Below is a description of what your formal research proposal needs to include. We'll talk more about your projects next week and try to refine them a bit more. But remember, the formal proposal will be due the following week.
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
I. Statement of the question, hypothesis, or topic you plan to explore.
II. How do you plan to carry out your research, including a brief statement of what you've already done.
a. What research instrument will you be using (interview, questionnaire, etc.)and what population will you be focusing on? What type of sample will you use? (if applicable)
b. For library and Internet research, basically just describe your plan of action.
III. Relevance of the research/ anticipated conclusions.
IV. A brief bibliography of sources already consulted. You may also include sources you plan to consult if you know of any.
The proposal should be 1-2 pages.
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After I graduate from Wofford, I plan on going into school counseling. For my senior capstone project, I would like to look at school counseling more thoroughly. I’ve spent a January interim shadowing guidance counselors, but there is still a lot more I need to learn. I hope to be able to read and research in order to learn more about the specific field I plan on going into.
ReplyDeleteAs I study school counselors, I would really like to interview counselors in the Spartanburg area. I plan on interviewing counselors from affluent schools as well as poorer schools in the area. I would like to measure the difference in jobs between the two extremes. What types of questions they must answer, issues they must deal with, and the nature of the job is quite different between the two different socioeconomic levels of schools (I would imagine—this is my hypothesis). As I interview counselors, I would also like to discuss coping mechanisms that the counselors use to deal with the problems they must face. A school counselor once told me that the most difficult part of the job is people “downloading” their problems on to you. While the individual may feel better, you must then deal with the burden they were carrying. I believe if a counselor doesn’t know how to cope with the stresses of the job, the retention rate would be much less for how long an individual lasts in the job.
Besides interviewing counselors, I would also like to read and research to find out what it means to be successful. How does a counselor determine or define success? I have started researching and found a few good articles. I’ve read “Promoting Hope: Suggestions for School Counselors” as well as “School Counselor Inclusion: A Collaborative Model to Provide Academic and Social-Emotional Support in the Classroom Setting.” These articles both spoke to the topic of success and what a counselor should aim for in order to be successful with the students being counseled. One article in particular spoke directly about “hope” and how instilling this in students is the key to success.
Planned Readings:
Bersani, Carl, James Gillham, and Darlene Napady. "Perceived Expectations and Role Behavior of Socialization Agents: The Case of the School Counselor and SES Areas." The Sociological Quarterly 18 (1977): 384-98.
Clark, Mary A., and Jennifer C. Breman. "School Counselor Inclusion: A Collaborative Model to Provide Academic and Social-Emotional Support in the Classroom Setting." Journal of Counseling and Development 87 (2009): 6-11.
House, Reese M., and Susan J. Sears. "Preparing School Counselors to Be Leaders and Advocates: A Critical Need in the New Millennium." Theory Into Practice 41 (2002): 154-62.
Pedrotti, Jennifer T., Lisa M. Edwards, and Shane J. Lopez. "Promoting Hope: Suggestions for School Counselors." Professional School Counseling 12 (2008): 100-07.
Portman, Tarrell A. "Faces of the Future: School Counselors as Cultural Mediators." Jounal of Counseling and Development 87 (2009): 21-27.
Rehbert, Richard A., and Lawrence Hotchkiss. "Educational Decision Makers: The School Guidance Counselor and Social Mobility." Sociology of Education 45 (1972): 339-61.
Brent Owen
ReplyDeleteChecking in on Pay Day Lending- Is There a Better Way?
I.
The ambitious goal of this research project is to try and understand the changes in American culture that have lead to the rise of payday lending. This historical approach will focus on usury laws over the last 100 years. The current debate over pay day lending should be understood within the context of other sources of money for those who are financially struggling. For critics of pay day lending the interest rates charged to struggling debtors seem immoral. To supporters the free market dictates such rates as a result of the risk incurred by check advance establishments. The change in usury laws including the introduction of credit cards after WWII will be highly relevant to understanding the rise and development of pay day lenders. The project will be as comprehensive as possible in tracking and understanding the history of payday lending and usury laws in the United States. Additionally, research gathered from the current debate over payday lending will be combined with historical references to discover if payday lending is the best option for clients who rely on such services.
