Category: Social Sciences : Sociology

Our text introduces us to several theorists who have different explanations of how our selves are developed/created through the process of socialization. There are also many agents of socialization described in our text. Select any one theory and two agents of socialization to explain how the process of socialization contributed to making you the person you are today and how they may continue to shape you through your life course.
https://openstax.org/details/books/introduction-sociology-2e- Chapter 3

Assignment 3: Research Essay Topic and Sources Approval – Reducing a Social Problem
The topic should provide a basic outline of the argument, include a thesis statement for the chosen topic being the following; How can the Incorporation of High-Quality education in Reserves across Canada improve and solve Indigenous children’s educational needs, improve literacy and lead to positive skill growth to result in positive academic outcomes? That outlines the argument.  The topic should also provide a list of the references to use for the paper. Use a combination of monographs (books written by scholars), scholarly research articles that are relevant to the research topic and based in Canada, as well as accurate and credible, and high-quality online resources to construct the essay. You should pick eight scholarly references (journal articles and books). To aid in writing the essay, think about the following set-up and questions that the  research essay should entail.
For the research essay, given the economic resources and political clout to reduce a major social problem. Based on this research question:  How can the Incorporation of High-Quality education in Reserves across Canada improve and solve Indigenous children’s educational needs, improve literacy and lead to positive skill growth to result in positive academic outcomes?, craft the paper around the following questions:
Which problem would you choose, and why?
What is its historical context of this issue? When did it arise? How has it changed over time?
What are the impacts and consequences of this social problem on the individual, the family, society?
What steps would you take to alleviate this problem?
What theories best help you understand the problem?
Paying attention to the intersections of social class, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality, how would you measure your success or failure in reducing or eliminating the problem?
 Ensure the research essay incorporates, as appropriate, an analysis of social class, gender, ethnicity, power, and neoliberalism.

For this 2-3-page typed, double-spaced paper, you will need to gather data on how children get socialized into gender norms and then write up your findings. I expect you to use the Socialization PowerPoint to help you explain your findings. You might also find it useful to refer to the PowerPoints on institutions and groups, culture, and deviance.
You can find data in a variety of ways. If you are systematic in your method, it will work. Remember that you are looking for norms and generalizations. Given our current restrictions on going outside, you will have to use media as your primary data source. But this still gives you lots of options! You can watch ads for toys on a television station that focuses on children (or public television in the daytime) or character traits in a few of the main characters on children’s cartoons; you can peruse your own library of children’s books (if you have them) to see what kinds of things boys and girls do in the books; you can look up girls’ and boys’ clothing at Target or Carters and compare/contrast messages and images on shirts, etc.
As you can see, there are many ways to gather data for this short paper; you can use one of the examples above or come up with your own data source just so long as your research is systematic. Do not base your research on memory or impressions. You need actual data and evidence! Please do not hesitate to e-mail me if you want to talk about ideas!
Here’s what your paper should look like:
1. Introductory paragraph that summarizes your findings.
2. A paragraph that details how you gathered your data. Be specific here! Tell me exactly what you did. For example, “I went to the Target website and looked up toddler t-shirts boys and toddler t-shirt girls. I selected the first 20 shirts for boys and girls each.”
3. A description of your data (what you found when you gathered data). Again, be very specific here. For example, “ In the first 20 shirts for boys, 8 had images of trucks, 3 had dinosaurs…” Feel free to include a chart of your findings if that helps you to organize your data.
4. An explanation of your data, using the PowerPoint(s). This is where you make generalizations based on your findings and use ideas from the PowerPoints to explain the generalizations.
5. A concluding paragraph.

This worksheet consists of short answer questions (2-3 sentences each). You may use your book, online lectures, and notes to complete the worksheet. Please explain the ideas in your own words, discuss your perspective on the questions, and use examples when relevant.
1.    What does Max Weber mean by the term “life chances?” Do you think life chances impact social stratification in the United States? Why or why not? Try and develop your response with concrete, real-life examples from your life, culture, and community.
2.    What does it mean to say that race is a social construct? Does this mean that race is not real? Why or why not?
 
3.    Consider the functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist approaches to racial and ethnic relations. Which do you find most compelling, and why?
 
