This final project is designed for you to take information and ideas that you’ve learned during this course and combine those ideas into a more unified understanding of the study of deviant minds. You will pick a topic that interests you and further your understanding of that topic. You will use both the resources from this course and journal articles that you find during your research.
Instructions
Select an example of deviance. There are some example topics listed below, but you can also choose another example if you have a different topic you’d prefer. Feel free to email the instructors if you have any questions about your topic choice. Note When choosing a topic, make sure you can include theories/ideas/terms from two or three of the competencies in this course.
Topic Examples
Juvenile delinquency
Subcultures
Conspiracy theories
New age movements
Medicalization of deviance
Homicide trends
Scared straight programs
Determinants of teenage drug use
Effects of violent video games on behavior
Gang violence
Social network methods to address crime
Zero tolerance policies in schools
School shootings
Polarization through the media
Mandatory treatment for mental disorders
Cyberbullying or bullying in schools
Locate four peer-reviewed journal articles related to an example of deviance of your choice. These articles must conduct empirical analyses of data and hypothesis testing. Two articles should be from a sociological perspective and two should be from a psychological perspective. These articles should test hypotheses with independent and dependent variables (in other words, articles that conduct research through the collection and analysis of data). It may be difficult to understand the methods and statistics employed, but do not be discouraged or bogged down by these sections. Note You may also supplement your paper with other scholarly or popular press articles that do not explicitly engage in data analysis, although it is not required.
“Search & Find” link, click on “Databases and Guides by Subject.” Then select “Sociology” or “Psychology” and try searching for articles under the “Best Bets” database links. You can also try searching other social science databases. Be sure to look for scholarly (peer-reviewed) journals.
Include the following components in your paper and answer the following questions in essay form:
Introduction
What is the general topic you chose and why?
Why is this topic important?
What basic ideas from psychology and sociology will tie into this topic?
Body
Address each of the following questions for each journal article:
What are the hypotheses being tested in the articles? (Remember, a hypothesis is an if/then statement that posits a relationship between two specific sets of occurrences [e.g., if zero tolerance policies are adopted in schools, then more students with mental health issues will be exposed to the juvenile justice system]).
What theoretical orientations are being used or tested (do the theoretical orientations match up with anything we reviewed in the course)?
What methods are used (case study, survey, experiment, interview, etc.)?
What are the independent and dependent variables?
What are the conclusions (research findings)?
Were you surprised by the findings?
Where could this research go in the future (additional questions to be asked)?
How do the findings from the journal articles align (or fail to align) with the resources from this course? Note Be sure to reference at least 2-3 competencies in this course and terms/theories from both psychology and sociology.
Conclusion
Compare and contrast the psychological with the sociological approaches to explain how they give a clearer picture of the example of deviance you selected.
What overall conclusions can you draw from this research? What interventions or changes do these conclusions suggest?
Format
Your assignment should be written using Microsoft Word and should meet the following requirements:
Double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font, one-inch margins on all sides
Minimum of 3 pages (not including the works cited page)
Works cited page using APA, ASA, or MLA style
Citations for quoted passages
Quoted passages not to take up more than 10% of the overall paper
