Overview
Break a Social Norm Paper
Length: 5 pages. The paper should be typed, doubled-spaced, paginated. This paper requires you to do fieldwork in which you break a social norm, take field notes on the result of this breaking of the norm and then analyze the experiment you have engaged in via a sociological lens. The Process: Pick a perceivable social norm that you will attempt to transgress in a specific context. Attempt to break this social norm for half an hour. Take notes on any reactions you receive that suggest, or clearly indicate, that you have been observed breaking this norm. You can take notes into your phone discretely or write them by hand-- just make sure you are writing while the experience is happening or is still very fresh in your memory. If you take hand-written notes, you should either transcribe them or take a clear photo of them. (You don’t have to write hand written notes just type them in a separate page) The Writing: As soon as possible after your fieldwork, sit down, review your field notes and reflect upon/respond to the following questions in a well-organized and presented personal essay: Did the reactions appear to label your behavior mildly odd and funny? Deviant? Threatening? Did others appear to attempt to stigmatize you? Try to stop you from continuing, assert informal or formal social control? What strategies did you use when interacting with others? How did you feel? Mild insecurity? Rather uncomfortable? Utter Embarrassment? Intense shame? Scared? Did you feel that you wanted to stop this experiment? Did you stop? How did you feel afterwards (if you terminated mid-way or lasted the whole half hour)? Did you feel the need to explain to others that this “was for a class”? Reflect on this entire experience, integrating concepts from Goffman’s Stigma -- discredited stigmas and stigma management strategies, informal sanctions as social control, the social construction of deviance, labeling theory, as well as earlier Goffman impression management and face-work (losing face, saving face, tact, cooperation in face-work) in everyday life, as well as Garfinkel’s Ethnomethodology breaching experiments. Guidelines on choosing a norm: Think carefully when selecting your norm and please use common sense. Do not select anything that:Is illegal or that could even potentially get you arrested. Places you in harm’s way or physical danger.Could lead you to experience long-term interpersonal consequences (it should involve no expecting or unexpecting friends or family members.) Could result in psychological trauma (for you or others)
Helpful hints on the writing: Most of the paper should be written in the first person [“I”] voice. Using APA or MLA format, your papers must include full and proper use of in-text citations and have all the sources used listed in your References. When discussing the original ideas of the theorist(s) you read about in assigned course readings, or directly quoting them, use the in-text citation format.
Format and Academic Integrity Expectations: Use APA, MLA Again, absolutely no unassigned ‘short cut’ Internet and AI sources may used in preparing or writing this paper.