Research shows that students who take rigorous classes that require adequate levels of reading and writing are those who are more successful after college. I’ve tried to offer a set of assignments that are both rigorous and allow us to explore different ways in which sociology can be applied to the real world.
Perspective Memos
Perspectives memos give you the opportunity to offer your perspective while integrating readings with information from our everyday lives. There are a total of seven perspective memos, but the two with the lowest scores will be dropped. Please follow these guidelines for all memos:
- Name each file the following way: FirstInitial.Lastname_Memo# (example: E.Syeed_Memo3)
- Must be typed, use 12 point Times New Roman font
- Be at least two double-space the pages.
Perspective Memo #1 (DUE 1/29)
The sociological imagination helps us place our individual experiences in the context of the larger society. For this memo, consider a social institution that has played a big role in shaping your life experiences (school, work, religion, family, media, etc), and explain its impact on your life. In addition to discussing your personal experiences, find a news article that relates to this institution. Using both the news article as well as the Mills reading, explain how your individual experiences reflect larger social trends. Please bring a copy of your newsarticle to class.
If you want to get a sense of how individual experiences and larger social trends are related, take a look at the news article we read in class.
Perspective Memo #2 (DUE 2/19)
The NYC School Survey is one of the largest surveys in the nation conducted on an annual basis. Your job is to review the findings from last year’s survey and offer your critiques of the survey. Additionally, offer recommendations of other methods or approaches to collecting data that can be used to improve NYC public schools. The Memo Outline is in our Google Drive folder.
Perspective Memo #3 (Due 3/5)
Over the last few weeks, we have discussed how sociologists try to explain why society is the way it is. We have looked particularly at how society is explained from both a structural and cultural point of view. For your memo this week, we will explore how these ideas are understood in the context of raising children by interviewing parents. This memo will also serve as a way for you to practice research method for your LAP project. The Memo outline is in our Google Drive folder.
Perspective Memo #4 (Due 4/2)
We have been discussing the processes of socialization around gender beliefs in our society and watched the documentary Miss Representation. For this memo, you are to write a letter to a media executive using evidence from the film and our readings on what role the media plays in socializing people to develop particular beliefs about women, the potential consequences this may have, and what other factors influence how the media represents women. The Memo outline is in our Google Drive folder.
Just My Sociological Imagination 