Each project should be around 1,000 words. Going slightly over is not a big deal, going to many words under suggests that you might need to think deeper about the topic. The goal of each of these assignments is to get you to apply the theory or theorist to the world in which you live and then assess the theory’s utility to your understanding of your world.
The grade breakdown for these assignments will be based on the following criteria:
10 points: your ability to describe and explain the theory/ideas your building your project around;
10 points: your ability to describe and explain the topic you are tackling (your day, the news event, piece of culture, etc.);
10 points: your ability to analyze that topic using the theoretical material from the class;
10 points: your articulation of your critical thoughts on the project;
10 points: clarity of execution: clean prose and formatting and sophistication of ideas.
The 4 options to pick from:
Apply a theorist to an event of interest in the news:
Using the ideas from a specific theorist or theory, first concisely elaborate the core ideas and explanations of that theorist. Then concisely detail the current news event you have chosen. Source this information from reputable journalism outlets. Next, use the ideas from the theorist you elaborated previously to discuss how you understand and can explain this particular event and its coverage. Next, offer some critical thoughts on that theoretical application. Finally, provide a citation and a link to the article or articles you used.
Applying a theorist to a current piece of contemporary culture:
Using the ideas from a specific theorist, first concisely elaborate the core ideas and explanations of that theorist. Then concisely discuss the piece of fiction from our culture (album, film, TV series, book). This should include concise discussion of the overall plot, characters (as applicable), key conflicts represented, and overall cultural impact (popularity, awards, chart position, etc.). Try to focus on recent pop culture to capture ongoing application of the theoretical ideas. Next, use the ideas from the theorist you elaborated on to discuss how you can apply those ideas to the creation, symbolism, and artistic expression of the art under review. Next, offer some critical thoughts on that theoretical application. Finally, provide a full citation of the cultural piece.
Explorea theoretical debate surrounding a specific social phenomenon:
Using the ideas from at least two separate theorists who are discussing similar social dynamics, first concisely elaborate the core ideas and explanations of both theorists. Discuss specifically their contributions regarding this social phenomenon. Discuss recent ideas and public discussions around this social phenomenon. Discuss points of agreement &disagreement among the theorists. Discuss which of the theorist’s ideas are more compelling, more applicable, and why. Discuss how you could develop new questions or research to build upon the ideas from each theorist on this phenomenon. Finally, provide full citations for all the work you reference or draw from.
Finding, analyzing, and utilizing the common themes with a theoretical tradition:
Across Weeks 2, 3, 4, and 5 we explore a different theoretical approach to thinking about and studying the social world. In the first part of your response, explain in your own words the theoretical approach, illustrating how the various authors conform to the approach. In other words, for instance, how are all the reading for Week 2 examples of “scientific sociology” and what exactly is “scientific sociology?” In the second half of the paper, using that theoretical tradition, describe a way of studying the social world from that tradition. How do you, using the same example, study the social world “scientifically”? Use one of the theorists we read for that week to study the current world. To state it another way, how would that theorists study the world today?
