Multidisciplinary Analysis of Human Sexuality and Diversity

Learning Objectives

1. Critically analyze information from academic/professional sources.
2. Use electronic data bases to find articles.
3. Practice reading professional writing and recognize valid research and understand the results.
4. Practice using good writing techniques to support a thesis.
5. Use multiple perspectives to look at a single issue of culture and gender.
6. Practice reflection and self-assessment on how research on a topic influences personal opinion.

General Instructions

Select one of the topics listed below and develop a paper that analyzes issues of human sexuality from multidisciplinary perspectives. Apply concepts from three distinctly different disciplines of human study to analyze the particular phenomenon, see listing below one from each column.  Incorporate theoretical frameworks, theoretical constructs and other “explanations” that have been used by these disciplines to create a perspective that will provide a possible “explanation” for the issue. This should be the way the discipline approaches the topic, it should not be a listing of findings.  For example do not give a historic account of the topic but rather how historians synthesize the historical significance of the phenomenon.  The last part of the paper is reflective.  Please read all of the material provided in this document before starting your paper.

Selected Topics

The topics presented here are broad categories; you should narrow it down for example body image could be narrowed down the portrayal of body image in comic books/graphic novels.

(Additional topics can be used with instructor approval)

• Human pair      bonding
• Romantic      love
• Infidelity
• Gender roles
• Promiscuity
• Marriage and      divorce
• Homosexuality
• Pornography
• Prostitution
• Sex      education formal and informal
• Atypical sexual      behavior
• Sexuality in      the elderly or disabled
• Body image

 

Disciplines/Perspectives

 

Social   Sciences

Applied   Sciences

Diversity   Component
(must use a view different from own personal experience)

 

Psychology

Biology/Physiology

Cultural and Ethnic Studies

 

Sociology

Law/Political Science

Gender and Women Studies

 

History

Education

Religious Studies

 

Evolutionary   Theory/Anthropology

Medicine/Health Sciences

 

Journalism, Media Studies &   Communication

Economics

Content of your Paper

Please use subject headings when you change topics. When writing, make sure to clearly demonstrate which disciplines’ perspective you are analyzing. You should have a minimum of one source for each discipline.

Suggested Outline of paper

1. Title page (include word count)
2. Introduction
   1. Introduce topic
   2. Introduce the chosen disciplines/perspectives
   3. Thesis statement in Italics
3. Social Sciences discipline (choose one)
   1. In-depth look at the disciplines perspective of the topic
   2. Comment on how this perspective is different from other disciplines
4. Applied Sciences discipline (choose one)
   1. In-depth look at the disciplines perspective of the topic
   2. Comment on how this perspective is different from other disciplines
5. Diversity framework (choose one)
   1. Use insights from own cultural rules and biases to examine the topic
   2. Use at least one other United States culture/gender/ethnicity/religion’s framework to examine the topic
6. Self-reflection (1st person)
   1. Reflection on how self-perspective of the topic is changed after researching the topic
   2. Reflection on self as a learner; skills acquired from the assignment, insights into the research, and writing process
   3. Evaluate own learning from perspective of envisioning future improved self
7. Conclusion
   1. Draw conclusion(s) by combining theories from the examined disciplines/perspectives
8. References in correct APA, 6th edition style

Formatting & Requirements for Paper 2

1.Length: Paper length is 1500 words minimum (excluding title page, references, and any graphics/tables or charts), to get a grade of a C.  Length should be determined by coverage of topics, some authors will need more than the minimum word count to appropriately cover all of the assignment requirements.

