Sociology Paper

SOCI 403 Social Change

American Public University System

Written Assignment Four: Final Paper (Due Week 8)

IMPORTANT NOTE: This assignment is due in Week 8 to give you ample time to explore our class topics and create a thorough and informed paper. It must be turned in by 11:55 pm (EST) on Sunday of Week 8. Because this is the end of class, NO EXTENSIONS can be given for this paper. When class ends, all assignments must be in! Please plan your time carefully and turn this paper in early if at all possible.

In this assignment, you will construct a 10-12 page final research paper. Your paper should utilize sound critical thought and it should provide appropriate APA in-text citations and APA full-reference citations. The overall assignment is worth 20% of your final course grade. Be sure to read the directions for Submitting the Assignment.

Your paper will adhere to the general standards of the APA-formatting guidelines. It will include a title page, a short abstract, body of paper (Introduction/Thesis, Analysis, Application of Research, Summary and Conclusion) and a reference page. Comment by mothertao: Where the APA guidelines and the rules of this assignment diverge, stick to the rules of the assignment.

The Purdue Online Writing Lab offers information about APA guidelines and formatting:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

This site offers you answers to the most frequently asked questions on APA style as well as other useful APA information:

http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx

ALL Written assignments (i.e. Your Paper assignments) must be submitted TWICE: 1) Through the Sakai assignment submission link, and 2) Through www.turnitin.com . See Turnitin.com Directions

Format, Length and Content of Paper:

Title (First whole page of paper)

Abstract (Separate page)

Body of Paper: (10 -12 pages total) Clearly mark each part of the body of your paper with the following four section headings. Watch the page requirements carefully as you will be graded on them.

I. Introduction and Thesis Questions/Statement (1 page):

Introduce your topic and explain its relevance to you personally. Summarize the significance of this topic for others (e.g., the reader, groups, society). Describe the research questions that will guide your inquiry or the thesis statement that you will explore.

II. Analysis Using Concepts/Theories (2 – 3 pages):

Clearly and significantly apply at least five concepts/theories from our text to your research topic. While this sounds like what you did in Assignment One, this is no longer an exploration of how these might apply. Rather, these applications should be strong and well-supported in the final draft.

III. Application of Research (6 - 7 pages):

Clearly and significantly apply findings from at least 8 meaningful, up-to-date resources, 5 of which are from reputable academic journals. Your research in Assignment Two should help you with this, but remember that the final paper will include a full discussion of applications that help to answer your research questions or explore your thesis statement. DO NOT simply piece together annotations. Create a meaningful report that brings all of these ideas together. Comment by mothertao: All sources should be appropriate for a scholarly research paper. No Wikipedia, no About.com, no advertisement sites.

IV. Summary and Conclusions (1 page):

Integrate your conceptual analysis and your research applications. What do your findings and conclusions mean for our changing society? Explain what you learned during this research process.

References (Separate Page)

Other Requirements:

· The BODY of your paper will be 10-12 pages in length. Other pages will be formatted correctly (title page, abstract page, references page).

· Your paper will be double-spaced, 1" margins, Arial or Times New Roman 11 point font. Comment by mothertao: Don't adjust margins or font to hide page length. Instructors always know this tactic, and it will cause you to lose points!

· Did you spell check and re-read your paper for grammar and flow?

· Under our "Library" tab (top of our classroom screen) you will find the "Tutorial & Student Studies Center." Take special notice of the Mini-Owl and Smarthinking resources. Tightening your work and correcting grammar usage will help you to present your good ideas in a more professional way. Comment by mothertao: All APUS students can have 10 free hours of tutoring service through Smarthinking!

· Your paper will include properly formatted APA citations and references.

The paper should be well-organized and demonstrate collegiate-level effort and thought.

This is listed last, but it is certainly not the least. If your paper meets the previous requirements, you are ready to finalize your content. Here are the questions I’ll be asking myself as I read your work:

· Is your work a blend of what you learned from your research sources and your own observations and experiences? Is it more than just an opinion paper?

· Did you cover your chosen topic well?

· Did you answer your research questions? Did you fully explore your thesis statement?

· Did you demonstrate that you thought about what you learned?

· Did you spell check and re-read your paper for grammar and flow?

Submitting the Assignment

· Submit your assignment for grading in the Sakai classroom. Submit a single document that is saved as .doc or .rtf file in this format: Lastname_SOCI403_WA4.

· NOTE: Assignments that are not submitted properly to Turnitin.com will receive a score of zero.

· Please email me (your instructor) if you have any questions or concerns as you are writing this paper. Email early so I have plenty of time to help you work it all out!

Written Assignment Four: Final Paper

(Due Week 8, 25 points, 20% of final grade)

Grading Rubric

CATEGORY	Outstanding	Above  Average	Average	Below  Average	Unacceptable
Introduction and Thesis Questions/Statement	Description included good detail, informed relevance and strong thesis questions/statement. (3 pts.)	Description and/or relevance needed some elaboration; thesis questions/ statement adequate	Description and/or relevance lacked clarity in some areas and needed elaboration; thesis may be weak. (2 pts.)	Description and/or relevance not clear, needs much elaboration; thesis may be weak.	Little or no Description and/or relevance included; thesis may we weak or missing. (0-1 pts.)
Analysis Using Concepts/ Theories	Clearly applied at least 5 relevant sociological concepts from the readings to topic. (6 pts.)	Clearly applied concepts, some explanation needed	Somewhat applied concepts, some inaccuracies or elaboration needed. (3 pts.)	Clearly applied two to three concepts or theories.	Applied one or two concepts or did not apply sociological concepts to analysis. (0-1 pts.)
Application of Research	Clearly applied findings from at least 8 meaningful up-to-date resources, 5 of which are from reputable academic journals. (8 points)	Clearly applied findings, some explanation needed	Somewhat applied findings of at least six resources; applications include inaccuracies or elaboration needed. (4 pts.)	Clearly applied at least four resources; applications may be incomplete or inaccurate.	Applied one or two resources or did not apply research outside of that found in our text. (0-1 pts.)
Summary/ Conclusion	Integrated analysis and applications to demonstrate personal and social relevance. (3 points)	Integrated analysis and applications to demonstrate personal and social relevance, some elaboration needed.	Somewhat integrated analysis and applications to demonstrate personal and social relevance; greater elaboration or connections needed. (2 points)	Integrations incomplete or missing; personal or social relevance missing or incomplete.	Very little or no integration of analysis and applications to demonstrate personal and social relevance. (0-1 pts.)
APA Formatted Citations and References	Included APA formatted in-text citations and full references for ALL paraphrased and quoted work from other sources. Sources are appropriate for this assignment. (3 pts.)	Minor errors in APA formatting of citations and/or references.	Multiple errors in APA formatting of citations and/or references. Some sources are not fully appropriate for this assignment. (2 pts.)	Missing some citations and/or references, and errors in APA formatting.	No citations and/or references included. Sources are not fully appropriate for this assignment. (0- 1 pts.)
Grammar, Spelling, Proper Formatting	Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. Paper is properly formatted. (2 pts.)	Author makes a couple errors in grammar, spelling or format that distract the reader from the content.	Author makes a few errors in grammar, format or spelling that distract the reader from the content. (1 – 1.25 pts.)	Author makes multiple errors in grammar, format or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	Authors makes so many errors in grammar, format and spelling that the intent of the paper cannot be understood. (0 -.25 pts.)

References

American Psychological Association. (2011). Frequently asked questions about APA style. Retrieved from http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx

Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderland, L., & Brizee, A. (2010, May 5). General format. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/