POLI 205

Section Introduction Your assignment is to write a research paper on any topic of your choosing in political or social science.

The paper should demonstrate your ability to find and discuss evidence relevant to that question, and

offer your own answer utilizing the methods we have covered in class. While the paper may be brief (4-

5 pages), you are expected to formulate a research question that is grounded in the literature of your

questions and includes an examination of relevant data. Papers that do not employ the methods taught

in class to test a hypothesis will receive a grade of 0. Papers that employ the incorrect method are likely

to receive a 50. You must analyze the data yourself. You will receive a 0 if you only restate the results of

others.

You will use the SDA website (http://sda.berkeley.edu/) to examine the General Social Survey, American

National Election Study, or other dataset to develop a research question that interests you. The data

that is freely available to you will also be a great help to provide the evidence you need to answer your

research question.

Your paper should have at least 4 distinct sections.

Introduction: Describes your research question and why it is interesting and relevant.

Literature Review: Identify and explain previous works that are similar to your question and describe

how they lead to your thesis statement.

Analysis & Assessment: Provide evidence to support your thesis

Conclusion: Explain your findings relative to the literature.

Due date: the final day, Friday, December 10th 2021 at 10:59 PM EDT. You will upload your paper via

the Turnitin Link.

Format: 12 point Times New Roman font. Line spacing should be at 2.0. Page margins should be 1” on

all sides. The length of your text should be at least 3-5 complete pages. On a cover page you should

place your name, the class title with the time our section meets, and a title for your paper if you wish.

You will find a blank paper template on Moodle to use.