Assignment One: Deviance as Crime Presentation (SOCI215 AMU)
Assignment Overview
Not all deviance is crime, and not all crimes are considered deviant. For example, jaywalking is technically against the law in many places, however it is so commonplace that it is likely to be considered the norm rather than a deviant act. By contrast, many forms of deviance are not against the law, no matter how unusual they may seem; for example, in some locations nudity is not illegal, nor is the use of recreational marijuana, nor intimate arrangements such as polyamory. For this assignment, you must choose a type of deviance that is also a crime — that is, it is illegal — and apply our course concepts to the illegal deviance.
Assignment Instructions
For this assignment, you will put together a presentation of 10 slides minimum. Please use Power Point to create your presentation.
Please attach, embed, or provide a link to your presentation to submit it for grading.
Your Presentation must explore the following:
1) Select a type of deviance that is ALSO a crime – that is, it is illegal. Describe this behavior and how it impacts society, giving solid statistical data to explain the scope of the problem. How is this type of deviance typically depicted in the media (providing examples, if applicable)? What seems to be the perception of this behavior in society? Does it seem that there is a change in perception in society in terms of activities that were once illegal (such as the legalization of marijuana in many states)?
2) Integrating information from the course readings and materials, how would a positivist explain the deviant behavior you selected?
3) Integrating information from the course readings and materials, how would a social constructionist explain the deviant behavior you selected?
4) Define TWO sociological concepts/theories from our course materials — OTHER than positivism or social constructionism — that relate to your example of deviance and analyze how these concepts/theories help to better understand the deviance you are discussing.
Note – Concepts may include ideas such as class, gender, race, ethnicity, stratification, disability, and many others — these are just examples. You need to choose concepts that make sense in your analysis. Sociological theories may include conflict theory, feminist theory, symbolic interactionism, functionalism and others. These are just examples; you need to choose theories that make sense in your analysis.
