Sociology Question

REFLECTION ESSAY ASSIGNMENT

Write a 1000(ish) word essay using four tools from this course (your options are listed below) that re-examines, re-explains, re-analyzes some social topic you already know something about. Use our sociological tools to re-think and re-examine something familiar to you and gain new insights by doing so!

Assignment Purpose: take some of the new sociological tools you’ve learned about (4 of them, choose from below list) and apply them to something you already are familiar with. This assignment will help you:

• increase your knowledge of key course concepts by having to use and apply them
• develop your sociological imagination
• develop your writing skills to introduce a coherent topic, analyze it from a sociological point of view, and reflect upon what you’ve learned
• demonstrate your ability to take four of our sociological tools and use them

Steps to Get Started and Complete this Assignment:

1. Review the “assignment purpose” stated above
2. Read, review, skim the examples of past good essays posted on Canvas (see “Reflection Essay Materials” module on the home page of our Canvas site to see what past students have written)
3. Choose a social topic that is familiar to you; this could be something from your personal experience; it could be something from our culture (such as a social theme from a television show, movie, novel, etc.); or something else that you have specific knowledge of. Avoid big, broad topics with which you have no personal knowledge or experience (see the “choosing a topic” section of our “Essay Tip Sheet” post on Canvas for help choosing a topic).
4. Choose the 4 Sociology concepts from the below list that you believe will help you examine, analyze your topic from a sociological point of view; those concepts and your application of them should be connected to one another
5. Write the essay; you might choose to follow a simple structure with

1. a paragraph introduction of your topic and the concepts you will use,
2. 4 body paragraphs, one for each concept where you define and apply those concepts using course materials (lecture and/or textbook), and
3. a conclusion where you reflect on how writing the essay learn new things about your topic

Please discuss any questions with Soc. 101 TAs or Professor Redding on topic choice, etc.

Strong Essays Will:

1. Introduce a clear and coherent social topic that you wish to analyze sociologically and introduce the 4 concepts that will help you analyze it. Your introductory paragraph should include a theme or thesis that unites the essay into a coherent whole (10 points)
2. Define and apply each of the four concepts used. Your definitions should be derived from course materials (the text and lectures) but try to put each in your own words, while citing the text and/or lectures. Only use concepts from the below list; if you want to try a different concept, ask your TA (the person who grades your DPs) and me for permission before writing. Show us how these definitions and applications help you analyze, make sociological sense of this experience, event, issue, cultural product (20 points)
3. Connect each definition and application to one another. All concepts and applications should connect to one another and back to your topic and thesis (10 points)
4. Discuss how your analysis of this topic have helped you gain new sociological insights, new understandings relative to what or how you thought about it before (5 points)
5. Be easy to read and written and organized clearly, with:
   1. Relatively few grammatical or spelling errors
   2. A title page with a title for your essay, your name, and the date on it
   3. MS Word format (.doc or .docx), double-spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins
   4. Citation to course materials (the text, lecture notes) when you use them. See “Essay Tip Sheet” on Canvas for details. Also, see notes on avoiding plagiarism, discussed below (5 points).

REFLECTION ESSAY CONCEPT LIST: Readings covered: chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 plus Canvas readings through March 7. Choose 4 from this list to define and apply in your essay:

• Marxist theory
• rational choice theory
• feminist theory
• symbolic interactionist theory
• functionalist theory
• correlation
• dependent/independent variables
• culture
• subculture
• nature vs. nurture
• cultural universal
• cultural relativism
• ethnocentrism
• multiculturalism
• assimilation
• socialization
• social roles
• social networks
• bureaucracy
• deviance
• social control
• deviance theories: (structural strain, labeling, differential association, conflict, social control; each counts as 1 concept)
• stratification
• class
• social mobility
• conflict, human capital, functionalist theories of inequality (each counts as 1 concept)
• gender

A NOTE ON PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism involves more than copying an entire essay from another source. Plagiarism also occurs when phrases and sentences are patched together from other sources (including artificial intelligence/AI!) to create an essay. You can use AI or Chat GPT but you must cite it when you do. Of course, you will be using in your essays a few words or concepts that come from the assigned readings and lectures. That is legitimate. What is not legitimate is copying phrases and sentences from sources (whether assigned or not) and using them as if they represented your own writing. You can avoid this by honestly quoting and citing your sources. A rough rule of thumb is that plagiarism occurs if the writing in question could not have been constructed without copying directly (however sporadically) from another source, including other students, internet websites, artificial intelligence. The University's policies on plagiarism are severe; any student who plagiarizes could receive an F for the course and have a letter of reprimand attached to the student’s permanent academic record.

