Instructions for the
Practicum Research Paper

What kinds of research approaches are suitable for this paper?  In your research paper you might:
 

· Test, apply, or compare theories or arguments presented in an earlier sociology or political science course (e.g., you might look at and try to explain gender relations in the workplace using feminist theory; or you might examine under what conditions Herbert Packer’s “crime control” or “due process” model seems more descriptive of our justice system)

· Offer an argument of your own to explain or help us understand some problem, set of relationships, or phenomenon (e.g., if you are working for a local politician, you might look at that person’s daily schedule and offer an explanation for how they prioritize their activities)

· Place a problem, set of relationships, or phenomenon in a historical, political, sociological, or comparative context to help us understand its significance and importance (e.g., you might discuss how evolving local law enforcement techniques reflect an increasing awareness of the globalization of crime)

How can you use your internship to write your research paper?  Your workplace experience can:
 

· Provide evidence for the theory you are testing or applying, the proposition you are considering (e.g., if you want to see, along the lines of David Mayhew, if federal legislators are single-mindedly preoccupied with reelection, you might examine how many of a congressman’s activities seem related to this goal)

· Point you to a problem or puzzle that you would like to explore and understand better (e.g., perhaps your work at the local prosecutor’s office surprises you by suggesting that the relationship between the prosecution and defense teams in criminal cases are not always strictly adversarial)

· Give you a contact with an expert in an area you wish to explore further, even if this area is not directly related to your internship duties

How should I structure the research paper?  There are obviously any number of ways to set up your paper depending upon what questions you want to analyze and what materials you use.  The following outline can be adapted for many papers, however:

I. Introduction – briefly set out your argument/thesis and how you will make it, viz., what points you will make, what kinds of evidence you will use

II. Background – provide the necessary background on your issue, topic, or problem including relevant scholarly literature

III. The Argument Developed – Set out and elaborate upon your specific argument and analysis, explaining how your take helps your reader better understand or grasp the problem or question you set out in your introduction

IV. Examples/Evidence – provide specific examples, evidence, arguments to support your thesis

V. The Other side – your paper will be strengthened and made more nuanced if you consider its potential weaknesses or counter-evidence; if possible, you should try to refute these points or at least show why they aren’t vital to your analysis

VI. Conclusion and Bibliography– your conclusion should summarize your main point, remind your reader what he or she has learned by reading your paper, point to the significance/implications of your work and perhaps gesture to problems with your  Implications, further research

Other Suggestions:

· Address the issue/answer the question: Address whatever issue you pose and answer whatever question(s) you ask yourself.  Make sure that your paper and the evidence/material it considers actually is related to your overall argument!

· Writing Style and Technique:  Avoid sweeping statements that fail to advance or distinguish your argument (and that may, additionally, be false or at least raise questions you are not prepared to answer).

Example(s): "No single writer on sociological issues has had as much influence as Max Weber."

· Precision:  Choose words with care; know the meaning of every word you use (get in the habit of testing your instinct about what a word means against a good dictionary); avoid colloquialisms and clichés.  Your prose should be clear, accurate, and flowing; eliminate redundant, gratuitous, or vague words.  Avoid allusions that have no clear referent: if something is important, identify it; if something is trivial, do not mention it.

Example(s): Avoid phrases such as "final conclusion," "time period," "extremely unique," "continue to persist."

· Editing and Economy:  Nothing more readily transforms ordinary or even poor writing into strong writing than energetic, repeated editing.  This will help to polish your prose, clarify and tighten your arguments, and reduce verbiage.  Some suggestions: (1) read your work aloud -- if you do this carefully and slowly you will spot obvious errors and awkward phrasing.  If possible have a friend (unfamiliar with the course) read your paper for structure, style, and clarity; (2) continually ask yourself what you meant to say and whether you have actually said it (this should be done at every structural level of the paper: sentences, paragraphs, pages, and at the level of the entire work); (3) maintain a skeptical inner voice that questions and challenges the points that your essay makes; (4) do not hesitate to cut, even (especially) interesting arguments or particularly vivid turns of phrase that do nothing to advance your argument.

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