SOCI 269
An Introduction to Quantitative Sociology
“Midterm” Assignment

Sakeef M. Karim
Amherst College

Basic Expectations

As noted in your syllabus, you are required to submit a “midterm”¹ assignment by Tuesday, April 8^th at 8:00 PM. For this assignment, you will—either individually or in groups of 2-3—submit a relatively complex data visualization using one of the data sources listed below; an annotated script file or Quarto/RMarkdown document featuring your underlying code; and a 5–10-page reflection memo (double-spaced) where you interpret your results and establish connections between your visualization and recent social scientific scholarship. Most of the scholarship you engage with should be quantitatively oriented.

To Reiterate

Most of the scholarship you engage with should be quantitatively oriented.

You Must Submit Two Separate Files

Please remember to submit:

1. The code you used to complete the assignment (i.e., as an .Rmd, .qmd or .R file).
2. A separate document—i.e., paper—featuring your results and exposition.

The Data

Broad Overview

You can work with the 2010 General Social Survey (henceforth, GSS); the American National Election Studies (henceforth, ANES) Cumulative File; or any of the data sets featured in Week 4 of this class. GSS and ANES files were prepared using the {gssr} and {anesr} packages in .

You can access these data through one of three channels:

1. By copying and pasting the script below directly into RStudio:

load(url("https://github.com/sakeefkarim/intro_quantitative_sociology/raw/refs/heads/main/data/assignments/midterm%20assignment/assignment-2.RData"))

2. By downloading the .RData file.

3. By cloning our companion GitHub repository.

Variables in the ANES Time Series

Note (Click to Expand or Close)

The Description and Text columns are scrollable.

Variables in the 2010 GSS

Structure of Paper

Introductory Section

In your introduction, state the central thesis of your paper with lucidity and precision. To wit, please clearly, succinctly, and cogently communicate the thrust of your argument. Introductory paragraphs should provide a brief summary of the literature you engage with and offer a clear roadmap for the paper: i.e., what are the key claims being made? How will different theoretical perspectives and conceptual frameworks be integrated? What is x, your phenomenon of analytic interest?

Hint? (Click to Expand or Close)

x should be directly related to your visualization.

What is the central puzzle, problem, or idea being addressed? Please resist the allure of grandiosity. Ancient philosophers and fables need not be invoked.

Visualization

You must embed your visualization directly within your main text. It should be placed after the Introduction, though the exact location is up to you. To orient the reader,² the visualization must have a detailed caption (e.g., Figure 1) clearly explaining what your plot seeks to convey.

Interpretation

Drawing on relevant social scientific research,³ carefully interpret the results of your visualization. Clearly articulate how your findings relate to (i.e., refine or complicate) extant understandings of x, your phenomenon of interest. Do your results offer novel or interesting insights? Are there any unexpected patterns that emerge, and if so, how can you account for them? Thoughtfully connect your interpretation to the broader literature, highlighting areas of convergence or disjuncture before clarifying what your graphic reveals about the sociological mechanisms animating x.

Conclusion

In concluding your brief essay, please restate the central arguments proferred in your text and discuss the limitations of your analysis.

Formatting Guidelines

You are free to prepare your “midterm” assignment in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, \LaTeX, RMarkdown or Quarto. Concretely, this means you can submit your short essay as a .docx file or as a . Your main text must be double-spaced and formatted in a 12-point font. Margins should be set to 1 inch on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right). You are free to use either an APA or ASA citation style to manage the references you include.

Zotero (Click to Expand or Close)

If you haven’t done so already, you may want to invest in Zotero to manage your citations.

A Note About Subheadings

You must use subheadings to organize your arguments.

Footnotes

1. It’s not exactly midterm anymore, but let’s pretend.

2. Me.

3. Again, most of the papers you engage with should be quantitatively oriented.