home

Date of last update: 4/28/2010

The sequence of topics and readings, as best as I can predict them at this point, appear below. All of this is subject to change depending upon numerous factors so it is a good idea to double check this page (be sure to reload the page in your browser) before you tie in to the readings for the week. The readings and assignments are for the week they are DUE.

Codes
CD =  on a CD that will be distributed. These are usually PDf files.
 HLML = note files I have generated; these are available on the CD
Main texts:
R&B = Raudenbush and Bryk
RBCC=Raudenbush, Bryk, Cheong,Congdon,DuToit; this is the program manual for HLM 6

Recommended texts:
K&DL = Kreft and deLeeuw
S&B = Snijders and Bosker

Class Date

Topics / Readings  DUE on this week

1/19
WK1 		 Hello. What we are about. How to get ready for this course. How to create space for this course in your life and not lose your mind. MLM: what does it do? Main areas of application in criminology and criminal justice and sociology and psychology

1/26
WK2

METHODS: Current issues in researching neighborhood effects;  how to create an aggregate file in SPSS and conduct your own contextual analysis;  audit functions in secondary data analysis
THEORY: key issues in neighborhood research; neighborhoods and health; cross-neighborhood effects and health; conceptual and empirical challenges of contextual analyses 
  1. Sampson, R. J., Morenoff, J. D., & Gannon-Rowley, T. (2002). Assessing "neighborhood effects": Social processes and new directions in research. Annual Review of Sociology, 28, 443-478.  (CD)
  2. Morenoff, J. D. (2003). Neighborhood mechanisms and the spatial dynamics of birth weight. American Journal of Sociology, 108(5), 976-1017.  (CD)
  3. HLML00CC.PDF (CD) - please read over regression examples carefully; answer questions in the text
  4. R&B: 1 - 10

QUESTIONS to consider while you read

2/2
WK3

METHODS: Review of aggregation procedure and results; understanding the aggregation problem; theoretical and statistical implications; statistical power questions
THEORETICAL: Connecting micro and macro; why communities matter for health
HLM SUBMODEL 1:  the one-way anova via HLM; steps to creating the HLM file; interpreting output

READ

  1. Thorndike, E. L. (1939). On the fallacy of imputing the correlations found for groups to the individuals in smaller groups composing them. American Journal of Psychology, 52, 122-124. (CD)
  2. Liska, A. E. (1990). The Significance of aggregate dependent variables and contextual independent variables for linking macro and micro theories. Social Psychology Quarterly, 53(4), 292-301. (CD)
  3.  Sampson, R. J. (2003). The Neighborhood context of well-being. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 46(3 (Supplement)), S53-S64. (CD)
  4. R&B: 16-24;38-41; 69-72 
  5. HLML01.PDF (CD)
  6. RBCC 1-49
  7. RECOMMENDED: K&DL 22-29; S&B 6-16

QUESTIONS to consider while you read

2/9
WK4

METHODS: HLM SUBMODEL 2:
ANCOVA with level 1 predictors; ANCOVA with level 2 predictors
THEORY: Updating the "Chicago" approach to understanding communities and their impacts
READ:

  1. Duncan, T. E., Duncan, S. C., Okut, H., Strycker, L. A., & Hix-Small, H. (2003). A multilevel contextual model of neighborhood collective efficacy. American
    Journal of Community Psychology, 32(3/4), 245-252. (read only THROUGH p. 249) (CD) (HLM EXAMPLE)
  2. HLML04DD (CD)

RECOMMENDED:

  1. Sampson, R. J. (2002). Transcending tradition: New directions in community research, Chicago style. Criminology, 40(2), 213-230.(CD)
  2. Sampson, R. J. (2002). Studying modern Chicago. City and Community, 1(1), 45-48. (CD)
  3. K&DL: 9-10
  4. S&B: 16-18; 45-47
  5. Shinn, M., & Toohey, S. M. (2003). Community contexts of human welfare. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 427-459.(CD)

QUESTIONS to consider while you read

2/16
WK5

READ: HLML03 - REVISED - NOT VERSION ON CD - DISTRIBUTED VIA EMAIL

DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND COME PREPARED

PRACTICE WITH ANCOVA

INTRODUCING MAOR

2/23
WK6

HLM SUBMODEL 2 & 3 -combining ANCOVA with MAOR

READ:
1. Sampson, R. J., & Bartusch, D. J. (1998). Legal cynicism and (subcultural?) Tolerance of deviance: the neighborhood context of racial differences. Law and Society Review, 32, 777-804.

  QUESTIONS to consider while you read

3/2
WK7

HLM SUBMODEL 3: Random coefficients regression model.
In-class midterm
3/9 Panama City / Daytona Beach Spring Break

3/16
WK8

METHODS: HLM SUBMODEL 4: RCR (random coefficients regression)
THEORY: Impacts of land use on perceptions of risk
READ:

  1. HLML05CC (CD)

  2. McCord et al. (2007) (CD)

  QUESTIONS to consider while you read

3/23
WK9

METHODS: HLM FULL MODEL: Intercepts and Slopes as Outcomes (IASAO); what does it mean to predict varying slopes?
THEORY: Impacts of Crime and Collective Efficacy
READ:

  1. Sampson, R. J., Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(15), 918-924. (CD) (HLM EXAMPLE)

QUESTIONS to consider while you read
3/30
WK10

METHODS: Observations over time; A full model
READ:

Wang, K., and Taylor, R. B. (2006) Simulated walks through dangerous alleys: Impacts of features and progress on fear.  Journal of Environmental Psychology 26 269-283

Rountree, P. W., & Land, K. C. (1996). Perceived risk versus fear of crime: Empirical evidence of conceptually distinct reactions in survey data. Social Forces, 74, 1353-1376.

4/6
WK11

METHODS: Time

McGarrell EF, Corsaro N, Hipple NK, Bynum TS. “Project Safe Neighborhoods and violent crime trends in US cities: Assessing violent crime impact.” Journal of Quantitative Criminology in press.

Ratcliffe, J. H., Taniguchi, T., and Taylor, R. B. (2009). "The crime reduction effects of public CCTV cameras: A multi-method spatial approach." Justice Quarterly, 26(4), 746-770.

4/13
WK12

METHODS: The general probability model: Binary, multinomial, and count outcomes; calculating R squared
THEORY: A delinquent retention example using the full model (IASAO); impacts of crime on trust

READ:
  1. HLML15 (CD)
  2. Rodriguez, N. (2007). Juvenile court context and detention decisions: Reconsidering the role of race, ethnicity, and community characteristics in juvenile court processes. Justice Quarterly, 24(4), 629-656.  (CD) (HLM EXAMPLE)

 QUESTIONS to consider while you read

4/20
WK13

METHODS: A three level model
THEORY: Collective efficacy and violent crime

Sampson, R. J., Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(15), 918-924. (CD) (HLM EXAMPLE)

4/27
WK14

POSTER SESSION
MONDAY 5/3 IS LAST DAY OF SCHEDULED CLASSES. 5/4 AND 5/5 ARE STUDY DAYS. EXAMS BEGIN ON 5/6

 

  

5/11

5/12

SECOND IN-CLASS EXAM

FINAL PAPER DUE 5 PM