In this research paper assignment, you choose a theory or concept from the list below and conduct library research and write a short scholarly paper (6-page minimum, not including a title page, an abstract page, and reference pages, double-spaced, 26% of the course grade). Your goal is to demonstrate comprehension of relevant sociological concepts and theoretical ideas and apply them effectively to a recent sociological example. You must submit your paper using Canvas. Your paper must meet the following requirements:
Select a theory or concept from the list below (SEE BELOW). These concepts and theories correspond to specific sociological topics we covered in this course. Be sure to explain the theory or concept of your choice in detail.
Follow the specific instructions for the theory/concept of your choice. You are required to discuss the key question for the theory/concept. Use the key question to form and develop your own thesis further.
THEORY:
Durkheims theory of suicide (i.e., Suicide rates can be explained by other social facts)
Key question: Which type of suicide is related to which social facts? In other words, which social phenomenon is correlated with the change in suicide rate among a specific group of people?
Research suicide rates of a specific group (e.g., Native American, elderly male, etc.).
Discuss and explain at least two types of suicide by Durkheim.
Find empirical data to support your argument. Avoid relying on psychological explanations.
This is a very popular topic. That means there are many online “examples” that is very similar to this topic. Be sure that your paper is not influenced by them.
Three News Reports: Think of a recent example of a social phenomenon or issue that can be used to explain the theory and/or concept of your choice from the list. To provide references for this example, find at least three recent news reports.
The news report must be dated between Jan 2015 to May 2021. No other times are accepted. The report should describe a real event that you can use as an example to illustrate your argument.
The news report must come from a major trustworthy journalistic source (e.g., The New York Times, The Guardian, Associated Press News, etc.). Be sure to assess its legitimacy and neutrality. If possible, find multiple reports on the same news to corroborate.
If you find a news entry in a social media outlet, trace it to the original source.
Be sure to avoid opinion pieces, blogs, or so-called fake news.
Three Scholarly References: Find at least three scholarly researched sociological supports for your analysis or discussion (not including Conley and the required course readings). You are encouraged to find more than three references. You are required to cite from scholarly journal articles and academic books.
Do not search Google to find these sources. Instead use the library databases which let you access academic articles and books that Google would not. Go to the LPC library and you will see find materials here! Click the tag that says magazines and journals. Choose databases from the drop-down menu such as JSTOR or Sociology Source Ultimate. They are the two best databases to search the sociological journal articles that our library has. Using those databases is a much more effective and safe way to find academic research articles.
These scholarly sources must be sociological. Avoid studies that are psychological, psychiatrical, or religious.
These sources may
help you explain a concept
According to Hirose (2018), the concept of amae can be defined as .
help you support how you apply the concept to explain an example
Theory A explains B, but I argue that it can also explain C because
provide an example (evidence) for the concept
Data, study results, etc.
Help you illustrate previous lines of research
Who studied this topic before? And what do they know?
Other Sources: You can also use other nonjournalistic, trustworthy sources to support your argument. They may include quantitative data (e.g., US Census data, CDC report), research findings (e.g., academic journal articles), social trend reports (e.g., Pew Research Center), ethnographic observations, and /or historical events.
Write and submit a scholarly paper using the concept (or theory) of your choice as the central theme throughout your paper. Your goal is to demonstrate that you understand and successfully use the concept (or theory) to explain an example. You are essentially linking four critical components (i.e., theory, media, sociological research, and your argument) to demonstrate that you understand a major sociological theory and can apply it to the critical analysis of a contemporary example.
FORMAT:
Please follow legitimate guidelines for style (APA). Style guides are readily available at the library and on the Internet.
The paper must be typed, double-spaced, and use a 12-point font in Times New Roman.
The minimum length should be 6 pages, not including a title page, an abstract page, and reference pages. The paper should be no more than 10 pages. Meeting the minimum page requirement does not guarantee full points.
Please make sure that your paper is free of spelling and grammatical errors.
You must upload a file to Canvas.
Corrupt file papers will not be accepted.
