Research Project Design Assignment
As you should expect in a research methods course there are multiple measures to assess student learning, including assignments, discussions, and exams. Most of the course learning outcomes (listed below) are demonstrated in this assignment. In addition to integrating much of the course content in this specific assignment, this assignment is designed to help prepare students for the capstone project (sociology majors, as well as students in a number of other majors, will be required to complete a senior research project).
Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Analyze the interrelationship between the development of social theory and the methodologies of data collection.
2. Formulate a well-constructed research question and explain the data source necessary to answer the question.
3. Develop a methodology for the collection and dissemination of qualitative and quantitative research findings.
4. Understand the intricacies of non-participant and participant observation, and the skills needed for successful open-ended interviewing.
5. Demonstrate research report writing and presentation skills.
6. Develop an awareness of the political and ethical issues involved in social research.
In this assignment, you will identify and describe a research question/topic of sociological interest (i.e. why this topic is important); define all the sociological terms in the research question--dependent variable and independent and control variables as appropriate; identify one or more sociological theories or conceptual frameworks that inform this research; discuss the methodology you would use to collect data, including identification of data sources (if possible); develop an outline of a literature review; and develop an annotated bibliography (see Doc Sharing for an example) that includes a minimum of 10 scholarly sources (peer-reviewed journal articles, academic books, Internet resources [.gov, .org, or .edu source only; Wikipedia and similar sites will not be accepted], dissertations/master theses). Use the outline below as subheadings for your paper:
Research Question/Topic the topic is: Social Class
Terms and Variables
Theory/Conceptual Framework
Methodology
Data Sources*
Literature Review Outline
Annotated Bibliography.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.