Malkoun, Jen2016-03-072016-03-072005http://hdl.handle.net/11603/2438From the faculty nominator, Janet Shope: As I read Jennifer's paper for Soc 217: Social Research Methods, I found myself muttering under my breath, "Excellent" "Great point" and "Wow." Using the General Social Survey, a national survey of Americans, Jennifer conducts a multivariate analysis of the factors that influence political participation and perceptions of political efficacy. Jennifer weaves together a solid methodolgical analysis with a theoretically rich interpretation; her findings reveal how social location influences both participation and efficacy. I was impressed with the overall sophistication of Jennifer's theoretical framework and her ability to use secondary data to explore questions about the nature of the individual's connection (or disconnection) to political institutions. Her paper far exceeded my expectations for an undergraduate research project.This piece of work was a research project for the methods course in sociology. We were given the opportunity to research any topic of interest using the General Social Survey, a national survey administered to about 1,200 people across the United States. What I found to be the most rewarding and exciting was the fact that we were using real data; I was doing real research for the first time. The topic of political alienation grew out of personal curiosity. I wanted to try and understand why people feel alienated from a political system of a country whose rhetoric glorifies the democratic process. I wanted to understand what affects this sense of powerlessness and alienation; and in finding those influences, what can we learn about ourselves and, more importantly, what can we learn from the system of American politics - who is left out, who is included, who suffers and who benefits; what can be learned about the place in which we live, interact and operate? What I discovered, both through the actual research process as well as the conclusions that were drawn, altered the way in which I think, the way in which I question, and the way in which I continually attempt to understand the functions and consequences of social inequalities in this country.24 p.en-USCollection may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. To obtain information or permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Goucher Special Collections & Archives at 410-337-6347 or email archives@goucher.edu.Research -- Periodicals.Humanities -- Research -- Periodicals.Social sciences -- Research -- Periodicals.Text