SOC 100
Writing Assignment Overview In this Assignment, you will consider a social issue that interests you. It could be human freedom, sexuality, deviance, crime, social mobility, poverty, education, aging, or another similar issue. Within that general issue, you will select a specific hypothesis to evaluate. You will conduct library research to gather and critically evaluate evidence that bears on your hypothesis This assignment is completed in four (4) stages that build on each other. At each stage, you should keep the final stage in mind. Stage (and Week due) Point Value Description of Stage Grading criteria.
1. (Week 3) 50 Identifying the Hypothesis Hypothesis is stated in a clear manner.
2. (Week 5) 100 Outline and Preliminary List of References Content is provided for each component of the paper. A list of at least three (3) references is provided.
3. (Week 8) 120 Draft 1 Evaluated on content for each component, as well as writing skills, and use of citations and references.
4. (Week 10) 150 Final Version Evaluated on content for each component, as well as writing skills, and use of citations and references. In the final stage of this assignment, you will submit a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you: Specific Hypothesis. Introduce your paper by identifying the specific hypothesis you are evaluating in this paper. Applicable Sociological Concepts. Identify the sociological theories and terminology from the text that apply to your social issue Practical Implications. Discuss the value of sociological research into your issue. Determine whether or not there are (or would be) practical implications of sociological inquiry into this issue. Evidence. This is the most important part of the paper. Analyze at least two (2) lines of evidence that pertain to the hypothesis you are evaluating. Does the evidence support your hypothesis? For each type of evidence, consider possible biases and alternative interpretations. Conclusions. Draw conclusions based on the evidence that you have discovered. Does the evidence confirm or refute your hypothesis? Is the evidence sufficiently convincing to draw firm conclusions about your hypothesis?