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Social Science Research Lab Offers a New Way for Students to Get Experience in Applied Research

Social Science Research Lab

The Social Science Research Lab engages students in project-based learning in social science research principles and their real-world application. In Spring 2018, two courses will be offered (both Tu/Th, 1:25-2:40).

Evaluating Health Innovation (EHD 290S-02, SS)

This course is in partnership with the Duke Institute for Health Innovation, which promotes transformative innovation in health and healthcare. It will include a dual focus on 1) methods and practices in social science research, including community-based and applied practice; and 2) substantive issues related to the partner, including healthcare as a cause and consequences of social problems, evolution of healthcare financing and administration, and innovation’s role in solving healthcare challenges. Students will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have gained through project-based evaluation consulting work with the Duke Institute for Health Innovation.

This course will count as an elective for the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Certificate and the Science & Society Certificate; it can also serve as a Civic Engagement & Social Change Certificate elective if aligned with a student’s pathway within the certificate.

Community Data in Action (EHD 290S-01, SS)

This course is in partnership with DataWorks, which provides a platform for connecting and making accessible neighborhood-level data indicators. It will include a dual focus on 1) methods and practices in social science research, including community-based and applied practice; and 2) substantive issues related to the partner, including: industrial history and its influence on urban geography, real estate markets and neighborhood change, and contemporary challenges of urban planning and community economic development. Students will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have gained through project-based work with DataWorks.

This course will count as an elective for the Civic Engagement & Social Change Certificate and the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Certificate.

Students in each course will have the option of enrolling in a second-semester component with an ongoing research/evaluation consulting partnership. The Lab is intended for undergraduates, ranging from first-years to seniors, who are interested in applied research. It is based in Duke’s Social Science Research Institute and part of the Bass Connections in Education & Human Development theme. For more information, contact Jessica Sperling.

Other Bass Connections Courses in Spring 2018

Numerous one-semester courses highlight interdisciplinary thinking, collaborative assignments and interaction with community partners. The following courses for Spring 2018, organized by theme, offer students a structure to gain expertise in addressing complex societal problems from a variety of academic and professional perspectives. Explore below or view handout.

Brain & Society
  • Neuroethics
Information, Society & Culture
  • Performance and Technology
  • Digital Durham
  • Research Capstone
Global Health
  • Women’s Health and Technologies
  • Global Health Policy: Transforming Evidence into Action
  • Global Health Research and Ethics
  • Introduction to mHealth
  • Intercontinental Engineering Design
  • Global Nutrition: Over and Undernutrition in Developing Countries
  • Global Health Policy (755): Transforming Evidence into Action (graduate students only)
Energy & Environment
  • Integrating Environmental Science and Policy
Bass Connections Open
  • Stories for Social Change: Confronting Sexual and Domestic Violence at Duke and in Durham
  • Managing Networks
  • Introductory Machine Learning for Data Science

Learn More