Consider a social issue in which you are interested. It could be human freedom, sexuality, deviance, crime, social mobility, poverty, education, aging, or another similar issue. Select a specific hypothesis that you will evaluate against the available evidence from your library / Internet research.  

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Apply the sociological perspective to a variety of socioeconomic and political problems.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in sociology.
• Write clearly and concisely about sociology using proper writing mechanics.

This assignment is completed in four (4) stages that build on each other.  At each stage, you should keep the final stage in mind.  

In the final stage of this assignment, you will submit a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:

1. Specific Hypothesis. Introduce your paper by identifying the specific hypothesis you are evaluating in this paper. 
2. Applicable Sociological Concepts. Identify the sociological theories and terminology from the text that apply to your social issue
3. Practical Implications. Discuss the value of sociological research into your issue.  Determine whether or not there are (or would be) practical implications of sociological inquiry into this issue.  
4. Evidence. This is the most important part of the paper.  Analyze  at least two (2) lines of evidence that pertain to the hypothesis you are evaluating.  Does the evidence support your hypothesis?  For each type of evidence, consider possible biases and alternative interpretations.  
5. Conclusions. Draw conclusions based on the evidence that you have discovered. Does the evidence confirm or refute your hypothesis?  Is the evidence sufficiently convincing to draw firm conclusions about your hypothesis?

Rubric detail for week3: