One of the core requirements of this course is writing a proposal for a deductive research project. In an effort to get you thinking about the paper, your paper topic and other preliminary information, is due by Friday, February 2nd at 11:59pm. To assist you in understanding the research paper, details are located in the “Research Paper Details” link to the left.
At this point you do not have the knowledge to write the paper, but submitting your paper topic now will allow you to experience course content through this lens and apply what we are learning. The topic should be an area of criminal justice you would be interested in conducting research. You will not have to do the research, you will only be writing a proposal/plan of how you would approach the research. There will be flexibility on the topic you choose and you may refine your topic as we move throughout the semester, but the further we move throughout the semester, the more work it will be to backtrack.
The submission should be approximately 1 page and should include:
1 – the general topic area (for example corrections, law enforcement, courts, juvenile delinquency, drugs). This should be an area of criminal justice that you are interested in. Believe me, it will make the paper more interesting if you choose a topic that will engage you. As stated above, you should be thinking about a deductive research project.
2 – the research question/hypothesis you would be interested in exploring. Examples of what this would look like:
• Are lower crime rates for females (compared to males) due to higher levels of compassion among females?
• Does a NARCAN dosage increase likelihood of participating in drug rehabilitation?
• Does Three Strikes Legislation deter crime?
3 – What do you expect you would find if you conducted this research? What is the expected relationship? What do expect the “causal relationship” be. This may be the area that becomes more refined or changes as you gather more information about your topic.
******* This introduction will be the “Statement of Problem” section in your final paper **********
1. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Brief introduction. Indicate what you want to study and why. What is it you wish to know or explain? Choose a topic that you know something about or that you are interested in. Keep it focused. Give enough information to draw the reader in, but not too much information that you give the story away.
