Overview
PAPER ASSIGNMENT – FALL 2023
Write essay responses for each of the prompts associated with the selected chapters in Deviant Behavior by Thio, Taylor & Schwartz. Keep your responses separate by chapter, identifying each essay by number or writing out the prompt with your response immediately following, but turn them in together as one paper. Organizationally, begin each essay response at the top of a new page. Your paper should be typed, well written and comprehensive in depth and detail. Your paper is worth 120 points. Any paper suspected or determined to have been written using ChatGPT or any other generative AI technology (Bard, BingChat, etc.) will receive zero points.
Chapter 2: Positivist Theories
2-1 Compare and contrast strain and control theories. What does each say about the causes of deviance? Which one seems more sensible?
2-2 How does social learning theory explain deviant behavior? What social forces does this
theory identify as possible factors that would pressure someone toward deviance?
Chapter 3: Constructionist Theories
3-1 Evaluate the labeling perspective on deviance. What are some pros and cons of this
approach? How does it relate to the more general process of social interaction?
3-2 Identify the central ideas of the conflict approach to deviance. In what ways is economic and cultural conflict involved in the definition and control of deviance?
Chapter 13: Drinking and Alcoholism
13-1 Analyze college binge drinking. In what ways is this a unique pattern of problem drinking? Discuss some of the reasons why binge drinking commonly occurs on college campuses.
13-2 Compare and contrast the genetic and social explanations of alcoholism. How does each approach and locate the cause of the problem? Which one seems more convincing?
- Do not copy the answers directly from the text, instead put them in your own words just as you would if this were an in-class essay exam.
- There is no required length for the responses to each question or the final paper. Focus on crafting complete and well-developed responses not how many pages you write.
- Elaboration is an important element in grading the papers, just as it would be for an in-class essay exam.
- You need not use formal citations, however, if you want to quote directly from a chapter simply enclose the phrase in “quotation marks” and “put the page number in parentheses at the end of the phrase.” (p.123).