social problem (broad and specific) related in some way, shape or form to popular culture.
social problem (broad and specific) related in some way, shape or form to popular culture.
With whatever overall topic you choose, you must design a thesis statement. This is a strongly worded statement that you will work to support throughout your paper. The statement should not be too general (“family is important to African Americans”) as that will cause a paper to be too weak, unfocused, and result in a poor grade. Conversely, a thesis statement should not be so overly specific that it would take a herculean amount of research to prove (“Black women have been negatively impacted by the show Braxton Family Values”) because this will lead to unnecessary stress.
Thesis statements should be general enough to make an argument, but specific enough (and sociological enough) to pass academic muster:
Examples
Native American men have few strong, positive role models in the media that are independent of colonial thinking, which leads to being subjected to stereotypes.
Womens’ movements tend to have fewer women who define themselves as strongly religious due to patriarchal beliefs that are conveyed in some religious teachings.
With increased discussion of sex and sexual situations, young Americans tend to be more likely to have knowledge of basic health education principles regarding sexual safety.
Use various sociological texts or our discussions as the framework for sociological concepts that may be used in discussion of the paper, but don’t feel limited by them
LENGTH: The paper is to be 6 – 8 pages, 1.5 spaced. The allowable fonts are either Calibri or Times New Roman 11 point. Please understand that 6 pages means bleeding on to the 7th page. Students are highly encouraged to have at least a sentence on the sixth page so the length of their paper will be sufficient. No paper should be longer than 10 pages. Try to keep the topic concise.
FORMAT: The paper is to follow modified APA rules for paper style. This means the following:
Cover : each paper must have a cover page. On the cover page should be the student’s name,
SOCI 249, Term Paper in the upper left hand corner. The student should press return 3-4 times, and then right the name/topic of the paper. Do not center. Do not use large font sizes. The cover should be in 11pt just like the paper. Please do not include pictures or anything else extraneous on the cover. The cover does not count towards the 6-8 page requirement.
Body: The body of the paper should generally follow APA rules, with the exception of a running header, which is not required. Margins should be normal (1 inch). Please do not put spaces in between paragraphs. Do not number paragraphs. A standard APA paragraph is 5-12 sentences. Further, the paper should always be written in objective (3rd person) voice. This means there should be no “I” statements, unless you happen to be quoting someone interviewed. Page numbers are needed on the bottom (on every page except page 1), and may be centered, justified, or flush right/left.
Citation: Although APA uses parenthetical referencing with inline citations, students may use any citation method they choose (parenthetical, foot notes, end notes, etc). All that is asked is that a student BE CONSISTENT. Please do not change format mid paper. As such, references/works cited can be done in any format, however, it must be on its own page. Works cited page (and if you choose, an end notes page) does not count towards the 6-8 page count.
Sourcing: Use APA guidelines (which can be found online) for how to cite different sources, if you are confused. Students may use books, articles, journals – most sources EXCEPT students cannot use dictionaries, encyclopedias, or an wiki sites (including Wikipedia). If you choose to use a website, make certain the website has a date at the bottom (for last updated) and that it references anything it discusses. If you choose to use interviews (which are allowed), you must (a) tape your interviews and submit a copy or (b) transcribe the entire interview and turn in a copy. Interviews are commonly done with subject matter experts, not just random individuals.
