For my first essay it’s going to be over Age (old age, youth, or childhood): Candee. Age Divisions Are Socially Constructed. From a Sociological Perspective, 4 Apr. 2013, Age Divisions are Socially Constructed-2.docx. My professor doesn’t want you to use any additional outside sources for this paper. Your first body paragraph should explain what types of scientific or historical underpinnings have been used to bolster your topic as real rather than socially constructed. This is also where you explain how you know this concept is a social construct (Does its meaning change over time and/or across cultures? How?) For race, these scientific and historical underpinnings are things like the idea that race is based on important genetic differences. Its not, but the idea has been used to add credibility to making distinctions and categorizations (like slavery) based on race. We can also tell that race is a social construct because what people think about race has changed over time and is different from culture to culture. Very similar phenomenon have happened for ideas like gender and nation. This is where you talk about that. This is also where your extra source will come in second body paragraph should explain some of the basic characteristics that make up your topic (for race, this would be things like skin color, nose shape, eye shape, hair color and texture, dialect, etc) and why these things are a result of social construction rather than the previously mentioned scientific or historical underpinnings.
