Essay Question:
1. How is the society (economy, polity and culture) in which you are living impacting/shaping/constraining your family-based household? Think about this in terms of several of the following: structure, dynamics/relationships, roles, division of labor (egalitarian or not egalitarian), quality of life, standard of living of the individual and/or household.
2. What are some of the ways in which you and /or other members of your family navigate these structural opportunities and/or constraints?
Note, in identifying “how society is impacting/shaping/constraining your family-based household” AND how “you and/or other members navigate these structural opportunities and/or constraints” will vary largely due to the texts you engage with. You must address the first question at an economic, political and cultural level, though not necessarily all to the same degree.
Technical Instructions:
1. On top line, write your full name, Sociol 242. On next line, paper’s title (be creative!!!). Skip a line and begin writing your essay.
2. Length & Format: 7 pages (not including works cited page), Times 12, double spacing, standard 1-inch margins. You are welcome to extend the length of the essay at most by two pages.
3. Citation: Engage thoughtfully/critically with the texts you select. Your essay must engage with substantive direct passages (quotations). Ideally, it is best to use a balanced mixture of direct passages and paraphrasing; however, if you know or have been told you have difficulty paraphrasing, then you can just engage with direct passages (quotations). Remember it is a course requirement that you cite using MLA which means you must cite ALL borrowed ideas with page (for example, Pough 55). If you use several lengthy quotes (four lines or longer), then page length must be increased a bit. Remember, the reader needs to be able to distinguish your ideas from those of others. Don’t forget to include a works cited page (not included in page length). If you do not know how to cite properly refer to Owl Purdue MLA link in Blackboard’s Start Here/Syllabus.
4. Edit your writing 3x. Give yourself extra time to check spelling, punctuation, sentence coherency and organization/structure.
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Essay Grade Breakdown:
Narrative: 40%
o Reflects an exploration of the essay questions semi-independent of direct/explicit textual engagements, as well as writing (spelling, grammar, syntax, organization of ideas) and citation (within the essay).
§ If you engage with only one of the numbered textual requirements (#2 – #4) and do engage twice with each of the other texts, then this portion of the grade will be graded at 20% based on quality of addressing the essay theme (including writing and citation) and the remaining 20% will be graded @ 59.
§ If you engage with only one of the numbered textual requirements (#2 – #4) and only engage once with each or most of the other texts, then this portion of the grade will be graded at 20% based on quality of addressing the essay theme and the remaining 20% will be graded @ 50.
§ If you do not engage with any course texts, then the paper will not receive a passing grade.
Textual Requirements (60%) Easiest way to find corresponding course readings is via the Course materials link.
· For each textual engagement, make sure you convey clearly and fully the specific concept or idea or experience/history or policy/practice that the author is presenting or critiquing. Remember textual engagements are there to help you explore different parts of the essay question.
· Do not engage with the texts in the order in which they appear below; the ordering below is arbitrary. You will need then to think about how and where to incorporate textual engagements into your paper. This will require writing the paper in several draft/stages. I do NOT want a series of article summaries with each summary followed by a personal example.
· Each textual engagement must be contributing something different/new, and at a minimum must engage with a central idea or the argument of the text.
· You must package together/link at least once two different textual engagements, instead of only engaging with each text one at a time.
1. Weeks 5, 6: Choose one article and engage with it twice OR engage with two articles and engage with each once. (Excluded: Daly, Families & Time). 10%
2. Weeks 9, 10, 11: Choose either two articles and engage with each twice OR choose three articles and engage with each once. 20%
3. Weeks 12, 13: Choose either two articles and engage with each twice OR choose three articles and engage with each once. 20%
4. Weeks 14: Either choose one article and engage twice OR engage twice with a non-course scholarly article that contributes something new and relevant to your essay. 10%
If I see substantial progress has been made from the mid -term essay, additional points will be added to your course grade; substantial progress can mean increasing the course grade by one letter grade.
See next page for Bonuses
Bonus: This is an opportunity to increase your course grade due to any missing work (film reflections, oral presentation or write up, mid-term essay) or weak attendance/participation.
· Up to two bonuses only if you have engaged with all of the above textual requirements (#1-#4)
· One strong engagement with one or two of the below text choices each weighted at 2.5%. It must be relevant to your family exploration, deepening the exploration at either the micro or macro level, or both.
· For each bonus, must extend length of essay by 1/3 page for each documentary or article engagement.
· Like all textual engagements, they should be incorporated thoughtfully into your essay. Do not place it/them at the end of the paper; if you just throw it/them in at the end without any thought, you will not receive credit.
· If it is a documentary, you must cite the starting minutes (parenthetical citation) to convince me you watched it.
· Selection
A Day’s Work A Day’s Pay or Waging Change – Access via Assignments link
YouTube: NPR- Housing Segregation & Redlining -Access via Assignments link
Frontline: Two American Families (Can also access via Assignments link)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/two-american-families/
Frontline : Facing Eviction
Frontline : Undocumented in the Pandemic
A non-course scholarly article OR with one other course text.
excluded: can’t be to the same idea/or experience of a course text used in your mid-term essay; excluded texts are Powell, Gittins, Collins, Patton; articles on family & family album, and articles on family & food.
