Sociology Final Exam
For your final exam, you will be writing a research paper which includes two parts: a research
portion and an opinion piece. Part of it will be completed before the exam period, while the rest of it will
be written DURING the 90-minute exam period. Here’s how it works:
a. You will choose one of the essential questions from the list below to research.
b. You will read Pro and Con articles, watch video clips, news reports, and gather any other
necessary information from opposing viewpoints from LEGITIMATE sources.
c. BEFORE the exam period, you will summarize your findings on both sides of the issue, in a wellwritten, MLA formatted paper (probably 2-3 pages typed), with works cited included - and submit
this paper on Google Docs BEFORE the exam period.
d. DURING the exam period, you will be continuing your paper; it is at this point you will write the
OPINION piece of your paper, starting with a thesis statement. Bring a copy of the research
portion of the paper with you to help. You may also bring notes, or some kind of outline, but you
CANNOT bring a rough draft of the opinion part. (This will be handwritten, as I’ve had network
issues in the past).
e. Your opinion piece will be based on the research you found, which will logically lead you to a
conclusion about your essential question.
f. The bell rings, you pass it it, I grade it, the course is over. Sadness ensues.
Essential Questions
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Are interracial adoptions ok/healthy?
Should restrictions be placed on advertising that markets to children? (in schools?)
Is airport security intrusive?
Should informal economies (black markets) be allowed to function within nations?
Should CEO pay be capped?
Do children in daycare have more developmental problems than those cared for by a parent?
Should there be exceptions to child labor laws in the United States?
Will the Common Core Standards improve the quality of education in the U.S.?
Do the positive aspects of social networking sites outweigh the negatives?
Should the U.S. embrace a European-style social democracy?
Are tougher laws needed to combat distracted driving?
Should the rich pay more in taxes?
Is privatization a good way to improve public services?
Should the minimum wage be raised?
Is it the responsibility of the government to end poverty?
Should the voting age be lowered to 16?
Does a green lifestyle help the environment?
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Should recycling programs be mandatory?
Should the Electoral College be preserved?
Should prostitution be legalized?
Is Fair Trade an equitable trade agreement?
Do helicopter parents cause harm to their children’s development?
Should religious displays be allowed in the public sphere?
Does an ill minor have the right to refuse treatment?
Should parents be permitted to opt out of required vaccinations for their children?
Should the U.S. and its allies intervene in ethnic conflicts where there are human rights violations?
Is the concept of human rights universal?
Should strict population control measures be enacted to protect the environment?
Are sweatshops beneficial to third world workers?
Do the potential benefits of national identification cards outweigh the potential risks?
Should junk food be taxed to discourage consumption?
Is the jury system outdated?
Should courts be allowed to sentence juveniles as adults?
Does the spread of pop culture harm society?
Should surrogate mothers be paid or otherwise compensated for carrying a child?
Should teacher salaries or bonuses be based on student test performance?
Should women serve in combat?
Does outsourcing hurt the U.S. economy?
Is a two-state solution the fairest resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
Should polygamy be legal in the United States?
Should schools use surveillance technologies?
Should the government use eminent domain laws to seize private property for another private interest? (5th
Amendment)
Is globalization a threat to economic sovereignty?
Should the United States government continue to fund manned space flight missions?
Does Title IX discriminate against male athletes?
Do we need an international cyberwar treaty?
Should the minimum driving age be raised?
Should the U.S. cut foreign aid to developing nations?
Are labor unions necessary?
Are online classes as beneficial as face-to-face instruction in a traditional classroom
Plagiarism
What this handout is about
This handout explains what plagiarism is and outlines steps students can follow to avoid plagiarizing.
What is plagiarism?
At UNC, plagiarism is defined as “the deliberate or reckless representation of another’s words, thoughts,
or ideas as one’s own without attribution in connection with submission of academic work, whether
graded or otherwise.” (Instrument of Student Judicial Governance, Section II.B.1.). Because it is
considered a form of cheating, the Office of the Dean of Students can punish students who plagiarize with
course failure and suspension. Full information can be found on the UNC Honor System page.
