SYB 115
STUDIES IN SOCIAL PROBLEMS
SPRING 2009
W. DOANE

                     SOCIAL PROBLEMS PROJECT--RESEARCH OPTION

Purpose:

Learning objectives for this assignment are as follows:

(1) students will learn and utilize research skills to gather factual, theoretical, and policy-relevant information relevant to a current social problem;
(2) students will employ course concepts to analyze the dimensions, causes, effects, and underlying social forces relevant to understanding the problem;
(3) students will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of policies designed to address the problem.

Description:

Your research project will consist of an in-depth exploration of a social problem that is of interest to you.  This project will be completed in three stages (background information, analysis and policy).   Each stage will involve a 5+ page written summary (or power point presentation) of your findings.  Stage I is due on Thursday, February 26.

Stage I -- Background Material

Your objective in this section of the project will be to introduce your problem and to gather and interpret facts and figures necessary for understanding the scope and nature of the problem.  The background material section of your project should answer the following questions:

1. Why is this a significant social problem?  How does it fit the definition of a social problem discussed in class?  What values and norms are violated?  What are the harmful effects on society or groups within society?  What are the connections between this problem and other social problems in society? [hint: you need to go beyond the obvious--e.g., AIDS kills people--and think of the many ways this problem affects society]

2. What evidence (facts and figures) can you present to document your description of the problem?  Appropriate data here could include the number of victims or the amount of damage resulting from the problem (evidence that the problem exists and some description of its scope).  What is the economic cost to society?  Are specific groups affected?  How has this problem changed over time?  These data will both support your claims concerning the problem and generate questions to be answered in the second stage of the project.

Sources:

To obtain an overview of your problem, I recommend that you begin by reading a chapter in a textbook or the introductory chapters to a recent book on your problem.  This will help you focus on the major issues.

In gathering background information on your problem, it is important that your data be both current and comprehensive.  You will be expected to have surveyed both Internet and more traditional sources as outlined in the following list:

1. Use the Academic Search Premier, EBSCO Host, Lexis-Nexis, and ProQuest Newspapers databases (available to University students through the library web page) to locate possible sources of data in recent issues of The New York Times, Time, Newsweek, and other periodicals.  EBSCO Host and Academic Search Premier can also be used to locate relevant articles in scholarly journals such as Social Problems. You should consult a reference librarian if you need assistance with these resources.

2. Check on-line reference sources in the library (available under “web reference tools” and “Subject Pages—Sociology” on the library web page).  Statistical Abstract of the United States is a good source of both current and historical data on many social problems.  Other sources (e.g., U.S. Census Bureau, FBI Uniform Crime Reports) may also have information relevant to your topic.

3. Investigate Internet resources (you will be expected to have done this).  Use an Internet search engine (e.g., Yahoo, Google, Dogpile, etc.) to locate web pages with information pertaining to your topic (if you are not familiar with search engines, you can access them through the library web page).  This can be extremely useful in gaining access to current information (for example, it is possible to access data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Center for Disease Control).  Be sure to evaluate the quality of your source (anyone can create a web page), by examining the sponsoring organization, purpose, and presentation of the information.  Please note that I do NOT consider Wikipedia to be a valid research source! If you are not familiar with Internet research techniques, please speak with either me, someone in the Hillyer Academic Strategies Center, or a reference librarian.

Presentation of Findings:  [BE SURE TO FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS]

The presentation of the first stage of your research project should be in the form of a 5+ page (typed, double-spaced, not including tables) report.  Tables (for facts and figures) need not be retyped, you may photocopy material from published sources or insert computer printout into your paper; however, you MUST provide a complete source for the data.  Your report should be organized as follows:

I. Introduction.  This is where you introduce the social problem you will be investigating and discuss why it is a significant social problem (see question 1 above).  Be sure that you clearly explain the importance of the problem.

II. Background Information.  This is where you present and discuss the evidence (facts and figures) obtained through your research.  Remember that you need to interpret the data (what does it tell us about the problem?). NOTE: you do NOT have to organize this section in traditional “paper” form. You may include data, a table or a graph and then interpret it in a stand-alone paragraph.

III. Conclusion.   What conclusions can you draw from your findings?  What questions emerge from the data?

IV. Appendix.  In a brief appendix to your report, describe your research strategy; that is, how you collected information (where you looked, what search strategies you used, any problems you encountered, and what your most useful sources were).

[NOTE:  DO NOT DISCUSS CAUSES OF OR SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM.  YOU WILL ADDRESS THESE ISSUES IN STAGES 2 AND 3.]

References:

Be sure to keep track of your data sources because you will need to cite them in your report (all ideas, words, and facts which are not your own MUST be referenced).  Information on the proper format for references for sociological papers is available via the course web page (click here to view this material).  Improperly referenced papers will be returned without a grade.

Academic Honesty:

I EXPECT that your papers will contain either your original ideas or material that has been properly referenced. Use of the words of others without quotation marks and references is plagiarism (presenting the ideas and words of others as if they were your own) which is both dishonest and a violation of University policy. IF YOU SUBMIT A PAPER WITH PLAGIARIZED MATERIAL, YOU CAN EXPECT SEVERE CONSEQUENCES, INCLUDING RECEIVING A FAILING GRADE FOR THE COURSE. Please speak with me if you have any questions about referencing or plagiarism. I have also included material on plagiarism on the course web page.

Evaluation:

Evaluation (i.e., your grade) will be based upon the clarity of your presentation (i.e., organization, readability, grammar), your use of resources, and the quality (depth, insightfulness, relevance to the course) of your analysis and discussion.  Be sure that you carefully follow the guidelines presented above.  LATE SUBMISSIONS AND PAPERS WHICH FALL SHORT OF THE RECOMMENDED MINIMUM LENGTH WILL RECEIVE LOWER GRADES.  Proofread your paper!  Spelling and grammar will affect your grade.

Resubmission:

Because I am most interested in student learning, I will permit you the option of revising and resubmitting Stage I in response to my comments. This revision may be submitted at a later date in the semester. Your final grade will primarily be based upon the revised version; however, your effort on the original version will also be taken into consideration.