Topic: Sociology of Deviance

Description: [?]
Preferred language style: English (U.S.)

Research paper
This paper will focus on any topic of deviance. Your paper will focus on one type of deviant behavior or deviant status discussed in lecture or your textbook. You may choose a topic ranging from street gangs, white-collar crime, youth crime, youth deviance such as ADHD and behavior problems (under the medicalization of deviance), to deviant statuses like disabilities, obesity, physical deformity, etc…. In order to write your paper, you need to summarize the behavior or status using your textbook’s definition of the behavior or status. Next, you will need at least three newspaper articles or popular press articles concerning the topic you have chosen. These articles will be used to summarize public knowledge of the topic you have chosen. Next, you will need to find three journal articles that report research findings on your topic. These journals must be academic peer review journals. You will use the findings of these articles in the body of your paper. Finally, you will need content from at least two books on the topic of your choice. You may choose to use a chapter from an anthology or information from a book with one author. You just need to use information from two books, in addition to your three journal articles. The academic information you gather will be used to synthesize the research on the topic you have chosen, within the body of your research paper. Finally, you will need your textbook or lectures as a final source of content, not related to the other requirements. In sum, you will take the information you have gathered and write a research paper that begins with a description of the topic and a summary of public knowledge of this topic. Next, the body of your paper will weave together the sources of academic research gathered to explain the sociological knowledge of your topic. Also, don’t forget that a good research paper has a nice conclusion that summarizes the main points of your paper.

Your paper should have a thesis statement, an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Your paper should include all proper parenthetical documentation and a bibliography page including: text book citation, three popular press citations, three academic journal citations and two book citations, with the additional possibility of lecture citation.

Paper Requirements List
*Definition of topic from text or lecture

*Three popular press articles (newspaper, magazine, talkshow program). You may not choose three web articles. You must choose at least one newspaper article.

*Three academic journal articles (peer review academic journals from the social sciences – including, criminology and deviance journals, general sociology journals, sociology of education journals, juvenile delinquency journals, general social science journals).

*Two books discussing your topic (anthologies and single or double author books are fine). You need to be cautious not to choose a novel or work of fiction. Only research based books with bibliographies/work cited sections apply.

*Proper parenthetical documentation

*Work Cited page.

*Paper should be a MINIMUM of 7 pages, which does not include the work-cited page.

USING THE TEXTBOOK BELOW IS REQUIRED
Erich Goode. Deviant Behavior. 8th Edition. 2008. Pearson Hall Publisher.