Topical Essay Guidelines:

Please help me find real, reliable, and legitimate sources that meet these requirements DO NOT USE CHAT GPT:

You will prepare a topical essay (much like those provided in the text) of about

seven-eight (double-spaced) pages in length. Your essay on an aging or age-

related social issue will evaluate and integrate at least

one academic peer-reviewed scholarly empirical research article [NO

reviews], one alternative source of data (Eg., a second scholarly article, government or

organizational statistics), and at least one mass media report (newspaper, magazine, etc.) regarding your

topic.

The deadline for approval of your sources is February 13. While there is no credit assigned

for the approval, if your sources do not meet the guidelines, you will not be able to obtain a

passing score on the assignment. The earlier the better as many times the sources are

not acceptable. For all sources, you must provide working url links in a Word

document; do not put them in a pdf because the links cannot be accessed. For the

academic article(s), you must copy/paste the title page/abstract of each article into

your document. This list of sources, with proper citation, will be included at the

end of your report as References.

Late papers will not be accepted unless the course policies are followed (see

syllabus).

GUIDELINES

Again, use the topical essays in the text as a guide.

A) Review of each source (about a page for each): 30 points total.

For the academic article [12 points total], you must address the following:

1. Describe the research question/hypothesis under investigation. [2]

2. Which of the frameworks or theoretical perspectives in the sociology of aging is

the author using? You need to be explicit about WHY you think the theoretical

model used in the paper is drawn from one of those discussed in the text. [5]

3. Briefly (!) describe the sample and the research design/type of data. What were

the major

findings? What were the authors conclusions? [5]

For the alternative data source [12 points]:

Same guidelines for another journal article, or

For another data source, clearly describe the nature and collection of the data,

noting strengths and limitations, and conclusions reached.

For the mass media source [6 points]:

Summarize the content/issue in the report.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED ANY COURSE MATERIALS

1. Core Framework: How Your Course Understands Aging

Your class treats:

Age as a master status (like race, gender, class)
- It intersects with other statuses
- It is the only master status that changes across the life course
Aging as a process, not just a category of the aged
Aging as both:
- A biopsychosocial phenomenon (biological + psychological + social intertwined)
- A social construction shaped by culture, history, and context

Your course repeatedly stresses:

Aging is universal, but how it is experienced varies socially.
Aging involves both stability and change.
Age is not just biological it is structured by institutions, norms, and expectations.

2. Dimensions of Aging

Youve worked with four major dimensions:

Physical Aging

Includes maturation, bodily changes, shrinkage (disc/spinal compression)
Nonlinear spurts around ~40 and ~60
Distinction between:
- Optimal aging
- Usual aging
- Pathological aging (Rowe & Kahn)
Successful aging is often equated with health and wellness

Psychological Aging

Development continues across life
Personality change is limited
Cognitive decline is not inevitable
Eriksons later-life stage: integrity vs. despair

Social Aging

Age-graded roles (worker, parent, grandparent, retiree)
On-time vs off-time life events
Age norms and the social clock
Role changes across the family life cycle
Intergenerational support & role reversals

Societal Aging

Demographic shift toward older populations
Structural consequences for:
- Social Security
- Education systems
- Voting patterns
- Tax base
Use of:
- Dependency ratio
- Median age
- Life expectancy
- Population pyramids
~1 million people per month joining 65+ in U.S.
U.S. projected from ~13% to ~20% age 65+ within two decades

3. Research on Aging (Methods + Theory)

Your class places heavy emphasis on research design.

Scientific Method:

Problem
Literature review
Hypothesis
Data collection
Analysis
Conclusion

Major Research Designs:

Experiments (rare in sociology)
Surveys (quantitative)
Qualitative / participant observation
Archival analysis (secondary datasets)
Mixed methods (increasingly common)

Longitudinal Research is Key

Cross-sectional aging (only shows age differences)
Strongest evidence comes from:
- Longitudinal panel designs
- Cohort-sequential designs
Challenges:
- Attrition
- Cost
- Separating normal vs pathological aging
- Ethics
- Increasing variability with age

4. Age as a Variable in Research

Age can function as:

Independent variable
Dependent variable
Control variable
Modifier
Sampling criterion

Youve also emphasized aligning:

Theory concepts propositions variables hypotheses

5. Age, Period, and Cohort Effects

A major theme in your course.

Age effects = changes due to life course progression
Period effects = events or policies affecting everyone at a time
Cohort effects = shared historical experiences

Important related ideas:

Cohort-centrism (fallacy)
Cohort flow
Easterlins cohort-size theory (larger cohorts = more competition)

Longitudinal designs help disentangle these.

6. Social Networks Across the Life Span (Wrzus et al., 2012)

Key findings youve studied:

Global network size:
- Increases through adolescence
- Peaks in mid-20s
- Declines across adulthood
Family networks:
- Largely stable across life
Friendship networks:
- Gradually decline
Life events reshape networks:
- Parenthood reduces friendships
- Widowhood reduces personal networks
- Divorce reduces family networks
- Relocation reduces friendships

Theoretical support:

Socioemotional Selectivity Theory
- Shift toward emotionally meaningful ties with age
Social Convoy Theory
- Stable inner circle, more fluid peripheral ties

7. Widowhood & Social Substitution (Zettel & Rook, 2004)

Distinction youve emphasized:

Social Network Substitution
- Forming new ties
- Rekindling dormant ties
- Intensifying existing ties
Social Network Compensation
- Whether those ties actually improve well-being

Key finding:

More substitution better mental health
Greater network change was often linked to higher depression/loneliness
Replacement does not easily compensate for spousal loss
Timing matters

8. Aging & the Family

Your course covers:

Family life cycle
Intergenerational support
Caregiving
Role reversals
Beanpole families (vertical family structure with more generations, fewer siblings)
Elder abuse
Norms managing family relationships
Post-parental marital phase & spousal satisfaction

Youve also consistently applied these concepts to your grandmother and father in discussion posts.

9. Ageism

Stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination based on age
Othering older adults
Old age framed as a social problem
Use of Millss sociological imagination
Generational framing (Mannheim)

10. Big Themes Your Class Emphasizes

Across everything youve shared, your class strongly centers:

Aging as socially structured
The life course as cumulative
Interplay of theory + methods
Age embedded in institutions
Demographic change reshaping society
Networks changing but not disappearing
Family as a central context of aging
Replacement of deep ties (like spouses) is difficult

That is a comprehensive list of everything this course has covered for reference.

Requirements:

WRITE MY PAPER

NO CHAT GPT Help me find sources please