sociological-perspectives-paper-assignment

A. Introduce the research topic. Write a brief introduction about your topic to inform readers what will be discussed in your paper. Be sure to provide general background information to bring readers up to date and frame your topic within the sociological research literature. This information may be drawn from professional scientific journals, scholarly books, lecture, your textbook, etc. This means that you must explicitly apply some sociological concepts, ideas, and/or theories to the topic you choose. Be sure to make “the sociological part” of your paper as obvious as you can. For example, you might apply, then compare and contrast; elements of conflict theory and symbolic interactionism…or you might reference & apply Solomon Asch’s experimental findings to some other real-world phenomenon. You may also want to note how your topic is portrayed in the mainstream media as an additional piece of information for your readers. B. Analyze your topic. Provide a thoughtful and careful analysis of your topic from two sociological perspectives. This will comprise the main body of the paper. You may use (and then cite!) specific literature that addresses a given perspective and/or you may formulate your own analysis based on the knowledge you have gained about the various sociological perspectives. Remember, you goal is to demonstrate that you can “think sociologically” about what factors shape the topic you choose. C. Compare and contrast. Compare and contrast the merits of each of the two sociological perspectives you have chosen. A list of possible topics is below. It is very general, but not exhaustive. Also, you are free to choose other topics that are not listed below. That said – it is usually a good idea to check your topic with me before starting your paper if it is not one of the ones listed below. Homelessness Welfare Policy Domestic Violence Drunk Driving White Collar Crime Affirmative Action Gay Marriage/Adoption/Rights Sexual Harassment Assisted Suicide Capital Punishment Gambling Pornography Immigration Mental Illness Child/Sex Trafficking Drug Abuse Smoking / Vaping Urban or Rural Poverty Health Care Policy Terrorism and/or Privacy Environmental Protection