Option #1) explain and evaluate a sociological theory or body of research relevant to media and elections, and provide a literature review of the theory and/or research in question
For this essay choose a specific scholarly theory or body of research on a specific issue or question regarding media, elections, and social processes. Examples of theories might include, the theory of agenda setting, the theory of source credibility, or the theory of opinion leaders. Examples of bodies of research might include “do negative campaign ads depress voter turnout?” or “can social media increase voter turnout?” Find a coherent body of research and scholarship on your topic (i.e., where later research tends to cite the earlier research), and write an explanation and summary of the existing research. Your essay should clearly explain the core questions, theories, methods, and controversies associated with the topic, and come to a conclusion about the current state of the research (e.g., that the scholarship is pretty conclusive, or that the scholarship really has not yet proven anything and more research is needed.) There is no minimum number of articles required; the requirement is to find all relevant scholarship on your topic, however many pieces that may be. If you only have four articles, you are probably not looking hard enough. If you have over fifty, your topic is probably too broad.
Guidelines:
1) stick to peer reviewed, scholarly publications. (If you do not know how to identify peer reviewed scholarship, see me, and I’ll help you out.)
2) choose a topic that is narrow enough that you can reasonably cover ALL of the relevant scholarship. “Framing in news” is much too broad. “Framing effects of social media in the 2012 Presidential race” is more manageable.
3) Do not simply list the different articles you find. You should explain how they all fit together, as in a literature review. Organize your essay according to themes, theories, and/or methods ACROSS the scholarship, not article-by-article or book-by-book. For example: "Many scholars claim negative TV ads depress voter turnout (Smith, 2003; Goldberg, 2005; Smertz, 1999). Others disagree (Smootz, 2000) and claim there are positive effects as well (Smeetz, 2001)." DO NOT write "Smith (2003) says negative ads depress voter turnout. . . . Goldberg (2005) also negative ads suppress voter turnout . . ." and so forth.
4) Distinguish between your reaction to a text and what it actually argues. “I agreed with this article” is not relevant. You should explain the argument and approach of the readings in a way people of different views could appreciate.
5) If the research has conflicting results, or if there are unresolved scholarly controversies, explain them.