social science paper

SOC 101 – Introduction to Sociology Final Paper Guidelines

(30 points) Objectives:

• Apply sociological thinking and theory to a research topic • Improve essay revision skills

Assignment: Apply sociological theory and analysis to the topic of your mid-term research paper. This

paper should be a synthesis of your mid-term paper and new writing based on your knowledge of sociological theory. You will submit this paper through BlackBoard.

Requirements: • You must meet all of the requirements from the mid-term paper guidelines. • You must include direct references to at least three theorists whom we encountered in

class. You should explain their theoretical perspectives and explain why you think these perspectives are germane to your topic and how one might interpret various aspects of your topic through these theoretical approaches.

• You must use proper academic citations in the ASA style (you do not need to cite theorists from class; see below). This includes parenthetical notation in the body of the text as well as a references page at the end of the paper.

o For parenthetical (in-text) citations: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/583/02/

o For reference pages: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/583/03/

• Grammar, spelling, and coherence count as part of the overall paper grade. • Your paper should be organized according to the following outline:

o Introduction: introduce your topic, explain why it can be considered sociological, and argue why the reader should care about the topic. (5 points)

o Literature review: review the scholarly perspectives on your topic. Much of this may be drawn from your mid-term paper. (5 points)

o Main section: state the facts of your topic. Much of this may be drawn from your mid-term paper. (5 points)

o Theory/Applied Sociology: provide analysis of your topic using the three sociological theorists you’ve chosen for this assignment. What might they say? How might they make sense of this topic? (10 points)

o Conclusion and Reference Page: summarize your research, theoretical perspectives, and include any concluding remarks or opinions you’d like to offer. Provide a properly formatted reference page. (5 points)

Students are required to read all of the plagiarism-prevention material posted to BlackBoard under the mid-term and final papers section before beginning the writing process. This is mandatory reading, and exceptions for "accidental plagiarism" will not be made as a result.

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