Tuesday 28 February 2017

First Paper Assignment

Description:
Paper is worth 20 % of total class grade Paper page limit: 5-7 pages References: Paper should include at least 2 references from class readings. Paper Distributed February 15, 2017 First Draft of paper due HARD COPY for peer editing Friday February 24, 2017 Final Draft of Paper due electronically on March 1, 2017 (at 5:00 PM) in SafeAssign Write on one of the following two topics:
Option 1: Police brutality has become front-page news in America. Durkheim, Marx and Weber presented some arguments that can help us understand this significant social problem. Use the perspective from one of these theorists for the paper assignment (either Durkheim or Marx or Weber). Using a variety of their ideas, show how this theorist would explain police brutality in the U.S. today using the theoretical concepts and ideas of this specific theorist about society. Specifically: a) provide a diagnosis of the problem of police brutality in light of their general analysis of society; and b) use their ideas to prescribe what can be done to end police brutality.
Option 2: Chicago has a crisis in education, specifically with respect to public schoolings. In 2013 for example, about 50 schools were closed. Since then there has been ongoing discussions about more closing of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and debates all over Chicago about these closings among policy makers, activists and social scientists. Imagine that a Durkheimian, a Marxist and a Weberian Sociologist who live in Chicago analyzed how they see the problem of education in Chicago. Each one of them presented some arguments about: a) the diagnosis of the problem of education in Chicago in light of their general analysis of society; and b) what should be fixed to solve this problem. You are asked to take one side in this debate (either Durkheimian or Weberian and or Marxist). Present this in the paper assignment. In the assignment, you should show how this theorist (one theorist) would explain the crisis of education in the U.S. today and what can be done about it, using the theoretical concepts and ideas of this specific theorist about society.
Further Instructions:1- While the instruction says, you need to cite two references from the readings (of the theorist you choose), this means from the COURSE READINGS. But you may cite other sources such as newspaper articles, other books and journal articles. But in general, you should include in your references ANY MATERIALS YOU ARE USING in the paper, other than your thinking.

2- ANY unverified websites are NOT appropriate to cite in this paper and if you are uncertain, ask the TA before using it

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.