Sociology 101
Introduction to Sociology
Fall 2003
Dr Scott SchafferJournal Article Critique Paper
Due Date: This paper is due on Fri Oct 31/2003 at the start of class. Papers submitted after that time will not be accepted for credit, save in the case of dire emergencies reported to me before the due date and time. Please note that evidence will be required in these cases. Also, in the event of a faculty strike, no paper submitted to anyone but Dr Schaffer will be accepted for credit in the course. If a strike does occur, the deadline will be renegotiated.
Rules of the Game: This paper is to be a minimum of four (4) full and complete pages in length; there is no maximum length for this paper, so please write until you have completely dealt with the topic. Your paper must be typewritten, double-spaced, on 8 1/2” by 11” paper in 10- or 12-point font with 1 1/4” left and right margins and 1” top and bottom. Your paper must have a cover page, on which a creative title (“Journal Article Critique Paper Assignment” is simply not creative enough), your name, the course information, and any other pertinent information should appear; your name should not appear anywhere else in the paper. Your paper must be spell- and grammar-checked; papers that have copious errors will automatically lose two full letter grades; please take the time to ensure that your work is clean. All other deductions discussed in the course syllabus will apply.
You should follow all guidelines in the “How to Write a Schaffer Paper” handout. And finally, no direct quotations are permitted in this paper, and no outside sources are permitted (including my lecture notes); any materials you use to support your argument must be paraphrased and cited following the guidelines in the paper-writing handout.
Acceptable Materials for Use: There are eight scholarly journal articles (or sets of articles) available on the course web site (http://www.millersville.edu/~schaffer/courses/f2003/soc101/articles4crit.htm). Any of these, as well as essays presented in the Massey reader, the Desai book, and other course materials are accepted for use on this paper. No outside materials will be accepted, and only the articles presented on the course web site will be allowed for this paper.
The Task: Your task in this assignment is to break down, analyze, and critique a scholarly journal article. Choose one of the eight scholarly articles available on the web site for your work, and after reading it, address the issues presented below.
- Summary of the overall argument: You need to provide a one-paragraph summation of what it is the author(s) is arguing in the work, how it is they develop that argument, and why it is that they think their work is important or what it does for us. You can use the abstract of the article as a guideline for this, but do not copy or paraphrase the abstract as your summary; if you do, the highest grade you can receive on this paper is a C.
- The overall sociological process the author(s) describe: You need to detail the process discussed by the author(s) of the article. In particular, you need to highlight these things:
- concepts – you need to define the concepts they discuss in your own words;
- variables – you need to talk about the variables they use in their research as well as how it is that the variables indicate something about the concepts they discuss;
- relationships between variables – you need to talk about they certain relationships manifesting themselves between the variables they identify in the study, as well as what those relationships say about the relationships between the concepts they’re discussing.
- The theoretical tools used by the author(s): You need to identify the theoretical approach used by the author, detail the analytic framework they’re using (use the Massey and Ritzer readings for this), and identify the level of analysis they’re working at in the study or at which they’re seeing the process they’re describing.
- The research method used by the author(s): You need to identify how it is the author(s) is going about pursuing the research – the particular method they’re using and how they’re implementing that method.
- How it is that the author(s) see their evidence as supporting or refuting their claims: You need to discuss the ways in which the author(s) are utilizing the evidence – are they using it to bolster their claim, or are they using it to refute someone else’s claim? How do they see this happening given the evidence they present?
- Limitations of the study: Does the author(s) identify any limitations or problems with their study? If so, what impact did those limitations have on their findings?
- Is the overall argument convincing to you or not, and why? You need to talk about whether or not the author(s) has succeeded in doing what they set out to do, whether or not the evidence they used supported the claims they made, and if you were convinced by the strength of the argument.
- Relationship between this study and other course issues: You need to identify any related concepts or issues that pertain to this study. The research method and theoretical approach/analytic framework should not be two that you discuss here.
Each of these issues should be at least a paragraph in length, with a clear statement by you on how you see this article addressing that issue, presentation of paraphrased evidence from the article that addresses it, and a statement on how it is that you see the evidence you present as addressing that issue. You should identify each element of this analysis/critique in the same way you would in your course notes; that is, something along the lines of this:
Theoretical tools used by the author(s): This author uses So-And-So’s analytic framework, which includes these issues: … . The author also talks about….
Writing style: While the essay format here is interrupted somewhat by the layout of the paper, you need to make sure that the writing style is the same that you would use in any other essay – full paragraphs, complete sentences, spell- and grammar-checked, etc.
Review of drafts: Should you wish to have my feedback on a draft of your work, you need to make sure that I have the paper no later than T Oct 28/2003 at 4pm. You can bring it to my office or send it as an MS Word attachment to an email.
Other issues: You do not need to attach a copy of the article to your paper – I already have them. Because of the nature of the assignment, there does not need to be an introductory paragraph with thesis statement or a conclusion to the paper. However, each of the items I’m asking you to discuss needs to have its own thesis statement within it, along with careful demonstration of how you’re coming to that conclusion. If you have any other questions, please ask them as soon as possible.
Good luck, and happy writing…