Course Writing Assignment Instructions

Find a documentary film about a current social issue or social phenomenon. Any event or issue that involves a significant number of people or some major, structural aspect of society should be fine. Episodes of the PBS series Frontline are highly recommended. Please stick to issues that occur in our society, or that at least directly involve the United States and its residents. If you’d like subject suggestions or help finding an appropriate film, please ask. You may not use fiction or historical fiction, even if it is realistic or accurate.

Using the information from your documentary and any relevant class materials (the theoretical perspectives table and course text, for example), perform a sociological analysis of the issue/phenomenon that is the main subject of your documentary.

Use at least one of the macro theoretical perspectives (Functionalism or Conflict Theory) and Interactionism as a basis for your analysis. You have leeway to be creative in your analysis of the issue, but make sure you are addressing questions such as the following:

• What is the basic social issue/event/phenomenon? What makes it a social issue/phenomenon?
• What statuses/roles, groups, organizations, and institutions are involved? How can the structural elements of the issue be examined with the sociological imagination?
• How would a “macro” sociologist examine this issue for things such as functions/dysfunctions, equality/inequality, power imbalances, integration/disintegration, cohesion, and agreement or disagreement on values and norms.

*Depending on your topic, some of these may not apply.

• What is “micro” or symbolic interactionist view of this phenomenon? Can you give examples of cultural scripts, symbolic meanings, and reality constructions? How do these things shape the actions of the people involved? What images or symbols exemplify or capture what is going on in this issue?
• Can the action in the issue be explained in terms of dramaturgy or exchange theory? How?
• Why might this issue be of interest to sociologists? How could a sociologist do further research on the issue or phenomenon?

A potential outline of your essay, which covers the above bullet points, might look similar to this:

1. Introduction: Describe the issue/phenomenon from your film in sociological terms.
2. How would a Functionalist and/or Conflict Theorist analyze and explain this issue? (Apply concepts from the perspectives to examples you found in the film)
3. How would an Interactionist analyze and explain this issue? (Apply concepts as above)
4. How could a sociologist do further research on the issue in your film? Concluding Remarks

Assignment Guidelines:

Essays will be submitted via Canvas as a (pdf or doc file) in the designated “Course Paper” assignment. Submissions should be a minimum of 3 pages (750 words or more), typed, double-spaced, with 1″ margins. If you name your film, it’s year, and the producer or director in your introduction, you do not need a separate Works Cited page. Direct quotes and original ideas from supplemental articles, if used, should be cited with a formal citation style (MLA, APA, ASA). Grading will be based on effort, originality, depth of analysis, and proper application of terms, concepts, and theories to examples from your film. This essay is worth 100 points, which is 20% of your course grade, so be certain that it meets college-level standards and is an example of your best effort to demonstrate what you’ve learned in Introductory Sociology.