The Social Sciences

The Social Sciences

For this module, we will turn our attention to the social sciences, including for our purposes primarily psychology and sociology, but also such fields as economics, political science, and anthropology. The social sciences are defined as the academic disciplines concerned with “the institutions and functioning of human society and . . . the interpersonal relationships of individuals as members of society” (Merriam-Webster Online). As you can readily guess, these fields have much to offer the researcher interested in disabilities or disability studies. Psychologists study and treat those with mental disabilities as well as those whose other disabilities affect their emotional well-being. Sociologists are concerned

1. Read and discussed background material and instructions on the genre of scholarly writing known as the literature review;

2. Selected a topic in the social sciences related to their chosen disability;

3. Collected seven to ten scholarly sources from the FTCC library’s database related to their topic;

4. Prepared a literature review in which they discuss at least four issues in the sources; and

5. Cited sources using APA style.

In this module, students turn to the social sciences — anthropology, economics, psychology, political science, and sociology. They will select a topic related to their chosen disability, locate seven to ten scholarly sources on the topic, and prepare a literature review.

Please read these handouts and articles about social science writing.

General Advice on Social Science Writing.pdf General Advice on Social Science Writing.pdf – Alternative Formats

Literature Reviews, INCLUDING A SAMPLE LITERATURE REVIEW.pdf Literature Reviews, INCLUDING A SAMPLE LITERATURE REVIEW.pdf – Alternative Formats

Social Science Writing.pdf Social Science Writing.pdf – Alternative Formats

SocialScienceandItsMethods.pdf

· You will be responsible for a references list of your seven to ten sources.

· You must identify four or more issues you plan to discuss in the literature review.

· A detailed outline of your review–including sources.

· The final literature review.

The Literature Review

Both the natural sciences and the social sciences place great emphasis on the type of scholarly research paper known as the literature review. As you will find when you begin the first assignment for this module, literature reviews are often published separately as individual works in their own right. However, they also make up an important introductory part of the broader research papers published in these disciplines.

Aside from the scholarly sources that you locate on your chosen topic, the most important reading for this module is this handout from the UNC Writing Center: Literature Reviews. Please read this handout very carefully. In it, you will find a definition of the literature review, a discussion of how it differs from other scholarly works, strategies for planning and researching a literature review, and important instructions for composing the review. I cannot stress enough how essential it is that you become immediately familiar with this document.