Identify a social problem

Order Description
Research Paper components
I. ?Identifying a Social Problem?
The purpose of this assignment is to begin to think about what topic in Social Inequality you want to write about. I find that oftentimes students have a difficulty in a) choosing a topic and b) narrowing that topic to an appropriate scope. This assignment will help you to begin to think about a topic as well as to understand its relevance to you and to society.

Look at the themes discussed in the syllabus, class, the media as well as your personal experience. Write a preliminary statement of the particular problem or question you are interested in studying. This includes
a. Describe the problem you want to write about: ? a page, double spaced.
In order to do this, think about scope and end goal (writing the paper). Can you address this topic and all its components in 7 pages or would it be better to focus on a specific aspect (In our feedback, the TAs and I regularly recommend focusing the topic, so it would be good to do that from the get go). I am happy to help you focus your topic. Come to office hours or email me a 1-2 sentence topic.
b. Explain why you are personally interested and invested in the topic (what made you interested in the topic? Current social significance, personal experience?). ? page.
c. Given the course readings on power and interlocking forms of oppression, discuss the type of ?lens? you would use to analyze your problem. Examples from class include Feminist, Anti-racist, Intersectional, Marxist, Post-Structuralist, etc. If in doubt, came talk to me. This is important given that when you write the paper, your thesis will state something like: ?Using a feminist/anti-racist/critical disability lens, this paper examines?? Explain why this lens will be useful. ? page
d. Identify a source from the course syllabus that will help you think about the problem. Explain how it will be useful. If you are having a hard time figure out an appropriate source, come speak to me.
e. Identify 3 scholarly sources not in the course syllabus that will help you think about the problem and provide the following information for each source.
? The bibliographic entry
? What you believe the text?s main argument is.
? How the text is useful for your paper (think about this carefully). Is this the most appropriate source? Can you find a more specific source? Can you make a compelling argument that the source is timely, specific and its data and theoretical approach useful? Can you make a compelling argument that your 3 sources are in conversation with each other and provide a strong backdrop for you analyze the social problem you have chosen?
These sources should come from academic texts (journal articles or books). If in doubt, please ask. The goal of this part of your assignment is to see whether the research you do fits the paper you are interested in writing (that the sources you use are focused enough for a focused paper).