Soc 202: Written Assignments

Introduction

The Sociology 202 written assignments provide an opportunity to practice the lessons learned this semester. These assignments emulate as much as possible tasks required of professional sociologists in their role as members of the community of scholars. They ask you to evaluate the theory, hypotheses, operationalization, methods, data analysis, and quality of writing of professional manuscripts. It is anticipated that through these assignments you will gain experience in recognizing linkages among these essential elements of sociological research that can be applied in Sociology 302 and to your career after graduation.

Each written assignment asks you to evaluate aspects of sociology articles published in professional journals. The tasks assigned will correspond with the topics discussed in the course. There is no need for lengthy essays in response to the questions asked. Please write concise, short-answer responses.

Listed below are two articles each within four general areas of sociological inquiry: social deviance, family, social inequality, and rural society. Please select one area of inquiry that you will use for both assignments. You will be asked to answer all questions for all three articles within each assignment.

Because you will be using your selected articles throughout the semester you might want to save the .pdf files to your computer or print hard copies. (Typically, it is better to use the save, print, and email functions provided on the Adobe Acrobat task bar rather than those provided on the task bar of your web browser.)

Assignments

Links to the written assignments are listed on the Coursework web page and on these web pages:

Written Assignment One:

Written Assignment Two:

Written Assignment Three:

Grading

Each assignment is worth 20 points. Papers will be graded based upon the completeness of your answers and your defense of them. You should rely upon the concepts and suggestions provided in the Babbie textbook and the class lectures to explain your responses to questions asked in the assigned tasks.

Papers must be turned in by the due date unless you make prior arrangements with Mr. Teesdale. Please submit a paper copy of your assignment to Mr. Teesdale on or prior to the due date (electronic submissions will not be accepted).

Grammar and Style

Your papers will be graded for the quality of your writing. Please check your responses for grammatical and spelling errors. Up to five points will be deducted from your paper for failure to comply with the guidelines provided on the Tips on Technical Writing web page.

These web sites provide extensive on-line lessons in technical writing: