SOC 776/978
WRITING SOCIOLOGY
B. Nadya Jaworsky
Room 3.59
Consultation Hours:
Tuesdays 14.00-15.00
or by appointment

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
•Gun control
•Abortion rights
•Freedom of Speech
•Voting
•Education
•

Why do we review literatures?
•To map the field or fields relevant to the inquiry (historical development, empirical/theoretical
bases, key figures/texts, major debates) •To establish which studies, ideas and/or methods are most
pertinent to the specific research being undertaken •To create the warrant for the research
(identifying gaps, bringing the separate together, speaking to a particular debate or puzzle) •To
identify the particular contribution your research will make
•

BUT it is not just a review or “laundry list”
We are “narrating” the literatures (plural)
•How much do we know about the topic?
•What is the best available info and why?
•What methods have researchers used? Are they effective?
•What data are available?
•What are the main conclusions?
•What is missing? What can you discover?
•How will readers benefit from your contribution?
•
•

How to understand
working with literatures
•Writing as discursive social practice – What is your academic climate? •Writing as dialogic – Is
your work lively and pleasurable to read; does it engage the reader in a conversation? •Writing as
text/identity work – “The practices of academic writing produce simultaneously a scholar and a
text.” Learning to write with authority
•

Mapping the field of literatures
Getting Started
•I turn now to what is already known about _________________.
•I look first at why, according to the literatures, _________________, and I detail the
__________________ that has resulted.
•I note the minimal focus on __________________ relative to other research and the limited work
which foregrounds ________________________. It is this gap to which I am to contribute.

Mapping the field of literatures
•I turn now to what is already known about dogs as pets. I look first at why, according to the
literatures, some dog breeds are seen as compatible with humans and others are too aggressive, and
I detail the data collection practices that have resulted. I note the minimal focus on the role of
dogs as companions that are “fun” relative to other research and the limited work which foregrounds
the structures of meaning underlying pet selection and ownership. It is this gap to which I am to
contribute.

Mapping the field of literatures – Part II
•The study builds on and contributes to work in ________________ .
•Although studies in _____________ have examined ____________ there has not been an
__________________.
•As such, this study provides additional insight into _____________ .
•The analytic focus on ________ enables another contribution.
•This study analyses __________________________________ .
•Although numerous studies ( ) have identified ____________ ,
•little analytic attention has been paid to _________________ .
•I address this issue by demonstrating __________________ .

Mapping the field of literatures- Part II
•The study builds on and contributes to work in the study of dogs as pets. Although studies in pet
ownership have examined the role of aggressiveness as a measure of suitable companionship and
ownership of dogs, there has not been a sustained engagement with why people choose to have dogs as
pets. As such, this study provides additional insight into the ways in which “fun” represents an
important factor in assessing a particular dog breed’s suitability as a pet. The analytic focus on
cultural structures enables another contribution. This study analyses the ways in which pet owners
engage in the process of meaning making about their pets. Although numerous studies (Pavlov 1890;
Jones 1992; Smith 2007) have identified objective criteria (e.g. aggressiveness), little analytic
attention has been paid to how dogs can be “fun” pets. I address this issue by demonstrating that
pet ownership is an inherently cultural practice.

Tips for Searching
•Use Google Scholar - Transnational migration studies: Past developments and future trends [PDF]
from peggylevitt.org
…, BN Jaworsky - Annu. Rev. Sociol., 2007 - annualreviews.org •Abstract The past two decades have
witnessed a sea change in migration scholarship. Most  scholars now recognize that many
contemporary migrants and their predecessors maintain various kinds of ties to their homelands at
the same time that they are incorporated into the ... •Cited by 175 - Related articles - AONE Full
Text @ iCONN - BL Direct - All 14 versions
•Using Boolean Operators:
•http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa66AxTbjxA
•

NEXT WEEK
•REQUIRED READING:
•Turabian, Ch. 6-8, pp. 63-88. (25 pp.)
•SWG, YOUR CHOICE of Ch. 6 (Quantitative) or Ch. 7 (Ethnographic) (35 pp.)
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•HOMEWORK DUE IN CLASS: Topic, Research Q, 3-5 sources with Notes; preliminary elevator story

My elevator story
(90 seconds or less)
•
•I am working on the problem of (state your question). •I think I can show that (state your
hypothesis) because (state your reasons). •My best evidence is (summarize your evidence).
•