Sociology 391 Fall 2009

Assignment 1: Literature Review

Due: Weds, October 5, 2009

Goal: From the following general topics identified by the class as research interests, develop a research topic that you think is interesting and important and that could be addressed in a survey of Towson students from a sociological perspective. Do not select a purely psychological or biological topic. Search the relevant literature for books and journal articles (review, theoretical, and empirical research) dealing with the topic. Narrow down the topic to the point where you can state your main interest in a single research question (e.g. How is self-esteem related to cumulative GPA?). Submit a typed paragraph about your research topic and a reference list of at least 3 sources for approval and feedback in class on September 16.

o Crime / deviant behavior – e.g. victimization, fear, commission

o Political orientations, attitudes, etc

o Race and ethnic relations / prejudice

o Sexuality/ sexual behavior

o Social networking sites

o Substance use (including alcohol)

Assignment Guidelines

Write a brief review of the literature on the topic you have chosen, being sure to summarize and synthesize past research across themes. Your review must include a minimum of five sources, at least 3 of which are scholarly (book or peer-reviewed journal). The others can be news magazines (e.g. Time, Newsweek, etc.), newspapers, or websites. The literature review should have the following parts:

Introduction / statement of the research topic: Present a brief, general statement of the area of your selected research interest (1-2 ¶s). State your specific research topic as a single question.

Rationale for the problem: Include a justification of the importance of the selected topic (2-3 ¶s), (i.e. why should we care about this topic? What are the implications of this research?). Some possible justifications for any research study include: 1) timeliness of the topic; 2) the research fills a void in the existing literature; 3) the topic is relevant to the well-being of the population under study; 4) results will affect a large number of people; 5) past research has yielded discrepant or inconclusive findings, etc. Be careful not to oversell your topic.

Review of the literature: Summarize and synthesize past research on the topic or closely related topics organized around themes in the literature. While reading the literature, take notes on the theories used to frame the research; the main concepts; research methods; and major conclusions. In writing the review, do not simply summarize the findings of each past study one at a time. Discuss common findings, themes, or arguments together, identifying 2 or 3 major factors (independent variables) which are related to or determinants of the issue (dependent variable). Address the most important ideas first. Note discrepancies between studies, as well as weaknesses in past research. Refer to the literature in general as the source of your information when introducing material, e.g. “Prior research indicates that women who bear their first children as teens have poorer outcomes than their peers in the areas of educational attainment (Card and Wise 1978, Furstenberg, Brooks-Gunn, and Morgan 1987).”

Summary: Conclude the literature review with a strong summary paragraph that reiterates the main themes identified earlier, and the research question addressed in this study.

* Follow the guidelines for writing a literature review presented in chapter 2 of the Neuman text. Your literature review should be 4-6 typed, double-spaced pages in length. Be sure to check spelling and grammar. Include a complete list of references and cite sources parenthetically in the body of the paper using the American Sociological Association (ASA) quick style guide available from the course home page.

* Remember, you will be revising and building on this literature review for your second assignment and final research project. I strongly recommend that you save paper or electronic copies of the sources you used for future reference, as well as backed-up electronic copies of your literature review.

The assignment will be evaluated using the guidelines below:

	Possible points	Full credit	Half credit	No credit
Introduction	3	Brief overview of research topic, including specific research question and clear, concise statement of the research problem.	Missing overview of topic, or unclear or vague statement of problem or research question	Missing overview of topic and research question
Review of the literature	10	Summary of recent relevant research related to topic and synthesis of main ideas presented in literature across studies.	Summary of recent research by author / study, lack of synthesis across studies.	Incomplete summary or focus on minor research; no synthesis across studies
Independent variables	5	Identification of at least two of the most influential / important variables in past research	Identification of only one of the most influential / important variables; or focus on two or more minor variables	Missing or identification of one minor variable
Summary	2	Strong summary paragraph reiterating main themes included.	Weak or unclear summary of past research included.	Missing.
Sources	2	At least 5 referenced, at least 3 of which are scholarly	At least 3 referenced, at least 1 of which is scholarly	Fewer than 3 references; or no scholarly references
In-text citations	1	Complete - at most one missing citation	Fairly complete - 2-4 missing citations	No or at least 5 missing citations
References	2	Complete citations, consistently in ASA format	Partially incomplete citations; or complete but not in ASA format	Missing; or incomplete and not in ASA format
Paper Title	1	Descriptive title summarizing research topic included	Generic title included	Missing title
Spelling & grammar	2	Fewer than 3 spelling or grammatical errors (e.g. verb tenses, subject - verb agreement, punctuation, etc.)	3-5 errors	6 or more errors
Presentation	2	Paper between 4-6 pages; typed; double-spaced; reasonable margins (1") and font (11 or 12 pt); sections delineated by subheadings; pages numbered	One or two issues with presentation (e.g. Paper less than 4 pages, unreasonable margins, font, or spacing)	More than two issues with presentation.
Total points	30