Soc100 Social Structures

1. Beginning week 3, each student is responsible for completing one online sociological case analysis presentation related to the topic they are assigned (which is, of course, required to be clearly relevant to the sociological phenomenon covered that week).

a. The instructor will sign students up for their presentation dates/topics.

i. Students cannot choose their presentation dates/topics.

b. If a student has a legitimate reason a certain date/topic does not work for them, they must contact the instructor within 72 hours of the release of the presentation assignments to request a change. However, while the instructor will do her best to accommodate the request, a change in date/topic is not guaranteed.

 

2. Choose a sociological case that relates to your assigned topic (see the topics on the sign-up sheet).

a. You should interpret the concept of a case more broadly (e.g., a social phenomenon, recent occurrence within a society, a local/national/international debate related to the sociological phenomena covered that week).

i. The case you select can be recent or historical and from any society.

b. Conduct in-depth research on the case you selected that is related to the topic(s) and readings assigned for the week you are to present.

i. There is no minimum/maximum amount of research required, but you should demonstrate in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the case that you select.

c. Use legitimate sources only.

i. Legitimate sources include, but are not limited to, legal documentation (e.g., decisions in court cases) and/or reputable news sources (e.g., international or global news source, CBC, Vancouver Sun, and Toronto Star).

1. Do not use news sources like Buzzfeed, Wikipedia, social media or blogs.

d. A brief description of your case must be e-mailed to the instructor at least 48 hours before your presentation is due.

i. That is, the Saturday at 11:59pm PST of the week leading up to your assigned presentation.

e. Note: you CANNOT select a case that has been used for any other presentations prior to your own, so it is advantageous to present earlier on in the term.

i. Your case and approach must be original and cannot be copied from any other students. If you are worried about duplication, please e-mail your instructor in advance to confirm that your case has not been used in previous weeks.

 

3. Using Zoom (or some other medium such as PowerPoint) which allows you to record your voice, image, and slides simultaneously while you present, give a 15-20 minute pre-recorded presentation that provides a summary (brief) and supported critical analysis of your case and highlight the points that you feel are relevant to the course, as well as the critical analysis of your social phenomenon/case.

a. Remember to keep the various course concepts in mind and analyse your case through the lens of course content. For example, how can the concepts and issues raised in class help you interpret and make meaning of your case? What topics covered in the required text(s) relate to the topic you’ve selected?

i. Keep in mind that you are presenting a critical analysis of the a case, so you should NOT focus on course materials/readings beyond highlighting the relevant links and making sense of the case you selected in light of what you’ve learned in the class.

ii. This presentation should NOT be a summary of the weekly readings or other course materials. Your main focus is required to be the case and a critical analysis of the case.

b. Visual aids of some kind are required (e.g., PowerPoint slides – but you’re welcome to be creative and select another medium).

c. You can use whatever software you prefer to record your presentation as long as your slides and you are visible and your voice is audible.

i. I suggest Zoom because it is user friendly, free through CapU, and allows you to use fun backgrounds.

d. Students are encouraged to be creative in their approach.

 

4. Pre-recorded presentations must be posted to the relevant weekly eLearn presentation discussion board by Monday at 11:59pm PST on the week for which you are signed up, and you are responsible for facilitating discussion among your peers throughout the week (see point 5 below) (i.e., Tuesday-Sunday that week).

 

5. Come up with 2-3 open-ended discussion questions to engage the class in critical dialogue that links your case to the course and are thought-provoking.

a. Discussion questions should be typed and posted along with the presentation.

i. Alternatively, you can come up with a creative activity to keep your peers engaged throughout the week and/or a combination of activities and discussions.

b. Presenters are responsible for facilitating discussion and keeping their peers engaged throughout the week, which means checking-in and responding to peers on an on-going basis that week.

i. Note: all students are required to watch all of the weekly presentations and respond to all of the presenters’ discussion questions. This will be factored into online participation scores at the end of the term.

c. Please remember that discussion questions and/or activities should not be answerable by “yes/no.” Instead, your question should be open ended and promote discussion.

i. And answers to these questions should also be detailed, thoughtful, and thought-provoking, as well as demonstrate that you paid attention during your peers’ presentations.