R. Valente

Marxe School of Public and International Affairs · Baruch College, CUNY

Rubia da
Rocha Valente

Ph.D. · Associate Professor of Public Policy and Research Methods

I use large-scale survey data and quantitative methods to study how public policy and social conditions shape well-being and inequality.

135 East 22nd St, Room 417, New York, NY 10010
Tel (646) 660​-6817
Rubia da Rocha Valente
27peer-reviewed articles
852students taught
34course offerings
4teaching awards

About

I am an associate professor of public policy and research methods at the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College (CUNY). I am also a fellow at the Washington Brazil Office and serve as Vice President of the Brazilian Studies Association (BRASA).

My research examines how public policy and social conditions shape subjective well-being and socioeconomic inequality, particularly across race, class, gender, and place. Using large-scale survey data and quantitative methods, I study urban–rural differences in happiness, racial inequality in education and work, and social life in Brazil and Latin America.

Before joining Baruch, I was a postdoctoral research fellow at The University of Texas at Dallas, where I earned my PhD in public policy and political economy and was advised by Dr. Brian J. L. Berry. I later taught in Princeton University’s Program in Latino Studies.

Beyond work

I was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and my family immigrated to the United States in 2000. As an ESL student in high school and a first-generation college student, my path to academia has been deeply personal. In 2016, my mother made us all very proud by earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UT Dallas. My husband Dr. Fred Araujo and two of my sisters are also scholars — Dr. Junia Valente and Dr. Sarah Valente.

Outside work, I love cooking with my family, doing jigsaw puzzles, building with LEGO bricks, and walking our three dogs. Our children, Ber and Bea, are at the heart of our family. Being a parent is a wonderful social experiment. Of the many things I have done that have given my life meaning and happiness, being their mamãe is the greatest of all.

Research

Every paper links to a full text. Abstracts open in place.

  1. Do Unpredictable and Unstable Work Hours Reduce Subjective Wellbeing?

    Golden, L., Valente, R.R., Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. and Mikhaeil, E. Social Indicators Research, 183(1): Article 112026

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    Abstract

    Greater instability in work hours and unpredictability of work schedules are associated with lower levels of subjective well-being. The effect size is as large as, and up to twice that of, family income. Using 2016 U.S. General Social Survey data, this study analyzes how work-schedule volatility, short notice periods, and irregular shifts affect employee well-being, and recommends that policy promote stable and predictable work arrangements.

  2. How Prevalent are Colortocracies in Latin America? An Examination of Cross-National Heterogeneity in the Effects of Skin Tone and Self-Identified Race on Occupational Status and Material Wealth

    Smith, R.A. and Valente, R.R. Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, 23(1): 1–292026

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    Abstract

    This study explores whether Latin American nations function as colortocracies — societies favoring lighter skin tones through socioeconomic advantages. Using 2018 LAPOP data covering approximately 90% of Latin America’s population across sixteen countries, we find that wealth-based colortocracies are three times as prevalent throughout Latin America as occupational-based colortocracies. Interviewer-rated skin tone emerges as a stronger predictor than self-identified race.

  3. Religiosity and Life Satisfaction Across Latin America

    Valente, R.R. and Smith, R.A. Religions, 17(7): 8202026

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    Abstract

    This study examines connections between religiosity and life satisfaction across 21 Latin American countries, investigating whether social religiosity (frequency of service attendance) or individual religiosity (importance of religion and religious identification) correlates more strongly with life satisfaction. Findings indicate positive associations between the importance of religion and life satisfaction, alongside positive links with service attendance, though religious identity shows a negative correlation. Individual religiosity is more frequently — and positively — associated with life satisfaction than the other measures.

  4. The Impact of Covid19 on the Urban–Rural Happiness

    Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. and Valente, R.R. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 21: 55–69 (2026 issue)2024

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    Abstract

    People tend to be less happy in cities than in rural areas, a pattern known as the “urban–rural happiness gradient.” The COVID-19 pandemic allows us to explore one disadvantage of large, dense cities: the faster spread of infectious diseases. Using the World Values Survey, we find a large before-and-during-pandemic difference between cities and smaller areas: city residents became twice as unhappy during the pandemic relative to the pre-pandemic period. Although the absolute difference of 0.2 to 0.5 on a 1–10 subjective well-being scale is not large, its practical effect is substantial given the scale of urbanization. As with any nonexperimental research, the relationship may not be causal. Results from Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Uruguay may not generalize to countries with different COVID-19 rates, policy responses, and urbanization patterns.

