Final Proposal - Sociology

Your final project should build from the proposal and reference list you submitted in Module 2. Check to be sure your final submission includes the following:

• 4-5 pages of text in addition to having a title and reference page, all in correct APA format.

• A strong thesis statement supported by research from at least 5 different sources. In a research-based project like this, it is important to refer to and cite your sources throughout the paper to show where your information is coming from and to support your points, so be sure to provide frequent in-text citations.

• Incorporation of key sociological concepts while consistently demonstrating the sociological perspective. Your paper should apply one of the major sociological theories (such as conflict theory or functional theory – see below) to the movement you have chosen, explaining how that theory would evaluate the development of the movement and its successes and failures.

GRADING RUBRIC REQUIREMENTS FOR EARNING 100%:

Maximum points possible – 150

The paper thoughtfully and thoroughly addresses the key issues associated with the chosen social movement, analyzing the sociological research on that topic and examining the movement’s development and impact on society.

The paper clearly demonstrates the ability to understand and apply the sociological perspective while referring to sociological concepts and including the use of at least one sociological theory.

The paper clearly and consistently uses evidence from credible academic sources to support points rather than stating unsupported opinion.

The reference list contains at least 5 credible academic sources. At least three sources are scholarly books or articles from the Rasmussuen Library. The remaining sources can be videos or credible websites (reliable news sites, newspapers, magazines, research sites, government sites, etc., NOT Wikipedia, buzzle.com, about.com or other unreliable sources).

The paper contains no errors in APA formatting. In-text citations and reference list citations follow APA rules.

The paper meets or exceeds the minimum length requirement of 4 full pages of text.

Three Major Sociological Theories

There are three major sociological theories accepted throughout sociology:

1. structural-functional theory (also called functional analysis)

2. conflict theory

3. symbolic interaction theory

Each of these theories asks different questions and seeks to understand society in different ways. Each of these theories will be considered as this course unfolds and used to understand society. The following table provides a basic overview of the three theories: