Assignment Details
Type: Reading Reflection
Points: 100
Format:
Written essay; access essay template here: Reading Reflection or Discussion Post Template -3.docxDownload Reading Reflection or Discussion Post Template -3.docxDownload Reading Reflection Essay Template -2.docx
MLA or APA
Word count: 500 – 600 words.
Academic research and source citations: required
Directions:
Write your essay in Word and copy and paste it into Canvas.
Click the “Start Assignment” button to submit your post into Canvas.
Due date:
This assignment is due by 11:59 pm on the due date.
Grading Criteria: Your assignment will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Depth of understanding of sociological concepts and theories.
Understanding of the role and requirements of Sociological Research.
Ability to apply these concepts to a real-world case study.
Ability to use critical thinking and objective analysis in discussing complex sociological concepts and theories.
Clarity and coherence of your writing.
Proper use of citations and references.
Caution: Avoid use of use of direct quotes.
Caution: Avoid plagiarism, focus on paraphrasing and synthesizing ideas to demonstrate their understanding.
Rubric:
See the rubric at the bottom of this page.
Reminders:
Canvas will flag copied material. In the event the assignment is flagged, the paper will be summitted into Turnitin for review and a copy of the report will be sent to the student. Assignments that do not meet the grading criteria for copied material will receive a grade of 0 and the student will be notified.
You are strongly encouraged to check your essays through a plagiarism checker, such as Grammarly or Copyleaks, prior to submitting your work.
Your essay should be composed of original material.
Avoid using large blocks of quoted material, as it will impact your grade (see rubric).
See the Resources module for a tutorial on “How to Write an Essay.”
See the Resources module if you need help with your citations (“Citation Help”).
Essay Questions
Instructions
In this reflection assignment, you will engage with the course readings on research methods and various sociological studies. Your task is to critically analyze the content, synthesize key concepts, and relate them to real-world examples.
Respond to all of the questions below to demonstrate your understanding and insights gained from the readings. Please use the template format provided (top of Reading Reflection module).
Question 1: Research Methods Overview
Reflect on the lecture materials and textbook that provide an overview of different research methods used in sociology, such as surveys, interviews, participant observation, and content analysis.
Identify and explain the strengths and limitations of two different research methods as discussed in the textbook.
Discuss how the choice of method might influence the findings and insights obtained in a study.
Question 2: Ethical Considerations
Discuss strategies researchers can implement to ensure the well-being of participants in a study. Please note: participant confidentiality and privacy are two different concepts.
Discuss participant confidentiality.
Why it is necessary and what are two ways researchers can ensure confidentiality is maintained in a study?
Discuss participant privacy.
Why is it necessary and what are two ways researchers can ensure participant privacy is maintained in a study?
Question 3: Ethical Violations
Discuss the purpose of informed consent.
Discuss three ethical and three legal risks of not providing informed consent in a study.
Discuss one way to ensure an ethical study.
Discuss one way to ensure informed consent is provided to a participant.
Discuss deception.
Is it ever allowed in a sociological study? Why or why not?
Conduct your research and determine if there have ever been any approved human research studies where the use of deception was acceptable.
Discuss your findings, including a brief description of the study, purpose, and how deception was appropriately used.
Was the deception a benefit or deterrent for the outcome of the study? Why or why not?
Question 4: Unethical Study
Research an unethical research study that occurred in the last 50 years. You may not use an example listed in the textbook or lecture/video materials, and the study must have been conducted in the last 50 years (1974 – 2023).
Audit the study and discuss your findings for the following areas:
Adequately describe the study (include the date or dates)
Discuss the ethical breaches.
Discuss the legal implications.
Discuss the impact to the participants.
Discuss the professional and/or institutional consequences of the study.
Briefly discuss what stood out to you about this study.
Question 5: Bias
Mitigating bias in a research study is essential to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings.
Discuss why eliminating bias is important and 3 ways to help prevent bias.
Guidelines
Reflection Responses: Conduct your academic research and write a reflection essay. Your response should demonstrate thoughtful engagement with the readings, clear understanding of concepts, and critical thinking.
Connection to Course Materials: Integrate concepts and examples from the readings to support your responses. Use proper citation formatting when referencing specific texts or sources.
Real-World Examples: Provide relevant real-world examples to illustrate your points and highlight the practical significance of the concepts discussed.
Depth of Analysis: Go beyond summarizing the readings. Analyze the implications of the concepts and ideas presented and engage in critical evaluation.
Clarity and Structure: Organize your responses logically and ensure clarity in your writing. Proofread for grammatical and formatting accuracy. book Introduction to Sociology 3e – OpenStax
