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SOC 400 Topic 1 Discussion Question 1

The textbook provides three main reasons why students of sociology, social work, and justice studies should care about social research. Which of the three main reasons is the most important to you? Explain why and give one or more examples of how that reason might affect you as a researcher in the social sciences.

In addition, if all the components of research that are described in the text, why do you think GCU wants you to pay special attention to the component known as ethics?

SOC400 Topic 1 Discussion Question 2

Of the eight major methods of conducting social research described in the text, with which methods are you familiar? Whether or not you have heard of them previously, which methods (at least two) interest you now that you have read about them? Explain if those methods are applied or basic research, and whether those methods are qualitative or quantitative.

SOC400 Topic 2 Discussion Question 1

Explain why the interpretivist methodology is the best fit for observational research and ethnographical research. How does the interpretivist methodology deal with the inevitable biases that any researcher brings to his or her research?

SOC_400 Topic 2 Discussion Question 2

If you were to decide to conduct ethnographic research about Grand Canyon University, how would you go about doing this? Explain how your planned research fits the definition of ethnographic research.

SOC400 Topic 3 Discussion Question 1

Select two of the five major modes of survey delivery method. Compare and contrast them here in the forum. To research your selected social problem, explain which type of survey delivery method would be most suitable. Explain what some of the drawbacks could be to this type of delivery method. List three types of research topics that are best suited for survey research and explain your reasoning for selecting those topics.

SOC_400 Topic 3 Discussion Question 2

Chapter 3 (pp. 95-97) of the textbook describes the positivist methodology in contrast to the interpretivist methodology that was described in Chapter 2 (pp. 26-27). In your own words, explain how these two different approaches to research differ from each other.

SOC400 Topic 4 Discussion Question 1

Discuss the issue of compatibility as it applies to existing statistics research. What is meant by this term and in what ways should different sources of statistics be compatible with each other. Why is this important?

SOC_400 Topic 4 Discussion Question 2

In an academic journal in your major field of study (e.g., sociology or justice studies), find a report of (article about) research using existing statistics. What was the research question and where did the authors of this article get their data? Explain how you know that this research used the existing statistics method of doing research.

SOC400 Topic 5 Discussion Question 1

Using the descriptions and discussions in the text, create an original social science research question that could use content analysis to help answer that research question. What types of content would you use to gather the data? (Types of content could include books, e-mail messages, popular music, photographs, blog posts, newspaper editorials, poems, videos, etc.) Share your research question and type of content you would use and ask questions of other students about their research questions and content.

SOC 400 Topic 5 Discussion Question 2

If you wondered if popular commercial movies became more or less violent during some period (e.g., from 2000 to 2015), how could you conduct a content analysis to find an answer to your question? What content would you analyze? Would your analysis be quantitative or qualitative?

SOC400 Topic 6 Discussion Question 1

If a research question focused on whether students who got at least 7 hours of sleep the night before a big exam did better on that exam than students who got less than 7 hours of sleep the night before, what would be the independent variable and what would be the dependent variable in an experiment to test this hypothesis? Explain your answer.

SOC_400 Topic 6 Discussion Question 2

It has been said that the classical experiment is the best method to use if one is trying to test causality – whether one thing affects or causes another thing. Discuss how the control group is an essential part of testing for causality in an experiment.

SOC400 Topic 7 Discussion Question 1

Some researchers have argued against doing a literature review before you start writing your research question and deciding which research method(s) to use. They suggest that reading previous research could unconsciously limit your thinking to only those ideas and avenues of understanding that others have followed. How would you answer these researchers? That is, what are the advantages of doing a literature review early in the research process? What is the purpose of doing the literature review as an early step in the process?

SOC 400 Topic 7 Discussion Question 2

After reading the text’s discussion of plagiarism, describe what information about plagiarism was new to you or previously ….by you when you wrote essays or papers. Which of the “tips” about how to avoid plagiarism seem most helpful to you? Why?

SOC400 Topic 8 Discussion Question 1

One of the purposes of writing a research proposal is often to get funding (a research grant) to conduct the research. What might be some additional purposes? Are there any reasons to do a research proposal if you are not going to be applying for a grant? Explain your answer.

SOC_400 Topic 8 Discussion Question 2

In the assigned readings for this topic, there are many reasons ….for why a research proposal might be declined. One such reason is because the writer ….to provide the proper context for the research question. Explain what you think this means. Provide a few ways the writer can avoid making the mistakes listed in the “How to Write a Research Proposal” article by Wong from International Network on Personal Meaning website.