  5. Subjective Well-being and Urbanization in Egypt

    Mikhaeil, E., Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. and Valente, R.R. Cities, 147: 1048042024

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    Abstract

    World Values Survey data is used to test the association between urbanization, operationalized as population size, and subjective well-being, operationalized as life satisfaction, in Egypt. Regression results show that the smallest settlements have the strongest positive association with subjective well-being compared with large urban centers, even after controlling for an extensive set of sociodemographic variables. Greater Cairo and Alexandria, the country’s two main urban and economic centers, have lower subjective well-being than the more rural regions of Lower and Upper Egypt. These unexpected findings challenge previous research suggesting that cities in developing countries should generate higher subjective well-being than rural and township settlements.

  6. Median Voters’ Happiness Cycles in the United States along the Nation’s Principal Political Fault Line

    Berry, B.J.L., Valente, R.R. and Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 19: 321–3492024

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    Abstract

    Data from the General Social Survey are used to examine political polarization in the United States across presidential periods from 1972 to 2018. Our findings indicate an increased correlation between party identification and ideological identification, resulting in a steady shift toward the extremes. We also explore how subjective well-being helps drive this polarization. American politics is polarized between happy conservative Republicans and unhappy liberal Democrats. Oscillating in the “happiness gap” between these extremes are median voters whose happiness, low on average, falls the longer the party of the opposing ideology remains in power. The rise and fall of median voters’ unhappiness helps drive changes in power between the two major political parties.

  7. Religiosity and Misanthropy across the Racial and Ethnic Divide

    Valente, R.R. and Smith, R.A. Religions, 14: 3932023

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    Abstract

    The systematic study of misanthropy, the lack of trust in humanity, has proliferated over the last 30 years. One prominent line of research details racial and ethnic disparities in levels of misanthropy, but pays little attention to the role of religiosity, while another focuses attention on religiosity and its impact on levels of misanthropy, with only scant attention to the role of race and ethnicity. Little attempt has been made to synthesize these two strands of literature to address an important unanswered question: Does the association between religiosity and misanthropy vary by racial and ethnic group? To answer this question, we pooled data from the General Social Survey (GSS, 2000–2018). Among other things, we find stark racial differences between Blacks and Whites in terms of the effect of religiosity on misanthropy. Blacks and Latinos who attend religious services weekly (social religiosity) have significantly higher levels of misanthropy than others, while Whites who attend weekly services are less likely to be misanthropic. An important takeaway is that service attendance (a type of social capital) is associated with feelings of misanthropy for all groups (albeit in opposite directions for Blacks and Latinos versus Whites), rather than personal acts of prayer (individual religiosity). When it comes to misanthropy, we conclude that religion works differently for minorities compared with Whites. We discuss the implications of our findings for future research.

  8. Misanthropolis: Do Cities Promote Misanthropy?

    Valente, R.R. and Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. Cities, 1312022

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    Abstract

    We use pooled U.S. General Social Survey data from 1972 to 2016 to study the effect of urbanism on misanthropy, or distrust and dislike of humankind. Evolutionary theory, homophily or in-group preference, and classic urban sociological theory suggest that misanthropy should develop in the densest and most heterogeneous places, such as large cities. Our results mostly agree: misanthropy is highest in cities with populations larger than several hundred thousand, and the effect size of urbanicity is about half that of income. Yet the rural advantage is disappearing; from 1990 to 2010, misanthropy increased fastest in the smallest places. One possible reason is that smaller places have been left behind and rural resentment has increased. Results may not generalize beyond the United States.

  9. Religiosity and Trust: Evidence from the United States

    Valente, R.R. and Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. Review of Religious Research, 63: 343–3792021

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    Abstract

    This article tests the effect of several indicators of religiosity, including an index for both social and individual religiosity, on trust. Common religious doctrine instructs followers to place their trust solely in God, and can therefore be interpreted as a determinant of generalized trust. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to find out whether religious people are more likely to be distrustful of others and whether they are more likely to be misanthropic.

  10. Urban Unhappiness Is Common

    Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. and Valente, R.R. Cities, 1182021

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    Abstract

    This study shows, for the first time, that city unhappiness is common across the world. We use the World Values Survey cumulative dataset 1981–2020 from www.worldvaluessurvey.org. In all developed countries, without exception, we find that city dwellers are not happier than rural residents.

