In this brief exercise you will find an example of sociological research in popular media. You will find the the source details, and identify key methodological features of the research.
Assignment details: Soc110W25 Research Example Exercise.pdfDownload Soc110W25 Research Example Exercise.pdf
Resources
We will talk about elements of this exercise in discussion sections. I will add any additional information or resources here.
Question: What do you mean by "Research source information"?
Answer: This should be a citation to the original research in your example. In most cases this will be a citation to a research article. See the example below. In some cases there may not be a clear source article to cite, but you should check in with an instructor if you think this applies to you. I strongly recommend that you find an example based on a research article or report source.
Example
Here is part of an example, especially to demonstrate how you can provide references:
Media reference: Porto, Eduardo. (2021, July). "Who Discriminates in Hiring? A New Study Can Tell." The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/business/economy/hiring-racial-discrimination.htmlLinks to an external site.
Research Source Information: Kline, Patrick, Rose, Evan, and Walters, Christopher. (2021, July) "Systemic Discrimination Among Large U.S. Employers" NBER Working Papers. https://www.nber.org/papers/w29053Links to an external site.
Research Description (partial): The research approach in this study is an experiment. The research question is: Do social characteristics such as race and gender affect a person's chances of getting a job? One of the key independent variables for the study is race (as indicated by name on a resume), and the dependent variable is whether an applicant gets a callback for a job. The study is based on over 83000 applications sent to 108 large employers in the U.S.
Note and suggestions about this example:
- I used https://www.citationmachine.net/Links to an external site. to create the citations above. You may use any format (such as APA or MLA) as long as the reference is clear. You should provide a working link if possible.
- I didn't provide a full description of the research, but I provided a few key details as an example.
- I found this article as a link in a more recent article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/08/upshot/employment-discrimination-fake-resumes.htmlLinks to an external site.. Once I started looking at the underlying research, I realized this was a complicated update of an earlier study, so I decided to focus on the earlier newspaper article about the original research. That research (an experiment) made more sense to me and I found it easier to understand. Similarly, I suggest you spend time finding an example that connects to a clear research study that makes sense to you. It probably won't be the first thing you find.
Rubric
Research Example Exercise
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeMedia Reference SourceIncludes a clear citation or other reference information that allows the reader to find the material that references sociological research. If no direct link exists, this should include a complete description of the original media. |
| 2 pts | |||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeResearch Example SourceIncludes a clear citation or other reference information that allows the reader to find the source material for an appropriate example of research using sociological research methods. If source material is not available directly, this includes complete description of the research example. |
| 2 pts | |||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeResearch DescriptionIdentifies important details of the research example, including research question, research type, variables/concepts, and sample. Should also include at least one reaction (opinion, critique, question, etc.). |
| 2 pts | |||||
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeOverall EvaluationGeneral rating of all aspects of the assignment, based on overall impression of depth of engagement with the learning objections, cohesiveness, and clarity. |
| 4 pts | |||||
Total Points: 10 |
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