Focus on one concept (or perhaps two interrelated concepts) or ideas expressed in the reading materials for this week. Which concept/idea did you find most intriguing or powerful? The gist of the assignment is for you to engagein an analytically sound waywith the theories (the explanations) we cover in the course.
Concepts: (pick one or two that are interrelated)
The Decentering Event in Social Thought (Derrida)
World Revolution (James)
New Class (Gouldner)
Reflexivity & practical sociology (Garfinkel)
The Master’s Tools (Lorde)
In order to engage with the theories, you need to:
1. Clearly identify and define the specific concept(s) used by the theorist (a couple sentences),
2. Explain what the concept(s) helps us to understand about the social world.
3. Apply the concept/theory provided by the theorist to a contemporary example, being clear to explain why the example you provide is an example of the concept/theory (a paragraph). Another good strategy here is to compare/contrast this concept with a concept from another theorist we’ve read in class or with another theorist you’ve read in another class (or elsewhere).
4. Finally, be sure to cite properly (using ASA style) throughout, including providing a list of references (1 entry in your reference list is fine if you’re focusing on 1 theorist).
The readings can be found on page 319-342. I have uploaded the eTextbook.
