The key to thinking sociologically is looking beyond popular explanations of things and understanding how social forces (or things external to the individual) influence individual behaviors, beliefs and attitudes. The purpose of this assignment is to allow you to think sociologically in analyzing events in the world around you, and to understand the influence of culture (or other forces external to the individual) on beliefs, attitudes and opinions.
Select a news article or story that interests you. (HINT: The story can be about any topic, but should be something that will allow you to reflect on how culture or some other social force can shape behavior, attitudes and opinions.)
As one way of thinking about how culture might influence behavior, attitudes and opinions, refer to this list of core American values compiled by Robin Williams (the sociologist, not the actor) http://www.jflory.org/soc205/values_williams.htm. Are any of the identified values driving the behavior, attitudes or opinions of the individuals/groups the story is about? The author of the news story? The attitudes or opinion of the reader (ie, you)?
Write a 300-500 word essay in which you:
1. Briefly summarize the article. In doing so, analyze the article or story sociologically by using specific terms, concepts, and theories covered in class or the textbook to describe or analyze the story.
2. Discuss how your example illustrates the role of culture (or another social force) in shaping attitudes and opinions, as well as any influences on behavior evident in this example.
3. Reflect on the influence of culture (or other social force) in shaping your own attitudes and opinions.
4. Include a copy of the article or a link to a video at the end of your paper.
5. Make sure to reference your sources using ASA format. See examples of ASA reference format here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/583/03/
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|