• Resources:  This is a research based assignment, sources must be scholarly, use of web sites is allowed but they must be reliable and use references (i.e. they cite where there information came from).  Minimum of 6 academic sources, (for each discipline you must have two sources and one of which must be a peer reviewed journal article) to get a grade of a C..  Your text book, encyclopedias and dictionaries do not count for the referencing minimum (they may be used as additional sources).  Wikipedia is not an academic source, you also may not use ProCon. To be considered an academic source for this assignment the source must have a date and an author.
  Please see below: evaluation of sources and finding articles.
• Thesis:  Your thesis (in italics) should clearly state your opinion and not be a topic/introductory sentence.
• Formatting: 
  • Typed, double spaced, Times Roman font, 1 inch margins, font size 12.
  • Title page: including name, class section number, name of the assignment, your specific title for the assignment, and word count (excluding title page and references).
  • The entire assignment should be strictly double-spaced, with no additional space before or after each line (check you paragraph settings).
  • Papers must have running headers and page numbers, on every page. This is in the header not the body of the document.
  • Subject headings are required and should indicate the subject that will follow. APA format for a level one heading is; centered, boldfaced, with title case capitalization. You do not need a heading for your introduction.
  • Citations must be in APA citation format for both in text citations and reference list. Cite all sources you use. When referring to a source cited in an article do not cite the original article if you did not read it, use “as cited in”.
• The assignment must use college-level writing including spelling, verb usage and tense, grammar, vocabulary, sentence formation and paragraph development.  Third person should be used for all sections of the paper except for the reflection part.  Use of direct quotes should be limited (not more than 10% of paper), paraphrasing is preferred for most situations.
• Plagiarism will not be tolerated, if in doubt cite. Direct quotations (meaning the authors words) require quotation marks as well as citations.  Not understanding the need to use quotation marks is not a defense if you do not understand proper citation of quotes please see the instructor during office hours.

6.Please submit paper to the drop box timely to avoid “computer malfunctions”; it can be done any time in the semester before the due time. To access Turnitin go to BeachBoard and find the Paper 2 drop box.  Turnitin can only read MSWord, Word Perfect PostScrip, Acrobat PDF, HTML, RIF and Plain text files.  It is your responsibility to be sure it is a file type that it can read, papers submitted in the incorrect format will be considered late.  It will not tell you if it cannot read it.  Double check that you paper has been submitted by checking your Turnitin Report (not Receipt). Preferred submission is MSWord.

7.Use the rubric to check your work for omissions.  Do not submit the rubric.

Evaluation of Sources

Sources should be from academic or professional backgrounds. Some good places to start looking are peer review journal articles or credible web sources. For example Centers for Disease Control (CDC.gov) or National Institutes of Health (NIH.gov) for medical related information.  For international health/social issues the World Health Organization or Amnesty International are good places to start. When evaluating a web base source be sure to take into consideration who is sponsoring the web page (are they making a profit or have a specific agenda). Wikipedia is not an acceptable source. Sources such as Wikipedia may have accurate information but due to the constant flux they are not considered academic. Often these types of web pages have citations of sources that can help you find the academically acceptable information you are looking for.

Finding Articles:

You may search by topic. Through COAST (library) electronic data bases (www.csulb.edu/library/eref/eref-index.html) you can use a search engine such as Pubmed or Medline.  These two data bases will give you full listings of the journal articles written on your topic in medical journals (abstracts are usually available).  You will then have to locate the article.

Some articles are available electronically through COAST for free. You will need to search for data bases that carry the journal you are looking for.  For example LexisNexis and Academic Search Complete have many full text articles.  Some journals are available in the reference section of the library and you can photo copy the article you need.

If you want a particular article that is not available at our library you can submit a request to interlibrary loan (this can be done electronically through COAST). All electronic library services require a library Pin number and an active CSULB ID number (this is different from your MyCSULB Pin).

If you need help finding an article please see me during office hours, also the reference librarians may be able to help. Take a print out of the instructions with you so they can better help you find a selection that meets the assignment requirements.

Quoting, Summarizing and Paraphrasing

Quotations

For this assignment quotations should be kept to a minimum, and only used when alternative phrasing changes the meaning or when the direct quotation is needed to support your critique.

Guidelines for quoting:

1.Quotes should be short, enclosed in quotation marks, and cited.

2.Quotes should be well integrated into your sentence structure, if you have to adjust the text to fit into a sentence use ellipses (…) to indicated that words were omitted from the quotation and brackets  to indicated that a word has been changed (eg: [was], for will).

3.Long quotations put in block format are not appropriate for this assignment.

Summarizing and paraphrasing

Summarizing and paraphrasing are essential skills for academic writing, especially in a critical review of research. To summarize means to reduce a text to its main points and it most important ideas. The best way to summarize is to:

1.Scan the text.  Look for information that can be deduced for the introduction, conclusion and the title and headings. What do these tell you about the main points of the article?

