Creative Writing Assignment: Your Life in Two Versions

Instructions: 

You will create a story of your life with two alternate versions: one that describes you now, and a second in which you vary at least two key sociological aspects in your life, to show how things might have gone if those aspects were different. The goal of this creative writing assignment is for you to critically consider how the starting conditions of your life set you on a particular path, and how that path might be different if sociological conditions had been different or events had unfolded differently. It is very important to integrate terms, concepts, and citations from the scholarly readings you have done in sociology field into this assignment. In other words, it is a creative writing task that asks you to wonder/speculate/guess or hypothesize a little.

1) Start by re-reading or at least refreshing your memory about sociologically based concepts from the sociology articles assigned this semester. Think about some of the social institutions and related structures or roles that create our “selves” and the social context of our lives for example: the family, daycare/schools, religious   institutions, work settings/roles, social rituals such as Bar Mitzvah or marriage, roles and identities such as gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity; and social class. 

2)  Next, begin your writing by describing in approximately one (1) double spaced page where you are in your life right now e.g. your age, partner-status, educational/employment status, race/ethnicity/cultural background, your life stage and goals,whatever seems important from a sociological perspective.

Now, in approximately one (1) more page, select and apply at least two of the sociological structures/roles/constructs to your own life, to help explain how you have come to be where and who you are and hold the goals/values that are important to you. You don’t need to be limited by what you wrote in your first page description of self, you can add things as long as you are looking through the lens of societal institutions. Make sure to explicitly discuss what institutions or roles you think are particularly important, applying relevant sociological terms and concepts.

While this is a creative writing task, when you do cite scholarly material, use APA 7th edition style and format. Refer to the wealth of APA resources available to you to ensure you are citing correctly. This includes a reference page at the end.

3) Next, write an alternative ending for yourself as follows  focusing on the institutions/roles/constructs that you wrote about in the first part of your paper here, imagine if there had been a different scenario or two. For instance, if you grew up as a Christian you might imagine that instead you grew up Muslim or Atheist; if you come from an intact family you might imagine instead that you grew up in a fragmented one; if you are of the working class you might imagine that instead you grew up very wealthy.  How might that have impacted where you are now, and the likelihood of achieving your goals - perhaps even what your goals are?   This is all hypothetical and wonderment and allows you to engage thinking in a very different way.

Description of Your Life Now

Submit all parts of this writing as a a single document.

• This "choose you own adventure" assignment should be: approximately 3.5 to 4 pages in length, double spaced.

• You should have both a title page and a reference page that do not count in the 3.5-4 pages of narrative.

• You will need a minimum of three scholarly citations woven into your writing which can be journal articles we read during the semester or something you find through searching sociological scholarly resources. Remember personal websites/blogs/practice magazines are not scholarly sources

2. Next, begin your writing by describing in approximately one (1) double spaced page where you are in your life right now e.g., your age, partner-status, educational/employment status, race/ethnicity/cultural background, your life stage and goals, whatever seems important from a sociological perspective. I am a twenty-six years old single woman who is a full time student and works full time. I am the oldest of a family of 7 and life was always busy and a never-ending learning. Life at the moment is busy as I am working finishing my bachelor’s degree and working towards improving myself as a person. I spent many years helping my mother to raise my 6 siblings and now I am more of focusing myself. I am working on me when it comes to being healthy mentally and physically, getting in shape, eating healthy, reading, writing and socializing. It’s not like I don’t help out my family but now everyone is grown and does not need me as much as they used to.

At the moment, I work as a case manager at a local agency. I am working with immigrants like myself, and natives. I love my job, but it can be stressful at times. I work with client’s who have high needs and sometimes its out of my control to do anything or help. Some of the clients are new to the country and don’t understand the rules, what you can or cant do for them therefore, they might blame you not giving them benefits from state and so on. I am planning to work as case manager until I get my masters to become a social worker.  My plan is to continue my education and my dream is get my master’s in social work. I also want to meet my soulmate before finishing my masters and hopefully get married. I am tried of my mother’s nag about me being single. I might also work on opening my own business if I get the means to do that or someone to invest in with me. I always wanted to come up with my own clothing line therefore, I think it’s something I might enjoy doing.  

Alternative Ending

Next, write an alternative ending for yourself, (one-to two more pages) as follows: focusing on the institutions/roles/constructs that you wrote about in the first part of your paper here, imagine if there had been a different scenario or two. For instance, if you grew up as a Christian you might imagine that instead you grew up Muslim or Atheist; if you come from an intact family you might imagine instead that you grew up in a fragmented one; if you are of the working class you might imagine that instead you grew up very wealthy.  How might that have impacted where you are now, and the likelihood of achieving your goals perhaps even what your goals are?   This is all hypothetical and wonderment and allows you to engage thinking in a very different way.

If I was born rich, things would be way different. I would travel more, donate more, help more, and have more time to learn different skills. I would be able to the school I want and major whatever I want. I would work less and spend more time with my family. I would be able to visit my family members and give them generous gifts. I would pay for the education of the underprivileged kids. I would build a shelter for the homeless and provide warm meals especially during this time of the year. I would also adopt kids from who don’t homes or parents to take care of them. I would dig wells for places where water is scarce. I would fund child protective services and make sure every child grows happy and healthy. As someone who literally raised kids,  it sickness my to my stomach when I hear a child is abducted or mistreated. Therefore, I would make sure people who harm kids don’t see the daylight. Last but not least, I would provide advanced equipments for hospitals, especially the OBYN and Pediatric apartments. I believe the world would be a better place when we take care women and children. So, I would put of my effort on them. 

Introductions to Sociology

The past two decades of the twentieth century saw the concepts of self and identity move to the center of intellectual debate in the social sciences and the humanities. This eruption of attention was spurred by burgeoning developments in poststruc- turalism, cultural studies, feminism, and queer theory. Yet it is also the case that sociological forces outside of the academy have contributed to a growing concern with selfhood. As the globalization processes of late capitalism continue to desta bilize traditional practices and cultural assumptions, the self is exposed in various ways. We see, for example, an increasing individualization of social life (Beck & Beck-Gernsheim 2002), a proliferation of roles (Frank & Meyer 2002), and the emergence of “identity projects” (Giddens 1991), where personal meaning and social location become a matter of effort and conscious “choice.