Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Synopsis How is `secondary' analysis different from `primary' analysis of data? The difference is that you yourself did not design how to collect the data but you have got access to the data and can do your own analysis. Within the restrictions imposed by the primary researchers, you are able to do a secondary analysis of the data. In this subject we will re-analyse mainly `official statistics' but also other data sources will be considered. Students will carry out a number of exercises, each exercise being designed to familiarise them with a particular body of statistics and a particular type of research methodology. The exercises involve writing a report on youth unemployment; trend analysis of the gender gap in wages; working class versus upper class suburbs in Melbourne; cohort analysis of migrant unemployment; crosscultural comparison of strikes; report on one type of criminal offence; submission on single parents to the Social Security Review.
Assessment Four research reports (1500 words): 15% each + Three research reports (1000 words): 10% each + Seminar participation: 10%