  11. Residential Segregation by Skin Color: Brazil Revisited

    Valente, R.R. and Berry, B.J.L. Latin American Research Review, 55(2): 207–2262020

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    Abstract

    This paper examines residential segregation by skin color in forty of Brazil’s largest metropolitan areas using census-tract data from the 2010 Brazilian census. Residential dissimilarity among White, Brown, and Black Brazilians is moderate to low by U.S. standards, and residential segregation correlates positively with socioeconomic status. Comparing these findings with the 1980 Brazilian census, we observe that residential segregation decreased significantly over thirty years in many metropolitan areas, particularly for White–Brown and Brown–Black dissimilarities.

  12. The Perennial Dissatisfaction of Urban Upbringing

    Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. and Valente, R.R. Cities, 1042020

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    Abstract

    This study provides new evidence for the urban malaise, or unhappiness, hypothesis. Urban upbringing is associated with lower happiness later in life, above and beyond the effect of currently living in a city. The effect of urbanicity in one’s youth is about as strong, statistically and practically, as the effect of one’s current place of residence. Our findings also suggest a happiness benefit from growing up on a farm. People who grew up in larger areas but now live in smaller ones report lower happiness than those who both grew up and remain in smaller places. Because the study uses U.S. data, its results may not generalize to other countries or historical contexts.

  13. An Intensifying Urban–Rural Schism in U.S. Women’s Preference for Governmental Solutions to Social Problems

    Valente, R.R., Berry, B.J.L. and Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. The Professional Geographer, 72(3): 348–3592020

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    Abstract

    During the Reagan Revolution, a significant gender gap emerged alongside an urban–rural schism in party preference, one manifestation of the nation’s widening geographic divide. Using General Social Survey data from 1972 to 2018, we examine this schism through several ordinary least squares models and specifications. Controlling for individual characteristics, we find that preferences for government action to address social problems lie at the heart of the gender gap and are further explained by location. Urban women are far more likely than urban men to call for government action on income inequality; rural women, like rural men, are more likely to emphasize individual responsibility and self-sufficiency.

  14. No Urban Malaise for Millennials

    Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. and Valente, R.R. Regional Studies, 53(2): 195–2052019

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    Abstract

    Urban malaise, or unhappiness with city life, is common in developed countries. City dwellers, particularly those in the largest metropolitan areas, tend to be the least satisfied with their lives. Using the U.S. General Social Survey from 1972 to 2016, this paper examines recent happiness trends. Americans overall are happiest in smaller cities and rural areas, but the rural advantage is declining. Most notably, Millennials, unlike earlier generations, are happiest in large cities; the estimated difference is larger than that associated with an additional $100,000 in annual family income.

  15. Livability and Subjective Well-Being Across European Cities

    Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. and Valente, R.R. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 14(1): 197–2202019

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    Abstract

    This study documents for the first time the correlation between livability and subjective well-being (SWB) across European cities. Livability is measured with the popular Mercer Quality of Living Survey and correlates considerably with SWB, measured as place and life satisfactions. There are outliers, for instance: the “unlivable” but “happy” Belfast (fool’s paradise) and the “livable,” but “unhappy” Paris (fool’s hell). In addition, we find geographic patterns: while the Mercer index ranks higher Western cities, subjective well-being is higher in Northern cities. Smaller cities score higher on both livability and SWB, confirming thus the urban sociological theory of urban malaise while contradicting urban economic theory of city triumph.

  16. Life Satisfaction of Career Women and Housewives

    Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. and Valente, R.R. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 13(3): 603–6322018

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    Abstract

    Gender roles have changed profoundly in the United States: women are marrying later and at lower rates, having fewer children, and working more outside the home. At the same time, women have become less happy. Using U.S. General Social Survey data from 1972 to 2014, we find that, until recently, women were happier as homemakers or part-time workers than as full-time workers, particularly among women who were older, married, had children, belonged to the middle or upper class, and lived in suburbs or smaller places. The happiness advantage of homemaking is declining among younger cohorts, however, and career women may become happier than homemakers in the future.

  17. Vamos Para Rua! Taking to the Streets — Protest in Brazil

    Valente, R.R. and Holmes, J.S. Brasiliana: Journal for Brazilian Studies, 5(2)2017

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    Abstract

    The unprecedented protests that unfolded in Brazil in June 2013 surprised even the most observant Brazilian scholars. A local conflict over a public transportation fare increase took an unexpected turn and ignited a massive nationwide mobilization. Using World Values Survey data, we identify individual factors that help explain protest participation among Brazilians and could have anticipated the mobilization. In particular, we examine whether a shift from materialist to postmaterialist values, as theorized by Inglehart, helps explain the protests. Our findings demonstrate that postmaterialist values are a significant explanatory force in political participation in Brazil.

