Sociology316 Mental Health and The Community Research Paper
Mental Health and The Community Research Paper
Option 3: Literature Review and Community Based Research
Sociology 316 – Mental Health and Society
Research Project Guidelines For Option 3: Literature Review and Community Based Research
This option is a two-part assignment (literature review and community research). For this option you must choose a particular focus for your project (a few examples listed below, but I am open to any topic) and do a search of the literature related to your special topic. You should find a minimum of 3 scholarly journal articles that are sociological and connected to your topic. You may not use literature from the psychiatric or medical journals or from books. Rather, you should work on finding articles by navigating the sociological literature (let me know if I can be helpful!). This is a process that you should begin early.
The second part of this assignment will involve researching community services that might be available to address the topic that you choose.
Getting Started: Select a Topic and Search for the Literature
Conduct a search of the academic literature and locate three sociological (I will post a short video about how to check this) articles that connect to your topic.
Our research librarian for the social sciences, Diane Kain ([email protected]) is a wonderful resource to students if you feel you might need some guidance getting started. Be sure that you contact Toni plenty early since she will want to set aside some time to familiarize you with searching our databases for scholarly literature.
I am here to help you at anytime as well. We can set a meeting on campus to search the literature or an online meeting if your computer has a camera J.
Research Local Community Resources that Address Your Topic
What would you do if you, or a loved one had a mental health crisis? How would you access practical and meaningful support? As you search for community resources, please keep your critical thinking skills fine tuned! Remember all that you have learned in my class thus far about how mental health issues are addressed in the psychiatric community. Find resources, but don’t forget to raise questions! Details about what to include in your paper are below.
Write Your Paper!
The paper itself should include the following sections:
1. Introduction:
Introduce the topic you have chosen and provide a brief explanation of why you chose this.
2. Sociological Framework:
Outline your topic with a brief, sociological framework. What are the sociological questions you should ask before launching into a study about this topic? In your framework discussion, try to link to course material and themes to introduce your topic.
3. Literature Review Introduction:
You should provide a short review/introduction of the three academic articles that you found. First, briefly introduce each article by discussing what each article is about. What are the authors interested in learning or discussing?
4. Findings:
Synthesize your review into a response to the following questions:
a. According to the literature, what is the extent of this problem? Whom and how many are affected by it?
b. Define the causes of the problem according to the literature you chose. This section must include theories and research findings on why the problem exists.
c. What are the effects, or consequences of the problem? This section should include research findings on the effects on individuals, communities and on the larger society.
d. What are the interventions and prevention programs addressed in the literature that try to help those facing the social problem? What does the literature say about how these interventions are working? In other words, what does the literature say about how to make things better? Recommendations?
5. Community Services:
Research local community resources that might provide support for the topic you have chosen. For example, if you are researching the issue of aging and mental health, your task will be to locate services that might address the needs of this particular group. Or, if you chose to research mental illness and poverty, you will need to find services that are available to the poor and uninsured. Describe the resources you found and how you found them. Find out as much as you can about how a person in distress might access some of the resources you found. What are the requirements? Does a person need to have insurance to access services? What steps would a person or their family member need to take to access services? What are the costs? What limitations did you find when seeking services connected to your topic? Did it seem there were ample services available?
These are just a few suggestions when searching for and learning about community resources. Just do your best to learn as much as possible about particular organizations. As you search for community resources, be sure that you are thinking and writing critically. Raise questions and consider the reality of seeking help for some people. Please don’t forget what you are learning in my course as you discuss these resources!
Finally, raise sociological questions about the resources you located. Using your critical thinking skills and growing sociological understanding of mental health and illness, what questions should we consider before accessing such resources?
6. Conclusion:
Discuss your findings in the literature and in the community using a sociological perspective. I urge you to reflect upon the topics and issues we have discussed in class and use them to frame your discussion of sociology. Describe how this research process has deepened your understanding of the topic. Be sure that you stay grounded in a sociological discussion and that you don’t “psychologize” or individualize in your conclusion. Rather you should reflect upon how a sociological perspective broadens our understanding of mental health and illness and your chosen topic.
7. References:
Include a reference page using ASA, APA or MLA formatting
(https://biblio.csusm.edu/guides/citations)
Also, for each of your academic, sociological references, please explain how you know the article is sociological – what is the author(s) affiliated university and department, for example (remember, this means that at least one author must have a background in sociology).
Paper Formatting
Please be sure that your paper is free from all grammatical, spelling and structural errors. You may lose points if your paper does not flow, or is difficult to read due to such errors. I urge you to contact the Writing Center on campus if you think you may have difficulties in this area. If you are able to prepare your paper early, they can offer proofreading for you.
Formatting Guidelines:
• One inch margins • 12 point font • Double spaced • Left Centered • Arial or Times New Roman font only • Number the pages • Be sure that all sources are cited correctly using formatting of your choice (be consistent throughout your paper) • 8-12 pages (please number your pages) Helpful Tips and Ideas
You are ALWAYS welcome to e-mail me with examples of the literature that you found and I can tell you if you are on the right track (cut and paste the entire citation into an e-mail and send it. Please don’t e-mail a link only).
Your topic can be about any aspect of mental health and illness but bear in mind that you will need to discuss the issue sociologically. Some ideas from past student papers include:
The connections between mental health and illness and:
• Homelessness • Poverty • Work • Gender Norms and Masculinity/Femininity • Military/Law Enforcement • Post Partum Depression • Suicide • Aging • Youth • Foster Youth • Gang Involvement • Marketing and Social Construction of Mental Health and Illness • Deviance/Labeling • Rape and mental health implications • PTSD in a contemporary context
These are ideas, but certainly not an exhaustive list. Be sure to talk to me about your ideas as some are very tough to research using a sociological perspective. I am here to support your efforts in any way possible.
Collepals.com Plagiarism Free Papers
Are you looking for custom essay writing service or even dissertation writing services? Just request for our write my paper service, and we'll match you with the best essay writer in your subject! With an exceptional team of professional academic experts in a wide range of subjects, we can guarantee you an unrivaled quality of custom-written papers.
Get ZERO PLAGIARISM, HUMAN WRITTEN ESSAYS
Why Hire Collepals.com writers to do your paper?
Quality- We are experienced and have access to ample research materials.
We write plagiarism Free Content
Confidential- We never share or sell your personal information to third parties.
Support-Chat with us today! We are always waiting to answer all your questions.
