Can you help me understand this Sociology question?

Directions:

• Answer each question below based on your understanding of the assigned readings. Your completed response should be at least 2 pages long (double-spaced) and will be worth 8 points total.
• Length requirements and points noted for each question. FOLLOW THE LENGTH REQUIREMENTS TO EARN FULL POINTS.
• Please NUMBER each response.

Readings: Khan textbook, Chapter 2

Questions:

1) What is informed consent and why is it necessary to the sociological research process? Worth 2 points, should be around 125 words long (one full paragraph).

2) Carry out each of the 3 following steps. (a) Ask a sociological research question followed by a hypothesis. Be sure to ask a sociological question about social variables (think race, class, gender, age, etc) and ask how they relate to each other. It cannot be a yes/no question – you may want to review the lecture on methods and questions before completing this question. (b) Identify the independent and dependent variables in your question. (c) Explain which research method you think would be best to test your hypothesis, and why it would actually be able to answer your question. Worth 3 points, should be roughly 250 words long (two full paragraphs).

3) In the example discussed on page 22, is the relationship between higher education and higher earnings a causal one, a correlation, or a spurious relationship? How could this be determined? Worth 3 points, should be about 250 words long (two full paragraphs).

Grading Rubric

These are analytical reading questions – I am asking you to complete the reading, to think about its meaning and significance, and to begin to apply key concepts from this reading. These are NOT opinion questions, and they are not questions that Google can answer. To earn full credit, be sure to demonstrate a real engagement with the ideas from the assigned reading. Please do not quote from the readings – translate everything into your own words.

If your discussion of the ideas is lacking – i.e. it is superficial or vague, and/or shorter than the required length – I will deduct a portion of the points and explain this deduction in the Comments section of the assignment. If it is clear to me that you did not complete the reading, your response will earn zero points. As always, any submissions containing plagiarism will receive zero points.