  18. Performance of Students Admitted through Affirmative Action in Brazil

    Valente, R.R. and Berry, B.J.L. Latin American Research Review, 52(1): 18–342017

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    Abstract

    Following the implementation of Brazil’s Lei das Cotas (Affirmative Action Law), debate emerged over whether students admitted through affirmative action perform at the same level as those admitted through traditional methods. This paper examines results from the Exame Nacional de Desempenho dos Estudantes (ENADE) from 2009 to 2012. Students admitted to public universities through affirmative action perform at levels similar to other students, while quota students at private universities perform slightly better than students admitted through traditional methods.

  19. The Vicious Circle: Effects of Race and Class on University Entrance in Brazil

    Valente, R.R. Race Ethnicity and Education, 20(6): 851–8642017

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    Abstract

    Brazil has high levels of socioeconomic inequality and an inequitable distribution of access to higher education. The extent to which this inequality is associated with race or class is an important question in debates over affirmative action and the suitability of racially and socially targeted policies. Using national data from Brazil’s Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (National Secondary Education Exam, or ENEM), this study examines the relationship between race and access to higher education among high school students from 2004 to 2008. The results document a vicious circle connecting students’ race and socioeconomic status with their schooling and university attendance.

  20. Effects of Perceived Discrimination on the School Satisfaction of Brazilian High School Graduates

    Valente, R.R. and Berry, B.J.L. Brasiliana: Journal for Brazilian Studies, 5(1): 405–4402016

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    Abstract

    This paper analyzes the consequences of peer victimization for the satisfaction with schooling ("happiness") of college-bound high school graduates in Brazil. Several types of victimization are explored including discrimination due to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, and disability. We compare the satisfaction with their schooling of students planning to head to college straight from high school and older students applying for college later in life ("nontraditional students"). We conclude that students who perceived that they had been discriminated against were more dissatisfied with their school experience than those who did not, ceteris paribus, and we relate level of dissatisfaction to type of discrimination. The older student evidence reveals that this dissatisfaction wanes with time and age, however. Our conclusions are based upon ordered logistic analyses of data for 2.4 million current high school seniors and 78.7 thousand older students drawn from the Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio questionnaire (ENEM).

  21. Acculturation of Immigrant Latinos into the U.S. Workplace: Evidence from the Working Hours–Life Satisfaction Relationship

    Valente, R.R. and Berry, B.J.L. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 12(2): 451–4792016

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    Abstract

    This paper explores the working hours-happiness relationship of Latinos living in the United States and compares it with that of the host society. We find that immigrant Latinos have adopted American work-happiness relationships while having lower levels of subjective well-being. Acculturation plays an important role not only with respect to work attitudes, but also to social status, and it is the latter that affects the well-being of Latinos of color. Future quality-of-life research needs to analyze whether the dichotomy between work attitude and social status will persist or whether this vibrant and increasing group of immigrants who are so vital to the U.S. economy will both adapt to host society values and begin to introduce positive change in those values in a society where multiculturalism is on the rise.

  22. The Impact of Race and Social Economic Status on University Admission at the University of São Paulo

    Valente, R.R. Latin American & Caribbean Ethnic Studies, 11(2): 95–1182016

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    Abstract

    This paper explores the relationship between race, class, and access to higher education by analyzing students admitted to the University of São Paulo (USP) from 2004 to 2008. Logistic regression results indicate that admitted students are more likely to be White, come from affluent families, have attended private high schools and preparatory courses, and have a mother who completed higher education. The limited access to higher education for non-White and lower-income students in Brazil is an impediment to social mobility.

  23. Dissatisfaction with City Life? Latin America Revisited

    Valente, R.R. and Berry, B.J.L. Cities, 50: 62–672016

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    Abstract

    Data from the World Values Survey and AmericasBarometer are used in ordinal logistic models to evaluate life satisfaction in rural and urban areas of Latin America. Unlike the United States, Latin America shows no evidence of urban–rural differences in happiness. Familism is the key driving force, transcending location.

  24. Working Hours and Life Satisfaction: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Latin America and the United States

    Valente, R.R. and Berry, B.J.L. Journal of Happiness Studies, 17(3): 1173–12042016

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    Abstract

    This paper compares the life satisfaction and working hours of Latin Americans and U.S. Americans using the AmericasBarometer and General Social Survey. Differences in cultural values, especially individualism versus familism, may be why Latin Americans are less happy than U.S. Americans when working longer hours.

