In this paper, you will present a sociological analysis using some aspect of your direct experience or a current event as your data source. This assignment is not a term paper or a library research paper. I do not want you to find resources outside of the course material. Instead, I want you to take theories, concepts, and ideas from the course material, explain them to a reader who has never learned about them, and demonstrate how they work by applying them to either a personal experience or a current event. By the time your reader has finished reading this paper, they should know a little more about the experience or event and a lot more about the sociological theories, concepts, and ideas. Here are more details. Take a current event —i.e., something that has received reputable media attention in the last calendar year—and explain to your reader how a sociologist might use theory and existing empirical evidence to discuss the event. For this paper, a current event is anything that has received reputable media attention. Reputable media outlets are those that play by the traditional rules of reporting. They have editors who verify sources and insist that reporters provide countervailing evidence and multiple points of view. I’ve provided a list of news outlets to avoid for this paper. If you find something that sparks your interest from any of the sources listed, go back and find one place where a reputable outlet covered the story. I’ve also given examples of reputable outlets. Any current event is “fair game” for this paper, but some events work better than others. Stick to news events; no celebrity experiences. Once you’ve chosen an event and established that it has received reputable media attention, do not continue to search for more information on the event. Your paper is not an issue paper or a persuasive essay. Your job is to get your reader to understand the sociological concepts, theories, and ideas. Your reader does not have to agree with you, only to understand you. Please, don’t waste time attempting to persuade your reader about the event’s moral, ethical, or psychological dimensions (that’s a different paper). Get the information about what happened and then spend the bulk of the paper explaining and applying the sociological concepts, theories, and ideas. After reading your paper, your reader should know a little more about the event and a lot more about sociology.
