SOC100-Social Structures

RESEARCH ESSAY ● SOC 100 - 0 1 Social Structures ● Spring 2021 Due Sunday 28 March 11:30pm WHY BOTHER WRITING A PAPER IN THE FIRST PLACE? Sometimes in university it feels like you are just “jumping through hoops”: doing assignments or quizzes or writing exercises just to keep you busy. I hope this assignment is one that you find more meaningful. The idea is to help you think about a topic you care about from a sociological perspective, to challenge your preconceptions, and to grow and l earn a little bit along the way. CHOOSING A TOPIC First, think about a subject – a social phenomenon – that you care about. Maybe it’s sports, or your relationship with your extended family, or television, or politics. Keep it focused – for example, not just “sports” but “hockey in Canada;” not just “television” but “reality TV shows.” Next, form a central question related to your subject that you will try to answer in your paper. Framing your paper around a question helps to keep you focused. Here ar e some possible preliminary research questions: • The pandemic from a sociological perspective. COVID - 19 is a “natural” phenomenon in that it is caused by a virus, but it has profound sociological elements. It is passed from one person to another through social connections (there’s a reason we talk about “social di stancing”). Some demographic groups are more likely to be harmed by the effects of the virus than others. Some jurisdictions have had more effective political, economic, and social interventions into controlling the virus than others. What are some of the most important sociological aspects of the pandemic? • Many critics argue that there is a homelessness crisis in Canada – especially in the Lower Mainland. What are some of the sociological causes of homelessness? What are some potential solutions? Why does homelessness persist? • The laws surrounding “ prostitution ” or “ sex work ” have changed in the last few years in Canada, but debates persist. Does prostitution oppress women? Who benefits, and who loses, from the prostitution industry? Are Canada’s new laws a good way to regulate prostitution? How do they compare to the laws of other jurisdictions, and what are the social outcomes of those different regulations? • First Nations in British Columbia are negotiating treaties with government over who will control land and resources. What is the social context behind this process? Why are treaties still being negotiated hundreds of years after the first contact between Indigenous people and European settlers? • Are trade unions positive or negative influences on Canadian society? Why do people join unions? What social ro le do they play today, and how has that changed over time? • Is religious belief becoming stronger or weaker in Canadian society? What are the sociological factors that explain the change? • Sexual harassment in the workplace has become a widely - discussed i ssue. According to sociological research, how common is the problem? What are some of the causes? What are some of the possible solutions? • #Blacklivesmatter became a popular social media hashtag, and broader social movement, in the wake of the high - pro file killings of African - American men by police officers. Beyond the individual stories, what are the sociological factors behind the movement? What might such a movement achieve? What does the response to the movement tell us about racial relations in the United States? Does “#Blacklivesmatter” apply in the Canadian context? These questions are just SUGGESTIONS. If you have another idea for a research paper, please let me know by email, and we can talk about how you might approach it. HOW DO I UNDERSTAND THE TOPIC SOCIOLOGICALLY ? Next, try to analyze the issue using your “sociological imagination.” “Analyze” literally means to take something to pieces; your sociological imagination is the quality of mind that links the micro (personal or individual) with the macro (historical or structural). Here are some POSSIBLE questions you might ask . Y ou won’t have the space to ask all of them – this is just to get you started thinking about the topic in a sociological way . - What social groups are involved? - What social structu res are involved? Try to think of the wide range of related structures. For example, if you are talking about Canadian high school education, perhaps the social structure of economic class has some sort of influence, or ethnic/racial inequality. - How wo uld the different theoretical traditions in sociology approach this topic? For example, a conflict theorist might ask: What inequalities of power are involved? What are these inequalities based upon? Is wealth or bureaucratic power important to this top ic? A feminist sociologist might ask: how do women and men experience this phenomenon differently? - How has this phenomenon changed over time? When did it emerge in the past, and how did it become what it is today? - Is this phenomenon treated different ly in other cultures? What does this tell us? - Does the social phenomenon have a net positive or negative effect on society? How might it be changed for the better? Remember, yo u won’t be able to answer all of these questions right away. You won’t ans wer all of them in your research paper , nor do you have to. The point is to use this sort of social analysis as a starting point for your paper. DOING THE RESEARCH Once you have chosen your central research question and figured out some further ways to a pproach it sociologically, you can move on to your research. Be prepared to change your mind as you do the research. You may have your own assumptions about the issue as you begin; make sure to be open to a wide variety of arguments and information. Good sources for your paper may include sociology journals, which have up - to - the - minute research that has been “peer - reviewed.” Books, government reports, and other sources may also be helpful. The eLearn site has links to videos from the Cap librarians to help you appro ach research for the paper . HOW LONG? HOW MANY SOURCES? WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? This will be a 2500 - 3000 word paper, not counting the words in your title page or Works Cited section, or in your abstract if you include one. Depending on the formatting, that will be roughly an 8 to 10 page paper (standard margins and preferably in Times New Roman 12 - point font, dou ble - spaced) , not counting the Works Cited page . You can go a page or two longer if necessary, but it’s unlikely you will have a satisfactory paper if it is shorter than this length. You should draw on a MINIMUM of three ac ademic sources for your paper. Remember that academic sources include peer - reviewed journal articles and books from academic pu b lishers. Please use either MLA or APA citation style for your research citations. F ollow the links on the course web site to information on MLA and APA style. Please familiarize yourself with Capilano University’s policy on plagiarism, a serious academic offense wh ich involves passing off other peoples’ ideas as your own. While plagiarism is serious, it is easy to avoid. For more information, check out the res ources about plagiarism linked on the course web site. You will be evaluated on the content of your ideas – the “facts” that you put forward – as well as the format in which those ideas are presented. That means that you should try to write a clear, concise, logical, well - organized and focused paper, with goo d evidence to back up your assertions . THE WRITING CENTRE IS YOUR FRIEND A great resource before you start is the handout from the Capilano Writing Centre, “The Research Essay.” I have linked to it on the course web site, in the top “box” of the site underneath the link for this assignment. The instructors at the Writing Centre are also available to help you with any challenge s you may have with the paper. Go to the Writing Centre website for more information on how to get help from the Writing Centr e: https://www.capilanou.ca/student - life/academic - support/learning - commons/writing - centre/ Questions? Please email me at [email protected] . We can correspond over email, or we can set up a Zoom or MS Teams or other online meeting.