Is there a particular question that you have found yourself wondering about in relation to SOC265? Have you taken other sociology methodology courses? What approaches could you take to answer your research question? Could you collect “data” through empirical research? This is a good option for those who are considering graduate studies and are curious about conducting their own research. You must produce your own original data and analysis (not simply produce a literature review of existing studies). Will you collect and analyze images? Maybe you want to collect tweets or Instagram comments? You might want to use “an observation of a highly salient gendered moment… as a point of departure…” (Messner, 2000, p. 766). We will discuss examples together in class
Task: Your final project is an opportunity to explore a particular topic or phenomena of interest related to gender and society. This is an individual assignment that must be research-informed and showcase your understanding of key course concepts, ideas, and theories.
Aim: To demonstrate your in-depth knowledge of key concepts as they relate to SOC265. To develop your creativity and craft as writers. To apply the research tools, theoretical concepts and academic conventions addressed in this course to a specific topic of interest related to gender and society.
Requirements for all final projects:
- Reference and incorporate at least 4 key ideas/concepts/theories presented in the required course readings and/or discussed in class. In your write-ups, please bold your ideas/concepts/theories to ease grading for our TAs.
- Must incorporate at least 3 scholarly course readings AND 3 outside scholarly sources (scholarly sources are peer-reviewed journal articles or an academic book chapter). Therefore, your reference list should include a minimum total of 6 scholarly sources. You may also include additional non-scholarly sources.
- Engage in a scholarly conversation in which YOUR VOICE is clear, strong, analytical, and insightful.
- Be creative! Engage with the ideas this course has offered to produce your own ideas! Perhaps you want to reflect on a couple of course concepts/ideas to create your own concept (We will discuss this in class!).
Is there a particular question that you have found yourself wondering about in relation to SOC265? Have you taken other sociology methodology courses? What approaches could you take to answer your research question? Could you collect “data” through empirical research? This is a good option for those who are considering graduate studies and are curious about conducting their own research. You must produce your own original data and analysis (not simply produce a literature review of existing studies). Will you collect and analyze images? Maybe you want to collect tweets or Instagram comments? You might want to use “an observation of a highly salient gendered moment… as a point of departure…” (Messner, 2000, p. 766). We will discuss examples together in class.
Your research paper must include:
1) A research question that you will address
2) A review of relevant literature to contextualize your research project
3) A brief methodology that outlines your methods and theoretical framing
4) Most of your paper should focus on a discussion of your “findings”. In class, I will discuss how “findings” can be organized by “themes” in the “data” – what your analysis reveals.
5) A clear connection to the course concepts, ideas, and theories, which also includes addressing “so what?” Why does this matter?
- 2,000-2,500 words
