CHOOSING A TOPIC

First, think about a subject - a social phenomenon - that you care about. Maybe it's sports, or your relationship with your extended family, or television, or politics. Keep it focused - for example, not just "sports" but "hockey in Canada;" not just "television" but "reality TV shows."
Next, form a central question related to your subject that you will try to answer in your paper. Framing your paper around a question helps to keep you focused.

Here are some possible preliminary research questions:

- There is an ongoing social debate over homelessness in Canada - and specifically in Vancouver. Why? thesocial context of this struggle over housing?

- Does prostitution oppress women? Who benefits, and who loses, from the prostitution industry? society best regulate prostitution?

- First Nations in British Columbia are negotiating treaties with government over who will control land and resources. What is the social context behind this process? Why are treaties still being negotiated hundreds of years after the first contact between aboriginal people and European settlers?

- Would the decriminalization of marijuana have a net positive or negative impact on Canadian society? Who would benefit, and who would lose, from decriminalization?

- Are trade unions positive or negative influences on Canadian society?

- Is religious belief becoming stronger or weaker in Canadian society - and why?

- What are the "gender roles" in contemporary music? Is there a different set of roles for men and women in different genres of music, e.g. in hip-hop versus rock versus country? How do these relate to gender roles in the wider society?

These questions are just SUGGESTIONS. If you have another idea for a research paper, please let me know by email or by talking to me in my office hours, and we can talk about how you might approach it.
HOW DO I UNDERSTAND THE TOPIC SOCIOLOGICALLY?
Next, try to analyze the issue using your "sociological imagination." "Analyze" literally means to take something to pieces; your sociological imagination is the quality of mind that links the micro (personal or individual) with the macro (historical or structural). Here are some

POSSIBLE questions you might ask:

- What social groups are involved?

- What social structures are involved? Try to think of the wide range of related structures. For example, if you are talking about Canadian high school education, perhaps the social structure of economic class has some sort of influence, or ethnic/racial inequality.

- How would the different theoretical traditions in sociology approach this topic? For example, a conflict theorist might ask: What inequalities of power are involved? What are these inequalities based upon? Is wealth or bureaucratic power important to this topic? A feminist sociologist might ask: how do women and men experience this phenomenon differently?

- How has this phenomenon changed over time? When did it emerge in the past, and how did it become what it is today?

- Is this phenomenon treated differently in other cultures? What does this tell us?

- Does the social phenomenon have a net positive or negative effect on society? How might it be changed for the better?

What is How might

You won't be able to answer all of these questions right away. You won't answer all of them in your research paper, nor do you have to. The point is to use this sort of social analysis as a starting point for your paper.

DOING THE RESEARCH

Once you have chosen your central research question and figured out some further ways to approach it sociologically, you can move on to your research. Good sources for your paper may include sociology journals, which have up-to-the-minute research that has been "peer-reviewed." Books, government reports, and other sources may also be helpful. We will discuss research techniques in a library orientation and in class.

Be prepared to change your mind as you do the research. You may have your own assumptions about the issue as you begin; make sure to be open to a wide variety of arguments and information.

HOW LONG? HOW MANY SOURCES? WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

This will be a 7 to 9 page paper (standard margins and preferably in Times New Roman 12-point font). This is about 2300-3000 words. The paper should be double-spaced. Feel free to print it out double-sided to save paper, though this is not mandatory.

There is no magic number of sources, but it's unlikely that you will be able to write a good paper with just one or two sources, and 20 or more sources is probably more than you need. You should draw on a MINIMUM of three academic sources.
Please use either MLA or APA citation style for your research citations. If you're not sure what "in-text citations" are, or how to use MLA or APA, follow the links on the course Moodle site to handouts on MLA and APA style.

Please familiarize yourself with Capilano University's policy on plagiarism, a serious academic offense which involves passing off other peoples' ideas as your own. While plagiarism is serious, it is easy to avoid. For more information, check out handout on plagiarism linked on the course Moodle site.

You will be evaluated on the content of your ideas - the "facts" that you put forward - as well as the format in which those ideas are presented. That means that you should try to write a clear, concise, logical, well-organized and focused paper, with good evidence to back up your assertions.

THE WRITING CENTRE IS YOUR FRIEND

A great resource before you start is the handout from the Capilano Writing Centre, "The Research Essay." I have linked to it on the course Moodle site, in the top "box" of the site underneath the link for this assignment.

The instructors at the Writing Centre are also available to help you with any challenges you may have with the paper. You can drop in for a 15-minute consultation any time that the Writing Centre is open, without an appointment.

As part of this assignment you MUST drop in for a consultation on or before Thursday 2 June. They prefer it if you come with a copy of the assignment and a draft of what you have written, as well as specific questions that you would like answered. ("Am I citing my research properly? Do I have a clear thesis? Is the paper organized clearly? I've been told that I have problems with comma usage/run-on sentences/fragment sentences/etc. - am I doing it correctly in this paper?"). The Writing Centre does not "proofread" your paper for errors - that's your job - but they can give you constructive criticism to help improve your work.

The hours for the Centre this summer are: Monday and Wednesday 10:30-2:30; Tuesday and Thursday 10:30 to 11:30 and 2:30-3:30. (Obviously you should make sure you schedule your visit outside of our class hours!)
Make sure you bring the Writing Centre consultation form, which is available on the Moodle site, and get it signed by the Writing Centre instructor at the end of your session.