The computer equipment requested in this proposal will form the core of an undergraduate Social Science Information Systems (SSIS) laboratory. This lab will make possible the continuation of the newly established computer-based education (CBE) in the Sociology Department, including the current Computer-Assisted Data Analysis course, the development of a qualitative research course using computers, and the updating of current courses with appropriate computer applications. As conceived, social science research in a SSIS lab environment will allow undergraduates the opportunity to become computer literate through selecting and using computer programs, evaluating the validity of computer-produced output, and learning to communicate about and through computers. In addition to becoming computer literate, training in an advanced workstation environment will further opportunities for student internships and other cooperative work with the surrounding community, offer students a highly marketable skill, and prepare them for graduate programs in the social sciences. The SSIS lab will allow for the management of data that students can use to carry out their own research. Students will become competent in quantitative and/or qualitative analysis, training with some of the best industry software (e.g., SPSS and Ethnograph). The SSIS lab will also give students the opportunity to present professional quality reports through compatible graphics and word processing software. Finally, familiarity with appropriate Internet resources through the SSIS lab will allow students to expand their research base and community.
