Unit 3 Social Structure: Essay Assessment

Unit 3 Social Structure Essay Assessment

 

Introduction 

For this unit, we learned that individuals are born with a nature, but part of their nature is to be nurtured.  The nurturing of individuals connects them to other people from even before the moment they are born.  That connection with people connects them to a culture, a family, school, peers, and social media.  As people grow they develop an awareness of their “self”; they have a picture of who they are as individuals.  With this in mind, follow the instructions below.  

 

Instructions

Write an essay that demonstrates your sociological knowledge about how these groups shape individuals in general and then provide specific examples from your own life.  Choose THREE of the groups that we learned about (culture, a family, school, peers, and social media).  In each paragraph, explain some of the sociological conclusions about how the group influences individuals and whether that is true for you or not - in other words, what is some of the sociological research/evidence about how these groups shape individuals?  Then give unique examples from your own life about how the group has influenced/socialized you and shaped your own sense of self.  Was the influence manifest or latent?

 

Requirements

• The essay should have 3 distinct and well-developed paragraphs, but you do not need an introductory or concluding paragraph.
• Write your essay with unique examples so that they apply specifically to you. Make your writing authentic. If your writing is specific and authentic, then no other student should be able to use your essay as their own. 
• The essay should be spell-checked and written with proper grammar.
• Please write your essay in a Google Doc. Be sure to share the doc with me or make it public.
• Then open this Google Form and fill it out with the link address to your Google Doc

     

Providing evidence of competency for previous units (optional)

Unit 2 Sociological Research

If you still want to demonstrate your competency for Unit 2 Research, you can do this as an optional part of this assessment.  

Over the course of Unit 3, I have mentioned a number of primary research articles that highlight how the agents of socialization affect individuals.  In order to demonstrate competency for unit 2, you must complete numbers 1 and 2 below:

1. In your assessment for this current unit (Social Structure Essay Assessment - above), you had to choose three of the groups and write about them including the sociological research/evidence about how the group socializes individuals in it.  Choose one of the groups you wrote about in the unit 3 assessment (above) and find one of those original/primary research articles that we used as evidence/research during this last unit (posted throughout my Unit 3 blog lessons).  Write a detailed paragraph explaining the research and include the following: 

Cite the article including author, article title, journal title, publisher and date.

Explain the methods the researchers used. 

Explain the conclusions that the researcher reached. 

Explain ONE of the following and how it can be applied to the research:

A) The difference between a generalization and a stereotype and how that applies to the research.

B) The difference between statuses and roles and how they might apply to the research.

 

2. Find an original/primary research article that is about socialization or one of the agents of socialization that we studied: family, school, peers, media.  Write a detailed paragraph that explains the research article and includes:

Cite the article including author, article title, journal title, publisher and date.

Explain the methods the researchers used. 

Explain the conclusions that the researcher reached. 

Explain ONE of the following and how it can be applied to the research:

A) The general type of research (cross-sectional, longitudinal, cross-cultural or historical)

B) The difference between macro & micro sociology and which of these is the research is focused on

C) The difference between ingroups and outgroups and how the research might help understand the group as an outgroup more accurately.

 

 

 

 

Unit1: Sociological Perspective

If you want to demonstrate competency for Unit 1: Sociological Perspective, you can do this as an optional part of this assessment.

Over the course of this past unit (Social Structure), we examined the ways that the nature-nurture dynamic socializes people and gives them a “self”.  We examined evidence that culture, family, school, peers and media all play a role in this process.  In your assessment for this unit, you were required to choose three of the groups and write about them including the sociological research/evidence about how the group socializes individuals in it.  To demonstrate competency for Unit 1: Sociological Perspective, you must completely do both of the following:

 

1.  Choose any of the three paragraphs that you wrote for the Unit 3 assessment and then add a paragraph that applies ONE of the sociological paradigms (Structural-functional, Conflict or Symbolic Interaction) to your answer.  You must explain what the paradigm focuses on generally and how that applies to your example specifically.

 

2. Choose one of your other paragraphs that you wrote for the Unit 3 assessment (different than the paragraph you used above for the paradigm) and then add a paragraph that applies one of the theories (Social Construction of Reality, Sociological Imagination or Sociological Mindfulness) that we examined to your answer.  You must explain both the theory in general and how it specifically applies to the example that you used in the Unit 3 assessment.