Rubric

REFLECTION ESSAY RUBRIC (1) (1)

REFLECTION ESSAY RUBRIC (1) (1)

Criteria	Ratings	Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome 1) TOPIC CHOICE, DISCUSSION Discussion of experience, event, issue, etc. that is the basis for the paper topic, subject matter.	10 to >8.9 pts A-Range Topic clearly stated, singular (is one item, not a list), creative/shows thought, is succinct, and plausibly relevant to the range of concepts 8.9 to >7.9 pts B-range Topic discussion is missing one or two of the characteristics of an A paper 7.9 to >6.9 pts C-Range Topic discussion is missing multiple characteristics of an A paper 6.9 to >0 pts D-F Range Topic discussion is hard to understand, make sense of, is implausible as a basis for the essay concepts, wanders across multiple (rather than a singular item)	10 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome 2) DEFINITION AND APPLICATION Definition and understanding of the concepts, ability and creativity to apply them to a new setting, use of evidence from example to further application	20 to >17.9 pts A-Range Chosen 4 concepts are clearly evident • Demonstrates clear knowledge and understanding of all 4 concepts • Shows creative ability to apply those concepts in a clear way to 1) (above) • Application doesn’t just assert but shows (with evidence) a connection of concept to 1) 17.9 to >15.9 pts B-Range Uses all 4 concepts • Knowledge/understanding of 4 solid but not deep or perhaps a bit fuzzy in spots • Applies concepts but with less creativity • Uses evidence in applying but could be more convincing 15.9 to >13.9 pts C-Range May be hard to figure out which 4 concepts are or is missing one • Knowledge is fuzzy across a couple of concepts • Application is flawed in some ways • Evidence is there but not fully marshaled clearly, coherently 13.9 to >0 pts D-F Range Concepts aren’t clearly evident and 1 or more are missing • Knowledge/understanding of concepts is wrong in some cases • Applications are problematic • Little use of evidence on how 1) is connected to the concept	20 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome 3) STRUCTURE Demonstrated connections between concepts to show overall understanding of how pieces fit together, organization, coherence, transitions between paragraphs	10 to >8.9 pts A-Range Writer clearly connects each applied concept to the other in a clear and coherent way to demonstrate overarching understanding of interconnections • Essay is clearly organized with introduction, body and conclusion • Good transitions between sentences, paragraphs, ideas, etc. • Good sequencing of ideas and applications 8.9 to >7.9 pts B-Range Some weaknesses in connecting concepts to one another • Essay is organized in traditional way but pieces could be clearer • Makes solid use of transitions but not always • Generally good order/sequence to ideas but could be better 7.9 to >6.9 pts C-Range Effort to make connections between concepts but some flaws or absences in those • Organization is there but falls apart in a few spots • Transitions are there in spots but not consistent • Needs some re-organization of points to make a stronger argument 6.9 to >0 pts D-F Range Concepts poorly or not at all connected • Organizational problems throughout • Absence of transitions • Needs a thorough reorganization	10 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome 4) REFLECTION Reflection of student on how analyzing the topic from a sociological perspective has changed the student's understanding of it.	5 to >4.4 pts A-Range Demonstrates a strong ability to see how sociological concepts may add new insights, ways of seeing 4.4 to >3.9 pts B-Range Does reflect on how this changes student's view but not deep discussion 3.9 to >3.4 pts C-Range Reflective piece is uninspired, short, and/or not very convincing 3.4 to >0 pts D-F Range Is no reflection or is half-hearted	5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome 5) WRITING Use of appropriate language, grammar, punctuation, style, spelling)	5 to >4.4 pts A-Range Good command of language and appropriate word use • No significant sentence structure problems • Few or no grammar, punctuation, spelling errors, typos 4.4 to >3.9 pts B-Range Sporadic writing problems involving word use, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, spelling, typos 3.9 to >3.4 pts C-Range Additional writing problems involving word use, sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, spelling, typos 3.4 to >0 pts D-F Range Writing problems throughout that get in the way of understanding the student’s ideas	5 pts
Total Points: 50