II.
The initial research on the subject has centered on articles from The Economist and the Spartanburg Herald. One Economist article entitled “Casting out the Money-Lenders” discussed a suburb of Dallas Texas – Mesquite. Officials in Mesquite struggled with improving the image of the town. In order to improve the image officials: “…passed a strict zoning ordinance that [made] it difficult for any new payday lenders to set up shop” (“Casting, 44). The article discusses the recent rise in resistance to payday lending. For example, the Arkansas Supreme Court recently ruled that a large fee for small loans violates the state’s constitution (Casting, 44). The Spartanburg Herald article stresses the importance of understanding payday lending in context of the current economic crisis: “Due to the recent economic turmoil...the debate on the payday lending industry has only intensified” (Mitchell, A9).
Research for this project will not only focus on current legislation. The research will encompass a broad reading of current articles with additional research on the historical evolution of usury laws in the United States. Lastly, the research will examine current usury laws and discuss some apparent hypocrisy in such laws. Two examples include: the recent outlawing of payday lending to military personnel (Small, 74), and the contradiction between loan “sharking” laws and interest rates for payday loans.
III.
As discussed earlier this research is increasingly pertinent in light of the recent recession. Recession or not Hubert Humphrey once indicated that the measure of civilization is in the treatment of: “…those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.” Examining payday lending with this standard in mind brings to light complexity of the question. To outlaw the system entirely is perceived as unfair by many. Paradoxically, the very operation of the business is perceived as morally repugnant by the voters and judiciaries in several states. The solution is not as simple as legislation that makes the interest rates illegal. Banks do not offer such short term loans and the root of the problem is not the payday lenders themselves. Rather, low wages and high consumer spending result in a demand for such short term loans. The topic is broad enough to consume a semester of research and important enough to justify the investment of time and energy.
Works Cited
“Casting out the Money Lenders.” The Economist 22 Nov. 2008: 44.
“Live now, Pay Later.” The Economist 4 Jul. 2007: 31.
“Small Loan, Big Problem.” Consumer Reports Feb. 2009: 74
Mitchell, H. (2009, February 8). Payday Lending Reform. The Spartanburg Herald
Journal, pp. A9, A11.
“Pay Dirt.” The Economist 6 Jun. 1999: 29.
I. I plan to explore the topic of prison reform in the U.S. I want to investigate the societal effects of America’s overcrowded prisons and more specifically the costs of incarcerating non-violent offenders. Over the past three decades the American prison system has undergone a population boom. Today one in every one hundred adults resides in an American prison or jail. Total state spending on corrections last year surpassed $49 billion, up from $12 billion in 1987. It is becoming increasingly expensive to run prisons and especially during the current economic crisis it is becoming ridiculous to perpetuate the broken system.
ReplyDeleteTo protect public safety while slowing the rate of prison growth there is a need to reduce prison admissions and shorten the length of sentences for non-violent offenders. What states spend on corrections is taking money away from other public services, including pre-K, which is proven to directly impact later success in school and life, keeping future generations out of crime. Furthermore, low-risk prisoners absorb taxpayer money (an average of $23,876 at the state level) while not contributing to society in terms of victim restitution, child support, and taxes. Within prison, non-violent offenders, for the most part, do not receive adequate rehabilitation and skills training, leaving them extremely susceptible to recidivism. What’s more, increased probation programs rather than prison sentences allow parents to remain a part of their children’s lives, who would otherwise go into foster care or be without a needed role model, greatly decreasing their future prospects. This is especially the case in the black community.
