I suggest you all look through these questions and answers. Many are general and might give you some insight into difficulties you're having thinking about your own topic. I'll keep adding to this as I get more questions.

Question: Why do men seem more stigmatized by the welfare system and charity? 

(Or phrased another way, does welfare stigma vary by gender (gender is a variable, in this case independent, male/female are dimensions, welfare stigma is an independent variable, whose meaning would need some clarification)

To investigate this theoretical question I will need to study if and how the poor are stigmatized and why our society is embarrassed by poverty (good, Erving Goffman has a book titled 'Stigma,' which you might find interesting. This is something that symbolic interactionist theory should have lots to say on. Rosemary might have some leads for you). 

I will also be looking critically at gender roles in society and how and why men are (said to be--that's what we like to call 'anecdotal') less likely to “ask for directions” or help (are you getting at masculinity here?). 

I have a feeling that my study of this theory will lead me to the basis of society as a patriarchal class system (lots of good feminist theory, Allan Johnson's work on patriarchy ['the gender knot'] and the study of privilege systems ['power and privilege'] come to mind). 

I may find that some theories apply to my question.  One that might come into play is the theory that discusses how the structure (middle class, white male) of class is a determinant factor in the order of things (Marx). Then you'll want to check out feminists who use Marx.  The theory that discusses how institutions are controlling our lives (Durkheim) may also come into play as welfare systems are generally run at state and governmental levels are have many requirements and stigmas attached to them. I would say Weber might have more to say on that than Durkheim. Durkheim was arguing generally for a separate social science to deal with these external influences, but Weber goes into much greater theoretical detail.

Erving Goffman. 1963. Stigma. Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

How does gender influence wage for teachers and administrative positions in education?

Some things that I could test are:

1. How much does each position make on average? (Use national statistical data of public schools)
2. How much does each gender make on average in both positions?(Use national statistical data of public schools)
3. How does this correlate to the overall average of each position?(Use national statistical data of public schools)
4. How many male/female at each position?(Use national statistical data of public schools)
5. What is the ratio between the two?(Use national statistical data of public schools)

I hope this is what you were looking for, if not right me back and I will resubmit my question.

I think the Chronicle of Higher Education may be your starting point here. I'm sure we have it in the library, and some of it is available online. They may only cover higher ed positions, but it's a starting point. Or simply ask someone in the ed college where to look. Keep in mind--your job here is not to actually do the test, but to examine the relevant theory, you do need to make the empirical case that gender differences exist. Then you will look for theory that helps you explain why they exist. What you've laid out here is the first part of that, and I'm sure there are reams of statistics that will make the case for you, so all you have to do is find them, report them, and verify that there aren't any 'counterfactuals' or conflicting empirical evidence.

Term Paper Question:

Is the gender difference in working wages decreasing in the American society?

-Or-

Is there becoming more gender equality for average working wages in American society today?

• I want to know if there is more equality for women, in order to see how much advantage or disadvantage I may have, as a woman, when I enter the
  work force with my degree.
• I also want to know if there is still a large gap in average pay per year for women compared to men in this American society.
• I plan to research average working wages for men and women and compare and contrast them.
• I plan to create two time-line's, or charts, that show first women's wages in American societies history to present, and second, men's wages.
• I plan to compare the wages of men and women through history to present and find the pay difference on each marker of the time-line.
• Finally I plan to find the average pay difference throughout history and the average pay difference at the present date.

It looks like a decent topic. Are you going to look across all kinds of occupations? Stick with things closer to your own career aspirations? In other words, what's your sample? Now, this isn't methods class, so you don't have to do an actual study. I'm more interested in you exploring first, whether there is gender inequity in pay, second, how it expresses itself, and third, how does relevant social theory try to explain it (and here is where you'd get into whether it may be increasing or decreasing)?

Does that (hopefully) clarify a bit what I'm looking for?

The question I would like to study is: Are prisons overcrowded?

I chose this topic because I plan to work in a prison eventually and I thought this would be an interesting topic related to my feild. I plan on visiting prisons in Eastern Oregon so I would be able to tie this question into the rest of my research. I have many other resources that will also help me determine the answer to my question.

