SOC 2270 – ARTICLE ANALYSIS 

Assignment Description

This assignment asks students to address a current family-related topic through a summary and critical analysis of a peer reviewed sociological journal article. This assignment requires you to utilize course concepts and theories, and become familiar with academic research using the College’s online databases.

Required Sources

1. One peer-reviewed sociological journal article from a reputable academic source published in the last 10 years and a minimum of 3 pages in length.

2. The 7th edition of The Family Dynamic (or similar source). This will provide you with key sociological concepts and theories to use in completing the assignment.

3. A Canadian news article (CBC, CTV, Global, The Globe and Mail, National Post, Lethbridge Herald, Edmonton Journal, etc.) published within the last year.

Assignment Guidelines

This assignment should be written in an essay format, should use the APA Style Guide (7th edition) and should be no more than 4 pages double spaced (not including title page and references). Your submission should be typed with 1-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font. Please include a cover page (including name, student ID #) and a properly formatted list of references with your submission.

Detailed Instructions

1. Introduce your family-related topic and relate it to a contemporary news article. Identify the situation or problem that is being reported in the news article, and why it is important.

2. Introduce an analysis of a relevant peer-reviewed sociological journal article into your discussion. Your article analysis should:

a) provide a brief summarize of your chosen article.

b) identify whether the article is quantitative or qualitative and what methods were used in the analysis.

c) discuss the purpose of the article and outline its key findings.

3. Relate your chosen journal article to material from the course textbook. In this section, you should:

a) Select one of the main sociological theories discussed in the textbook. First, define the theory and then explain how the main points of the theory apply to the issues from the research study in the article.

b) Clearly explain how concepts discussed within your article relate to those discussed in the chapters of the textbook.

4. Provide a concluding discussion relating the news article to the academic journal article. As part of this discussion, answer the following questions:

a) Do both sources offer a sociological perspective? Be sure to define what a “sociological perspective” is in your answer.

b) Do the two sources seem to support or contradict each other? As part of this discussion, identify one key take away message that came out of your analysis. Finally, identify an area of future research that would contribute to a better understanding of your chosen topic.

Grade Breakdown:

Part 1 = 1 point

Part 2 = 3 points
Part 3 = 2 points
Part 4 = 2 points

Spelling/Grammar/Formatting = 2 points

Total = 10 points (10% of your final grade)