Final Research Paper Soc. 301
ALL SOURCES MUST BE FROM:
"American Society How it Really Works" by Erik Olin Wright and Joel Rogers
Introduction:
The Final Paper requires some outside research (3 additional scholarly sources, ONLY FROM THE onesearch.uoregon.edu DATABASE and WRIGHT AND ROGERS BOOK! REFER TO ABOVE FOR USER NAME INFO). Depending upon how you select your topic, you should be able to incorporate elements of or ideas from previous reflection papers. The relative weight that is needed of outside research to course readings will be dictated by how much we addressed your topic in class. Whatever the weight, you will address core readings and aspects of Soc. 301.
The Assignment:
Pick a current or long-standing *topic relevant to in/equality in U.S. Society (e.g. women and leadership in the military; color-blind racism and the criminal justice system; state attempts to discriminate against the LGBTQ community; the gender pay gap; residential segregation and persistent poverty; sexualization of women in the media; how the promise of democracy is contradicted by corporate political influence; how family structure influences gender equality in terms of household and paid labor).
Major parts of the paper:
1) INTRODUCE / describe the topic / social problem, including its extent, who it affects, and perhaps the ways in which the problem is changing. Provide a brief statement of the social significance of the topic as it relates to institutional in/equalities and perhaps to individual’s lives and experiences [~1 page];
2) Distill the major CAUSES of this topic / problem, being sure to include macro influences [2 – 3 pages];
3) Build more upon the social significance and who/what the problem affects, and spend a little time writing about the CONSEQUENCES of this problem for U.S. society and/or for people’s lives [2 – 3 pages];
4) Discuss major ways to ADDRESS [reduce] the social problem / inequality. This might include identifying and summarizing a policy or social movement that addresses this issue, or the ways in which individuals or groups challenge the issue in everyday life. Also discuss major barriers to progress. CONCLUDE your paper with a summary about the trajectory of U.S. society in relation to this issue, or, leave us with questions for addressing the issue in the future [1 – 1.5 pages].
Within the organization of the paper, you must explicitly identify, and integrate:
• Which of the five values by Wright and Rogers speaks to the topic most directly (freedom, prosperity, efficiency, fairness, democracy). For some, this might also entail naming the value(s) as part of your research question.
• The primary institution(s) that is(are) your focus (e.g. Glauber’s study of the fatherhood wage premium focuses on work and the family)
*A research topic should be turned into a more specific research question (RQ). A RQ should have a comparison built into it.
Example: Research Topic: The Gender Pay Gap.
RQ: How do social scientists (or sociologists) explain changes in the
gender pay gap between the 1960s and today?
Comparison: This question compares the pay gap across time.
OR
RQ: What are the primary reasons for the gender pay gap, and how are men of different social classes affected?
Comparison: This question compares effects across social class. And, it is focused on a privileged gender category (men).
Other examples of RQ’s:
How does DWB affect fairness (or freedom) in the criminal justice system?
Comparison: This question compares fairness, presumable for different racial groups, and also studies the relationship between DWB and the level of justice in the justice system.
How did/do the rationales used for welfare-to-work programs (“welfare reform”) coincide with the value of individual freedom and responsibility (or fairness)?
Comparison: This question shows a comparison between ideological justifications for welfare reform and the effects on a major U.S. value. It also implies that people in poverty—perhaps also by race—will be affected more directly by such a rationale.
Paper Requirements:
– 6 – 8 pages Double-spaced, NOT counting reference page.
– A complete references page with authors or organizations alphabetized by [last] name. Use APA, MLA, or ASA formatting, as long as it’s consistent.
– 12-inch font (Times New Roman or similar), 1” margins on all sides.
– Cite all sources within your paper using parenthetical references (e.g., Wright and Rogers 2011: 43). *Do not plagiarize. If you paraphrase—or put an author’s writing into your own words—cite the author(s). If you use a direct quote, cite the author(s) with the page number to reference.
