I am making available the option to write a research paper. If you choose to do the research paper, your lowest scoring exam grade will be replaced by your research paper grade, but only if your research paper grade is higher than your lowest scoring exam grade. The research paper is worth 17 percent. Please read the research paper guidelines.
Research paper proposal (Due by midterm 3 or earlier)
Note: This step is required if you want to write the research paper; however, it is not worth any points.
Think of a question that you would like to write a research paper on. Discuss each step with respect to your proposed research project. Discuss each step as if you are going to do this research project for this class.
Here are the steps. See also the sample below.
1. Define the problem
2. Review the existing evidence
3. Formulate a hypothesis
4. Develop a research design
5. Collect the data
6. Analyze the data
7. Develop conclusions
8. Present the findings
Sample:
Proposed research steps to be applied to the research topic: Control of children in public places
1. Define the problem
Do control strategies used by parents in public places vary by type of public place?
2. Review the existing evidence
I will search the Cuesta library databases and the internet looking for books and articles related to the control of children in public places. I will then discuss the most relevant information in the literature review section of my research paper, making sure to cite my sources. (You can largely copy this, change the part about control of children in public places.)
3. Formulate a hypothesis
Hypothesis: Parents will use more coercive strategies in situations where there is a stronger demand for good behavior.
4. Develop a research design
I will do an ethnography. I will spend time examining parents using control strategies in public places.
5. Collect the data
I will spend two hours in several different public places where there are parents and children. I will document in a notebook the control strategies observed.
6. Analyze the data
I will compare the control strategies used in restrictive places (e.g., restaurants) to control strategies used in permissive places (e.g., playground).
7. Develop conclusions
In the conclusions section of my research paper, I will discuss how my findings relate to larger issues. In particular, focusing on how my research reflects parent-child relationship dynamics in late modern society.
8. Present the findings
I will present my findings in class. (You do not have to modify this part. Just copy this sentence.)
Link to table from sample article: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1QMmHJIB-7XEBNuKuq9Qn8wnXqru3vfEh0tCz7a0wDsg/edit?usp=sharing
How to turn in:
Email it to me, fha@cuesta.edu.
Draft works cited and literature review proposal (Due by midterm 4 or earlier)
Note: This step is required if you want to write the research paper; however, it is not worth any points.
Now that you have a research question, do a review of the literature and write a works cited page.
(1) Cite at least two sources. Find at least one article or book that uses the same method that you will use. For example, if you are going to do a survey, find an article that uses the survey method. The other sources do not have to use the same method you use. Find at least one academic source; for example, from an academic journal or written by a PhD whose audience is mostly other academics. here is a link to a list of sociological journals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sociology_journals. The source using the same method as yours and the academic source can be the same source; however, you still need to cite at least two sources.
(2) Write a draft literature review section. In this section, you will summarize relevant previous research and talk about how your research adds to what is already known. Discuss how sources relate to your research question and method. Since you have not conducted your research yet, you will have to guess a bit and revise later.
(3) Write a draft works cited page. Use any format you want for the works cited page, APA, MLA, or other. Here is a link to a resource guide on how to appropriately format the works cited section and in-text citations using the ASA format: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/583/1/, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/583/03/ and, https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/583/02/.
(4) After doing the literature review, if your research question and method has changed, note that as well.
How to turn in:
Email it to me, fha@cuesta.edu.
Trial run (Due by midterm 4 or earlier)
Note: This step is required if you want to write the research paper; however, it is not worth any points.
I would like you to do a trial run of your research.
If you are doing a survey or interviews, make a list of about ten to twenty questions that you will ask. Ask one person those questions; it can even be yourself. See how they work. Turn in your list of questions as well as the responses. These do not have to be the questions you eventually will ask. You must ask at least a few open-ended questions that require the subject to write at least a sentence. You must analyze the open-ended responses in the analysis section of your research paper.
If you are doing a content analysis, make a list of things you might find. Analyze one case and turn in that analysis. For example, if you are doing a content analysis of how racial and ethnic minorities are portrayed in Disney movies, make a list of how you think they might be portrayed: for example, lazy, devious, untrustworthy, honest, good friend, perfect, etc. Watch one movie and see what you find. Turn in your analysis of one movie.
If you are doing an experiment, do a one-case test run and turn in a description of the methods that you used and your results.
If you are doing an ethnographic analysis, write a list of things that you think you might find, do a short observation, and turn in that analysis.
If you are doing any other type of analysis, make sure you provide me a detailed discussion of the method that you will use a week prior to turning in the trial run. Email it to me. Your project must be approved before you start. This discussion of your methods that you will email me must be much more detailed than in your research proposal.
Frequently made comments from past courses:
I would have liked for you to discuss what you found after examining your data.
Comments specific to surveys:
Consider asking more questions that solicit their attitudes and opinions about this issue.
Try prompting your subjects to give more detail. The more detail you have, the more data you will have to analyze.
Consider asking open-ended questions that will get respondents talking in more depth about their feelings toward this subject.
Consider adding a place in your questions where the subject can explain why they chose a particular answer. For example, after the question, you might write, "In the space provided below, briefly explain why you chose your answer."
I see you have some open-ended questions. Consider converting a few more fixed-choice questions to open-ended ones, or supplement your fixed-choice question with open-ended ones. The reason I suggest this is because if you let your respondents use their own words, it will allow you to get richer data.
Comment specific to content analysis:
Try to have a systematic way of picking your songs (movies, TV shows, etc.). For example, all the billboard number one songs over a specified time period in the various genres.
Comment specific to ethnographies:
Try to be systematic in your observations. For example, think about how many observations you want to make for what length of time. Try to capture as much detail as possible. Try to have a sense of what you are looking at. For example, how do people do impression management?
How to turn in:
Email it to me, fha@cuesta.edu.
Rough draft (Due 2 weeks before final exam or earlier)
Note: This step is required if you want to write the research paper; however, it is not worth any points.
Email me a rough draft. I will review it and give you feedback on what you need to do to improve your paper. Make sure you have read research paper guidelines.
Research paper (Due day of the final exam or earlier)
The research paper is turned in to Canvas. It is due the day of the final exam before midnight.