  25. Countering Inequality: Brazil’s Movimento Sem-Terra

    Valente, R.R. and Berry, B.J.L. Geographical Review, 105(3): 1–202015

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    Data from the Pesquisa Nacional de Educação na Reforma Agrária (PNERA), the national survey of formerly landless peasants residing in federal land-reform settlements in Brazil, confirm that the Movimento Sem-Terra (MST) has been more successful than other settlement movements in securing a better quality of life for its members. This performance is attributed to an organizational structure that demands and assures member involvement and to a commitment to participatory education in an environment that supports the MST’s goals. Its members report higher social status, better residential environments, more material possessions, and an education emphasizing social justice, radical democracy, and humanist and socialist values.

  26. Institutional Explanations for the Decline of the Congregação Cristã no Brasil

    Valente, R.R. PentecoStudies, 14(1)2015

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    Abstract

    For the first time since its inception, the Congregação Cristã no Brasil (CCB) lost members—two hundred thousand in one decade—while membership in other traditional Pentecostal churches continued to grow. Using survey data, this study explores church members’ diverse views and how institutional factors affect the church’s growth.

  27. From Inception to Present: The Diminishing Role of Women in the Congregação Cristã no Brasil

    Valente, R.R. PNEUMA, 37(1)2015

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    Abstract

    This article provides the first historical analysis of women’s role in the Congregação Cristã no Brasil, Brazil’s oldest Pentecostal church and the largest in São Paulo state. Drawing on qualitative data, the study explores church members’ views and attitudes toward the current status of women in the church. It also engages the broader debate about women’s roles in Pentecostal religious contexts.

Dissertation

  1. Effects of Racial Discrimination on High School Performance and College Admission in Brazil

    Doctoral dissertation, The University of Texas at Dallas. UMI ProQuest

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    Abstract

    Racial discrimination against Afro-Brazilians is an underanalyzed and pervasive problem throughout the educational system, particularly in interactions among high school students. Discrimination in school can harm students’ learning experiences and their perceived quality of education. Using the socioeconomic questionnaire from Brazil’s Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (National Secondary Education Exam, or ENEM) from 2004 to 2008, this dissertation examines the effects of racial discrimination on high school students. The analysis indicates that students who did not experience racial discrimination reported a more positive quality of education and that experiencing racism can reduce a student’s ENEM score.

Book chapters

  • Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. and Valente, R.R. “City Life: Glorification, Desire, and the Unconscious Size Fetish.” In Ilan Kapoor (ed.), Psychoanalysis and the Global. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2018. PDF
  • Valente, R.R., Okulicz-Kozaryn, A. and Magdy-Zaki, E. “Religiosity and Trust.” In K.F. Zimmermann (ed.), The Handbook of Labor, Human Resources and Population Economics. Springer. PDF

Book review

  • Valente, R.R. and Phillips, B. “The Practitioner’s Bookshelf: New Books on Undocumented Storytellers in the United States and on the Crime of Aggression in International Law.” Journal of Human Rights Practice 11: 607–611, 2019. PDF

Encyclopedia entries

  • “Congregação Cristã no Brasil.” In Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions. New York: Springer, 2018. PDF
  • “The Twelve Articles of Faith.” In Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions. New York: Springer, 2018. PDF

Editorial work

  • Section editor, “Pentecostalism in Latin America,” Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions, edited by Henri Gooren. New York: Springer References. Read

Teaching

8 courses taught in 34 offerings, with student evaluations attached.

From spring 2012 to spring 2016, I taught undergraduates at the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at UT Dallas, where I received three Outstanding Teaching Awards (2013–14, 2014–15, and 2015–16). In spring 2017, I taught in the Program in Latino Studies at Princeton. Since fall 2017, I have taught research methods and quantitative analysis at Baruch College (CUNY), where I received the Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Teaching. I was on leave in fall 2021 and fall 2024, and on sabbatical during the 2025–26 academic year. I returned to teaching in fall 2026.

