Possible entry points into your study

You have a topic of interest (e.g., gender) – task = search Google, browse news sites, browse your textbooks, find sociological ideas that are relevant

You have a data set (phenomenon or group) that interests you (e.g., http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1389593/Kathy-Witterick-David-Stocker-raising-genderless-baby.html) – task = browse this data, find sociological ideas that are relevant, determine which topics populate this data set

You have a sociological idea of interest (e.g., descriptive accounts, norms, performativity) – task = brainstorm topics that might be relevant to this idea, find out how sociologists have used this idea (esp. through your texts)

You have a hypothesis (e.g., Parents can enable or disable the normative production of their child’s gender.) – task = determine the topics involved in this hypothesis, find any relevant sociological ideas, find a data set that will allow you to address the hypothesis, or deduce the consequences of the hypothesis (if you have a formal hypothesis)

You have a question (e.g., How do parents and nonparent acquaintances produce a person’s gender?) – task = determine the topics involved in this question, find any relevant sociological ideas, find a data set that will allow you to address the question

– “What if” Statements: By asking “What if this were the case?” or “What if things worked this way?” you can brainstorm hypotheses and/or questions. E.g., What if racism no longer looks like what it used to look like? What if it changes its strategies as time progresses? What if it gets subtler and harder to see? – the same for sexism, hetero sexism, classism, imperialism, etc.