Sociology Essay

SOC 317 Milestone Two Guidelines and Rubric
Research Plan and Comparative Perspectives Outline
In Milestone One, you chose a trend to analyze for your magazine article. Now, in Milestone Two, you will take two big steps forward toward completing your
final project: you will complete a research plan and an outline for the Comparative Perspective section (II) of the final project. Both arming yourself with research
tools and writing a thorough outline will help you better understand your topic and map out what you would like to talk about in your article.
Prompt: Create a research plan for the topic you chose in Milestone One and an outline for the Comparative Perspectives section (II) of the final project. For this
milestone, you will first map out your topic, identify key search terms that you will use to find resources and pertinent information, and sketch out the potential
impacts of the trend you chose. Then you will identify which country you would like to use to compare perspectives and explain why you chose that country.
Sociologists serve to create greater understanding about a topic by locating specific social problems within a particular culture and comparing it against another
culture. By being able to draw a contrast to another culture’s treatment of and/or experience with the familial topic, you can help clarify its distinction and
relevance. For example, elders in America are treated differently than in families across the globe because aging is more greatly revered in other cultures. Or,
consider how in other parts of the world, it is customary for men to marry girls younger than the age of 18. In this milestone, you will begin to identify the global,
national, and local dimensions and distinctions of your familial trend. As you reflect on your selected topic, note issues of distinction and relevance, and outline
what you think would be most important to write about in your final submission.
Potential sources to consider for your research:
 American Journal of Cultural Sociology
 Administration for Children and Families
 Socio Site/Aging
 SNHU’s Sociology Research Guide
Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Research Plan
A. Identify a minimum of six key search terms that you will use to find resources and pertinentinformation.
B. Identify a minimum of four key resources you intend to use. These may include sociology-specific journals, databases, websites, or even specific
articles. SNHU’s Sociology Research Guide and the links noted above are a great place to start locating resources.
C. Be sure to explain why you think these terms and resources will be helpful as you work toward your final project.
II. Comparative Perspectives Outline: In this section you will begin to consider your familial trend on global and national scales. Your outline will show how
you will examine the influences on the trend, the impact of the trend on society, and how the trend manifests itself within diverse cultures in the United
States.
A. What country outside the United States will you talk about in your article and what norm in this country do you think would be relevant?
B. How does your selected familial trend present in the other country?
1. If the trend is present, how is the presence similar to or different from how it manifests itself in the United States? Outline why you
think these similarities and differences exist.
C. Looking at the issue inside the United States, outline the relevantsocial variables and disparities influencing this familial trend and how they
influence this trend.
D. Outline how the familial trend negatively impacts modern families, and outline what examples you are considering to substantiate your ideas.
E. Outline what you think the influences of the familial trend are on othersocial institutions, providing some specific examples you are considering
to use to substantiate your ideas. For example, specifically how does the trend influence education, employment, or healthcare?
F. What other subcultures in the United States could you also compare this trend to? Think about how the trend manifests itself similarly or
differently in different subcultures. Is the trend as present in some subcultures as it is in others? ]
Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your assignment must be submitted as a 1- to 3-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman
font, one-inch margins, and at least three sources cited in APA format.
Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (75%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Research Plan: Key Search
Terms
Identifies a list of at least six
specific key search terms that can
be used to locate relevant
resources on the selected topic
Identifies a list of search terms,
but terms are broad or unrelated
to the selected topic
Does not identify key search terms
that will be used to identify
relevant resources
6
Research Plan: Key
Resources
Identifies a minimum of four key
resources that are scholarly and
support the topic
Identifies a list of key resources,
but resources are not scholarly
or in support of the topic
Does not identify key resources 6
Research Plan: Explain Offers strong explanation for why
these search terms and resources
are selected and relevant to the
research plan
Offers explanation for selected
search terms and resources but
demonstrates limited relevance
Does not offer explanation for why
search terms and resources were
selected
12
Comparative Perspectives:
Country Norm
Selects a country outside the
United States and outlines the
norm around the selected familial
trend
Selects a country outside the
United States and outlines the
norm around the selected familial
trend, but outline has gaps in
detail or accuracy
Does not select a country outside
the United States and does not
outline the norm around the
selected familial trend
12
Comparative Perspectives:
Familial Trend
Outlines a comparison of the
presence of the familial trend in
the United States to the presence
in the selected country
Outlines a comparison of the
presence of the familial trend in
the United States to the
presence in the selected
country, but response or
reasoning is cursory or illogical
Does not outline a comparison of
the presence of the familial trend
in the United States to the
presence in the selected country
12
Comparative Perspectives:
Social Variables and
Disparities
Outlines the relevant social
variables and disparities
influencing the familial trend and
explains how the variables are
influential
Outlines the social variables and
disparities influencing the
familial trend and explains how
they are influential, but
response is cursory or illogical,
or variables are irrelevant
Does not outline the social
variables and disparities
influencing the familial trend
12
Comparative Perspectives:
Negatively Impacts
Explains how the familial trend
negatively impacts modern
families, providing specific
examples and substantiating with
resources
Explains how the familial trend
negatively impacts modern
families, but does not provide
specific examples or substantiate
with resources, or explanation
has gaps in detail or accuracy
Does not outline how the familial
trend negatively impacts modern
families
12
Comparative Perspectives:
Social Institutions
Explains the influence of the
familial trend on social
institutions, providing specific
examples and substantiating with
resources
Explains the influence of the
familial trend on social
institutions, but does not provide
specific examples or substantiate
with resources, or explanation
has gaps in detail or accuracy
Does not outline the influence of
the familial trend on social
institutions
12
Comparative Perspectives:
Cultures in the United States
Outlines the presence of the
familial trend between cultures in
the United States, and provides
ideas on how to substantiate with
research
Outlines the presence of the
familial trend between cultures in
the United States, but does not
suggest research to use to
substantiate, or response or
reasoning is cursory or illogical
Does not outline the presence of
the familial trend between
cultures in the United States
12
Articulation of Response Submission has no major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
Submission has major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that negatively impact
readability and articulation of
main ideas
Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that prevent understanding of
ideas
4
Earned Total 100%