Signature Assignment #1 – Empirical and Quantitative Skills Assignment
Students will prepare a brief research report related to a social issue of their choosing using data from the General Social Survey and the GSS’s Data Explorer tool (http://gss.norc.org/). Students will use the GSS Data Explorer to perform a bivariate analysis (concept from rubric: analysis). Students will present a table or graph from their analysis using the GSS Data Explorer. The report must be in essay format and uploaded into Canvas.
The written essay report should be approximately three pages in length (not including the GSS graph). Your GSS graph should be the entire first page of your report. Your three-page written report should begin on page 2. Your entire report with the GSS graph must be four pages long.
The report should be in simplified MLA format and include: your full name in the header (see above): 12-point Times New Roman font, 1” margins, double-spaced, simple in-text citations where appropriate, and a full citation for each source (the text and the GSS) immediately after the last paragraph of your report. Do not include a separate title page or works cited page. The only sources you will use for this report will be your text and the GSS.
By following the outline provided below, you will ensure you have met each of the rubric items. In the report, students are required to do each of the following:
Students will identify their selected social issue (concept from rubric: identification). Source: GSS.
Students will clearly identify their independent and dependent variables from the GSS. One of these variables must be related to their selected social issue. Students will explain how these variables are related to their selected social issue. Source: GSS. (concept from rubric: assimilation).
Students will identify the values for their independent and dependent variables. Source: GSS. (concept from rubric: assimilation).
Students will propose a hypothesis using inductive reasoning (Chambliss and Eglitis. 2020: 53). HINT: As a freebie, you should use this exact in-text citation in your Signature Assignment! (concept from rubric: analysis).