Assignment
- First, read and discuss “The Psychology of Inequality” to understand people’s psychological reactions to inequality. Then, read and discuss “Same Difference” to learn about the complexities of understanding equality, different views of egalitarianism, and other political and philosophical views of this subject. We will cover both texts in the research discussions.
- Next, you will choose a specific focus for your research project that is of personal interest to you. Here, you should choose a focus that either directly impacts you as a person, or is an area you would like to explore in your career or personal life. For example, I grew up in an LGBTQ+ household, so I might like to research the legal progress that LGBTQ+ people have made in recent years to attain equal rights, and the legal challenges they still face.
- After that, you will craft your own unique research question that addresses a particular, narrowed focus about inequality (See Formulating a Research Question for more details).
For example, I might begin by asking the following broad question: - How have the legal progress and social acceptance of LGBTQ+ people transformed the mental health of this community and what legal and cultural barriers must still be broken?
- One of my former students narrowed their focus to the following specific research question:
- To what extent has the health care system met the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ youth?• One of my former students narrowed their focus to the following specific research Discussions question: Announcements • To what extent has the health care system met the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ youth? Then, you will conduct outside research accordingly, compose a detailed annotated bibliography (see Annotated Bibliography Guidelines) and write a persuasive paper that provides an extended answer to your research question. Your essay should also include an exploration of your personal relationship with this topic and why it is significant to you. Your essay should have a minimum of four (4) sources, including “Same Difference” OR “The Psychology of Inequality.” (Or any of the research presented in either article). In addition to your outside research that helps you answer your research question, your essay should discuss the relevance of the concepts discussed in “Same Difference” and/or “The Psychology of Inequality.” (Or any of the research presented in either article). For example, how do different views of inequality or egalitarianism relate to your argument? How does the psychology of people play a role in this problem?