Evaluate evidence using the following standards: validity, reliability, and bias related to the chosen topic and accurately identify strengths and weaknesses.

The topic of this project is Euthanasia. This topic must focus on a single aspect, as in “How far do corporations intrude into the private lives of their employers?” or “The social costs of financing the distribution of custom-designed drugs.”

This Research Project will present research relating the responsibilities of a critical thinker to contemporary society. In this assignment, you will do the following:

•Research one aspect of the contemporary social problem.

•Define the problem.

•Propose a possible solution for the problem.

•Create an argument that supports your thesis position. You should take on the perspective of a critically thinking researcher. The argument must present a thesis statement and evidence to support the thesis statement.

•Evaluate the ethical outcomes that result from the position you take on the issue and explain how those outcomes would influence society and culture.

•Interpret statistical data from at least two peer-reviewed scholarly sources.

•Evaluate evidence using the following standards: validity, reliability, and bias related to the chosen topic and accurately identify strengths and weaknesses.

Research and Define the Problem

You must take on the perspective of a Sociologist and explain in your paper what that perspective is and how it informs your view of the topic. The topic listed above is far too broad to write about in 10–12 pages (3,300–3,900 words). Instead, you must choose a narrowly defined thesis and approach it from the perspective of Sociology.

Example: If you are an economics major, and you are interested in immigration reform, you should approach a very specific aspect of immigration reform through the lens of economic theory and practice. A specific thesis question would not be, “How does illegal immigration influence the U.S. economy?” One could write thousands of pages on such a topic. Instead, a better question would be, “How do illegal immigrant hotel workers in Chicago impact the economy of Northern Illinois?” You would then want to do the research and determine the positive and negative impacts they have, ultimately trying to conclude how illegal immigration in this area should be approached ethically.

How to Hone Your Thesis: Try to find the most important contemporary questions and theories in Sociology and then align the most important questions with a very specific aspect of the general topic above. For example, if you are a psychology major, you might want to start thinking within the realm of healthcare reform or aspects of mental health and criminality in the prison system.