California State University San Marcos Sociology Question

The Final Paper

In this final paper you will choose a Research Question to explore using the GSS data.

1. Choose a research topic and research question

2. Write a hypothesis based on your research question (

3. Find questions in the GSS that will answer your research question and conceptualize your variables for your hypothesis (week 3)

4. you will figure out the sampling method that your year of the GSS used

5. you will find your literature for your lit review

6. You will open SPSS and download your variables from the GSS

7. You will run your analyses

8. You will put it all together

Now here is a more traditional paper prompt:

Choose a research question and using the GSS write a research paper answering that question. In this paper you will need to have:

1. A one paragraph introduction that introduces your topic and specifically tells us what your research question is.

2. A 1-2 page literature review that explains what the prior research has said about your topic (this is a mini literature review to show you can find literature and explain it)

3. A Methods section (3-4 pages) with the following parts

a. Clear presentation of your hypotheses

b. A thorough discussion/description of your population, sample, and method of attaining that sample

c. All key variables, with a discussion of which are independent and dependent and how each is being conceptualized and operationalized

d. Your findings (with a visual like a table or chart). Explain whether your hypothesis was supported or disproved (YOUR GRADE IS NOT BASED ON SUPPORTING YOUR HYPOTHESIS, SOMETIMES AS PIRATES WE DON’T FIND THE GOLD).

4. A concluding paragraph just because we don’t leave things hanging when we explain them, we sum them up.