Hmmm . . . what kinds of prisons? State? Federal? County jails? Private? Does overcrowding vary by state (for instance, Texas takes prisoners from all over the U.S., where capacity is lacking)? What is overcrowding and how do you know when you have it? So you need to come up to speed on issues related to overcrowding, but then you need to get into the theory part: If some prisons are overcrowded, which ones, and why? This could get into levels of incarceration (very high in the U.S. versus other countries), crimes (lots of petty drug stuff, and the three strikes laws have been a big factor in some states), there was also a flush of prison construction in the 1990s. I would imagine you would find a strong racial dimension (blacks incarcerated at higher rates for the same crimes, serving longer sentences). Some key search terms might include corrections, criminology or social theory, prison overcrowding, etc. Find yourself a good review of theory (here's one, I don't know how good it is, and another from the feds [but in the 90s]), and use the bibliography to death.

The question that I want to ask will focus on fashion and how it is defined by society. I have an idea of what question I want to ask for my term project, but I would like some help with it. I think my question will be: What dictates fashions in different societies? I think that the question might be too broad and it would be hard to say one thing for all societies. I really liked the reading on fashion and if it defines us in our groups in our society or as a person. I have found a few readings in our book about fashion and what sort of role it might play in our lives and how society plays a role.

Your question gets at it, maybe better than 'how it is defined,' but rather, 'who defines it?' And what kinds of fashion? Personal adornments, clothes, jewelry, hair styles, etc.? Cars, furniture, etc.? Lots of stuff on advertising and media to look at. A functionalist approach (like Simmel's) might ask 'what is the [latent?] function of fashion? Advertising and propaganda research on the media will focus on the psychology of persuasion. Marx might focus on the concept of 'commodity fetishism.'

Do we follow our own moral beliefs or is it society (for example family and religion) that has cemented these beliefs into our thoughts? How much do your family history and/or religion affect how you think? Do we really think for ourselves, step outside of the box, look at all sides of a problem, weigh the pros and cons and make a truly personal judgment? It's interesting to look at how moral ideas such as marriage, divorce, abortion , capital punishment and doctor-assisted suicide are reacted to by families and friends and communities. Do these influence our reactions? To fit in? Is it too hard to change old ideas that were set into our childhood as we grew up? To answer these questions I would begin by researching ideas on society views, opinions and religious beliefs. Talk to people with varying backgrounds, trying to figure out where these beliefs come from.

Well, remember, you don't need to to the actual research, but you could come up with some ways to test the theory or theories you identify and apply. You probably want to look into the concept of 'socialization.' You could look at anthropological research, which tends to focus more on culture, here's a link to some more sociological inquiry, and the symbolic interactionists (e.g., Herbert Blumer, George Herbert Mead), would be important to check out. Remember, there are many 'agents' of socialization--schools, family, TV and mass media, advertising, peer groups, etc. There are even neuropsychological interpretations of how people are socialized, if you're interested.

Why do the vast majority of Americans and people around the world take so little interset in their environment and the preservation of the environment? What and why are the 'powers that be' not making an issue out of the destruction of our environment? Does this have an effect on how people around the world perceive this issue? If people know about the destruction, why don't they care?

First, many of these are empirical questions. Maybe other people around the world do care about their environment. But which ones? Maybe the ones who have no choice but to live within the confines of their own ecosystem? Anthropologists study these issues, and Marvin Harris' theory of cultural materialism is a good one for exploring this. There was a survey done before the Rio Summit on global environmental attitudes (look for Riley Dunlap, one of the authors, it was a Gallup survey, I think). I also have a book that takes a more Marxist approach: Environment and Society, the enduring conflict (talks about the tension between economy and the environment, by Allen Schnaiberg and Kenneth Gould.

There are also theories of how to move forward to a 'post-carbon' world, for instance the thesis of 'technological modernization' from Mol and Spargaarten. Herman Daly and John Cobb are ecological economists who write about this in a book called 'For the Common Good.' All good stuff. Also E.F. Schumacher's book 'Small is Beautiful' is a classic (he's an economist, too).

On fashion: Why do we wear clothing that puts us into a certain 'class?' Is it to feel accepted by our peers? Is it to make a statement about ourselves as a single person (status, identity issues?)? I'm thinking of using Georg Simmel.

You've already stated an hypothesis: that clothing decisions help define class identity. Along with Simmel's piece, you might check out the two below (the second one will likely have a bibliography and a chapter on other theorists' works).

• Blumer, Herbert. 1969. Fashion: From Class Differentiation to Collective Selection, in: Sociological Quarterly 10, pp. 275-291
• McCracken, Grant. 1988.Culture and Consumption : New approaches to the symbolic character of consumer goods and activities, Bloomington: Indiana Univ. Press.

I plan to look at violent offenders and recividism rates, from the perspective of what issues may be addressed to lower the offender's pertinacity(?) to act out in a violent manner, and the effect this might have on community. I may begin with Durkheim.

