Essay Instructions Using Foundational Theories and Sociological Concepts

Essay Requirements

Essay Instructions Using what you’ve learned about the foundational theories and concepts insociology in the lectures and in your textbook readings, as well as 2 –4 academic journal articles (minimum 2, maximum 4), writea 4 –5 page essay (minimum 4 pages, maximum 5 pages), choosingfrom one of the following:

 

1. Discuss howsocial structure(made up of social patterns, norms,and institutions)can produce inequality in Canadian society.

 

2. Discuss the sociological implications of media and media representation.Formatting and Evaluation:

 

•The essay must include a title page, be double spaced, use a 12-point font, and have one-inch margins.

 

•The essay must followAPA citation and reference formatting guidelines.

 

•Your assignment will be graded using the term essay rubric. You will be assessed for:oComprehensionof the course concepts and material§Pro tip: Paraphrasing in your own words will help you avoid plagiarism (you still need to cite when paraphrasing)and highlight your comprehension (understanding) of the course concepts and materials!oIntegrationof the course concepts andmaterial fromboth the textbook and the lectures

 

Pro tip: I will be providing examples throughout the lectures that will directly relate to the essay topics! Master Status Tip: Using examples from the lectures in your essay shows that you’ve actively participated in the class and showcases your understanding of the material!oThe correct use of APA citation and formattingguidelines

 

Pro tip: Purdue Owl and the Writing Resources in our course’s UM Learn page will help you achieve citation success!oWrittendevelopment, spelling,and grammar Pro tip: Spell check, the Academic Learning Centre writing tutors,and editing are your friends! The deadline for the term paper is fast approaching.

 

Here are some specifications and tips as you begin to plan and write: Follow APA formatting guidelines (Purdue Owl is a great site to help if you need it) You do not need to provide an abstract Title page and reference list required When referencing material from the lectures, either my lecture or the videos in the lecture, cite me and the date of the lecture. E.g. (June, October 28, 2021) Referencing lecture material demonstrates participation in the course When referencing content from the textbook or your additional journal articles, follow standard APA in-text citation and reference guidelines I take plagiarism seriously.

 

If you are unclear what constitutes plagiarism, see the writing resources folder in UM Learn and the university's guidelines on academic integrity The paper will receive a grade of zero for plagiarism and may also be reported for academic misconduct If you are unfamiliar with university level essay writing, see the writing resources folder in UM Learn and/or visit the Academic Learning Center When writing, remember to bring in key concepts and perspectives from the course materials, define them, and discuss/explain how it is relevant to your discussion/topic.

 

This demonstrates academic and critical thinking and argumentation. This also demonstrates your comprehension of the course materials and topics which is the key objective of the essay. Use the essay to highlight your understanding of the concepts/theories/and perspectives that you've learned about in the course in relation to your topic and your use of the sociological imagination! When writing, you may choose to make your argument from one sociological theory or perspective (i.e. feminist, conflict, functionalist, symbolic interactionist, OR post-modern) OR you may choose to write from various perspectives in discussing the sociological implications of either essay topic.

 

Here is an example for a hypothetical essay topic: discuss the sociological implications of health and illness. In this hypothetical essay, you could discuss how the conflict perspective emphasizes inequality and its impact on health and illness - in this paper you could discuss the various conflict theories that explain inequality and class (pulled from numerous chapters, from your additional articles, and from the lectures) and how they relate to Engel's conflict theory that poverty increases the risk of illness. OR, you could write this hypothetical essay from various perspectives by writing about the sociological implications of health and illness.

 

In this second example, you could discuss how health and illness is a social issue rather a personal problem by explaining how feminist researchers have highlighted the ways in women's health concerns are more likely to be dismissed, how conflict theories have helped explain health as a social issue by highlighting how inequality and poverty put people at greater risk of illness, and how post-modern theories highlight how medicalized discourses maintain unequal power relations in society. And again, which ever approach you use, make sure you bring in the key scholars associated with the theories you are discussing as well as the key concepts associated with those theories (e.g. stratification, class conflict, and so on) making sure you define the concepts.