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SOC 495: Sociology Capstone (Professor Sanchez) [Fall 2022]

SOC 495: Final Project Assignments

You will create a list of (20) peer-reviewed scholarly articles from the CSUSM library databases on your proposed area of advocacy. From that list, you will annotate (10) of the most compelling ones in ANY relevant academic field of your choosing. The annotation that you will write should cite the article, provide a link to it, and then succinctly respond to the three points below (word count minimum 500):

  1. State what the researcher(s) set out to study (the intervention), in order to expand understanding about the issue.
  2. Analyze one or two research findings and explain what you find interesting and compelling. 3
  3. What is the potential of the findings in engaging your advocacy position in new directions to fill any the “knowledge gaps” that you're wondering about? (And it won’t be a waste of effort if you decide that the particular article was actually not as helpful as you thought!) Simply put, how you think about the available research matters!

• Capstone Final Project (30 total points) – Minimum word count: 3000. No maximum – so write freely! Briefly stated below is the composition of the Final Capstone Project. The scoring rubric and exemplar models will be available.

  • Introduction on your stakes (personal, academic, and/or career), advocacy position, argumentation pattern, and thematic organization. ALL of these components must be included. (5 points)
  • Literature Review organized ideally into at least three themes/ aspects that highlight your argumentation based on your annotated notes of 10 sources scholarly sources that you analyzed in-depth. Lay out the scholarly foundation for your advocacy position, drawing from the structure of your annotated notes and any life experiences or observations thoughtfully edited to support your argumentation. Here’s where your skills at writing to convey an argument should shine! (10 points)
  • ** Applicable if you are volunteering/ interning at a site. ** Findings/Analysis that emerge from your experiences with the volunteer arrangement, integrating select field notes for insight and engaging scholarly research. (TBD)
  • Significance Section on why further study and research into your advocacy position may be essential to expanding academic research in related areas - and explain why. Propose new research ideas - in Sociology or in other disciplines and fields - and how they could be carried out in better ways, informed by your thoughtful review of published scholarly research…AND gut feelings! Aim for at least three. (5 points)
  • Implications Section on any practical actions that you would recommend in everyday life - and explain why. Propose actions at varying levels – individual, interpersonal, organizational/ institutional/ systemic, and policy recommendations – all informed by your thoughtful review of published scholarly research… AND gut feelings. Again, aim for at least three. (5 points)
  • Future Directions on the advocacy position, your individual intellectual growth, and any “knowledge gaps” beyond the scope of your focus. Showcase your vision and “outside the box” thinking as a future college graduate in your field! (5 points)
Subjects: Sociology