Social Science Research Methods Instructor

Brandeis University's Myra Kraft Achievers Program (MKAP) seeks an instructor for the four-credit course, MKAP 5a: Social Science Research Theory (Fall 2024) and the four-credit course MKAP 5b: Social Science Research Methods (Spring 2025).

Founded in 1968, Brandeis University's Myra Kraft Achievers Program (MKAP) is an integral part of the University’s enduring commitment to social justice.

The program is targeted toward students who have developed the skills for college success by practicing leadership in their life experiences. The MKAP is an environment where scholars learn about new possibilities for their lives, and to apply the focus, energy, tenacity, perseverance, and maturity previously devoted to prevailing in the face of personal challenges, to now pursuing academic success. In other words, we are a program geared towards making good students, even greater! Through a combination of small classes, rigorous academics and a strong support system, MKAP scholars apply their knowledge and skills to attain their undergraduate degree at Brandeis that will propel them towards achieving their potential. Students who enter Brandeis through the MKAP have a life-changing experience, and have their stories of success added to the university’s thousands of living testimonies of true ambition, resilience, courage, and triumph. More than 1,000 alumni have gone on to become distinguished and renowned professionals in their respective fields. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.brandeis.edu/academic-services/myra-kraft-achievers/index.html.

The MKAP 5a will introduce students to the basic tools and methods required to understand and conduct social science research. The course will lead students through the various steps for designing a research project focused on investigating a problem in society and also how to gather the data necessary to understand and respond to the problem, including interviews and surveys. Reading about these methods and using them will help students develop the skills needed to understand and evaluate social science problems. Moving through the course as a group the class will identify a problem and conduct research on that problem as a class. Together the class will identify a problem, design a research question, and then design survey instruments together that we can use to interview people as we collect data that will help to answer our research question.

The MKAP 5b is the second course in a two-part series of courses to introduce students to the basic tools and methods required to understand and conduct social science research. Last semester, the students learned how to design a research project and how to collect data. This course will lead students through the various steps for analyzing the data. The course will begin with the data students collected through interviews and surveys last semester and learn how to process and analyze both the qualitative data and quantitative data to answer the research question that the class designed. The ultimate goal will be writing up the research findings into a formal research paper.

Candidates with an MA in a related field (sociology, psychology, politics), and relevant experience teaching will be given preference. Interested individuals should submit a cover letter and CV.

This appointment is to a position that is in a collective bargaining unit represented by SEIU Local 509.

Closing Statement

Brandeis University is committed to providing its students, faculty and staff with an environment conducive to learning and working and where all people are treated with respect and dignity. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnicity, caste, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, including transgender identity, religion, disability, age, genetics, active military or veteran status and any other characteristics protected under applicable federal or Massachusetts law.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Diversity, equity and inclusion are important values at Brandeis today and always have been for they are rooted in our founding as an institution. These values serve as a reminder for self-reflection, and a continuous call to grow for us as Brandeisans. Founded as a model institution for ethnic and religious pluralism, Brandeis University welcomes students, faculty, and staff of all nationalities, religions, and orientations. Moreover, social justice is central to the mission of Brandeis, which endeavors to foster a just and inclusive campus culture that embraces the evolving diversity of our larger society. Read more online about our Mission and Diversity Statements at Brandeis Mission and Diversity Statements.

If you are interested in a role and have relevant experience but your work history does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we nevertheless encourage you to apply.

Closing Statement

Brandeis University is committed to providing its students, faculty and staff with an environment conducive to learning and working and where all people are treated with respect and dignity. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, ethnicity, caste, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, including transgender identity, religion, disability, age, genetics, active military or veteran status and any other characteristics protected under applicable federal or Massachusetts law.