II. My research will be carried out through the use of secondary sources including statistics, reports, articles, books and documentaries. So far I have read two books on the subject of the history of modern prison reform and the international state of penal policy. I have also read many journal and newspaper articles including current proposals on improving the prison system in the U.S. The most relevant source I have encountered is a Pew Center report on the state of the US prison system, carried out in 2007 and 2008.
III. My research is very relevant to sociology, as “A society should be judged not by how it treats its outstanding citizens but by how it treats its criminals” Fyodor Dostoevsky. Government-sanctioned punishment is strongly related to most social problems affecting the U.S, including racial issues, poverty, drugs, etc. I believe that my research will show that the U.S. prison system is in dire need of reform and lengthy sentences for non-violent offender sis more damaging to society as a whole than alternative forms of punishment. America is too focused on sequestration and retribution instead of rehabilitation, which is out of sync with what so many believe prisons are for, creating a safer society.
IV.Bibliography:
Gonnerman, Jennifer. “Slammed: we are locking up 1 in every 100 American adults—and going bankrupt in the process”. Foundation for National Progress.July-August 2008.16 Feb 2009.
Morris, Norval. Maconochie’s Gentlemen:The Story of Norfolk Island and the Roots of
Modern Prison Reform. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Othmani, Ahmed. Beyond Prison:The Fight to Reform Prison Systems Around
theWorld. New York: Berghahn Books, 2008.
Segura, Liliana. "America Behind Bars: Why Attempts at Prison Reform Keep
Failing."
AlterNet 5 Mar 2008 1-3. 8 Feb 2009
Somashekhar, Sandhya. "Webb Sets His Sights on Prison Reform."
The Washington Post 29 Dec 2008 B01. 8 Feb 2009
Tuhus-Dubrow, Rebecca. "Prison Reform Talking Points." The Nation
19 Dec 2003 8 Feb 2009
Waren, Jenifer. “One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008”.
The Pew Center on the States. 28 Feb 2008. 10 Feb 2009.
Jessie Davis
ReplyDeleteSociology Capstone
February 16, 2009
Research Project Proposal
I. I plan to explore whether or not Wofford students have accurate perceptions about the issue of homelessness in this area. How do their perceptions compare to each other demographically (perceptions of males vs. females, underclassmen vs. upperclassmen, Caucasian vs. other races) and to other perspectives, such as those people who work in social service to the homeless population?
II. I plan to carry out my research though…
a. A questionnaire focusing on the Wofford student community and the community in Spartanburg that is employed in directly serving the homeless community. For the Wofford student community, I will employ a simple random sample, (using the Wofford student directory) whereas for the community workers, I will issue a questionnaire to the Director of each agency in Spartanburg that is involved with the local homeless population.
b. For library/internet research, I plan to investigate other similar statistics and surveys to get guidance on the types of questions to ask and for types of useful information to look for. I will also research local initiatives to catalogue the homelessness problem locally, as well as other literature that describes the homelessness problem in the Southern region of the U.S. This will provide me with some background information to the research that I am about to conduct on my own.
III. This research is relevant because homelessness is reported to be on the rise as never before in light of the current economic turmoil. In working toward a solution to this problem, it is necessary to understand how the upcoming generation views the problem as a whole. If this is not achieved, people will not know how to communicate the need for change in a way that will speak most effectively to this upcoming generation of social leaders. Also, I think it is important for a generation who is going to bear so much social responsibility to be well informed about the challenges that need addressing. I think that homelessness certainly is one of these challenges. Understanding the gap in understanding is an important first step to meaningful change.
I hypothesize that students will not have an accurate perception about the problem of homelessness as compared to statistical evidence and the testimonies of people who are in direct contact with the issue on a daily basis. I believe my results have the potential to cause students to think about homelessness in a way that may not have been encouraged to do in the past.
IV. Brief Bibliography of Sources already consulted: (I have briefly looked at some of these resources, but not all of them. I have chosen these as potential resources of interest.)
Fannie Mae Homelessness in America: Americans’ Perceptions, Attitudes, and
Knowledge. 2007. Princeton, NJ: Gallup, Inc.
