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SOC 388: Sociology of the Family in America (Elizabeth Dingler)

This guide offers resources and tools to assist you with your Sociology of the Family in America course.

Online Learning Librarian

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Claire Nickerson
Contact:
135A Forsyth Library
502 South Campus Drive
Hays, KS 67601
cenickerson@fhsu.edu
785.628.4543

How to Form a Topic

A topic is a general inquiry you are interested in answering. It is not a statement, but a question. 

Examples: Are same-sex parents as effective at raising children as heterosexual parents? How does the incarceration of a parent affect a child's concept of family? How has the concept of childhood changed, and what is its impact on current day society?

 Steps to formulate a topic:

Read your assignment and note any requirements.

  • Is there a required page length?
  • How many sources do you need?
  • Does the paper have to be in a specific format like APA?
  • Are there any listed goals for the topic, such as synthesizing different opinions, or applying a theory to a real-life example?

Formulate a general idea.

  • Look at your syllabus or course schedule for broad topic ideas.
  • Think about reading assignments or class lectures that you found interesting.
  • Talk with your professor or a librarian. 
  • Check out social media and see what has been trending that is related to your course. 
  • Read and watch the news to see if there is anything going on related to your course. 

Do some background research on your general idea.

  • Read an encyclopedia entry.
  • See what your course notes and textbook say about the subject.
  • Google it.

Mind map it.

  • Video on how to do a mind map. 

Write out your topic question & reread the assignment criteria.

  • Have you Defined Your Topic?
  • Can you answer your question well in the number of pages required? 
  • Does your topic still meet the requirements of the paper? Ex: is the question still about the sociology of the American family?
  • Is the topic too narrow to find research? 

Developing a Topic Tutorial

The following tutorial from Forsyth Library will walk you through the process of defining your topic. 

Resources - Background Information