A case study is a key means of answering research questions. The objective is to provide rich descriptions and insightful explanations. A case can stand on its own as a clear summary and assessment of a discrete set of events, persons, or groups, or it may be part of a wider research project. In general, a case study is an intensive study of a single example of some other phenomenon. In this assignment, your case will answer one of the research questions you identified in the week three discussion post. Remember, a case study can answer a question about a broad topic, albeit in a narrow way.
Related Course Objectives:
- CO-1: Articulate the nature of social science research and scholarship as a practical exercise.
- LO-1.1: Apply the scientific method to answer a homeland security question.
- LO-1.2: Explain the most important measurable variables in homeland security.
- CO-2: Distinguish different types of applied research methods in homeland security.
- LO-2.1: Demonstrate qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data.
- LO-2.2: Demonstrate qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods means to assess data.
Directions
For this assignment complete the following steps:
- Download the to write your paper.
- Locate sources to aid in writing your paper.
- Start with an introduction to the topic, demonstrating why you’ve chosen this topic, this case, and this question.
- Provide a narrative hook (usually an interesting statistic about the case).
- Be sure to identify your question as explanatory or descriptive.
- Tell the reader exactly what your case is. When does it begin and end?
- Using Yin’s 1999 advice for high quality cases, make sure to:
- Choose a single phenomenon within its real-life context that’s the case.
- Identify what theory/idea is being studied.
- Pinpoint the phenomenon of which this is a case in other words, where does the case fit?
- Map (and/or draw a figure showing) the relationship between the case, the context, the theory/idea, and the phenomenon.
- Conclude the introduction with one research question ONLY.
- Write at least a few paragraphs to show the background of the topic. This is not the same as the data contained in the case or the answer to the question. This will give basic facts that are not covered by the themes/variables that you identify below.
- Using the thematic analysis method, identify at least four themes in the case study.
- These will resemble potential answers (or variables) to your question in the data.
- Your data for the case will come from datasets, government and other official websites, archival records, documents, first-hand accounts, reputable news accounts, and peer reviewed sources.
- Consider the data of your case and using either pattern matching, explanation building, or time-series analysis, organize the data in the case around the variables/themes that you found. Use them as headings.
- Thematic analysis can be quite subjective and judgmental.
- Keep in mind Yin’s 1999 advice for high quality cases:
- Avoid bias; be open to new connections, explanations, and themes.
- Although we cannot do field research, observations, surveys, interviews or other original data collection methods, be sure to collect evidence from multiple sources and perspectives and broaden the scope of your data collection.
- Consider using a chart to differentiate your data from your conclusions about the data.
- Your themes should be one or two words only; they should be common ideas and principles that will help you show the connections between your case and other phenomenon.
- Conclude your case with the answer to the question.
- Summarize the data and, as Yin advises us in his 1999 article, consider alternative explanations, theories, and answers in the conclusions.
- Generalize from the case to the context, to the phenomenon, and to the idea that applies to the real-world policies, answers, solutions, and topics of homeland security.
Submission Guidelines
- Your paper must be at a minimum of 8 pages and a maximum of 12 pages (the Title and Reference pages do not count towards the minimum requirement).
- Scholarly and credible references should be used. At least 10 scholarly articles are required for this assignment.
- Scholarly sources include peer-reviewed articles, government publications, and academic texts.
- Type in Times New Roman, 12 point, and double space.
- Students will follow the current APA Style as the sole citation and reference style used in written work submitted as part of coursework.
- Points will be deducted for the use of Wikipedia or encyclopedic-type sources. It is highly advised to utilize books, peer-reviewed journals, articles, archived documents, etc.
- All submissions will be graded using the assignment rubric.
- Please also consult the AI usage requirements for American Military University and the Homeland Security Department.
Resources & Supports
- and : Provides information on how to cite in proper APA format.
- : Provides an example paper with annotations.
- : Watch this 3-minute video if you need guidance on submitting your assignment.
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