Objectives: The objective of this assignment is to demonstrate a critical understanding of one of the topic/thematic areas covered in the course and to further develop your research skills.
Basic requirements: 10-12 Page essay (approx. 2,500-3,000 words), typed, 12-point Times font, double-spaced with 1-inch margins and works cited page.
Guidelines: Write an academic research essay using a minimum of 7 academic sources.
Themes: You may choose any of the areas we have discussed/read in the course. However, be sure to narrow your thesis to a specific domain.
Thesis help: https://depts.washington.edu/pswrite/thesisstmt.html
Citations: I would suggest you use MLA citation style (below is a link for quick guidelines): https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/mlacitation/intext
Also, consider consulting reference books on research and writing.
Two examples:
Margot Northey, Lorne Tepperman and Patrizia Albanese, Making Sense: A Student’s
Guide to Research and Writing: Social Sciences, 4th ed. (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2009)
Example of essay topics:
Essay examples:
A) The Media and Moral Panics: Choose Terrorism as an example of a moral panic and then critically assess how the mass media represents the object of panic (a person, group of persons, a condition, or episode) as a threat to dominant social values and interests; and then assess how the moral panic functions to target specific groups based upon race, gender, class, sexuality, and so on.
Important notes:
*Do not over-quote – a quotation is not a substitute for your own analysis. I would recommend a maximum of three quotes, no longer than three lines each (if your quote is longer than four lines, you must treat it as an extended quote that is indented, etc.).
I would highly recommend you focus a significant amount of time researching properly and patiently – use key academic search indexes, including Jstor, Project Muse, and others. When researching academic peer-reviewed journals, be sure to read the ‘abstracts’ and also introduction and conclusion, so you can get a feel if the article is suitable. The success of this assignment will be highly dependent upon your research practices.
Do not simply “google” articles as they are most often not academic sources, but popular internet articles, or articles from “think-tanks” that are not peer reviewed.
Readings posted to D2L may be used in this assignment.
Lectures and textbooks are not acceptable ‘sources’ for this assignment.
Popular websites are not an acceptable academic ‘source’ for this assignment. However, they can be used and cited for examples to illustrate, for instance, media examples for moral panics, but not as one of the minimum seven academic sources).
I would recommend that you organize your ideas into an outline before writing your essay, be very attentive to constructing a clear thesis, and be sure to proofread it for errors of spelling and grammar. You are also encouraged to use subtitles to organize your different arguments. Please review and follow the “Elements of Effective Social Science Writing” included below.
Please review and follow the “Elements of Effective Social Science Writing” below.
- Good writing is clear and precise. When you write sentences that can be interpreted in many different ways you demonstrate that you are thinking in a vague way. Write so that you make clear and precise what you mean.
- Social Science focused thinking is grounded in the use of supporting arguments/evidence. When you do not use specific examples to make your points clear, you demonstrate that you do not know how to clarify your thought as a social scientist. Give relevant examples and illustrations that are focused on the argument you’re advancing.
- Good social science focused thinking is logical. When you do not make clear with appropriate transitional words and critical vocabulary the logical relations between the sentences and paragraphs you write you reveal that you do not fully understand the structure of your own reasoning. Make clear the logical relations between the sentences and paragraphs that you write.
- Social science thinking is analytic. When you fail to employ key concepts and to demonstrate their logic you show that you are weak at conceptual analysis. Use key disciplinary concepts in your written work wherever appropriate.
- Good social science thinking does not jump to conclusions. Your position is weakened when you make sweeping judgments about a position you have not sufficiently analyzed. Show in your writing that you have considered a variety of reasonable ways of looking at the issue.
