De Anza College Drug Abuse Among American Youth Research Paper
Question Description
Option #1: Research Paper: (6 pages) (15% of grade) (due Wednesday of Week 10: March 11th): In this 6-page double-spaced research paper, using and citing sociological sources, you will choose a sociological theory and apply it to a social issue young people face today. The outline for the paper should be as follows:
- Introduction to your topic and research question.
- Explanation of what three or more sociology articles or books have argued concerning your topic
III. Offer empirical evidence of this issue citing online articles and news reports
- Interview 3 other De Anza Students and quote them concerning their beliefs or attitudes about this issue and what they think causes it
- Conclude by explaining the origins of the social issue, how it affects young adults today, and your suggestions for how to improve this situation based on what you read (citing your sources)
The following rubric will be used to grade your research papers:
1-20 points: Theory application: Accurately and thoroughly apply the chosen sociological theory(ies) we have learned in class to this social issue facing young people today.
1-20 points: The Interviews as Evidence: Theory-based analysis of the 3 interviews critically focused on the topic. How can you frame your interviews and social realities youth are facing using social theories we learned in class?
1-20 points: Who is affected and at what level are people affected: Fully identifies and explains the causes and extent of an objective social issue, including global, national, state, and local relationships as appropriate to the topic.
1-20 points: Writing Mechanics: Paper is organized, with strong, consistent voice, thoughtful word choices, and smooth sentence fluency – in short, well written and carefully edited with no grammatical errors. Cites sources correctly (author, year of publication and page number for quotes) and consistently with a correctly formatted works cited page.
1-20 points: Depth of Analysis: Analysis is at the appropriate depth of analysis overall for a college course and completes all pages.