Social Science
1. Choose an observation. This should not be any observation we have discussed in the class or that is found in the text. Feel free to be creative. Generally speaking, the more serious and complex the observation, the more difficult you will find this task. On the other hand, it may be more interesting and rewarding for you. You are not graded on the choice of observation, so feel free to choose whatever you wish. You do have to create interesting models, however. Generally speaking, if your “models” are just a list of different reason for different people or for different situations, then they are not models. The problem doesn’t lie with your models, it lies with your observation. Pick a new and different observation.
2. Write a sentence or two describing the observation. For example, “Lawyers are more respected than fast-food workers.”
3. Imagine three different speculations about why the observation occurs. These are your three models. Make sure they are unique and not just subtle variations on each other. Write a one sentence statement of what your model is. The model should probably not directly mention the observation. To be a good model, it should be a statement about a process, it should have interesting implications, and it should be more general rather than more specific. You will lose points if these conditions are not met. An example of a model is, “People respect education.”
4. Write a few sentences describing how each model explains the observation. Here is where you explain that lawyers are generally more educated than fast-food workers and that they, therefore, will be more respected.
