The Stuyvesant High School Online Course Guide

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Who should take this course?

Students interested in theories and methods of social science and students interested in submitting papers to the Intel Science Talent Search and other prestigious contests. This course is limited to Juniors in the Spring Term; Seniors in the Fall Term. HS7RA is a two-period a day class; HS7R5 is a one-period a day class which may be taken once or taken both in the Spring term of junior year and Fall term of senior year to facilitate students' research needs.

What will we be studying?

The semester will begin with readings and discussion of the various disciplines of social science: anthropology, economics, sociology, psychology, political science, and history. Readings may be drawn from Karl Marx, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, Michel Foucault, and others. We next look at some examples of research papers, paying special attention to the ways in which data and source materials are used in social science research and writing. Students will also begin to discuss their own paper topics.

Students will then learn ways of determining the state of research in various fields, including reviewing recent social science journals. Students will be expected to critique journal articles. The class may take a trip to a research library to become familiar with the available resources. During the weeks students are exploring data sources for their projects and reviewing the theoretical literature and other research relevant to their problems, the class will continue to read and discuss essays on various social science methodologies.

Other potential topics for investigation by the class include :

•Is there an objective reality?

•From what viewpoint is social reality best analyzed?

•Why is social science research important and necessary?

•The importance and use of theory in conducting research

•Quantitative methodology: statistical tools and when to use them

•Causality vs. correlation

•Generalizability

What will be expected of me?

Students will be required to define a research problem and propose a viable research plan. Those students planning to enter the Intel Science Talent Search or other contests will be expected to submit a research paper and completed application to the appropriate organizations.

How is the course taught?

Class discussion of readings. and individualized instruction. Students who are motivated to complete their project for submission to the Intel Science Talent Search competition will do research under the guidance of a professional social scientist. Students pursuing topics not appropriate for the Intel requirements are encouraged to pursue completion of their projects for submission to other prestigious contests.

Details and pre/co-requisites:

None. The 10 period technology lab requirement is met only upon the successful completion and timely submission of your research paper to Intel.