2.Locate the topic sentences and highlight the main points as you read.

3.Reread the text and make separate notes of the main points. Examples and evidence do not need to be included in the summary; they are usually ued selectively in your critique.

Paraphrasing means putting someone else’s phrases into your own words.  They still require citations as the words are yours but the ideas are someone else’s. Substituting synonyms for the original author’s words doesn’t make the passage yours, and is considered plagiarism. Paraphrasing offers an alternative to using direct quotations in your summary and critique. The best way to paraphrase is to:

1.Review your summary notes.

2.Rewrite them in your own words and in complete sentences.

3.Use reporting verbs and phrases (eg; the authors describe…, Cole argues that…).

4.If you include exact, unique or specialist phrasing from the text, use quotation marks around those phrases.

• Make sure there is a smooth transition from your voice to sources point of view.

Basic APA Citation

Please consult an APA style guide or http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ for more information. 

In-text citations:

For journal articles and books cite author(s) last name(s), year of publication, page numbers. If it is 6 or more authors use et al. If you have 3 or more authors after the first citation use 1st authors name and et al, after the initial citation.  If you use the author(s) names in the text just give date and page numbers. Periods go after the citation and quotation marks do not enclose the citation.

Examples: (Jones & Smith, 2011, p. 234).        (Jones et al., 2011, p. 234).      Per Jones “…“ (2011, p 234).

For electronic sources give the authors name and publication date or date website was last updated, if it is a PDF with page numbers cite as above for books and journals.  If there is no author use the sponsor of the web site or name of web site.

Examples: (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2011).  (WebMD, 2012)

Reference List

Listed in Alphabetical order, under the title References, use a hanging indent of 5 spaces.

The preferred method for referencing journal articles follows, use the DOI if available.

Ledema, J., Cooks, L., & Keuzendamp, S. (2010). Multiple dimensions of attitudes about homosexuality. Journal of Homosexuality, 57(2), 123-134. doi:10.1080/00918369.2010.517069

Journal Article No DOI available:

Sayegh, M. A. (2011). Teen pregnancy in Texas: 2005-2015. Maternal Child Health Journal, 14(2), 94-101. Retrieved from http://www.ebscohost.com.mee1.library.csulb.edu/

Books: 

Koop, C. E., & Johnson, T. (1992). Let’s talk. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Web sites (remove hyperlinks):

WebMD. (2012). Breast Cancer Health Center: Symptoms & types. Retrieved May 8, 2012, from http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/guide/breast-ca…

Developing a Thesis Statement

What is a Thesis Statement

A thesis statement advances a conclusion the writer will defend with evidence.

A thesis statement declares what you believe and what you intend to prove.

A good tentative thesis will help you focus your search for information. You may not know how you will stand on an issue until you have examined the evidence. You will likely begin your research with a working, preliminary or tentative thesis, which you will continue to refine until you are certain of where the evidence leads.

• The thesis statement is typically located at the end of your opening paragraph.
• The function of the thesis is to
  • Establish a claim to control & focus the entire paper
  • Provide unity & sense of direction
  • Specify to the reader the point of the research

Attributes of a Good Thesis Statement

• It should take on a subject upon which reasonable people could disagree.
• It should deal with a subject that can be adequately investigated given the nature of the assignment.
• It should express one main idea.
• It should assert your conclusions about a subject.
• It should not state the obvious, Example: Cancer is a life threatening disease.
• See how to develop a thesis at http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/thesis_state…

Examples of Thesis statements

• Health care in America is for the rich, causing our poor infant mortality rate.
• Menopause has a detrimental affect on the marital relationship.
• Making prostitution legal would decrease the spread of STIs.

Checklist for the Final Thesis

1. Does the thesis express your position in a full, declarative statement that is not a question, not a statement of purpose, & not merely a topic?
2. Does it limit the subject to a narrow focus that grows out of research?
3. Does it establish and investigation, interpretation, or theoretical presentation?
4. Does it point forward to your findings and a discussion of the implications in your conclusion?