Since this class is only one semester in length, it is impossible to cover all relevant topics in any depth. This term paper provides you with an opportunity to perform more in-depth research on some topic that might be interesting to you. You might, for example, be interested in the experiences of a particular ethnic group. Perhaps you are interested in criminal justice and are interested in how various minorities are treated by our criminal justice system or their treatment as members of the law-enforcement community, or how "hate crime" laws came about. Perhaps you are interested in knowing if the experiences of minority people in poverty are qualitatively different than those of whites. Maybe you are interested in the ideology of hate groups, or would like to explore some historic event in more depth. In short, you are free to pursue topics of interest to you within the realm of race and ethnicity.
In order to do a good job on this paper, you should expect to use some sociological resources. Many are available on the web, and many more are available at the library. There are several journals devoted to the sociological study of race and ethnicity, and many more with articles that should be relevant to your interests. If you don't know how to access these journals, please see the reference librarian. In addition to sociological resources, you may use other non-sociological resources. Be sure, however, that your final paper contains a sociological view of your topic.
You may work with a partner if you like, but remember that you will both receive the same grade on your paper, so choose your partner wisely. If two people work together, I will expect the paper to reflect a dual effort.
You will be expected to present your papers sometime during the final two weeks of class (I'll make up a schedule toward the end of the semester). Presentations should last five to ten minutes per person. If you are working with another person, plan to make your presentations fifteen minutes. Please practice your presentations. You must stay within certain time limits in order to have the time for everyone.
Yes! In any academic paper, it is appropriate to cite the sources of your information. If you use the words or ideas of another person, you should cite the source of those words or ideas. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism, one of the more serious crimes in academia. You may use any citation method you are familiar with including footnotes, end notes, APA, ASA, or MLA. If I find that any part of your paper has been plagiarized, you will receive an F for the paper.
Paper length depends upon your subject you pursue. In most cases, you should be able to accomplish your task within ten pages. In no case should the paper exceed fifteen pages in length. Please use standard one inch margins all around and a standard 12 point font. Using large margins and font to increase page length is insulting to the instructor and should be embarrassing to the student.
Papers are due when you make your class presentation-sometime during the final two weeks of the semester. If you submit your papers to me before that time, I should be able to review them, assign a tentative grade, and recommend improvements. You would then have time to re-submit them for a better grade. In any case, don't wait until the last minute.