Topic Ideas & Background Info - SOC415: Senior Seminar - Yang

Using a Concept Map to Brainstorm

What is a Concept Map?

Sample:

Blank Concept Map

Sociological Abstracts Classification Scheme

Sociological Abstracts is a library resource (which our library does not subscribe to) that abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. This resource provides us with a classification scheme for sociological concepts. This classification scheme is represented below. It will help you think in terms of broader umbrella topics and narrower sub-topics. Go through this list, and imagine sub-topics that would fit under these broader umbrellas that you might be interested in. Once you start thinking about the broader topic areas that sociologists study, it will help you start to think of how that might relate to narrower topics you would want to study.

Here's an example from Prof. Fic's work when she was an undergrad Anthro/Soc major.

Broad topic area:	group interactions
Sub-topic:	social group identity
My topic idea:	ethnic festivals as a way for "hyphenated" Americans to express their ethnic identity
My research question:	How do Hungarian-Americans use the annual Hungarian Festival held in New Brunswick, NJ to create and maintain their ethnic identity?
My hypothesis:	New Jersey's Hungarian-American community creates and maintains its Hungarian identity by consuming traditional ethnic foods, goods, and experiences at the annual Hungarian Festival held in New Brunswick each June.

methodology and research technology
- methodology (conceptual & epistemological)
- research methods/tools
- statistical methods
- models: mathematical & other
- computer methods, media, & applications
sociology: history and theory
- of professional interest (teaching sociology)
- history & present state of sociology
- theories, ideas, & systems
- macrosociology: analysis of whole societies
- comparative & historical sociology
social psychology
- interaction within (small) groups (group processes, space use, leadership, coalitions, & teamwork)
- personality & social roles (individual traits, social identity, adjustment, conformism, & deviance)
- cognitive/interpretive sociologies, symbolic interactionism, & ethnomethodology
- life cycle & biography
group interactions
- social group identity & intergroup relations (groups based on race & ethnicity, age, & sexual orientation)
- refugees
culture and social structure
- culture (kinship, forms of social organization, social cohesion & integration, & social representations
- social anthropology
complex organization
- jobs, work organization, workplaces, & unions
- military sociology
- bureaucratic structure/organizational sociology
- social network analysis
- sociology of business & entrepreneurism
- voluntary associations/philanthropy
social change and economic development
- social change & economic development
- market structures & consumer behavior
- capitalism/socialism - world systems
mass phenomena
- social movements
- public opinion
- communication
- collective behavior
- sociology of leisure/tourism
- popular culture
- transportation systems & behaviors
- sociology of sports
political sociology/interactions
- interactions between societies, nations, & states
- sociology of political systems, politics, & power
- welfare state
- nationalism
social differentiation
- social stratification/mobility
- sociology of occupations & professions
- generations/intergenerational relations
rural sociology and agriculture
- rural sociology (village, agriculture)
urban sociology
- urban sociology
sociology of language and the arts
- sociology of language/sociolinguistics
- sociology of art (creative & performing)
- sociology of literature
sociology of education
- sociology of education
sociology of religion
- sociology of religion
social control
- sociology of law
- police, penology, & correctional problems
sociology of science
- sociology of science
- sociology of technology
demography and human biology
- demography (population studies)
- human biology/sociobiology
- genetic engineering/reproductive biotechnology
the family and socialization
- sociology of the child
- adolescence & youth
- sociology of sexual behavior
- sociology of the family, marriage, & divorce
- socialization
- birth control (abortion, contraception, fertility, & childbearing)
- sociology of death & dying
sociology of health and medicine
- social psychiatry (mental health)
- sociology of medicine & health care
- substance use/abuse & compulsive behaviors (drug abuse, addiction, alcoholism, gambling, eating disorders, etc.)
social problems and social welfare
- social gerontology
- sociology of crime
- social work & welfare services
- juvenile delinquency
- social service programs/delivery systems
- victimology (rape, family violence, & child abuse)
- sociological practice (clinical & applied)
sociology of knowledge
- sociology of knowledge
- history of ideas
community/regional development
- sociology of communities & regions
policy, planning, forecasting
- planning & forecasting
- social indicators
- policy sciences
- negotiation, dispute settlements
- sociology of ethics & ethical decision making
radical sociology
- Marxist & radical sociologies
- critical sociology
environmental interactions
- environmental interactions
- disaster studies
- social geography
- famine, hunger, & malnutrition
studies in poverty
- studies in poverty
- homelessness
studies in violence
- studies in violence
- terrorism
- genocide
feminist/gender studies
- feminist studies
- sociology of gender & gender relations

