Barriers Faced by African Americans in accessing Quality Health

The Research Paper Proposal is designed for you to state your intended research paper topic for the semester. This is a two page assignment. This is not the final paper. You will have the duration of the second half of the semester to complete your research. Rather, the proposal is step one in writing your final paper. You will receive feedback on your proposal from your professor and from classmates. This process allows you to work through your topic as you continue your research.

Focus of the Research Paper Proposal:

The proposal should focus on the experiences of specific social groups based on selected sociological variables such as race, gender, social class, sexuality and others within a social institution of society such as family, education, politics, the criminal justice system etc. Further, the focus of the research proposal is to demonstrate how a specific group experiences the construction of a social institution. Essentially, we all live in a society with the same social institutions. However, our experiences and outcomes vary significantly based social constructions based on race, social class, gender, sexuality etc. The purpose of your research is to provide empirical evidence regarding these social experiences. Clearly, you cannot address all social institutions or variables. Thus, you must be very specific in your intended proposal.

How to Develop Your Sociological Research Paper Proposal:

Step One: Select a specific social institution that you want to research. For example, you may want to research a social issue impacting family, education, media, social media, health care, economics, politics, the criminal justice system, the military etc.

Step Two: Which sociological variables do you want to include as the focus of your research as it relates to the social institution that you have selected? People experience social institutions disproportionately based on a range of social variables including age, race, social class, religion, etc.

Step Three: Based on your selected social institution and social variables, what is the specific social issue that you want to research? Your topic must clearly state the institution and the variables for your paper.

For example, a research topic could center on:

• The Academic Achievement Gap (Education) Between African Americans and Caucasians (Race) in Higher Education
• Factors Contributing to Intergenerational Poverty (Social Class) in Appalachia (Region of the Country)

Proposal Format:

Now, that you have developed your idea for your research paper proposal, please follow the format below to write your proposal.

Your two page proposal should include the following information and be typed in this format:

Proposed Topic: Please state your specific topic for research.

Definition of the Problem: Explain how your selected topic presents a problem for selected groups and institutions within society? Further, explain how this issue presents a concern to the overall structure and function of society. How is this topic relevant to the discipline of sociology? What specific concepts and theories can you apply from previous chapters that frame the “sociological” perspective of this topic?

Review of the Literature: Using at least three sources, provide a two-paragraph review regarding current information on this topic. In other words, what research exists relevant to this topic? What seems to be the general consensus on the topic? What are the opposing positions on this topic? You may use these same references for your actual research paper as well. This should be the majority of your proposal as the research will frame the direction of your paper.

Thesis Statement: After you have read some information on your topic, develop a strong thesis statement that you intend to guide the research in your final paper. Keep in mind that a thesis statement is not a question. Rather, it is a bold statement that you expect to support through your research.

List at least three sources that you used to develop your proposal. In addition, list three references that you plan on using as you expand your research.