Great job on Tuesday with your peer reviews! Based on the conversations and feedback provided everyone’s papers should be more clear, better organized and importantly, sociological.
On to the information…
Analytic Papers are due on Tuesday at the beginning of class. You are required to turn in your paper (which will include a reference page) and two sheets from the peer review. If you want your paper back, also include a self addressed, stamped envelope when you submit your paper.
Presentations. Your presentation can involved the use of handouts, visual aids or just your creative self. You will have about 3-4 minutes to present your paper. Essentially, tell us the social problem you discussed, the sociology you used, and what conclusions you drew from your project. This counts toward your participation grade not your paper.
Citations. You are required to follow the American Sociological Association’s citation format. There are several links here to guide you. If you have questions about citing, please post your question to the website. I will respond until Monday at 9pm.
Cal State
University of Kansas
Purdue University
Quotations. Quote judiciously. In discussing your social problem, it may be appropriate to quote a document, an expert, or one of your texts. However, think twice before using a quotation, if you can state the main point of the quote in your own words, citing appropriately, that’s the better way to go. When quotations are used sparingly they are more effective.
We will be taking the last quiz, talking about social change and reviewing drafts of papers.
Quiz 5: will cover Institutions (see posting from November 9), you should be able to define what an institution is, as well as provide some examples of institutions (i.e. economy, family, etc.) and what the institution does. You can expect to see a form of the grid that we completed last tuesday.
That grid contained: institution, status, roles, values, norms, social structure, and organizations. The addendum to the definition, an institution is an accepted and persistent constellation of statuses, roles, values, and norms that respond to important societal needs.
In addition, this quiz will cover deviance. You should know what it is, and that as a violation of norms there are these four points to remember:
1. Norms vary in seriousness
2. Norms vary across groups
3. Norms vary across time
4. Norms vary between subcultures
As usual you are responsible for knowing about the MSL readings.
Peer Review
Please bring 2 copies of your paper. The more complete your paper the more helpful this step will be. (Please do not use an incomplete paper as an excuse to miss class) Here is the peer review sheet if you'd like to take a look, I will bring copies of these to class.
On Tuesday you received the Revisit on Thinking Paper #2, and comments on your Analytic Paper outline and abstract. As such, I’d like to draw your attention to a few items related to writing. Importantly, the goal of all this emphasis on writing is to reveal how writing actually works, that writing is both social and a process.
First, writing while seemingly a solitary process is actually social. The emphasis I place on writing is to make transparent (or more obvious) that writing is social, and to create a dialogue about writing, specifically your writing. The dialogue (or conversation) involves the writer (you) and the reader (me) and your classroom colleagues.
Second, writing and thinking go hand in hand. Clear thinking is demonstrated by clear writing, however clear writing cannot mask unclear thinking nor can unclear writing demonstrate clear thinking. Our writing reflects where we are in the thinking part, which is often not so clear – yet, the process of writing and thinking moves both aspects forward. It is the process of writing and thinking, thinking and writing that is essential. The writing and thinking can be helped through having others read drafts, outlines or even talking about our ideas. All of which you have done during this term. My undergrad advisor Lee Clarke, puts it this way “write, write, write, edit, edit, edit, share, share, share” (see Clarke's page ). I would say the order is write, edit, share, write, edit, share... but I think you get the idea.
Third, writing has moments of clarity and ease, as well as confusion and struggle. This aspect of writing is often the most frustrating, particularly if we have been fortunate to experience the clarity and ease part. This is why there are so many books about writing (Ann Lamott, Bird by Bird; Howard S. Becker, Writing for Social Scientists; Natalie Goldberg, Writing down the Bones, just to name a few), some more technically focused than others.
Importantly, the difficulty and frustration part of writing should not be confused with you or your abilities, try not to take it personally. Writing is a skill, an ongoing, ever improving skill – it is not a reflection of you as a person. This last point is the hardest to remember, because so much effort is often put into our writing. And anything less than success can feel like a personal failure, it’s not. Your writing is just that - writing, just like you learned how to tell time, and as frustrating as that could be (just look at kids struggle with it), which you may still have to figure out time zones and daylight savings, – but having eventually mastered time, you are now able to do many more things from this skill. Writing is similar, often frustrating, but a skill that will open up more possibilities.
