A single ethnic/racial or minority group

Research Paper Topic/Guidelines

You will be required to write 1 research paper containing 5 pages. This is 3 pages, minimum content, (minimum meaning a full 3 pages, not half pages) analyzing issues listed above. This does not count the title page, abstract, or reference page. The paper will include analysis, theory application, and solid research. A grading rubric is included at the end of the syllabus for guidance on how your work will be graded. Please read the document carefully before you start writing.

There are APA resources listed on the main page as well as a model paper, and it is expected this paper will be properly formatted

The text is required as a resource for your research, but I also expect you to use at least 2 articles (as a MINIMUM). You may NOT use Wikipedia, encyclopedias (including Wikis), dictionaries or web resources as sources. It is expected that you to use peer reviewed journals (Watson Library) as you have not had training in how to evaluate online resources. If you have difficulty finding resources, please feel free to ask me for assistance. You WILL lose points for using unauthorized resources!

Late work will be docked 10 points per day with NO exceptions. Once again, you receive the assignments early enough in the semester to plan for them, and so I am very skeptical about excuses. All papers are required to be submitted to Turn It In prior to submitting. Plagiarism will not be tolerated, and I do check resources. Anyone caught plagiarizing will receive a failing grade for the course. Refer to the statement on plagiarism from the student handbook in the syllabus.

IMPORTANT PAPER INFORMATION

General paper topics are as follows:

A. take a single ethnic/racial or minority group and research how well they have assimilated into the country, paying attention to their presence and absence in some parts of the country;

B. use the diversity map (from Week 1) and explore diversity levels in the area you live or grew up and compare them to the national statistics, thinking about how this may impact your views on certain groups;

C. explore national holidays in America that are from other countries and detail how they came to be a part of our culture;

D. analyze patterns in American immigration from the past century and note how they have changed in terms of people and totals;

E. detail how one minority group (race, ethic or cultural) has persevered in America despite some major social or legal setbacks (i.e. the internment of Japanese during World War II, the Indian Removal Act);

F. study the changing nature of gender in the United States and how this struggle has related to other groups throughout our history.

Think outside the box and do not limit yourself to the above areas of inquiry but please start here and choose one of these general areas before deciding on a topic.

Papers will be graded on content, logic, organization, analysis, and conclusion.

A. Content consists of theoretical application and factual knowledge. All statements should be

supported by cited stats with opinion limited.

B. Logic consists of the reasoning of the paper – are the content items arranged in some understandable order, does one bit of information follow from another, are the items related in some consistent fashion that leads to a justifiable conclusion. You must have a clear topic from the first word in the paper and stay consistent moving forward. All parts of the paper connect and/or are clearly connected from start to finish.

C. Organization – a subset of logic. Are items presented in such a way that they form a coherent and orderly argument? For instance, you may choose a chronological organization (by date).

D. Analysis – Merely reporting information back from the source material is insufficient. The information must be analyzed – usually using a theoretical perspective, to be able to draw out the meaning – why is it that way or why is that important.

E. Conclusion – if the other components are there, a conclusion is the easiest part of the paper. The conclusion must follow from the data and its analysis. Again some explanation of the material to present a coherent argument and support a reasoned conclusion.

2. Paper topics and materials must relate to the course content. Part of your job writing is to show that they are related in some coherent fashion. I am willing to accept papers that may seem slightly off topic if you can make a case that they are related (i.e. a paper on gender would be acceptable in a race class if both components are there and the writer shows how they relate to each other).

3. Papers must be sociological in nature, which is they must use the information and theory to draw conclusions about society. Historical, and psychological aspects of human behavior may be adjunct to the matter, but the analysis must be sociological.

Paraphrasing Techniques: https://owl.purdue.edu/

https://writing.colostate.edu/guides/index.cfm