Demonstrate understanding of course concepts introduced through readings, film, lecture and discussion
Demonstrate growth in your ability to analyze social practices using evidence from course texts, observations, data, and other sources
Apply sociological concepts to your own social world
Assess the implications of social phenomena, and evaluate their relative merits according to your own vision of the ideal society
Evaluate research methods in relation to research questions
Demonstrate improvement in your ability to formulate research questions and to assign appropriate methods for answering them
In this paper, you will select an example of either inverted quarantine (Szasz 2007) or precautionary consumption (MacKendrick 2018) that you see in either
Your community (can include a community of friends, family, work colleagues, members of a church, volunteer organization, social movement, etc. that you participate in); or
Popular culture or media (may include social media, produced media such as TV, movies, music, magazines, books, or some other cultural expression, e.g. art, theater, performed music, etc.)
In your paper, you should:
Present the example you are discussing. Give sufficient description that your example is clear and relevant. Don’t assume that I know anything about your example!
Relate your example to either inverted quarantine or precautionary consumption
Compare and contrast the theories of inverted quarantine and precautionary consumption; this should include a discussion of why you think the theory you are applying is the most relevant to your example
Present evidence that links your example to the theory you have chosen to apply. Your paper should include a minimum of three types of evidence (each in its own paragraph). Evidence may take the form of:
Actions or behaviors you have observed (or enacted)
Explanations, justifications, or motivations that people have reported (for personal examples, you can use personal narrative, quotes from friends, family, colleagues, community members, etc. For media sources, you can draw quotes from the media source directly)
Secondary accounts (for example, drawing from someone else’s analysis of the same topic) (you should use this type of evidence sparingly, and only if direct observation is not an option).
Evaluate the implications of people adopting either inverted quarantine or precautionary consumption in this example. What are the benefits of this strategy? What are the costs? Who bears the costs? Who reaps the benefits? In your evaluation, consider Szasz and MacKendrick’s evaluations. How does your analysis relate to theirs?
Suggest avenues for future research. Your paper is based on your own observations, analysis of secondary materials, and your reading of course material. If you were to develop this analysis into an empirical study, what kinds of questions would you ask, and which methods would you use to study this topic? Refer to MacKendrick’s Methodological Appendix for ideas about how to study consumption practices.
Formatting Your Paper
Your paper should be between 5-7 pages in length, double spaced, in a standardized font (Times New Roman, Arial, Calibri, Garamond, etc.) with a font no larger than 12 point, and standard 1” margins
Your paper should include a heading with your name, date, and course number, at the top of the first page
Your paper should have a title
Your paper should cite both Szasz’s Shopping Our Way to Safety and MacKendrick’s Better Safe Than Sorry, as well as two additional sources. These two sources can either be a citation from Szasz or MacKendrick that you follow up on, or they can be the result of your own search for literature on the topic you are writing about. At least one should be a scholarly source (either a peer-reviewed journal article, or a chapter of a book from an academic press).
Citations should be formatted in ASA style, both in-text and in the works cited list
Your paper should have page numbers