Having shared some philosophical issues about writing, here are those issues in practice:
Feedback is an integral part of the writing dialogue. I will happily talk to you about your paper(s) and ideas, that’s how points one and two listed above are put into practice. If things are unclear, let’s figure out how to make things more clear. In particular, I understand that people learn differently and attempt to present methods that will address a variety of learning styles, if something doesn’t work for you let me know. The dialogue moves in both directions.
Revisiting and revising. The intention of Revisiting papers is to help think about the “big picture,” of how to better organize the ideas presented in a paper. Assignments and in-class activities are designed to facilitate a re-thinking about organization and ideas. Revising is an application of re-thinking a.k.a. “revisiting”, which means that the revisit should occur prior to the revision. Revising is always an option; most learning occurs through some form of doing. Since writing is a process, revision is always a significant step in this process – I will always read a revision. Having said that, revising and re-writing a paper will not by definition make it better, that’s why the revisit is so important. Further, it is also why talking with a colleague (or your instructor) is an integral part of the writing process. If we just stayed fixed to our computers, essentially inside our heads all the time, we would never know how our ideas were being received or if our ideas were understood.
One last comment, in addition to reading revised drafts, I will also read drafts prior to their being due. In other words, if you want feedback on your Analytic Paper prior to turning it in, I will do that. Note: I will not read your “first draft” which may contain spelling and grammatical errors, typos, etc. If you want your paper read prior the due date, you will need to submit a eletronic copy to me by 6pm on Wednesday November 30. This will allow you to incorporate your colleagues’ feedback from the previous evening’s class and allow time to revise the paper after I read it.
Don't forget, the Writing Center is always a great option. Check out their page MSU Writing Center
Happy Writing!
The modified reading requirements for Tuesday are:
From Chapter 13, pp 377 -385,
pp388 - 400 begin at “Religion & Politics,” stop at “Challenges & Issues in Contemporary Education”
Read the Key Points on page 409
From Chapter 14, pp 413-424 stop at “The Relationship between Work & Society”
p 429 – 438 begin at “The Nature of Power & Authority,” stop at “Militarism and the Military”
Read the Key Points on page 442
From MSL:
#45 Abiding Faith (5 pages)
#53 Badboys (4 pages)
You choose one, either:
#26 Nickel & Dimed
or #51 Preparing for power
If you recall the purpose of revisiting your paper is to think about how your paper is organized, and how you would re-do your paper if were writing a second draft. Working from this, you are asked to revisit your thinking paper #2.
There are two steps for this revisit, which are due November 15:
First create an outline of your paper as it was written and submitted. This can be as simple as going through the paper and using the main point of each paragraph and converting that into your outline. Basically I want you to look at the skeleton of your paper; how you organized it. This is outline #1.
Second, working from the comments I provided (“Revisit” at the end of everyone’s paper) or some others that you've been thinking about, create an outline for what would be the next version of your paper. This should be a more clear and focused version of your paper. This outline, let’s call it outline #2, is to be more detailed than outline #1.
(Importantly this is also some of the information that I’m looking for in the outline for your Analytic Paper)
The example from the board:
I. Definition of news: write it out the news is “x, y and z”
II. “X” (we used “informative”), X means….
a. Specific example from website or article that demonstrates X
b. Specific example from website / article #2 that demonstrates X (or refutes X)
c. Specific example from website / article #3 that demonstrates X (or refutes X)
d. Sociological importance of X, in other words why news is X
III. “Y” (we used biased), Y means …
a. Specific example from website or article that demonstrates Y
b. Specific example from website / article #2 that demonstrates Y (or refutes Y)
c. Specific example from website / article #3 that demonstrates Y (or refutes Y)
d. Sociological importance of Y, in other words why news is Y
IV. “Z” (perhaps you had three points to consider, i.e. historical context, ownership, etc.)
a. ...
