THE RULES OF SOCIOLOGICAL DISCUSSION/POLICY PAPERS

MODULE # 7

1. IN A SOCIOLOGICAL SENSE, THE TERM “POLICY” MEANS THE PRACTICAL AND IMPLEMENTABLE WAY(S) TO SOLVE A SOCIAL ISSUE/PROBLEM THROUGH ANALYTIC RESEARCH.

2. IN A SOCIOLOGICAL SENSE, ANALYTIC “RESEARCH” REQUIRES FINDING THE SOCIAL-STRUCTURAL CONTEXT THAT FRAMES THE ISSUES SYSTEMATICALLY AND ANALYTICALLY.

3. IN A SOCIOLOGICAL SENSE, “ANALYSIS” INVOLVES POSING WELL THOUGHT OUT QUESTIONS THAT ALLOW YOU TO ORGANIZE YOUR DATA IN A COMPREHENSIVE AND COHERENT PRESENTATION. (THEREFORE, QUESTIONS ARE NOT “GOOD” IN AND OF THEMSELVES; NOR ARE THEY “THE END” OF ANALYSIS; THEY ARE ONLY “THE BEGINNING”.}

4. IN A SOCIOLOGICAL SENSE, “DATA” IS THE USAGE =è IN THE FORM OF [A] EXAMPLES {EMPIRICAL/ ANTECDOTAL}, [B] STATISTICAL PATTERNS {RATES/POLES/CONTENT ANALYSIS/DEMOGRAPHICS}; [C] PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION {ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY/ INTERVIEWS}; AND [D] RESEARCH FINDINGS {ESTABLISHED BODY OF KNOWLEDGE/LITERATURE} =è THAT GROUNDS SCHOLARLY WORK AND GIVES THE BASELINE AND ANCHOR FOR A SOUND THESIS.

5. IN A SOCIOLOGICAL SENSE, A “THESIS” IS A CONCISE AND EXPLICIT AND CONTESTABLE ARGUMENT THAT ALLOWS FOR A “NECESSARY” ANGLE OF PENETRATION TO GET BENEATH THE TOUGH SURFACE OF A SOCIAL PROBLEM AND/OR SUBJECT THROUGH A SPECIFIC TOPIC.

6. IN A SOCIOLOGICAL SENSE, A “SUBJECT” INVOLVES AN AREA OR FIELD OF STUDY, AND A “TOPIC” INVOLVES A SPECIFIC THESIS ABOUT AN EXAMINABLE ISSUE(S) WITHIN THE FIELD. {SO A TOPIC IS NOT A GENERALIZATION OR AN ABSTRACTION ABOUT A SPECIFIC PHENONMENON THAT YOU CAN EITHER ACCEPT OR NOT ACCEPT. A TOPIC IS A NARROWLY FOCUSED AND CONTEXTUAL EXAMINATION OF SPECIFIC PHENOMENON THAT ADDRESSES SOCIAL ISSUES AND THEMES TO INFORM US ABOUT A SUBJECT. A TOPIC, THEREFORE, IS NOT A POLEMICAL ARGUMENT IT IS DEMONSTRABLE ARGUMENT.}

7. A “DEMONSTRABLE ARGUMENT” IS NOT MERELY AN ARGUMENT THAT ASSEMBLES OR RECITES FACTS OR DATA {AND OTHER USAGE}; IT IS AN ARGUMENT THAT USES DATA/USAGE TO GET TO THE “REASONS WHY” OR THE DEEP STRUCTURE OF A TOPIC.

~~ ALL IN ALL ~~

8. IN A SOCIOLOGICIAL SENSE, A “DISCUSSION/POLICY PAPER” REQUIRES THE ANALYTIC EXPLORATION OF A WELL-DEVELOPED THESIS ABOUT A TOPIC THAT IS GROUNDED BY AND ILLUMINATED THROUGH SYSTEMATIC RESEARCH OF THE DATA, IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE DEEP STRUCTURE OF SOCIAL ISSUES/PROBLEMS, AND ARRIVE AT SOUND POLICY SOLUTIONS/ RECOMMENDATIONS, AND SO, INFORM US ABOUT A LIFE SUBJECT AND THE SUBJECT OF LIFE {OR THE HUMAN CONDITION}.