Sociological analysis of COVID-19

This research paper is an opportunity to conduct a sociological analysis of COVID-19 by choosing among the topics below. You will write a 5-page paper for this assignment. You will do library research to explore your topic and integrate a course concept into the analysis.

This paper requires at least five sources, of which at least three must be from scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles. Please read the UMB Healey Library’s guide to identifying scholarly research. You can find peer-reviewed journal articles by accessing and searching library research databases such as UMBrella. You may also use Google Scholar through the UMB Healey Library to get the full text of articles. Sources that do not come from peer-reviewed journals must be documents from government agencies such as the CDC or major print-media outlets such as the New York Times, Wall St. Journal, The Atlantic, The New Republic (these are just examples, other major print-media publications are OK, check with me if you are not sure), or non-profit research centers such as Pew Research or RAND Corporation (again, these are just examples, others are OK), or non-profit organizations. You may find it easier to write this paper if you include more than five sources, but five is the minimum, with at least three from scholarly peer-reviewed journals.

This paper fulfills the UMB Writing Proficiency requirement.

I have provided a list of topics below. You may propose your own topic, I want you to think creatively. Please touch base with your TA or professor to make sure it fits the letter and spirit of the assignment.

• How have social and economic inequalities shaped the spread of COVID-19? In other words, how does inequality impact who gets COVID-19 and the health impact of getting it?
• What has been the effect of COVID-19 on social and economic inequalities? In other words, how has the pandemic impacted inequality? You can focus on class, race, gender, sexuality, or any other demographic category of interest.
• Compare and contrast the U.S. handling of COVID-19 to another country/countries (For example, Sweden, South Korea, China, Brazil, and Italy provide interesting contrasts)
• Methods: counting, measuring, assessing COVID-19 case and death counts.
• Norms during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic.
• The impact of COVID-19 on education.
• The impact of COVID-19 on mental health and/or substance abuse.
• The impact of COVID-19 on workers, especially front-line workers.

Requirements

• Papers must be turned in via Blackboard by midnight on April 23
• Your paper should be double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12-point font.
• Your paper should be 5 – 6 pages in length.
• You must use scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles for at least three of your five required sources. You may use more than three peer-reviewed articles if you wish.
• Incorporate at least one concept discussed in class or in the textbook.
• Use library resources to complete this assignment.
• Your paper should include a title page that includes your name, the title of your paper, and an abstract no longer than 150 words.
  • An abstract is not an introduction to the paper – it is a summary of the paper and the major points the paper makes.
  • The title page does not count towards the page requirement.
• Format your citations and references using ASA (American Sociological Association) style. Follow this guide for how to format using ASA style. The reference page does not count towards the page requirement.

Once you have selected a general topic for your research paper, it will help you to focus and narrow it into a specific issue.

Tips to help you form a research topic:

• Name your topic: I am studying ________.
• Imply your question:because I want to find out who/why/how ________.
• State the rationale for the project:in order to understand how/why what________.

Your paper should include the following:

• Define your topic.
• Identify why your topic is important
• Outline what others have found out about your topic based on your research.
• Apply a sociological concept to the topic and explain how it applies.
• Determine a conclusion based on your research.

Additional Information:

• Read the UMB library’s guide to identifying scholarly research
• Show how a sociological concept provides insight to your topic.
• Show how the articles you reference contribute to addressing your topic.
• Your paper should follow a general flow, give consideration to writing your introduction, body and conclusion. Keep in mind that you may have subtopics within each. Stay on topic and fully address the issue your paper is concerned with.
• It is important that you do not write your paper as just a summary of articles. For example, do not organize your paper topic and talk about each article one by one.