Identify Your Topic

By the end of Week 2, Part 1 of your Applied Final Project (“Identify Your Topic”) is due. Picking a topic and coming up with a good research question – one that is appropriate and testable – can be more challenging than you think. If you want to bounce some ideas around, use this optional discussion area to test some research questions out and receive some feedback before the deadline. To ensure that you get feedback, post your questions no later than Wednesday of Week Two.

The description of the assignment (copied straight from your syllabus) is as follows:

Part I: Identify Your Topic

Due: Sunday, end of Week 2 (10 Points)

Submit this assignment in the Week 2 Discussion Area

Description: Your task is to identify a topic for your Applied Final Project.  Compose 2-3 paragraphs that provide the following information:

• The social issue you are planning to examine
• Why you are interested in this issue and what you hope to learn through your research
• Three social science disciplines that address your chosen topic
• Your population of interest (be specific)
• Your research question (must be phrased as a question that is both appropriate and testable)

In choosing your social science disciplines, you may select any three of the following:  Anthropology, Criminology, Economics, Geography, Gerontology, Legal Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Social Science, Sociology, or Women’s Studies.  Each of these disciplines has a unique perspective that influences how questions are considered, explored, and researched. As a result, you may find that you will be visiting a wide range of academic journals as you conduct your research.

You do not need to identify a specific law or policy in Part 1, but you will eventually need to identify and link your social issue to policy, so keep this in mind as you work through the different parts of the project.

Here are some examples of social issues students have used in this assignment in previous semesters.  You are not limited to this list and are encouraged to pick a topic that is personally and/or professionally relevant to you.  If you have a question about whether a particular issue would be suitable for this assignment, please talk to your instructor.

• The implications of the Affordable Health Care Act for early intervention of children with autism.
• The implications of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) on newborn health outcomes.
• Barriers to quality end of life care (e.g., hospice, palliative care) for terminally ill patients.
• Health disparities across different racial groups
• Stigma and discrimination against people with serious mental illness
• Psychosocial and cognitive outcomes for children placed into Foster Care
• An examination of how religious beliefs impact medical decisions
• Implications of unvaccinated children
• Gang culture among disenfranchised youth

Your topic needs to be approved by your instructor, so please go into detail in this discussion in order to earn these ten points.

You are not limited to this list and are encouraged to pick a topic that is personally and/or professionally relevant to you.  If you have a question about whether a particular population would be suitable for this assignment, please talk to your instructor.