Research project paper – 35 points:

1.  Racial/ethnic/religion group selection: Select from the list below one racial/ethnic/religion group you wish to study for your research project. Either choose a group in which you have a connection or are simply interested. I advise you to choose a group which has a presence in the community in which you reside, so that you may be able to access community organizations which represent the group. In your project report explain your reasons for choosing this group.

2.  Literature review: Conduct a literature review of sociology sources (find at least 3 sources outside of the textbooks) uncovering what sociology tells us about the group, in terms of their history, their past and current status in the US in the following areas:

Provide a detailed exploration of these issues in your report.

(Optional - Data gathering through interviews: if there is an organization which represents this group, either culturally or politically, you may wish to interview members of this group to gather some of this information).

3.  Conclusion: In your report, provide some of your conclusions and/or recommendations about this group and its future in the US, based on your research.

4.  Learnings: Finally briefly explain in your report what have you learned about yourself conducting this research.

With the exception of item 4), all written sections of this project should be written using academic style, e.g. writing with 3^rd person and providing appropriate referencing and bibliography.

Research project class presentation – 15 points:

A presentation is to be made to class of your findings. You must engage the class in an interactive exercise by which they can learn about this group; you are not simply to provide a lecture style presentation. The presentation should be approx. 30 to 45 minutes in length. Be prepared to moderate a discussion about this group.