Intro to Soc Final Paper Assignment a. Analyze a current event (i.e. the 2020 presidential election, the pandemic,
migration/refugee “crises” affecting the Americas or Europe, the Flint, MI water crisis,
MTA turnstile-jumping crackdown) or broader social/policy issue/phenomenon
(economic inequality, welfare policies, healthcare inequality, the gender pay gap,
[specific group] migration). The issue does not need to directly affect the U.S.; you can
even look at a historical event (prohibition, women’s suffrage, WWII, Jim Crow)
b. Analyze the historical development of an intellectual or political ideology and/or
its concurrent social movements (i.e. feminism, Marxism, liberalism, Black politics &
Civil Rights). You should identify whether you’re focusing on the development of ideas, or
development of social movements, however these necessarily have interconnections Intro to Soc Final Paper Assignment
you should point out. Assume your reader knows the details we learned in class, focus on
introducing new info and interweaving paradigms & theories into the analysis.
c. Analyze commonplace ideas or micro-level interactions with a social-
psychological approach (i.e. notions of morality, notions of fairness, stereotyping of a
certain group, media representation of a group, workplace harassment). You should
generally avoid explicitly inserting your opinions & morals—focus on structural and
micro-level explanations of how such thoughts emerge and are socially reproduced.
d. Discuss the life of someone you know, and necessarily know a good deal about. This
requires an interview as one of your “sources”—which you must submit the transcript
of. You will focus on the dynamic between how their “agency” & “social structures” got
them to where they are now and compare to the outcomes of others the “subject”
knows to have lived in similar structural conditions, as well as society-level Intro to Soc Final Paper Assignment
information on the general outcomes of people of similar backgrounds.
e. Write a reaction paper to a social science book (I can provide a list of
recommended titles; let me know if you enjoyed a particular reading from class) or
any other book that examines social issues/phenomena by applying the
concepts we learned to analyze, make connections to theory, reframe, and/or
critique the author’s argument.
f. Analyze a cultural phenomenon (a particular artist, author, or other culturally
significant person’s work & life; a certain [sub]culture and/or genre of art; an “era”
such as a certain decade; an artistic movement [be it explicitly political or not], the
origins and modern significance of a sport, etc.).
g. If you have another similar idea, feel free to discuss with me.
Length & Format: 5-7 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-font, 1-inch Intro to Soc Final Paper Assignment
margin
Citations: 6 sources total. At least 1 outside academic source (peer-
reviewed/presents data from a research study, not assigned in class). At least 1 in-
class reading. Any proper academic citation format (in-text or footnote style), just
remain consistent; include final references page. Intro to Soc Final Paper Assignment