Term Paper Sociology
ASSIGNMENT PURPOSE: This paper asks you to propose a sociological research project that uses course
concepts/theories to ask and answer research questions that interest you on personal or intellectual levels. This paper
requires you to summarize “what we know” from recent, related social science research and to clearly contribute
something new to that body of knowledge/scholarship.
Description of your project’s topic/theme [< .5 page]
What is the general topic or theme that your research project focuses on? This single paragraph should describe:
1) Why are you interested in this topic OR why it is important that this topic/subject be studied (policy relevance)?
2) Include personal experiences or current media coverage of the issue to stress its importance/relevance
3) The research question or questions that you propose to answer with your project. These should NOT be
answerable with a “yes” or a “no” response!!! Remember: your research question or questions need to connect
clearly to your proposed data collection method.
Literature Review [1-2 pages]
Describe what academic researchers already know about your topic. This section should include:
1. Summaries of THREE peer-reviewed, academic sources. It should be clear that you understand each article, as
well as what the articles say when taken together; individual and collective summary.
2. What has not been studied by past research and how your study compliments what we already know? What does
your study add to past research?
Methodology [1-2 pages]
Describe how you plan to gather and analyze your data. This section should clearly and specifically describe:
1) How do you define the concepts from your research questions? How will you measure or observe your key
variables of interest?
2) What kinds of data will you be collecting and analyzing to answer your questions?
3) What will your sample look like?
Hypotheses/Anticipated Findings [~.5 page]
This section should briefly discuss what you expect to find once you gather and analyze your data.
Work Cited
Properly formatted bibliography of all academic sources used in this paper. Citation format should follow the Chicago
Style Manual (17
th
edition). In-text citations read (Author Year)
without
a comma between them, i.e. (Sacha 2018).
Style/Format
Free of typo’s and grammatical errors; double-spaced; 12-point, Times New Roman font; 1-inch margins on all sides
(“Normal” margins in Word)
TOTAL:
_________/50
Word Bank of Potentially Useful Terms/Concepts (your call; don’t force it!!):
Data collection
Data analysis
Ethnographic observation
Survey research
Interview research
Operationalization
Reliability
Validity
Association/Correlation
Race/Ethnicity
Class
Gender
Dramaturgical theory
Symbolic interactionism
Front-stage work
Back-stage work
Code switch
Ideology
Cultural script
Subculture
Socialization
Norms
Values
Reflection theory
Hegemony/Hegemonic
Self
The “I” and the “Me”
Generalized other
Status
Role
Role strain vs. Role conflict
Gender role
Dyad
Triad
Small group
Party
Large group
Primary group
Secondary group
In-group vs. Out-group
Social network
Tie
Social Institution
Organization
Conflict Theory
Functionalist Theory
Critical Theory
Culture
Agency
Social Structure
Race
Class
Gender
Immigration Status
Age
Socially Constructed
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