Sociology Journal Article Analysis Assignment

There are two parts to this assignment: 

1. Journal Article Assignment (20%)
2. Presentation (10%)

You must make use of the following three sources:

1. A sociological journal article from a reputable academic source published in the last 20 years. This article should serve as the primary basis for your assignment. 

2. Your textbook will provide you with the sociological concepts and theories that you will need to use when answering your research question.

3. A piece of media; for example, from mainstream news media, social media, a video, a meme, an advertisement, an image, a movie, a book, etc.

The sociological journal article and piece of media must be submitted along with your written assignment. This can be uploaded to Canvas as a pdf file or a URL

Students must select one of the following research questions to guide their analysis:

1. Sexuality (Chapter 6): What are the potential sociological implications of decriminalizing or legalizing sex work (i.e. prostitution) in Canada? [Panel Discussion: October 8]

2. Gender (Chapter 10): How does discrimination based on sex, gender or gender identification remain a significant social problem in Canada? [Panel Discussion: October 15]

3. Deviance (Chapter 7): Does getting tougher on criminal behavior deter crime and result in safer communities? Explain why or why not and identify the sociological implications.[Panel Discussion: October 22]

4. Class (Chapter 8): Considering that Canada is a relatively wealthy country, are people poor because they make bad choices, or are there other social factors that contribute to poverty? [Panel Discussion: October 31]

5. Race & Ethnicity (Chapter 11): What challenges do immigrants face when arriving in Canada? What are the sociological implications of increasing levels of immigration? [Panel Discussion: November 7]

6. The Family (Chapter 13): What effect does the growing diversity of Canadian family forms (e.g. same-sex marriage, single-parent families, common-law families, polygamy, etc.) have on the functioning of the family as an institution? [Panel Discussion: November 14]

The expected length of your paper is 4-5 pages (excluding the References). In those pages you must do the following:

1. Summarize the sociological journal article: 

• What was the purpose of the article?
• What are the main points of the author’s argument? 

2. Critically analyze the sociological journal article: 

• Clearly describe the research orientation being used to make the author’s argument (positivist, interpretive, critical).
• What is the level of analysis (e.g. macro/micro) that the author uses?
• What sociological approach has the author taken (e.g. social-conflict, structural-functionalist, symbolic-interactionist)?
• What are the limitations of the author’s approach? Be sure to clearly describe both the strengths and weaknesses of your article.
• Give your perspective on the research. Be sure to clearly describe your point of view and your reasons for that position.

• Demonstrate your understanding of the social issue represented in your research question, article, and piece of media.
• How does your piece of media relate to your research question? Use your sociological imagination.
• What assumptions are being made? Is there an implied understanding of how the social world should operate in your piece of media?

4. Use APA citation style (in-text citations and references page) throughout your assignment.