Tompsett, Carolyn J. 2006. “Homelessness in the United States: assessing changes
in prevalence and public opinion, 1993-2001.” American Journal of Community
Psychology 37: 47-61.
Colton, Mary E. , Bruce G. Link, Robert Moore, Jo Phelan, Sharon Schwartz, Elmer
Struening, Ann Stueve. “Public Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs About Homeless People: Evidence for Compassion Fatigue?” American Journal of Community Psychology 23:533-555.
Desjarlais, Robert. “Struggling Along: The Possibilities for Experience Among the
Homeless Mentally Ill.” American Anthropologist 96:886-901.
First, Richard J., Beverly G. Toomey. “Homeless Men and the Work Ethic.” The Social
Service Review 63:113-126.
Jencks, Christopher. 1995. The Homeless. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
The purpose of this research project is to more fully explore the idea of a uniquely Southern identity. An important aspect of the current understanding of Southern identity is football at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. Football plays an integral role in the lives of a great many Southerners and is often a focal point or hub of small town life. I would like to expand on the idea of football not just as a part of Southern identity but also as helping to shape it. I hope to discover how it has impacted the way in which today’s Southerners think of themselves and their place in the larger American culture. Has football given Southerners a more positive collective self-image? How has football influenced race relations? What impact has football had on interactions with and perceptions of non-Southerners? Finally, and most importantly, how important is football to establishing a Southern identity?
ReplyDeleteInitially, I believe it will be important to try to establish, in a general way, what is Southern identity today and what has it been in the past. I will then attempt to explore the aspects of football in Southern culture as identified above. My research will be mainly library and internet based, although I may draw from various personal accounts for illustrative purposes. Many sociological works have been done on this topic and I will likely have to draw from a great cross section of materials to establish my findings. I have several resources already that have begun to give shape to my understanding of what role football plays in Southern identity and to a lesser extent the role it has played in the past. I hope to find more information on the past and especially quite a bit more on football and race relations. I also plan to continue collecting statistics that will help illustrate the significance of football in Southern culture. I have levels of participation in the South, percentage of scholarship players who are from the South, etc. as compared to the rest of the United States but I hope to be able to find more information of this sort. I will be looking for attendance levels at both high school and collegiate games, stadium sizes and money contributed to football programs.
This is relevant research because football is a significant form of entertainment not only in the South but throughout the country. A better understanding of how it has affected issues such as race relations and the formation of an identity could be beneficial in many respects. Many Southerners feel that it is important to understand their sense of identity and culture and this is another way to shed light on that issue.
Works Cited
Abramson, R., & Haskell, J. (2006). Encyclopedia of Appalachia. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press.
Edgar, W. (2006). The South Carolina Encyclopedia. The Humanities Council.
Goodwyn, L. (1979). Wonder and Glory in Another Country. 7 (3), 42-47.
Reddam, J.P. (n.d.). Retrieved 11/27/2008, from STATSSEN: http://football.statssen.com/records/
Roller, D.C., & Twyman, R.W. (1979). The Encyclopedia of Southern History. Louisiana State University Press
Wilson, C. R. (2006). The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. The University of North Carolina Press.
Wilson, C.R. & Ferris, W. (1989). Encyclopedia of Southern Culture. The University of North Carolina Press.
To: Sociology Faculty
ReplyDeleteFrom: Matthew Estep
Subject: Proposal for Research Paper on Hippotherapy
Date: February 17, 2009
Hippotherapy
Since many of our illnesses today require not only medication, it is necessary to consider the use of a complementary or an alternative method, such as Hippotherapy. Hippotherapy is a physical, occupational, and speech therapy treatment strategy that utilizes movement in horses. Hippotherapy has a very high success rate and many people are satisfied with the outcomes of this treatment. I want to research how much of an impact this type of therapy has on society. Does the age of the person matter? Does the type of condition play a role in the success of this therapy? Does Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) play an important role in improving a person’s well-being? Since there are many resources, including journals and internet sites, on this topic, finding information about Hippotherapy is not be a problem. The library and its website is the primary place where I will be gathering information. Also, I know several physical therapists that would have valuable information for my report as well. In addition, I have made contact with the director of H.A.L.T.E.R. I plan to have all of my research completed for this project no later than March 1, 2009. Also, I plan to have ample time to revise the rough draft before the paper and defense is due.