PAF 9270

Data Collection and Description

Graduate · Baruch College (CUNY)

Course description

Data Collection and Description (PAF 9270) is the first course in the research methods sequence. Upon completion of this course, students can choose between Data Analysis for Public Service (PAF 9171) and Causal Analysis and Inference (PAF 9272). PAF 9270 teaches students how to collect qualitative and quantitative data for domestic and international policy or practice purposes and how to analyze and present data for descriptive purposes. It also teaches students how to interpret existing descriptive analyses to extract relevant and accurate information. The course will introduce the following topics: research questions and concepts, descriptive vs. causal research, case-oriented vs. variable-oriented approaches, sampling, data cleaning, and determining and maintaining data collection for organizations. Students will develop the following specific skills: using spreadsheets, univariate and bivariate descriptive statistics, data visualization, conducting interviews or qualitative observation, analyzing and coding qualitative data, designing and assessing measures, and designing survey questionnaires and procedures. Course sections will use applications tailored towards students’ interests and concentrations (e.g., sections more populated with MIA students will have a greater international focus).

PAF 9172

Research and Analysis II

Graduate · Baruch College (CUNY)

Course description

This is a graduate level course which builds on the skills of data analysis and statistical inference learned in PAF 9170. This course exposes students to issues central to understanding and applying modern research to public management and policy making. These issues include the use of theory and models, identifying causes, experiments and quasi-experiments, the logic of control variables and the interpretation of multiple regression, measurement concepts and methods, qualitative methods, and sampling. The emphasis is on learning these ideas through practice with many different examples of real-world research and empirical evidence. Ethical, political and other contextual factors will be integrated.

PAF 3401

Quantitative Methods for Policy and Practice

Undergraduate · Baruch College (CUNY)

Course description

This course introduces students to the use of quantitative research methods and tools that are used in the analysis of social science data. A fundamental understanding of these tools is a critical foundation for social science research in many fields. Students will learn how and why professionals use different research methods and data analytic techniques. Where appropriate real world data will be examined to familiarize students with the issues that professionals and researchers address and to explore how research and empirical evidence are used to drive decision-making. Students are introduced to the concepts and skills underlying a systematic approach to conducting research, including basic research terminology, the scientific method, use of theory and models, research ethics, measurement, sampling, hypothesis testing, and the basics of regression analysis.

PAF 3501

Principles of Survey Research

Undergraduate · Baruch College (CUNY)

Course description

This course introduces students to the theory and application of survey research methods in data collection. Course material will cover both theoretical and practical issues in survey methods, with a particular focus on primary sources of error in survey research: measurement, sampling, coverage, and response. The course will include hands-on development of a survey instrument and discussion of how to minimize and account for error when conducting a survey. No prior experience in survey methods is expected and the course is designed primarily for those who intend to use surveys in their own research – whether designing original surveys or performing secondary analysis on survey data collected by others. Whenever possible, we will use examples and data from real surveys employed by academic researchers, professional survey firms, and Federal statistical agencies. Course assignments will require students to actively participate in every stage of the survey process, from initial design to final analysis.

LAO 200

Latinos in American Life and Culture

Undergraduate · Princeton University

Course description

This course examines how Latinos are transforming the United States socially, culturally and economically even as they evolve as a people. We will discuss Hispanicity as a hybrid ethno-racial identity, debate the issue of and ethical dilemmas posed by undocumented immigration, evaluate the implications of Latinos' unprecedented geographic dispersal, explore what the growing second generation portends for future socio-economic inequality and political influence, and consider cultural imprints through music, literature and theater.

EPPS 3405

Introduction to Social Statistics with Lab

Undergraduate · UT Dallas

Course description

This course introduces students to the basic tools of statistics and shows how they are used in the analysis of social science data. A fundamental understanding of these tools is a critical foundation for social science research in many fields. The course covers descriptive statistics, inference from samples, hypothesis testing, and the basics of regression analysis. NOTE: This course is required of all social science majors and is a prerequisite for a required course in social science research methods within each discipline.

IPEC 3349

World Resources and Development

Undergraduate · UT Dallas

Course description

This course provides an introduction to issues in developing countries from an interdisciplinary point of view using the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which form the major current international development agenda, as a steppingstone. Contemporary issues such as disease, hunger, education, and environmental sustainability will be discussed from a development perspective. Concepts such as poverty, famine, trade, justice, debt and gender are introduced and used as critical tools to assess major challenges to development in general, and the MDG agenda in particular. See syllabus for more details.

SOC 3336

Culture Regions: Brazil

Undergraduate · UT Dallas

Course description

This course is an introduction to Brazilian culture and society. Attention is given to history, geography, cinema, literature, art and issues of race, gender, social inequality, and behavior as they lead toward a fuller understanding of Brazil. This course covers major aspects of Brazilian society. The main texts review significant events and forces that have helped shape Brazil today. A variety of films and videos will be used.