Why are my instructors so concerned about plagiarism?
In order to understand plagiarism, it helps to understand the process of sharing and creating ideas in the
university. All knowledge is built from previous knowledge. As we read, study, perform experiments, and
gather perspectives, we are drawing on other people’s ideas. Building on their ideas and experiences, we
create our own. When you put your ideas on paper, your instructors want to distinguish between the
building block ideas borrowed from other people and your own newly reasoned perspectives or
conclusions. You make these distinctions in a written paper by citing the sources for your building block
ideas. Providing appropriate citations will also help readers who are interested in your topic find
additional, related material to read—in this way, they will be able to build on the work you have done to
find sources.
Think of it this way: in the vast majority of assignments you’ll get in college, your instructors will ask you
to read something (think of this material as the building blocks) and then write a paper in which you
analyze one or more aspects of what you have read (think of this as the new structure you build).
Essentially, your instructors are asking you to do three things:
● Show that you have a clear understanding of the material you’ve read.
● Refer to your sources to support the ideas you have developed.
● Distinguish your analysis of what you’ve read from the authors’ analyses.
When you cite a source, you are using an expert’s ideas as proof or evidence of a new idea that you are
trying to communicate to the reader.
What about “common knowledge”?
In every professional field, experts consider some ideas “common knowledge,” but remember that you’re
not a professional (yet). In fact, you’re just learning about those concepts in the course you’re taking, so
the material you are reading may not yet be “common knowledge” to you. In order to decide if the
material you want to use in your paper constitutes “common knowledge,” you may find it helpful to ask
yourself the following questions:
● Did I know this information before I took this course?
● Did this information/idea come from my own brain?
If you answer “no” to either or both of these questions, then the information is not “common knowledge”
to you. In these cases, you need to cite your source(s) and indicate where you first learned this bit of what
may be “common knowledge” in the field.
What about paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing means taking another person’s ideas and putting those ideas in your own words.
Paraphrasing does NOT mean changing a word or two in someone else’s sentence, changing the sentence
structure while maintaining the original words, or changing a few words to synonyms. If you are tempted
to rearrange a sentence in any of these ways, you are writing too close to the original. That’s plagiarizing,
not paraphrasing.
Paraphrasing is a fine way to use another person’s ideas to support your argument as long as you attribute
the material to the author and cite the source in the text at the end of the sentence. In order to make sure
you are paraphrasing in the first place, take notes from your reading with the book closed. Doing so will
make it easier to put the ideas in your own words. When you are unsure if you are writing too close to the
original, check with your instructor BEFORE you turn in the paper for a grade. So, just to be clear—do
you need to cite when you paraphrase? Yes, you do!
"Plagiarism." The Writing Center Plagiarism Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2015.
<http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/plagiarism/>.
– Writing a Thesis Statement
My Research
Topic:_____________________________________________________________________
Write the thesis statement for your paper. Your thesis will state your stance on the issue
and illustrate how you intend to support your position.
1. List 3 arguments that support your viewpoint on the topic.
My Viewpoint:
Supporting Arguments:
1.
2.
3.
2. Compose your thesis statement. Follow this formula to help compose your thesis:
Clearly Stated Opinion + Specific Supporting Arguments = Thesis
TIP!
Avoid
writing in
the first
person.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
ASK!
Have I clearly expressed my position?
Is my thesis specific and focused?
Will my thesis statement trigger thoughtful debate?
– Supporting Evidence & Drawing Conclusions
List each of the arguments you are making to support your thesis. Then, list 2-3 documented facts to support
each of those arguments. Record the type of evidence you have gathered. Refer to key below.
Argument 1
Supporting Evidence Supporting Evidence
1.
Type of Evidence
2.
3.
Argument 2
Supporting Evidence
1.
Type of Evidence
2.
3.
Argument 3
Supporting Evidence
1.
2.
3.
Types of Evidence:
Statistics
Graphics/Multimedia/Political Cartoons
Facts
Expert Opinions
Primary Sources
Government Documents
"Research Guide For the Critical Thinker." SIRS Researcher. ProQuest, n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2015.
Type of Evidence