You are required to write a short research report (double-spaced 4 pages minimum for the body, plus the title page, the abstract, and the reference—the total 7 pages minimum) connecting an example of contemporary American social problem with relevant readings using the perspective of social constructionism. You will analyze a problem by identifying its claims-making process, relevant strategies such as framing, and the legitimacy of the claim.
These are the major stopes to follow:
Select a topic.
Narrow it down to identify a specific example.
Find a news report that reports on the example.
Research the problem to connect all components.
Write a paper.
Submit your paper.
1. Select one area from the major topics we learned in this course. Review a topic that you are thinking about digging deeper for your paper. Pay attention to examples that you can think of that are different from the main examples discussed in the listed readings (In other words, you are not simply summarizing the reading). Be sure to review the book and lectures. If there is one topic that you feel you understand well or feel passionate about, I would suggest choosing the one.
Economy (Capitalism) as a Problem
Think about a specific social problem that is claimed to be linked to a larger problem of capitalism.
You must cite “Alienated Labour” by Marx (or a contemporary scholar article taking a similar stance) and use it in a significant manner in your paper
Poverty and Homelessness
Think about a specific social problem that is claimed to be linked to the issues involving poverty and homelessness.
You must cite “Why Poverty Persists in America” by Desmond and use it in a significant manner in your paper.
Race and Crime
Think about a specific social problem that is claimed to be linked to the issues involving race and the criminal justice system.
You must cite “How a Deadly Police Force Ruled a City” by Bauer and use it in a significant manner in your paper.
Anti Critical Race Theory Movement
Think about a specific example of anti Critical Race Theory movement.
You must cite “Critical Race Theory: Introduction” by Delgado and Stefancic and use it in a significant manner in your paper.
Gender from a Feminist Perspective
Think about a specific social problem that can be analyzed by a feminist theory of your choice (from the three main perspectives that we learned).
You must cite “The Problem that Has No Name” by Friedan and use it in a significant manner in your paper.
2. Narrow it down to identify a specific example.
Think about a specific aspect of a topic from above. Within the topic you selected, what kind of specific event might highlight and help explain the social problem effectively? You will need to narrow down your focus. For instance, if you only narrow down the topic of capitalism to the exploitation of American workers, that is not specific enough. It is still too big. You need to identify a very specific instance in which a claim is made and supported by a specific framing strategy to “construct” the problem as a “problem” that worthy of attention. In other words, how is the process in which a specific contemporary problem is being claimed as an example of the larger issue of capitalism involving American workers (this is just an example for the specific topic)? How do they make the case?
3. Find a news report that reports on the example.
Locate a news article on the internet that relates to the specific social problem that you identified above.
The news report must be dated between Jan. 2023 to May 2024. No other times are accepted. Please do not use a report that primarily discusses incidents prior to Jan. 2023. The report should describe a real event that you can use as a specific example of a social problem.
The news report must come from a major trustworthy journalistic source (e.g., The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Associated Press News, BBC, etc.). Be sure to assess its legitimacy and neutrality. If possible, find multiple reports on the same news to corroborate. The LPC library has several newspaper databases.
Be sure to avoid opinion pieces, blogs, or so-called fake news.
Avoid an article that introduces a research article.
If you find a news entry in a social media outlet, trace it to the original source.
You must provide the link to the report in your paper (in your reference section). The link to the article must be active. Without an active link, you will not receive full points.
The news report must be written in English.
Write a summary of the news report.
4. Research the issue to connect all components from above.
At this point, you have now selected a topic with a reading that you need to discuss (Step 1), a narrowly focused area to research (Step 2), and a news report of an event that exemplifies the social problem of your focus (Step 3). Now, research the background and context of the issue that is being reported. Gather more sources if necessary. Think about the concepts and theories we learned in this course that are effective in explaining the issue. What are the claims used to define the problem? What are the sources of legitimacy for the claim? What are their framing strategies? How is the problem being constructed and dealt with? What would be your thesis? What is your main point?
5. Write a paper
You must write your own paper using your own ideas. If you are borrowing someone else’s ideas, you must cite the source.
For your paper, DO NOT cite or use:
Paper writing websites
Essay sharing websites
Education resource websites (e.g., Course Hero, Thought Co, etc.)
Instructors
YouTube
Social media
Wikipedia
Blogs
Opinion pieces
And keep in mind that:
DO NOT plagiarize. I will check EVERY source.
DO NOT overuse direct quotes. Limit to two quotes maximum (fewer than 40 words each).
DO NOT use AI-assisted writing software.
DO paraphrase and cite the source.
DO use grammar assistance software such as Grammarly.
DO read the instructions very carefully.
DO use the APA style (7th edition student version)Links to an external site..
DO NOT wait until the last minute to submit your paper.
Your paper must contain the following components (Do follow this format):
Title page (1st page)
Your title is important. Be descriptive. What is this paper about?
Abstract (on the second page)
It is a short summary of your paper (a small paragraph). This is NOT your introduction.
Introduction (starts on the third page. No page break until the end of conclusion)
This is where you introduce your topic and thesis. Be sure to introduce your thesis fully. What is the issue you are analyzing?
Describe the social problem of your choice
Provide a summary of the news report.
Identify and explain an issue/problem that was reported.
Discuss how the event in the news report is related to a larger social problem of your choice.
You should use the reading of the topic (Step 1) to help you explain the social problem you are describing.
Discussion
Discuss how the problem is being constructed. What is the claim? Who makes the claim?
Discuss how the legitimacy of the claim is attained. What are the resources?
Discuss framing strategies that are used.
Conclusion (briefly conclude your paper)
References (the last page)
List all references in alphabetical order using the last name of the author (see the APA style guide)
6. Submit your paper
Submit your paper by Wednesday, May 15, 9:00 pm
No late papers are accepted.
You must submit your paper using Canvas.
Only papers in doc, docx, or pdf file formats are accepted.
Text Submission is NOT allowed. Please upload a file.
Please check the similarity report score. If the similarity score is higher than 20%, please check your paper again to make sure that you cited sources properly.
Did you use your own words to form each sentence AND cite the source?
Please do not use AI.
If you borrow someone else’s idea, did you cite the source like this (Hirose, 2023)? And did you paraphrase enough?
If you use a direct quote, did you “provide an in-text citation” like this (Hirose, 2023, p. 23)?
Did you use too many direct quotes (two short sentences maximum)? Paraphrase instead.
FORMAT:
Please follow legitimate guidelines for style (APA). Please see the APA Style Guide.
The paper must be typed, double-spaced, and use a 12-point font in Times New Roman.
Please make sure that your paper is free of spelling and grammatical errors.
‘Corrupt’ file papers will not be accepted
