Description
INSTRUCTIONS
The purpose of this assignment is to get you to see the relevance of sociological theories and the concepts they have generated by linking them to events occurring around us on a daily basis. For this assignment, you will be provided with a number of different news stories that you will analyze using what you have learned so far in this class. You will choose THREE of the stories made available. For each news story, you will first provide a BRIEF summary of the article itself. You will then choose one of the main sociological perspectives that have been discussed, provide a definition of the perspective and talk about how we could understand the story using that particular lens. Please note, you may not use the same perspective for all three stories, but you may use it twice. The final step is to choose a concept that we have talked about in this course (a list is provided for you) and connect it to the article. Be clear in explaining exactly where you see the connections. Your discussion should include a clear definition of the concept you have chosen. Use the course readings to help you with this part of the discussion, being sure to site your sources.
The assignment should be presented in the form of a report. It should have a proper title page (be sure to include your name and student number, course name and number, the instructor’s name, and the date of submission). Each analysis should be 1-2 pages in length, typed, double-spaced using 12-point font. No introduction is required. Put your reference page last. Pay particular attention to your writing style, spelling and grammar since this will be taken into consideration in the marking.
EVALUATION
The assignments will be marked according to the following criteria: Is a complete and accurate understanding of the concept displayed? Has the news story been accurately read and summarized? Are the connections well-established and well-argued? Have all of the instructions regarding presentation been observed?
Links to Articles
1) Death toll rises to 22 in mass shooting at Walmart in El Paso, Tex., that authorities say was racist, hate crime
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-death-toll-rises-to-21-in-mass-shooting-at-walmart-in-el-paso-tex/
2) Who are the anti-vaxxers? Here's what we know — and how they got there in the first place
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/who-are-the-anti-vaxxers
3) National inquiry calls murders and disappearances of Indigenous women a 'Canadian genocide'
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/genocide-murdered-missing-indigenous-women-inquiry-report-1.5157580
4) Here’s how the wage gap affects black women
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/22/heres-how-the-gender-wage-gap-affects-this-minority-group.html
5) The stay-at-home dad: federal policy changes but societal norms have yet to shift
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/parental-leave-fed-budget-1.4558469
Concepts List
Theoretical Lenses:
Functionalist Theory
Conflict Theory
Symbolic Interactionism
Feminist Theory
Concepts/Theories:
Manifest and Latent Functions
Patriarchy
Cultural Hegemony
Dysfunctional Consequences
Microstructure
Macrostructure
Ethics
Hawthorne Effect
Consumerism
Countercultures
Cultural Relativism
Ethnocentrism
Subculture
Rites of Passage
Socialization
Gender Role
Age Roles
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Total Institutions