In a formal paper, propose research that shines a light on some aspect of the political psychology of mass behavior. In other words, find a gap in the literature, and figure out how to fill it in!
Guidelines: 15-20 pages (plus bibliography / references page), double-spaced, Times New Roman.
Suggested (not required!) guidelines:
Introduction (1-2 pages)
- This is a good place to use current events and ongoing political stories
- Essentially, explain your general topic and why it’s worth exploring
- Tip: Figure out what got you interested in the topic, and make the reader interested too!
Literature review (5-9 pages)
- Background literature about topic
- Methodological examples
- Where is the gap in the literature?
Hypotheses (2-3 pages)
- What do you expect to find in that gap, and why?
- You only need one hypothesis, but it’s fine to have more—as long as you explain why you need to test more than one thing
Methods (3-5 pages)
- How will you test your hypotheses, and why?
- How do your methods compare to those in previous literature?
Discussion (2-5 pages)
- If your hypotheses are supported, what does that say about
- Political ideology?
- Identity and participation?