4.    Define ethnic pluralism and discuss what might be necessary to achieve it in the United States.
 

Final Draft of Research Paper
This week, you will submit the final version of the essay draft you submitted in week 4. This is your opportunity to take your instructor’s feedback and make that draft even better. 
Here are the guidelines for your final essay:
Begin by reviewing your instructor’s comments and suggestions on your draft. If you submitted the essay to our LIVE Tutoring services, review that feedback, too.
Next, try and choose some ideas and analysis from a scholarly article (the one you chose in week 4, or one that was suggested by your instructor) that support your thesis, i.e. the main claim of your paper.
Remember to cite anything you quote or paraphrase from the article, textbook, and online lectures in correct APA citation.
If you have not already done so, add the scholarly article to your list of references.

This week, you will submit a rough draft of your final project in this course by developing one of the short answer questions from the worksheets in weeks 2 and 3 or the analysis of the social issue you analyzed in the week 3 and 4 discussion into a draft essay of at least 400 words.
Choose one (1) of the following topics:    
Do you agree with the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis that language shapes our perception of ourselves and of our reality? Why or why not? For example, does language impact how we think about gender, race, and/or ethnicity? If so, how so? If not, why not?
Explain the concept of culture shock by imagining that a person who lived in the United States in the 1860s time traveled to the United States of today. What are some aspects of American culture that might shock this visitor? Are there any aspects of American culture that might not be surprising? If you were the time traveler, do you think you would adapt to modern American culture, or would you engage in ethnocentrism?
What does “socialization” mean? Why is the family considered by most sociologists and psychologists to be the most important agent of socialization? Do you agree? What do you think are some other significant agents of socialization?
Consider the psychological and sociological theories of human development and socialization. Which do you find the most compelling, and why? Be sure to briefly explain the theory you chose in your response.
What does Max Weber mean by the term “life chances?” Do you think life chances impact social stratification in the United States? Why or why not? Try and develop your response with concrete, real-life examples from your life, culture, and community.
What does it mean to say that race is a social construct? Does this mean that race is not real? Why or why not?
Consider the functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist approaches to racial and ethnic relations. Which do you find most compelling, and why?
Define ethnic pluralism and discuss what might be necessary to achieve it in the United States.
Imagine you are a sociologist who works for an elected official who has no background in sociology or a related field. You have been assigned the task of identifying an important example of social stratification that impacts the elected official’s constituency. Identify two sociological approaches that would take different approaches to the issue and develop an essay that compares and contrasts how you think the perspectives might analyze and approach the example of social stratification you discussed in your memo. 
Here are the guidelines for your essay draft:
Your draft should have a thesis statement, i.e. the main point of your essay.
Your draft should have at least four paragraphs: (1) an introductory paragraph that engages the reader and discusses why the topic is important; (2) two supporting body paragraphs that develop the main point, and (3) a concluding paragraph.
Your introductory paragraph should engage the reader and discuss why the topic is important.
Please include a list of References that you plan to use. At minimum, you should include the textbook and at least one of the online lecture pages in correct APA citation. If you can identify a scholarly article from the South University online library that is relevant to your topic, great! If not, your instructor will assist you in identifying a relevant scholarly article.
It is recommended that you also submit your rough draft to our tutoring services for additional feedback. The LIVE Tutoring link in the course navigation bar is a free essay review service accessed right from your classroom. It is easy to submit a draft for review and get extra feedback sent directly to your email inbox!

Select a social problem to analyze from this course. It can be something that we have discussed in class but does not have to be. Examples include illiteracy, drug abuse, poverty, child abuse, disease/illness, etc. You will write a 5-page paper (due at the end of the semester) about the social problem that you selected. In your paper you should do the following:
Describe the social problem in its social context.
Use your sociological imagination to explain how the selected social problem is influenced by society.
Select the three theoretical perspective(s) (conflict, functionalist, and symbolic interactionist) that best aligns with the social problem you have selected.
Explain why the theoretical perspective(s) you chose is best to explain the selected social problem.
Use the theoretical perspective(s) to explain how your selected social problem came to be and how it is perpetuated.
Use the APA Style Guidelines.
You must cite all references that you use (including your textbook).