ONLY FOR PROFESSOR2013

The completed outline (2-4 pages) should include, at minimum:

- organized using Roman Numerals;

- a heading for each section and/or subsection

- inclusion of at least the following required sections: Introduction, Literature Review/background; Future Research; Conclusion

- a 2-4 sentence summary of each section/subsection that includes a note on how it is relevant to your overall research question or thesis;

- APA formatted full references for any sources cited in outline

Example Outline:

Research Question: How have changes in print ad portrayal of females over the last 15 years affected gender socialization?

I. Introduction – In this section I will introduce my research question and I why I am interested in it. I will identify any preconceived notions I have had about the research question. I will identify how the research question is sociological in nature and briefly discuss how the sociological perspective has been used to investigate it.

II. Literature Review [this will be the meat of your paper]

a. Using Goffman’s theories and work to study this, body display in advertisements affecting gender behaviors from 1979-1991 (Yang, 1997)

i. Methodology and analysis used –

1. Quantitative: primary data analysis – from data collected by the researcher OR secondary data analysis – from a database; statistical model used

2. Qualitative (e.g. interview, content analysis, observation)

3. Level of analysis (micro, meso, macro)

ii. Sample size and composition (i.e. n=2,500; 90% respondents white females ages 21-48 drawn from a national probability sample)

iii. Identification of key variables and their measurement

1. Independent variable(s) and dependent variable(s)

2. Measurement: e.g. gender role attitudes were measured on a Likert Scale (1-5) from very traditional to very egalitarian.

iv. Hypotheses of the authors

v. Key findings

vi. Analyze strengths and weaknesses of article

b. Differences in affects of gendered stereotypes in print ads on gendered socialization in patriarchal vs matriarchal countries (Oderkerken-Schroder, du Wulf and Hofstee, 2002)

c. Reflection hypothesis to understand how gender role socialization is affected by print advertisements (source TBD)

d. Analysis/Synthesis of sources and how they answer my research Q

III. Future Research – In this section, I will identify some additional related questions that came to mind during my research but were not answered in the literature I reviewed.

IV. Conclusion – In this section I will recap my research question and key findings.

References

ASSIGNMENT 3 REFERNCE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

As part of the academic rigor in this course, you will be expected to write a 12-17 page paper (page count not including cover page, references, etc). It will be the culmination of the term giving you an opportunity to engage sociology as a tool to explore a topic & specific research question relevant to you, and at least 15 sources (12 of which must be peer-reviewed research articles).

The purpose of the paper is for you to be able to explore a topic of interest to you from a sociological perspective. To do so, you must accomplish the following:

* Clearly state your thesis/research question and how it is significant to the study of society

* Select a minimum of 12 peer reviewed articles and 3 other sources which will permit you to explore and evaluate sociological research and perspectives on your thesis/question – - discussion of each article should include noting how the article addresses/answers your research question; the article’s main research question/thesis; primary theoretical perspective used; sample size and composition; methodology and analysis used; brief summary of findings

- the best discussion will be formatted by themes comparing and contrasting articles (i.e. phrasing of question, methodology used, measurement of variables, size and composition of sample, findings, etc.)

* Be sure key concepts in your paper are defined (conceptual and operational definitions) and cited using sources such as past sociology texts and peer-reviewed articles

* Employ appropriate use of APA format in-text citations and references

Evaluation Criteria:

1. The paper begins with a clear thesis statement that is well articulated in the first or second paragraph

2. The paper draws appropriately 12 peer-reviewed articles and 3 other sources to support the thesis statement presented. This means that if you could have used findings from a paper listed to make your point more clearly and you do not do so, you will be penalized.

3. The paper is well structured and synthesizes the material appropriately. Rather than summarize each of the readings referenced, the paper identifies common themes or divergent findings that must be taken into account in making a logical argument in support of the thesis statement.

4. The concluding paragraph summarizes the focus of the paper and identifies the implications for the study of society.