Research Assignments: For the research assignment, students will submit “Research Memos,” presenting factual information on various sociological issues of relevance to the Special Topics. Ideally, teams of three or four students will work together on these memos; however, an individual-research option is available as well (see below). Remember to include at the top of your first page: (1) your name (and the names of your group members, if doing the Group Option), (2) the type of assignment (i.e., “Reflective Essay”), (3) the course (Sociology 419), (4) when the course meets during the week, and (5) the date. The Research Memo has three parts: (1) One Sociological Question: Each memo should identify one “sociologically interesting” questions or hypotheses, related to the upcoming special topic. Ideally, these should go beyond simple descriptive issues, to get at larger themes that link the topic to the rest of the course material. For example, rather than asking a simple descriptive question like “How many lawyers are there in America?” you should ask more theoretically-grounded questions like “Does the number of lawyers in a society exert a positive, negative, or nil effect on that society’s economic prosperity?” These questions/hypotheses will be evaluated, in part, on their sociological significance and their linkage to the course material. Consequently, you should include a brief (1-2 sentence) explanation of why you feel that each question/hypothesis is important to the sociology of law. (2) Six Pieces of Evidence: For each sociological question/hypothesis, you should provide 6 pieces of empirical evidence, beyond the evidence contained in the assigned readings. Typically, the evidence in Research Memos will consist of numerical statistics and “factoids.” However, you may also include narrative evidence, if you wish (e.g., a summary of an interesting research study). In general, though, you should avoid simply summarizing individual court opinions. This section of the Memo will be evaluated, in part, on the quality of your research efforts. Consequently, you should be careful to draw your information from at least two different sources and to fairly represent the various sides of the underlying debate. In general, Research Memos should strive to be objective and even-handed. Don’t try to “over-sell” a position; be attentive to the existence of counter-arguments, and only paint a one-sided picture if you find that the evidence really is one sided. If necessary, you should also provide a brief (1-2 sentence) explanation of why each piece of evidence bears on the question/hypothesis that you have posed. Note: In counting your “six” pieces of evidence, be aware that it often takes more than one “fact” to make a piece of evidence. For example, to address the question of whether the U.S. has experienced a litigation explosion, you would probably want to present data from several years --and these time-points would all count, together, as one “piece of evidence.” A second piece of evidence might be a comparison between the U.S. and a few other countries, and so on. Additionally, relevant court cases may count for only two of the six pieces of evidence. (3) One Open Issue: For each question/hypothesis, after providing evidence, you should also identify one issue that your data-search could not resolve. In a paragraph or so, (a) identify the missing evidence, (b) explain why it is important, and (c) briefly suggest what kind of research one would need to conduct in order to obtain it. This section of the Memo will be evaluated, in part, on the creativity and perceptiveness of your methodological thinking. Consequently, you should be sensitive to the practical constraints of data gathering. Try to propose reasonable research projects, and if the study that you propose is likely to be unusually challenging, explain what the challenges are and how one might address them. This research does not have to be actually possible for you, as an individual undergrad, to be able to accomplish on your own. You may assume that you have the resources of a researcher at a large university or research institute. In summary, the final version of the Research Assignment requires: (a) identify 1 sociologically interesting aspect of the -topic; (b) collect 6 pieces of evidence; and (c) identify 1 open issue and explain, in a general sense, how one might go about filling these gaps. Research Memos should not be writing intensive: this assignment has no formal page limit. You should feel free to arrange your Research Assignment in outline form, rather than as one long essay. Specific Topic: Same-sex marriage -Question Should same sex couples be able to adopt? -Relevance to Sociology of Law https://www.foxnews.com/story/the-real-impact-of-gay-marriage-on-society The constitution guaranteed a right to same-sex marriage after the supreme court ruled by a five to four vote. According to (usatoday) President Barack Obama tweeted "Today is a big step in our march toward equality. Gay and lesbian couples now have the right to marry, just like anyone else #LoveWins". After this law passed, the United States acceptance for same-sex relationships began to rise. Once the same-sex marriage law had passed many U.S. citizens have looked into adoption. While some people believe that children need a mother and a father to raise a child, others believe that gender does not matter. The number of children raised by same-sex parents has risen. "Of the 594,000 same-sex couple households in the United States, 115,000 have children" (lifelong). As the years pass and new generations begin to form, the LGBT adoption numbers will continue to rise as the parenting becomes more acceptable. -Evidence https://plantingseedsbook.org/gay-parenting-pros-and-cons/ 1. Studies have shown that children are more influenced by their interactions with their parents than by their parents’ sexual orientation “Over more than three decades are remarkably consistent in reporting that the sexual orientation of parents does not harm the development of children raised in same-sex families”(ocd). Children within heterosexual households as well as same-sex show no significant differences in gender development and social relationships. “Research has shown that the adjustment, development, and psychological well-being of children is unrelated to parental sexual orientation and that the children of lesbian and gay parents are as likely as those of heterosexual parents to flourish,”(ocd). Parenting is based off of interactions with their child rather than the sexual orientation. http://www.ocd.pitt.edu/Default.aspx?webPageID=240&parentPageId=5 2. Within the justice system same-sex couples are able to have legal rights. If the couple decided to have children their rights to marry greatly affects their children. Upon marriage both spouses have equal rights and responsibilities. If one spouse were to pass away the other spouse will have custody of the child similar to heteroxexual marriages. Adoption is often used by same-sex couples upon raising a child. “While no states may deny adoption to same-sex couples -- as long as they get married -- unmarried couples may run into the same legal challenges unmarried opposite-sex couples face.”(family) The adopted child from same-sex couples will have the same opportunities as heteroxesual families. https://family.findlaw.com/marriage/same-sex-marriage-pros-and-cons.html 3. Children of same-sex parents are less likely to suffer from behavioral problems. Studies have shown that within a home with same sex parents, kids do not struggle more socially. “Children of same-sex parents had fewer reported difficulties than children of different- sex parents, but scores were in the normal range for both groups, according to the report” (consumer). Italian researches formed a study on the differences in the relationships between a same-sex couple to a heterosexual couples family. They found that family gatherings were better with same-sex parents. These families were able to bond more and so less anger towards their children. “This might reflect the high level of commitment needed for gay men to become parents, the researchers suggested” (consumer). Italian researchers formed this study in the pursuit to warn policy makers against claims of sexual orientation on who are more fit to be parents. https://consumer.healthday.com/sexual-health-information-32/homosexuality-news-386/kids-ofgay-parents-don-t-struggle-more-socially-735428.html 4. 5. 6. -Open Issue References https://www.lifelongadoptions.com/lgbt-adoption/lgbt-adoption-statistics https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/06/26/obama-gay-marriageruling/29328755/ Research Memo Criteria Points two or more other sources beyond the course six pieces of evidence -- not six facts evidence is quality research & addresses the question evidence is presented in objective, even-handed way good suggestions for appropriate research in open issue good understanding of why the open issue is important well organized and well presented Total Points out of 7:
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