Course # 41800 Section Number 1 Day(s) W Time(s) 4:30pm-7:20pm Term Spring 2026 Specialization Survey Research Course Instructor Ipek Bilgen Syllabus Syllabus 3/4/25 The questionnaire has played a critical role in gathering data used to assist in making public policy, evaluating social programs, and testing theories about social behavior (among other uses). This course offers a systematic way to construct and evaluate questionnaires. We will learn to think about survey questions from the perspective of the respondent and in terms of cognitive and social tasks that underlie responding. We will examine the impact of questions on data quality and will review past and recent methodological research on questionnaire development. The course will help students to tell the difference between better and worse types of survey questions, find and evaluate existing questions on different topics, and construct and test questionnaires for their own needs. Recent News More news New Series to Examine Shifting Powers in U.S. Government Tue., July 29, 2025 Mapping the Mortality Gap: New Evidence from Robert Kaestner on Racial Disparities in Death Rates Mon., July 28, 2025 The Lightbulb Moment That Lit a Career in Public Finance: The 2025 CC DuBois Alumni Service Award Winner Tells Her Story Mon., July 28, 2025 Upcoming Events More events Civic Leadership Academy 2026 Virtual Information Session Wed., July 30, 2025 | 12:00 PM UChicago Summer Send-Off in Tokyo Thu., July 31, 2025 | 7:30 PM DevilCraft-Hamamatsucho, Risewell Building, 1F, Minato-ku Tokyo 105-0013 Japan Harris Summer Campus Visit Mon., August 04, 2025 | 10:00 AM Harris School of Public Policy 1307 E 60th St Chicago, IL 60637 United States