Sources for Basic and Background Information in Sociology and Related Fields

Encyclopedia of Sociology
This classic reference has been updated to reflect many changes in society and in the field of sociology in recent years. Articles cover core issues such as race, poverty, violence, economics, pregnancy and abortion. Include new topics such as the Internet, privacy and epidemiology.
21st Century Sociology
Provides a concise overview of modern sociology. Focuses on the corpus of knowledge garnered in traditional areas of sociological inquiry, as well as documents the general orientation of the newer and currently emerging areas of sociological inquiry.
The Encyclopedia of Social and Cultural Anthropology
Publication Date: 2010
Written by leading scholars in the field, this comprehensive and readable resource gives anthropology students a unique guide to the ideas, arguments and history of the discipline. Combining anthropological theory and ethnography, it includes 275 substantial entries, over 300 short biographies of important figures in anthropology, and nearly 600 glossary items.
Encyclopedia of Social Problems
Provides as comprehensive an approach as possible to this multifaceted field, utilizing experts from numerous disciplines. These subject areas include anthropology, biology, business, chemistry, communications, criminal justice, demography, economics, education, environmental studies, geography, health, history, languages, political science, psychology, social work, sociology, and women's studies.
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Economics and Society
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Economics and Society emphasizes the contemporary world, contemporary issues, and society. Features: 4 volumes with approximately 800 articles organized A-to-Z. A thematic Reader's Guide in the front matter groups related entries. Articles conclude with References & Future Readings to guide students to the next step on their research journeys.
Encyclopedia of Race and Racism
In more than 1800 pages of alphabetical entries, each ranging from 500 to 12000 words, The Encyclopedia Of Race And Racism, 2nd Edition provides critical information and context on the underlying social, economic, geographical, and political conditions that, gave rise and continue to foster racism. Religion, political economy, social activism, health, concepts, and constructs are explored. Given the increasingly diverse population of the US and the rapid effects of globalization, as well as mass and social media, the issue of race in world affairs, history, and culture is of preeminent importance, and this work is designed to bring vetted and accessible facts and analysis to experts and students as well as lay readers.
Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History in America by Marc Stein (Editor)
Publication Date: New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004
A three-volume survey of more than 400 years of lesbian and gay history and culture in the United States, presented through over 500 alphabetically arranged entries. Coverage includes people, public policy, economics, social issues, identities, and culture, among many others.
Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender by Fedwa Malti-Douglas (Editor)
Publication Date: Detroit: Macmillan, 2007
Addresses issues of sex and gender at the personal and the social level; examines issues of identity, status, class, ethnicity, race, and nation; of sexuality and the body; of social institutions and the structures of representation. Topics include changing conceptions of "the feminine," the family and masculinity, religion, morality, cultural images, medical practice, public health, economy and society and many more.
The Cambridge Dictionary of Sociology
Providing an authoritative and comprehensive overview of the classical and the contemporary, this is an indispensable guide to the vibrant and expanding field of sociology. Over 600 entries, from concise definitions to discursive essays, written by leading international academics, the Dictionary offers a global perspective, examining both American and European traditions and approaches. Entries cover schools, theories, theorists and debates, with weighty articles on all key topics in the field.
The Concise Encyclopedia of Sociology
This concise encyclopedia contains over 800 entries from the whole breadth of the discipline Distilled from the Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, with entries completely revised and updated to provide succinct and up-to-date coverage of the fundamental topics.Each entry includes references and suggestions for further reading.
The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology
This edition of Allan G. Johnson's one-volume sociology dictionary includes 75 new entries, as well as an expanded biographical section, extensive revisions and updates, and a more thorough cross-referencing. Written by a sociologist, it is aimed primarily at students.