Sociology project topics????

Suggestions for Project Work 1. PUBLIC TRANSPORT 2. ROLE OF COMMUNICATION MEDIA IN SOCIAL LIFE 3. HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND DOMESTIC WORK 4. THE USE OF PUBLIC SPACE 5. CHANGING ASPIRATIONS OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS 6. THE ‘BIOGRAPHY’ OF A COMMODITY INTERVIEWS An interview is different from a survey in that it is always conducted in person and usually involves much fewer persons (as few as 5, 20, or 40, usually not much more than that). Interviews may be structured, that is, follow a pre-determined pattern of questions or unstructured, where only a set of topics is pre-decided, and the actual questions emerge as part of a conversation. Interviews may be more or less intensive, in the sense that one may interview a person for a long time (2-3 hours) or in repeated visits to get a really detailed version of their story. Interviews have the advantage of being flexible in that promising topics may be pursued in greater detail, questions may be refined or modified along the way, and clarifications may be sought. The disadvantage of the interview method is that it cannot cover a large number of people and is limited to presenting the views of a select group of individuals. OBSERVATION Observation is a method where the researcher must systematically watch and record what is happening in whatever context or situation that has been chosen for the research. This sounds simple but may not always be easy to do in practice. Careful attention has to be paid to what is happening without pre-judging what is relevant to the study and what is not. Sometimes, what is not happening is as important or interesting as what does actually happen. For example, if your research question is about how different classes of people use specific open spaces, then it is significant that a given class or group of people (say poor people, or middle class people for example) never enter the space, or are never seen in it. COMBINATIONS OF MORE THAN ONE METHOD You can also try to combine methods to approach the same research question from different angles. In fact, this is often highly recommended. For example, if you are researching the changing place of mass media sources like newspapers and television in social life, you could combine a survey with archival methods. The survey will tell you about what is happening today, while the archival methods might tell you about what magazines, newspapers or television programmes were like in the past. 7.2 POSSIBLE THEMES AND SUBJECTS FOR SMALL RESEARCH PROJECTS Here are some suggestions about possible research topics; you can always choose other topics in consultation with your teachers. Remember that these 2020-21 RESEARCH TYPE OF RESEARCH METHOD / TECHNIQUE TOPIC / AREA OBSERVATION SURVEY Modes of Modes of Opinions on Public Transport; behaviour, changes over time; Local Railway or expected etiquette, experiences, Bus Station space sharing difficulties etc. Domestic Appliances Patterns of use; Attitudes/memories (Use of cooking fuel/ domestic division relating to mode; fan, cooler, ac; of labour; different type iron; fridge; mixie...) gender aspects of appliances Use of Public Observe how Opinions of Spaces (roadside, comparable open a cross-section of empty land, etc) spaces are used people on different in different uses of specific localities public spaces . Changing Aspirations Not suitable Boys and Girls of School Children Adults of different at different ages generations (e.g. Classes 5, 8, 11) (from memory) Place of the means of Watch how How much communication people use mobile TV do different in social life phones in public – kind of people (from mobile what place do watch, and what are phones to these devices have their preferred satellite TV) in their lives? programmes? TYPE OF RESEARCH METHOD / TECHNIQUE COMMENTS / ARCHIVAL INTERVIEWS SUGGESTIONS Newspaper and Views of regular Suitable other sources vs. occasional only for for history users; men vs. biggish of change women etc. cities? Advertisement How do Boys to be patterns for different type of encouraged to different kinds people respond to do this; should not of appliances specific appliances? become a ‘girl’s topic’ What were the Do people of Best to take different uses to different social familiar, specific which a particular classes, groups have places that space was put over different views on people know about the years? use of space? and relate to Depends on Talk to one Interviewees availability of group about their should not material from the own evolution; be from past (such as school or talk to different own school essays on this subject) age groups Analysis of . What do people Try not to media coverage feel about the pre-judge the and content on decline of the issue any current letter writing (e.g. it is so issue of after the coming sad that letter writing interest of phones? has declined) – ask, don’t tell.