Sociology
3210: Sociological Theory Essay Assignment Guidelines
Sociological
Theory Essay Assignment Guidelines (200 points possible)
- Each student is responsible for four (4) essays
- Each contribution
should be a focus on the ideas, concepts, and insights of one of the theorists
or theories from the specified chapters.
- Students
are expected to provide detail and explanation going beyond what is
available in the assigned textbooks and lecture notes.
- Students
must choose a topic and develop an essay (using text,
images, and hyperlinks--as relevant)
- If you are
interested in what I expect, here are some sample first
wiki contributions from fall 2008. And here is another
(contribution 3) from FS09 and a contribution
4 from FS09. Finally, here's a more recent example from SP2012 and here is basically a perfect example of what I'm looking for from FS2012 (you'll need to log on to "roksworld" (use your Gateway ID and password) to access both of these).
- Your essay
must be the equivalent of 750-900 words (about 3-4 pages). See the grading rubric for your essays at #6, below.
- Dues dates are
posted on the "Assignments, Readings,
and Course Schedule" and here:
- Contribution
1 (focus on themes from chapter 2) on due by Monday, September 18.
- Contribution
2 (focus on themes from chapter 3, 4, or 5) due by Monday, October 16 by 11:59 PM.
- Contribution
3 (focus on themes from chapter 6 or 7) due Monday, November 13 by
11:59 PM.
- Contribution
4 (focus on themes from chapter 8, 9, or 10) due Monday, December 11 by 11:59 PM.
- Be sure to correctly cite all information
used from research resources (in-text citations and a list of references for
each page) using the ASA manuscript
submission guide (local copy
with web citation guidelines or a full version of the
ASA Style Guide).
Additional assistance with referencing
online resources can be found here.
Also, remember we are undertaking an academic activity, so please refrain
from using opinion, unreliable or invalid resources, sensationalism,
and other non-academic practices. See
academic integrity statement and Turnitin information.
- Grading
rubric (click for even more detail) for the essays
(50 points possible):
- Statement
of purpose-- problem, concept or issue to explore: 5 points
- Details and
explanations of key points and concepts related to class discussions and
reading (you need to display your understanding here--Critical
Thinking--not simply regurgitate what we all have read AND
you need to demonstrate how this material fits into the historical tradition
of sociological theory): 10 points
- Annotation, integration,
and appropriate use of relevant outside
resources (3 per contribution): 10 points
- Content thorough,
comprehensive, and complete (Critical
Thinking--I am looking for you to take the basic information
we cover in the course, develop it in new ways, apply it to contemporary
situations, and/or relate it to the work of other sociologists not necessarily
covered in the course): 15 points
- Grammar, spelling,
and overall mechanics (no contractions, etc.): 5 points
- Proper citations
and bibliography: ASA manuscript
submission guide (local copy
with web citation guidelines or a full version of the
ASA Style Guide). 5 points
- Outside
Sources:
Peer-reviewed sociology journals (other peer-reviewed social science/humanities
journals may be acceptable--ask if you are uncertain), original work by the
theorists--not included in the class reading assignments, and other primary
source documents, articles and books. Other textbooks--especially introductory texts, encyclopedias of any sort, Wikipedia, online dictionaries, sites
like "answers.com," blogs, etc. can be used but will not be accepted as "outside
sources" and should not form the basis for your essay. And, don't use "outside sources" that simply repeat information we have in the text, lecture notes, and develop in class discussion--the point here is to go beyond these basics. Before using information found on external web sites, please review the guidelines found at: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webcrit.html to insure the information is reliable. Better yet, try looking for research and information from the libraries database system (http://www.umsl.edu/services/library/databases/databases.html), it's a wealth of academic research at your fingertips.
Integration means developing ideas from your outside sources, applying them and using them in creative ways that display your understanding of the key concepts and theories we are studying. I am looking for Critical
Thinking.
URL: http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/3210/3210_wiki_work/3210_project.html
Owner: Robert O. Keel: rok@umsl.edu
Last Updated:
Tuesday, August 22, 2017 11:44 AM
Unless otherwise noted, all pages within the web site http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/ ©2015 by
Robert O. Keel.
Click here to Report Copyright Problems