This award provides funds to help purchase equipment which will enhance the ability of the Department of Sociology at the University of Maine to provide its undergraduates with practical experience in modern methods of accessing and analyzing social science data. The funds will be used to purchase a 9-track magnetic tape reader, 5 large microcomputers, software which will network the computers, and a printer and plotter for output. The equipment will be used in two courses, Practicum in Sociological Research, and Population and Society, both of which require students to complete projects which involve analyzing census and survey data. The project is significant in providing a bridge between traditional mainframe sources and the ease and flexibility of microcomputers, and in the use of command files within statistical packages as templates in guiding students to independent use of social statistics. The grantee is matching this award with non-Federal sources.