Why with Durkheim (just asking)? So, are you suggesting that recidivism (re-incarceration for other convictions) is higher among violent offenders (and how is violence defined? Are all forms of sexual assault included)? You should be able to find some empirical evidence to support this, and then you probably go about asking why? One obvious thing you may want to do is to look for studies that focus on gender differences. Here's an interesting resource from the wiki people. Some clever detective work might make this link useful to you.

Try to formulate a specific question, that addresses things at the variable level.

Why are native languages of minority groups being destroyed by dominant languages in the United States?

Well, I think you'll likely be looking at anthropological theory here. Claude Levi-Strauss was one of the eminent scholars of language. And you quote Stephen Moore in your write-up. Is it this Stephen Moore? There is lots of ideology in Moore's work, be careful about using it next to credible, respected social scientists. However, it does represent the "English only" point of view well (Here's a different take). Now, if you're focusing on Native American languages, that would seem different, but just be aware of your sources and their sources.

There are resources that may look more at indigenous populations around the world than Native Americans, but the process of losing a language may not be that different in Oregon or Brazil or Papua New Guinea. Here's a listserv with some sources. Also, check out the UN organization UNESCO. Here are some links to groups studying and taking action. A Marxian approach seems useful--how can a country's economy function with so many different languages in a globalizing world? Weber would probably put this in the context of rationalization (how can a global market economy function efficiently in multiple languages?). Theories on globalization would also be enlightening. Here's a background article from Harper's magazine. Here's a bibliography. Remember, though, you're trying to explain the process, right? So don't get mired in the statistics, use them to make your case, and then find a theory that is useful for thinking about why this is happening.

Do men attempt suicide more often than women in the U.S.?

Okay, what are the possible answers to your question? Yes or no? Maybe you should work on reformulating it, so that it lends itself to theoretical exploration. Does gender influence suicide attempts? Are you still also looking at 'success' and possible differences between attempts and success, as perhaps explicable in terms of the methods chosen (and then, are there gender differences in the methods chosen)? Is that what 'completers' are? f you are looking at gender differences here, you're probably heading into feminist theory, patriarchy, masculinity. There is also the issue of age here--theoretically isn't it likely that people at different life stages consider suicide for different reasons? What about repeat attempts? Inclination to try counseling or other intervention services? ARe women or men more likely to call suicide hotlines? You see how a study of age would be, theoretically, quite different (e.g., think of Oregon's 'death with dignity' act)? So if you're interested in 'bracketing' age and looking at a specific group, try to specify that.

Durkheim would be fine. How would he discuss gender differences?

• Douglas, J. D. (1967) The Social Meanings of Suicide, Princenton: Princenton Universitary Press
• Stack, S. (2000) “Suicide: a 15-year review of the sociological literature. Part I: cultural and economic factors”, Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior, 30:145-62.

How does a soldier justify the killing of another human being in a time of war (or military conflict of some sort)?

You might find this discussion of motive enlightening. C. Wright Mills discusses the 'vocabulary of motive.' We all have reasons we give for why we do things, even things society might consider nasty (and Iraqis no doubt, as well as many Americans, consider murder even in a military setting nasty). Weber would be useful for understanding military hierarchy, bureaucracy. There is also a clear propaganda element here. Here's an interesting article from CS Monitor. Then there's always Stanley Milgram and research into obedience.

These theorists don't necessarily contradict each other, remember. For instance, Milgram may talk about the role of coercion and how it affects obedience. Weber talks about the specific organizational mechanisms most likely to effect high levels of obedience.

Why can't women be equal to men?

What kind of equality? Political? Economic? Social? In what societies/cultures? You probably want to be more specific on that, remembering that you're not actually doing a study, but trying to explain gender inequalities, where you find them? For instance, you'll find higher rates of inequality in developing vs industrialized countries (based on most measures of equality). That could also be a question. You'll likely be looking at feminist theory. Allan Johnson's book on Power and Privilege, or the Gender Knot, would both be worth checking out.

Maybe a different way of looking at this is, 'what impedes greater gender inequality?' Which really gets back to how to explain gender inequalities. There are Marxist feminists who do this work. The concept of patriarchy will be critical. Even Weber talks about domination and different authority types, and could be used to help explain (I think that chapter is in our reader). Just keep in mind, you're trying to get at explaining why it exists, more than how it manifests itself. The second part is important in understanding why it exists, but the why should be the central focus of the inquiry.