Essay Prompt
In a two-pronged essay, please (1) analyze the successes and failures of the U.S. labor movement during the 20th Century, and (2) discuss what leaders in our country today–whether they are labor leaders, political leaders, business leaders, or something else–can learn from the 20th Century U.S. labor movement’s challenges, mishaps, and successes.
Please follow the instructions listed below when crafting your response essay:
Your paper should be three or more pages in length (double-spaced).
Use 12-point, Times New Roman font.
Use 1” margins.
Create an original title for your paper that reflects its content.
Include a header or footer that numbers the pages of your essay.
Although you are welcome to draw from outside sources, your paper must cite at least two sources from the “Unions and the Labor Movement” and “Work in the New Millennium” units of the course syllabus.
Make a bibliography and use parenthetical citations where appropriate. You should use American Sociological Association (ASA) guidelines. I have listed the full citation information for the relevant readings along with formatting instructions at the bottom of this page.
Grading
This essay is worth 15 percent of your final grade. Please see the rubric appended to this assignment, which breaks down how I will grade it.
To make a long story short, the grade you receive will be based on:
The depth and breadth of your engagement with the course material.
The degree to which your essay demonstrates satisfactory understanding of the material.
The degree to which you develop a well-reasoned response to and perspective on the prompt.
The clarity of your writing.
The degree to which you follow the directions.
Please note that passing off other people’s writing or ideas as your own–even if it is just a sentence or two–is considered plagiarism. Plagiarized papers will receive a grade of zero and be reported for academic dishonesty.
How to do Parenthetical Citations in ASA Format
Please format your parenthetical citations as follows: (author’s last name publication year). For example, you would cite the textbook as follows:
Marx argued that capitalism generated caused labor alienation (Erikson 1990).
Please note that you may also cite essay like this:
Erikson (1990) argues that capitalism can alienate people from their work.
Lastly, please note that if you are using a direct quotation, you should include the page number. For example, if you wanted to quote a passage from the textbook, you would do so in one of the following ways:
“People can be said to be alienated when they become estranged from their fellow creatures” (Erikson 1990: 22).
According to Erikson (1990), “people can be said to be alienated when they become estranged from their fellow creatures” (p.22).
Examples of ASA Citation Style
Erikson, Kai. 1990. “On Work and Alienation.” Pp. 19-35 in The Nature of Work: Sociological Perspectives, edited by Kai Erikson and Steve Vallas. New
Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Hoschild, Arlie. 1993. “The Managed Heart.” Pp. 328-335 in Feminist Frameworks: Alternative Theoretical Accounts of the Relations between Women and
Men, 3rd Edition, edited by Alison Jaggar and Paula Rothenberg. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Mills, C. Wright. 1951. White Collar: The American Middle Classes. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Unions and the Labor Movement
Attachment
Jacoby – The Way It Was.pdf
Attachment
Cowie – Something’s Happening to People Like Me.pdf
Attachment
Cowie – Old Fashioned Heroes of the New Working Class.pdf
Attachment
Soci of Work – Summer 2024 – Precursors to Labor Unions – The Way It Was.pptx
