Writing Assignment SOCY 100 1. Social Stratification in the Media OR 2. Culture Shock Analysis.

Writing Assignment In this module, you will work on your writing assignment. Please choose one of the two following paper topics:

1. Social Stratification in the Media OR 2. Culture Shock Analysis.

**Papers should be 1.5 spaces, 12 point font, 1 inch margins**

1. Social Stratification In The Media

Write a 3-4 page analysis utilizing an article or articles found in a newspaper or magazine on how social stratification has played out in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic locally or globally.

*If this topic induces too much anxiety or is too difficult for you to write about for other reasons you may choose any article related to social stratification that has occurred between 2018-2020.  .

Research: Find a recent newspaper or magazine article(s) about COVID-19 or an event or situation relating to social stratification that has occurred within the last couple of years (2018-2020).  The article must be from a major source, such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The Root, NPR, Al Jazeera, among others. The article can be found online or in print.

Choose an article that focuses on groups of people in conflict with one another as a result of global inequality. The objective of this assignment is to provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to apply sociological perspectives of social stratification to real-world situations.

1. Background (1 page):

• Briefly describe the social stratification or situation presented in the article.

• When you describe the situation, do not plagiarize – describe in your own words!

• Make sure you include a well-developed thesis statement which informs the reader in one sentence what your paper is about.  The thesis should be placed at the end of the Background section.  Go to this link for assistance:

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/writing-the-paper/thesis-statements.

1. Assessment (2-3 pages): This is the core of your paper.  Make sure this section is very well-developed, well-organized, and well-written since your grade depends mainly on your sociological analysis of the article.

• Discuss why the social stratification or situation occurred by relating it to four key concepts learned from any of the previous modules.  You will be graded by how you apply the key concepts to the article you have selected.

*Key concepts must be bolded or underlined in your paper, or they will not be counted in the quota.

• Discuss how the reality is presented by the author/reporter/media.

• • Are there any unwritten cultural assumptions? Try to read between the lines. Cultural assumptions are not written.

• • Do those assumptions reflect ideologies?

• • Do the ideologies support the status quo?

• • What kind of status quo?

• • Are there any biases in the media presentation? If so, what kind of biases?

Important: you are asked to analyze both the content of the article of your selection as well as how it is presented. Presentation usually reflects ideology and subtly power relations.

III. Conclusion (1/2 – 1 page): Include an engaging and stimulating conclusion paragraph that summarizes your paper.  Demonstrate evidence that you can make connections between all of the main ideas.

*Make sure to include the URL of the article in your list of “References”

The paper should be logically organized in well-constructed paragraphs/sentences, have relevant content, and be easily understood.  There should be few or no errors in format, sentence structure, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.  These errors should not hinder comprehension of your writing.

Citations

In accordance with the Montgomery College Code of Conduct, there is ZERO tolerance for plagiarism, so always cite the original source if you are “borrowing” information.  If you are citing sources, there must always be in-text citations and a list of “References” in APA style.  Sources must be in alphabetical order in the list of “References.”  For assistance on APA style, refer to these websites:

http://libguides.montgomerycollege.edu/apa

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/.

2. Culture Shock Analysis:

In just about any circumstance in life, one has the potential to experience culture shock, either on a small or large scale.  Think about a culture shock scenario that you had at any point in your life.  Examples of culture shock that are appropriate for this assignment can include migrating to a new country, going on vacation, trying a new cuisine, converting to a new religion, or going to college, just to name a few.

Sociologically analyze your culture shock experience by incorporating several sociological concepts/theories. Write a 3-4-page paper by following the outline below.

1. Background (½ to 1 page):

• Briefly explain one culture shock experience you had.  Include the setting, people involved, and main event(s).  Include enough details so the reader can vividly imagine what is happening, but do not go beyond the 1-page requirement.

• Make sure you include a well-developed thesis statement, which informs the reader in one sentence what the paper is about.  The thesis should be placed at the end of the Background section.  Go to this link for assistance:

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/resources/handouts-demos/writing-the-paper/thesis-statements.

1. Analysis (2 to 3 pages):  This is the main part of your paper.  Make sure this section is very well-developed, well-organized, and well-written since your grade depends mainly on your sociological analysis of the culture shock experience.

• Analyze your culture shock experience by using at least five key terms learned from previous modules. For each key term, you will need to provide examples of your culture shock in order to illustrate that you can use the course material to reach a greater depth of understanding.  You must go beyond just describing your culture shock experience.  Key terms must be bolded or underlined in your paper, or they will not be counted in the quota. In addition, examine the outcomes of your culture shock.

• • What was your reaction to this experience?

• • Were you ethnocentric or culturally relativistic, and how?

• • Also, why you were ethnocentric or culturally relativistic?

*Be sure to apply your sociological imagination when responding to these questions.  Include specific examples or illustrations.

III. Conclusion (1/2 -1 page): Include an engaging and stimulating conclusion paragraph that summarizes your paper.  Demonstrate evidence that you can make connections between all of the main ideas.

The paper should be logically organized in well-constructed paragraphs/sentences, have relevant content, and be easily understood.  There should be few or no errors in format, sentence structure, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.  These errors should not hinder comprehension of your writing

Citations

In accordance with the College Code of Conduct, there is ZERO tolerance for plagiarism, so always cite the original source if you are “borrowing” information.  If you are citing sources, there must always be in-text citations and a list of “References” in APA style.  Sources must be in alphabetical order in the list of “References.”  For assistance on APA style, refer to these websites:

These assignments were adapted from College Sociology Discipline Signature Assignments.

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