Reference no: EM132235785

Part 1

Write a two- to five-page paper that adheres to APA standards and answers all the questions below. Because you will incorporate information on sociological investigation and research methods in this assignment, please be sure to read Chapters 1 and 2 from your textbook and the Week 1 online lectures before you start.

Begin by selecting one of the four articles below from the South University Online Library:

• Gil de Zúñiga, H., Correa, T., & Valenzuela, S. (2012). Selective exposure to cable news and immigration in the U.S.: The relationship between FOX News, CNN, and attitudes toward Mexican immigrants. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 56(4), 597-615.

• Isom, D. (2012). Fluid and shifting: Racialized, gendered, and sexual identity in African American children. International Journal Of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 6(11), 127-137.

• Li, K., Simons-Morton, B. G., &Hingson, R. (2013). Impaired-driving prevalence among US high school students: Associations with substance use and risky driving behaviors. American Journal Of Public Health, 103(11), e71-e77. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301296

• Pager, D., & Western, B. (2012). Identifying discrimination at work: the use of field experiments." Journal Of Social Issues, 68(2), 221-237.
Once you select an article you will write a short, two- to five-page essay using APA format. Please review the grading rubric before embarking on your paper. Your paper should fulfill all requirements of the grading rubric and answer the following questions:

• What is the social problem the researchers are investigating?

• What is the research method (survey, participant observation, experiment, secondary sources, or interviews) used by the researchers?

• What were the results or findings of the research?

• What do you think would be a good solution to the social problem?

As always, remember to use APA format for the essay style, in-text citations, and in the listing of your sources on the reference page.

Please refer to the Academic Resources page in the Course Home for resources on writing in APA style.

Submit your essay (written in 12-point font) describing your application project and your findings to the Submissions area.

Part 2

For this assignment you will learn what makes each culture and subculture unique. Sociologists use the "components of culture" in order to identify cultures and subcultures.

The components of culture are language, material objects, behaviors, and symbols. For this assignment, you will use existing resources to compare and contrast two different cultures or subcultures.

Information about the components of culture and different cultures/subcultures can be found using the textbook, online materials, and the South University Online Library.

Below you will find a step-by-step guide for completing this paper:

• Make certain you have read the chapter "Culture," in Sociology in our Times.

• Choose two separate cultures or subcultures to compare and contrast. Examples could be India and the United States or Gothics and Emos. Once you decide which cultures/subcultures you will research, use relevant keywords in your library search.

• Compare and contrast these two cultures/subcultures, specifically analyzing the components of culture (language, material objects, behaviors, and symbols.)

• Be sure to include an introduction with a thesis, conclusion that reviews all main points you present, and integration of your personal views on the topic.

Remember to use APA format for the essay style as well as in-text citations and when listing the references. Submit your 2-5-page essay (maximum 12 pt. font) describing your application project and your findings

Part 3

Write a 1000-word (minimum) paper. Refer to the APA resources found in the course home page, and thoroughly address each of the following questions:

Families have changed greatly over the past 60 years, and they continue to become more diverse.

• Why is the family considered the most important agent of socialization?

• What caused the dramatic changes to the American family? What are those changes?

• Describe the differences in marriage and family life that are linked to class, race, gender, and personal choice.

• Do you feel the trend toward diverse families is positive or negative?

• If the trend changed toward traditional (pre-World War II) families, how would that affect women's rights?

Part 4

For this assignment you will have the opportunity to conduct an experiment, or quasi-experiment, in order to explore deviance in our society.

As we learned this week, deviance is "any behavior, belief, or condition that violates significant social norms in the society or group in which it occurs" (Kendall, 2013, p. 180). Cultural norms are behaviors and expectations for a group and fall into three categories: folkways, mores, and laws.

For this assignment you will explore society's reaction to a folkway violation. You will then utilize the textbook, online materials, and the South Online Library in order to write a two-page essay on the deviant (not criminal) experience.

Below you will find a step-by-step guide for completing this paper:

• First, review the sections on Research Ethics and the subsection on Testing a Hypothesis under the section Research Methods in chapter one of your text in order to familiarize yourself with sociological experiments. Then, begin this assignment by choosing a folkway to violate.

Examples include (and there are many folkways to choose from): wearing the other gender's clothing, speaking a foreign language to an English speaker, sitting with a stranger at a restaurant, and eating dinner with your hands. Be sure to ask your facilitator if you are unsure if the norm you choose to violate is appropriate for this assignment. Here is an example of a norm violation for you to watch.

• Violate your chosen folkway (not a law) in at least one situation and document it with pictures, video, and/or notes. Be sure to note how you feel when you violate the norm, as well as other people's reactions to the violation. If you do not receive adequate data (reactions) in one situation, try it again in another.

• Write an organized essay that explores the norm you violated, how you felt while being deviant, and the reactions you received while you were violating the norm. You should then analyze the experience, including the theories of deviance presented in the text. Your paper should also include an introduction with a thesis and a conclusion that reviews all main points you present.

Assignment alternative: you may choose to do a reflection paper on an instance when you have been deviant in the past. A reflection paper must contain analysis and integrate concepts from the text. Review the grading criteria to ensure that your reflection paper contains all of the necessary components.

Remember to use APA format for the essay style as well as in-text citations and when listing the references. Submit your 2-5-page essay (maximum 12 pt. font)

Part 5

Write a 1500-word paper using APA standards that focuses on the following: Interview two different individuals regarding their positions in society. Analyze their responses regarding:

1. Identify each person's class, race, and gender, supporting your work with the text and/or outside resources.

2. What role has class, race, and gender played in their lives? How do you see these stratifiers as playing a role, even if the interviewee is unaware of it?

3. Apply one of the sociological perspectives to the individuals' lives. Why did you choose this particular perspective? How does it explain each person's life and life choices?

4. What are some of the benefits and limitations to using interview as a research methodology?

5. Analyze each person's specific components of culture and relate them to his/her stratified position in society.