Sociology 211
Social Problems
Fall 2001
Dr. Scott Schaffer

Term Research Project

Due Date: [211.03 - TR 230pm] Friday Dec 14/2001 at 1230pm; [211.04 - TR 4pm] Tuesday Dec 11/2001 at 1015am.. The final exam for this course will take place from 1230pm to 230pm on that day. Your completed paper and journals are required for entrance into the exam, and you must take the exam in order to have your final paper evaluated. In no case, save for dire (and well-evidenced) emergencies will any late paper be accepted. Papers that are not submitted on time will receive a zero (0), and the highest grade you could receive in the class would be a D.

Guidelines: This paper is to be a minimum of ten (10) full and complete pages in length; there is no maximum page count, so write until you are done. Your paper is to be typed, double-spaced, on 8 1/2" by 11" white paper, spell- and grammar-checked, proofread, and covered with a cover sheet, which will be the only place your name appears on the paper. All other listed requirements and deductions for missing elements for papers in this course, discussed on the course syllabus and elsewhere, pertain to this assignment. Any paper that appears to be plagiarized or the result of any form of academic dishonesty will automatically receive a zero (0), and will result in referral to the Provost for disciplinary proceedings.

This is an outside research project that requires you to develop an analysis and response to the big question as listed below. You must also utilize course readings in the development of your argument. The required sources are as follows:

--- At least one article from Social Problems and Social Solutions;
--- Elements from Democracy Against Capitalism;
--- At least three articles from The Globalization Reader;
--- And at least three scholarly sources you find in your research. You may also use newspaper articles, web resources, and other resources, but these do not replace the three outside sources requirement.

You are required to cite all sources you utilize for this paper, and you are required to have a bibliography (following the format included in this handout) listing all sources you used. As this is a research project, you may judiciously use direct quotations from other sources; however, do not rely on these to make your argument for you.

The Question: Your paper will be a research-based argument that responds to the following questions:

To what extent do you think the expansion of American democracy and capitalism across the world would be beneficial or detrimental for other societies and their social problems? How should (if at all) the US be involved in the development of solutions to the world's social problems?

In order to successfully develop an argument in response to this question, you must do the following:

I. Start with one "social problem" article from Social Problems and Social Solutions, detailing another society's social problem, and expand on this research with additional outside sources;

II. Discuss the ways in which our society has dealt with the social problem, making sure to show how elements of our democracy and capitalist system have influenced our solution to this social problem;

III. Discuss the relevant issues surrounding globalization, the expansion of American-style democratic and capitalist systems around the world, and the kinds of impacts these processes have on other societies;

IV. Show how you think American-style democratic and capitalist systems would impact on other societies' approaches to solving their social and sociological problems, making sure to show not only the thought process by which you came to these claims, but also whether or not you think it would be beneficial or detrimental to that society (and by what criteria you're making this evaluation);

V. Show how you think the solution of other societies' social problems should deal with the imperatives of American democracy and capitalism or how you think the US should play a part in how other societies develop solutions to their social and sociological problems. In other words, you are to develop a new policy for the US to follow or to justify the US' current international policy as you understand it.

Research Materials: For this paper, you are required to utilize at least one theoretical framework laid out in the course reader; you need to read through the entire original text, which will be available on reserve. You are also asked to use at least one of the novels we’re reading in the last segment of the course, and to find sociological research on either the country in which the novel takes place, or the issues dealt with by the novel. There is no minimum number of outside sources required; you should utilize as many resources as you feel you need to make the best argument possible. And while the majority of these should be scholarly books and journals, other materials, such as those available on the Internet, will be acceptable when used in an appropriate manner.

Evaluation Criteria: All criteria for the evaluation of your papers are listed on the front side of this page, as well as in our discussions of previous papers you’ve written and the syllabus.

One thing you should note: This paper is not about showing that you’ve read a bunch of stuff. A “book report” can do no better than a C (and will probably end up with a D) for this paper. Instead, as with all forms of knowledge, the point is to do something with it. This paper is your first – and hopefully not your last – opportunity to do so. If you are unclear about the requirements of the assignment or what would constitute an argument, PLEASE COME SEE ME ASAP. It is very likely that, with a fair amount of effort on your part and regular consultations with me regarding the project, you can receive an A – but you have to be sure to challenge yourself to do this.

Timeline: This schedule of “due dates” is intended to do three things: break down the scope of the project, help you improve your work, and think about the research process in a different way. These due dates are completely voluntary and heeding them will help your participation grade; failing to submit these tasks on the dates listed bears no penalty. Work submitted on these dates will be returned as quickly as possible, generally in the next class session.

Tues Nov 6: Assignment handed out
Tues Nov 13: Research question, paper topic and discussion of theoretical framework due
Tues Nov 20: List of references, refinement of research question and paper topic due
Tues Nov 27: Sketch outline/path of argument due
Tues Dec 4: Final and complete outline due

A Final Note: This assignment is where everything comes together – your knowledge, your increased theoretical and analytic sophistication, and your own ideas of how the world should work. You can do amazingly well on this assignment – the easiest way is by embarking on it now and consulting with me as soon as any question or issue comes to mind for you. I wish you luck.

Term Project: Reference Sources, Citation Guidelines

Your best bet to find research materials for your term papers is through the MU Library web site, http://library.millersville.edu. There are two avenues for you there: The main library catalogue, searchable by author, title, or subject keyword; and the electronic resources. Most of the electronic information resources are subscription-based, meaning that you can only access them from the library’s computers (accessible by showing your Titan Card in the north end, first floor) or through your Titan Access account. The good news: Many of the electronic resources have full-text articles online, and most allow you to e-mail the entire article to your e-mail account for free, making it easy to print out.

Good resources to use (all available through the MU library computing system):

ABI/Inform (now ProQuest Direct – major business journals, on the order of 1300 of them)
Anthropological Index Online (free on WWW)
CARL Uncover
Chicano Database
Congressional Quarterly (CQ) Library
Cross-Cultural CD-ROM (available only in Library North 106)
EconLit
Environmental RouteNet
Expanded Academic ASAP (my favourite – many full-text articles, and can be e-mailed)
FactSearch (statistical statements on current social issues – goes back to 1984)
Index to Legal Periodicals and Books
JSTOR (by far one of the best – many journals have their entire post-WWII catalogues on here as full-text)
LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe
NTDB/STAT-USA Internet
PapersFirst and ProceedingsFirst (conference papers and proceedings published online)
Social Sciences Abstracts (gives you the abstract of the article, which allows you to decide if you want to xerox it)
Sociological Abstracts (same kind of thing – used to be SOCIOFILE)
Ulrich’s Periodicals Guide (SilverPlatter – guide to major periodicals)
US Government Periodicals Index
Women’s Resources International (available only on campus, not through Titan Access)

Your use of these resources should be determined by your topic. Each of them can be searched by author, title, or subject keyword. Just make sure to choose your references carefully. If you have any questions about using these resources, see me or the reference librarian.

Citation Guidelines: In the bibliography, be sure to alphabetize references by author’s last name.

In-text: (Author Year: Page) (note: for web sites, use paragraph number instead of page number)

Book: Author. Year. Title of Book. City of publication: Publisher.

Book section: Author. Year. “Title of section.” In Editor (ed.), Title of Book. City of publication: Publisher.

Journal article: Author. Year. “Title of article.” Pages in Journal Title, volume #: issue #.

Web site: Author. Year of last update. <Organization’s name> web site. URL (the address of the page you reference)