Help needed if willing 10-12 pages

Sociology 3600-98 - The Family

Final Paper Assignment

The final paper is worth 40 points or 22% of your overall grade for the semester. The paper should be

10-12 pages in length, including a cover page and citations and bibliography, in a standard-sized font (11

or 12 point) and double-spaced.

The paper is due on Friday, November 20th by 5 p.m. in the designated Dropbox. I will not accept late

papers unless you have a compelling reason and speak to me at least three days in advance of the due

date.

Learning objectives: a) apply course material to an issue about family of your choice, and b) understand

the difference between media framing of social issues and scholarship.

Follow these steps: 1. Select any topic in family studies, whether we have discussed it or not (examples

are listed). The historical scope is not limited to the contemporary world or the last century. Your

discussion may focus on the United States or any other country/comparison you wish.

2. Select 3-5 print/online-only articles or extended television segments in the news media that discuss

this issue – they can be Op-Eds, Longform articles, or traditional length articles in newspapers and

magazines. (If you elect to use any television news segments, please do not use more than two. Cite

them in the paper with a link and try to retrieve a transcript or carefully take notes of exact quotations.)

3. Choose 3-5 peer-reviewed academic articles or books published on university presses discussing the

topic. (I will list examples of common journals covering family issues.)

4. Compare the media “framing” of the issue to the findings and arguments in the scholarly articles.

Explain the differences and similarities in treatment of the issue, and the implications of these

differences regarding cultural values, economic realities, social structure, and history. Note: Opinion

pieces from personal blogs (always list sources) do not count towards your media sources or academic

sources.

Examples of Family Topics (Your Choice is not limited to this list):

 Female or Male Breadwinner Families

 Working Mothers

 Women in Traditionally Male Occupations (STEM, business, law, politics)

 Single Parenthood (Mothers and Fathers) Dating,

 Hookup Culture, and Courtship

 Household Division of Labor

 Outsourcing Domestic and Care Work

 Religion and Family

 Sex Scandals

 LGBTQ Youth

 Mass Media and Advertising

 Romantic Partner Selection Preferences

 Stay-at-Home Fathers

 Wage Gap

 Gay Conversion Therapy

 Later-in-Life Coming Out Experiences

 Sexual Fluidity

 Reproductive Methods and Technologies – IVF, Surrogacy

 Family Planning

 Divorce

 Marital Infidelity (Adultery)

 Domestic Abuse and/or Sexual Assault

 Civil Unions

 Covenant Marriages

 Domestic Partnerships and Same-Sex Marriage

 Plural Marriage/Polyamory/Polygamy

 Kinship and Extended Family

 Native and Aboriginal Families

 Transnational Families Immigration and Family Formation

 Transgender Individuals

 Child Labor and Economic

 Illness, Death, and Widowhood

 Mail-Order Brides

 Family and Parental Leave Policies

 Military Families

 Effects of a Chronically Ill Child on Marriage

 Sex ratios and marriage markets for African Americans

Common News Media Sources in English (Your Choice is not limited to this list):

 The New York Times

 The Washington Post

 The Los Angeles Times

 The Wall Street Journal

 The Chicago Tribune

 The Boston Globe

 The Guardian (UK)

 Daily Mail (UK)

 The New Yorker Magazine

 New York Magazine

 The Atlantic Monthly

 The Huffington Post

 The New Republic

 The National Review

 MSNBC News

 CNN News

 Fox News

 Peer-

Reviewed Journal Sources (Your Choice is not limited to this list):

 Journal of Marriage and the Family

 Work and Occupations

 American Sociological Review

 American Journal of Sociology

 Gender and Society

 Social Forces

 Social Problems

 Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society

 Feminist Studies

 City and Community

 Family Relations

 Sexualities

 Journal of Sexuality Research and Social Policy

 GLQ – Gay and Lesbian Quarterly

 Journal of Homosexuality

 Journal of Lesbian Studies

 Youth and Society

 Population and Development Review

 Men and Masculinities

 Social Politics