*You will find information about student misconduct, including plagiarism, at conduct.uoregon.edu, and www.libweb.uoregon.edu/guides/plagiarism/students).
Final Research Paper Soc. 301
Introduction:
The Final Paper requires some outside research (3 additional scholarly sources, ONLY FROM THE onesearch.uoregon.edu DATABASE!!!! REFER TO ABOVE FOR USER NAME INFO). Depending upon how you select your topic, you should be able to incorporate elements of or ideas from previous reflection papers. The relative weight that is needed of outside research to course readings will be dictated by how much we addressed your topic in class. Whatever the weight, you will address core readings and aspects of Soc. 301.
The Assignment:
Pick a current or long-standing *topic relevant to in/equality in U.S. Society (e.g. women and leadership in the military; color-blind racism and the criminal justice system; state attempts to discriminate against the LGBTQ community; the gender pay gap; residential segregation and persistent poverty; sexualization of women in the media; how the promise of democracy is contradicted by corporate political influence; how family structure influences gender equality in terms of household and paid labor).
Major parts of the paper:
1) INTRODUCE / describe the topic / social problem, including its extent, who it affects, and perhaps the ways in which the problem is changing. Provide a brief statement of the social significance of the topic as it relates to institutional in/equalities and perhaps to individual’s lives and experiences [~1 page];
2) Distill the major CAUSES of this topic / problem, being sure to include macro influences [2 – 3 pages];
3) Build more upon the social significance and who/what the problem affects, and spend a little time writing about the CONSEQUENCES of this problem for U.S. society and/or for people’s lives [2 – 3 pages];
4) Discuss major ways to ADDRESS [reduce] the social problem / inequality. This might include identifying and summarizing a policy or social movement that addresses this issue, or the ways in which individuals or groups challenge the issue in everyday life. Also discuss major barriers to progress. CONCLUDE your paper with a summary about the trajectory of U.S. society in relation to this issue, or, leave us with questions for addressing the issue in the future [1 – 1.5 pages].
Within the organization of the paper, you must explicitly identify, and integrate:
• Which of the five values by Wright and Rogers speaks to the topic most directly (freedom, prosperity, efficiency, fairness, democracy). For some, this might also entail naming the value(s) as part of your research question.
• The primary institution(s) that is(are) your focus (e.g. Glauber’s study of the fatherhood wage premium focuses on work and the family)
*A research topic should be turned into a more specific research question (RQ). A RQ should have a comparison built into it.
Example: Research Topic: The Gender Pay Gap.
RQ: How do social scientists (or sociologists) explain changes in the
gender pay gap between the 1960s and today?
Comparison: This question compares the pay gap across time.
OR
RQ: What are the primary reasons for the gender pay gap, and how are men of different social classes affected?
Comparison: This question compares effects across social class. And, it is focused on a privileged gender category (men).
Other examples of RQ’s:
How does DWB affect fairness (or freedom) in the criminal justice system?
Comparison: This question compares fairness, presumable for different racial groups, and also studies the relationship between DWB and the level of justice in the justice system.
How did/do the rationales used for welfare-to-work programs (“welfare reform”) coincide with the value of individual freedom and responsibility (or fairness)?
Comparison: This question shows a comparison between ideological justifications for welfare reform and the effects on a major U.S. value. It also implies that people in poverty—perhaps also by race—will be affected more directly by such a rationale.
Paper Requirements:
– 6 – 8 pages Double-spaced, NOT counting reference page.
– A complete references page with authors or organizations alphabetized by [last] name. Use APA, MLA, or ASA formatting, as long as it’s consistent.
– 12-inch font (Times New Roman or similar), 1” margins on all sides.
–
– Cite all sources within your paper using parenthetical references (e.g., Wright and Rogers 2011: 43). *Do not plagiarize. If you paraphrase—or put an author’s writing into your own words—cite the author(s). If you use a direct quote, cite the author(s) with the page number to reference.
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