b. …
c. …
d. …
V. Conclusion, my definition of the news is supported/refuted/needs further consideration
Another example, would be the outline for the "Commander in Chic" by Jennifer Pozner
I. How does the News contribute to an environment where “women are still stuck with token representation” Media contributes by perpetuating “outmoded attitudes” toward women that consist of gender specific coverage (i.e. appearance, family relationships, and other “feminizing” details such as cooking)
II. Feminizing details such as baking, activities, and thoughtfulness / manners
a. Example of feminizing details, Harriet Miers, AP says bakes a mean sweet potato pie
b. Example of feminizing details, quotes from relatives and colleagues that she likes to play tennis…; doesn’t gossip, remembers everybody’s birthday…
c. No one has commented on nominee Samuel Alita might bring to a potluck (sociological speculation as to how gender alters news presentation)
d. Example of feminizing details, LA times referred to Miers as Bush’s “work wife”…who embodies meek
III. Physical Appearance and attractiveness
a. Example of appearance, Miers needs a “makeover” according to the VA Times Dispatch
b. Example of appearance /and appeal, San Diego Union Tribune, … “would I wish to marry her”
c. If she were Harry, (sociological speculation as to how gender alters consideration of the candidate)
d. Context of her own boss refers to her shoe size “pitbull in size 6 shoes”
e. National Security advisor Rice is also reduced to shoes and sex appeal as “dominatrix”; Senator Clinton’s “bad fashion sense”; or Congresswomen Sanchez and Sanchez hairstyles and “hootchy shoes”
IV. The Media neglects to see how their actions contribute to the climate, marginalizing women as more emotional, less knowledgeable, and less qualified by their male counterparts.
a. This also a result of persistent economic inequality
b. Women as responsible for family and care work
c. Gender socialization where men are encouraged to lead, and women to support
V. Suggestions for change; it doesn’t have to be this way!
An update about changes to the syllabus and few reminders.
* Your Thinking Paper # 2 "What's in the News" is due on tuesday at the
beginning of class.
* We'll take Quiz #2 again on tuesday without the research design, a few
application questions will be added instead.
* The course schedule is pushed back one week, this applies to only the
readings. Due dates for assignments, and quizzes do not change. On
tuesday, we will discuss Family. Instead of two weeks to discuss
institutions, we'll combine these into a single week (more specifics
to come).
For next week, you are asked to Revisit your Thinking paper on Gender. Here are the details: Revisiting Your Paper
In brief, you are to think again about your paper. How you could reorganize, or differently present your ideas? For next week, you will revise one section of your paper choosing from one of the 4 main ideas that you discussed in your original paper. Perhaps you wrote about conforming to or challenging a gender expectation, revisit that idea (from our class this week you should have some new terms that could be useful).
Additionally, you need to provide answers to questions A, B, & C. These are not to be included in your revisted section. However, the questions might raise some further thoughts that could be relevant to how you would revisit your paper.
For next week, bring in your original paper, your revised section and the answers to questions A-C. (please do not use a cover sheet).
If you have questions, please post them.
Happy Writing!
Here's the assignment, which is due at the beginning of class tomorrow.
For this role-taking assignment you are asked to think and write from a social location other than your own. This is fairly simple and should prove to be a lot of fun. I want you to write a 2 – 3 page paper about a typical day in your life, with one critical difference – you will be writing as if you have suddenly morphed into a member of the opposite sex. This means if you were born female you will adopt a male persona and vice-versa. Write your essay in the first person (use the personal pronoun “I”). What I am looking for are your observations of the various ways that your biological sex affects you. The purpose of this assignment is to discover gender using your budding sociological perspective. If you want to score the full 50 points for this assignment with your first draft, you must address each of the following questions in your essay:
- What are the gender expectations that accompany your new sexual identity?
- What do you think of these new expectations? Will you conform or resist them?
- What are the consequences of compliance/resistance?
- How will your new sex and gender identity affect your plans for the future?
You won’t need to do any library research for this exercise, but you will want to give the matter some careful thought. There are, of course, no right or wrong answers here, but be as specific as possible about how your new sex/gender identity affects your life. Do not get too bogged down in describing your new body – what is most important are your sociological observations. Be creative and fun!
Still wondering...
For this assignment, you have suddenly changed - this was unexpected, and now you are faced with how your life is different. The four questions are designed to get you to focus on the specific ways that your life is impacted by gender. Will your job be the same, do you have a uniform, are there different expectations for men and women, do you think people will talk to you differently? How will you dress, will you conform to gendered expectations, or will will resist them, i.e. wear make up, shave parts of your body, shoe choices, etc. How do you think people will respond to your choices if choose not shave your face, or your legs? What were your plans for the future, did changing sexes alter your plans, why or why not?
Have fun thinking about this, and write an essay about your experiences as a new gender!