Project Topic Proposal (498)

Assignment 1: Project Topic Proposal (100 pts)

Due: Sunday of Week 3 by 11:55 p.m. ET

Imagine that you are asked by a high school student to explain how sociology would account for a current social problem (bullying, gun violence, same sex marriage, depression, etc.) The purpose of this assignment is to select and describe a social problem for your final project and start looking for sources: Within 4-6 pages you will include the following in your proposal (introduction for your project). Please include at least 4 journal articles no more than three years old.

Background – include and identify at least one of the major social theories (one to two pages) 20%

The purpose of this assignment (research proposal), is to provoke the interest of the reader. It is also to convince the reader the importance and relevance of the topic. In the opening paragraphs, you want to make sure you introduce the reader to the particular question(s) your thesis is seeking to answer. What are you trying to discover or undercover? The introduction is not merely a summary of points to be elaborated on in later sections. Rather, your objective here is to inform the reader of the question(s), why it is important, and how your thesis will provide an answer.

Background: It may be necessary to provide the reader with some measure of background information relevant to the topic. This is particularly useful when your work is interdisciplinary, in which case it is even more likely that the reader will benefit from a section that contextualizes the question and supplies the history (30-50 years) and terminology so that the reader will be better able to follow the pages. Write it as if the reader is not familiar with the topic or issue. This leads you into the review of literature and research. 1-2 pages

Statement of the Problem, why it is important to study, and the Purpose of the study. (at least 2.5 pages) 20%

What is the social problem? Why should we a society study this problem? What is the purpose of this study/research paper?

Research Questions – Here you are answering “What are you trying to discover or uncover.” (3-5 questions). 20%

e.g., does where a person lives have an impact on their health outcomes?

Creditable Sources. 10%

You want to be sure and include at least four peer-reviewed journal articles no more than three years old. NOTE that the peer reviewed article should have been published in a sociological peer reviewed journal.

Introduction/Conclusion. 10%

The introduction should include a thesis statement. You want to view your conclusion as a summary of the introduction.

Writing expectations and APA Formatting. 10%

Follows writing expectations and submission is free of spelling and grammar errors. Correctly uses APA formatting

*The submission must be in APA format (cover page, running header, major heading, subheadings, reference list, and in-text citations) *It should be typed, double-spaced, 1” margins, times new roman 12 pt font, and saved as .doc.