The major sections of the paper include what Hippotherapy is and how can it relate to individuals with particular illnesses, the success of Hippotherapy as well as success stories, and the reason why it should be integrated into our medical treatments. I think it would be beneficial for all students in the class to realize the importance of accepting complementary and alternative medicine. Therefore, not only will I become educated on this method of treatment, but my classmates will as well. I would appreciate the approval of this research topic because I think it is necessary to investigate this use of therapy to receive a better grasp on how effective it is on individuals. Investigating Hippotherapy will further my knowledge and give me more background in this area since my future aspiration is to become a physical therapist.
Planned Readings:
Keren, Ofer; Reznik, Jacqueline; Groswasser, Zeev. Brain Injury, Jul2001, Vol. 15 Issue 7, p633-638
Lechner, H E; Feldhaus, S; Gudmundsen, L; Hegemann, D; Michel, D; Zäch, G A; Knecht, H. Spinal Cord, Sep2003, Vol. 41 Issue 9, p502-505
Hammer, Ann; Nilsagård, Ylva; Forsberg, Anette; Pepa, Helena; Skargren, Elisabeth; Öberg, Birgitta. Physiotherapy Theory & Practice, Jan2005, Vol. 21 Issue 1, p51-77
By Debuse D, Chandler C, Gibb C, Physiotherapy Theory And Practice [Physiother Theory Pract], 2005 Oct-Dec; Vol. 21 (4), pp. 219-42
I. The Role of Religion in Resistance to Social Change: An Investigation of the Religious Basis of the Opposition to the equal rights of Homosexuals and Gay Marriage.
ReplyDeleteII. How I plan to carry out this research is by primarily doing secondary research. I will be taking a look at how the Bible and Christianity has been used to oppress a minority group in the United States. I will first look at slavery and the fight for equal rights by African Americans. I will research whether the Bible was used in order to keep slavery alive. Next I will research about for the equal rights of women and see whether the Bible was used in order to keep women under and inferior to men. Then I will research whether the main arguments for denying homosexuals the same rights as others is based on people’s interpretation of the Bible. I would also like to see what the general consensus of Wofford’s campus is about homosexuality and gay marriage is, and compare it to the rest of the United States and to see if religion and the Bible has any influence on their decision. I will plan on doing a random sample of Wofford’s campus and administer a questionnaire. I will primarily use the Internet for research whether it is from websites or online books to gather data.
III. I believe that this research project is very relevant to sociology because it is looking at attitudes and behaviors of society. When we are faced with something that is new and different we look for any means in order to resist it even if it means interpreting something to fit our views. This project will help to see how as a society we have done this by using the Bible to try and restrict the human rights to minority groups.
Bibliography
Duke, Barrett and Bill Wylie-Kellerman. The Good Book and Gay Marriage, Newsweek Dec. 16, 2008. www.newsweek.com/id/175223.
Greenberg, David F. and Bystryn, Marcia H. Chrisian. Intolerance of Homosexuality. The American Journal of Sociology. The University of Chicago Press. Vol. 88, No. 3 (Nov.,1982), pp515-548.
Marlowe, Michael. Make Good Use of your Servitude: Some Observations of Biblical Interpretation and Slavery. October 2003. www.bible-researcher.com/slavery.html.
Miller, Lisa. Our Mutual Joy. Newsweek Dec. 6, 2008. www.newsweek.com/id/172653.
Shelley, Marshall. Is the Bible Intolerant. Ignite your Faith; Sept/Oct Fall 2008, Vol. 66 Issue 11, p 12014, 3p.