SOCS185 (Culture
and Society)
WEEK 1 SOCIOLOGICAL
IMAGINATION ASSIGNMENT
Our decisions do not simply result from what philosophers
call “free will.” Sociology teaches us that the social world guides our life
choices in much the same way that the physical world guides influence our
choice of clothing or the type of food we feel like eating. C. Wright Mills
pointed to the power of what he called the sociological imagination to help us
understand everyday events. As he saw it, society—not people’s personal
failings—is the main cause of poverty and other social problems.
For this assignment explain how a personal problem can be
caused by a larger social issue. It can
be a problem that you, a friend or family member, or someone you have read
about has experienced. Describe the situation, putting both the personal
problem and the larger social issue in boldface, then explain the relationship
in terms of cause and effect. Limit your
response to a single double spaced page.
Category Points % Description
Understanding 10 25% Correctly identifying a personal
problem and larger social issue
Analysis 20 50% Explaining
the cause and effect relationship using proper terminology
Execution 10 25% Proper spelling, grammar, format and
use of boldface
Total 40 100%
SOCS185 (Culture
and Society)
WEEK 3 YOU
DECIDE ACTIVITY
Scenario/Summary
This scenario takes place at a college campus among a group
of student employees. We take a look at the interaction among a few employees
and the proper approach to take when the behavior of some employees is deemed
inappropriate by another employee.
Your Assignment
You are a student employee who overhears conversations among
your coworkers. While on break, two of your male coworkers usually go off by
themselves and smoke a cigarette. These recently hired coworkers are in their
first semester and have just graduated from high school. Sometimes you overhear
bits and pieces of their conversations. You are concerned that they regularly
have conversations that are inappropriate for the workplace. You have overheard
these coworkers making crude sexual references about other employees, telling
sexist jokes, and sharing images and graphics of a sexist nature on their cellphones.
You seek advice on how to handle the situation from others at your workplace.
KEY PLAYERS
You need to decide if you want to file a formal complaint.
If you do, the matter will be investigated. If what you say can be
substantiated then the young men will be reprimanded. That usually results in
their employment being terminated and their student loans/financial aid may be
in put in jeopardy.
Shirley Wright
Manager of Student Employees
I don’t care what your boss says; this is inappropriate
behavior for the workplace, even if they are on break. They should learn to
stop this kind of behavior before they graduate. It’s the sort of thing that
could get you fired in the real world. If I were you, I would, informally, have
a word with them and tell them that I was offended. Once they have been
informed that they offended someone, they may decide to change their behavior
on their own.
Ron DesVue
30-year-old veteran, student and classmate
Hey, you got a smart phone, don’t you? First thing I’d do is
record their conversation on my phone. Don’t let them know you’re recording it.
The next time they have one of those conversations tell them that you find it
offensive and ask them to stop it. If they refuse or give you a hard time, tell
them that you have a recording of their sexist comments and you’ll take it to
the boss. They don’t need to know how the boss feels; the threat should be good
enough to get them to stop, at least when you are around.
Hugh Jim Bissell
Close friend since high school and current classmate
Let’s not turn this into a federal case. I’d say as long as
they’re having these conversations in private, among themselves then it’s not
any of your business. After all, boys will be boys. These are young, single
men, and this is a way that they bond, work out frustrations, and blow off
steam. Look, it’s not like they’re making racist remarks. In that case, I
definitely go straight to the boss, even higher up the chain of command, if I
needed to. After all, who hasn’t told a dirty joke now and then? As long as
they keep it on the down low, it’s no big deal.
Frieda Choose
Close friend and classmate
Activity or Assignment
This assignment covers CO 6 in terms of interaction among
groups and CO 4 in terms of the meaning of culture within society.
In a 500-word (minimum) essay, using the concepts that you
learned from this week’s readings analyze the different ways that sexist
behavior is handled in the formal and informal bureaucracy. The following
questions should answered in the essay.
The following questions should be answered in the essay.
Does Shirley Wright's comment make you more or less likely
to file a formal complaint? Do you agree with the likely punishment? If not,
what alternative punishment would you suggest?
Do you agree with Ron DesVue's perspective where he says you
should speak to the individuals? Why or why not?
Do you agree or disagree with Hugh Jim Bissell on using your
smart phone to make a recording? Why or why not?
Should you take Frieda Choose's advice that "boys will
be boys," and that there is a general expectation that men will
occasionally behave badly, and so long as the behavior is kept between privately,
it should be ignored? Why do you think she distinguishes between sexist remarks
and racist remarks? Explain your answer.
Is there a problem with the organization in the scenario
above? If so, what should be done to provide a long-term solution to the
problem?
Category Points Description
Understanding 20
Demonstrate a strong grasp of the problem at hand. Demonstrate an
understanding of how the course concepts apply to the problem.
Analysis
20 Apply original thought to solving the
business problem. Apply concepts from the course material correctly toward
solving the business problem.
Execution
10 Write your answer clearly and succinctly
using strong organization and proper grammar. Use citations correctly.
Total 50
A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.
SOCS185 (Culture
and Society)
WEEK 5
SOCIOAUTOBIOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT
Socioautobiography Assignment: (Part 1)
Your Socioautobiography assignment is due this week.
The purpose of this assignment is to give you the
opportunity to apply the sociological imagination to your everyday life: To
make connections between your everyday life and the life of a historical or
current social leader whose life and actions has had a broad impact on the
sociocultural structures within which you live. In this assignment, you will
reference appropriate Course Objectives (COs) that relate to your
Socioautobiography. You can find the COs in this course listed in the Syllabus
and in the weekly objectives. This assignment can be related to any and all of
the COs.
The Socioautobiography is a reflective paper that allows you
the opportunity to explore the interconnections between biography (a slice of
someone’s life), the social structure, and culture. In preparation for this
paper, please read the Socioautobiography Guidelines posted in the Files
section of the Course Menu for detailed assignment instructions and grading
rubric.
SOCS185 (Culture
and Society)
Week 7
Course Project
Objectives
Students will complete a three-part Course Project allowing
an opportunity to interview a person from another culture, apply what was
learned during the interview to specific cultural concepts, and to create a
summary.
Week 2 Guidelines
Part 1: Identification of Person to be Interviewed from
Another Culture and Culture Overview
Assignment Topic:
Identify a person from another culture (to be interviewed in
Part 2) and then provide a overview of their culture by reading about that
culture.
Directions:
Identify a person from a culture that is different from
yours.
You could identify a person from your course, previous
courses, workplace, family, and/or neighborhood.
Research various sources (DeVry library) to gain some
background knowledge about this person's culture. You should read material from
at least three (3) different credible sources.
Go to DeVry Library Library Services | DeVry University for
help on this assignment.
General reference works such as encyclopedias, dictionaries,
Wikipedia will not be considered as sources meeting this requirement.
The list could include books, journal articles, industry
reports, authoritative websites, manufacturer's sites, or sites from research
groups.
Remember, all quotations, paraphrased material, images,
graphics, and statistics must be referenced in your report, so make note of all
sources while compiling your research!
Summarize key findings from these readings (approximately
one page, using bulleted format) citing sources appropriately and listing full
references at the end of your summary.
APA format: Three (3) pages total (cover page, 1 page
summary in bulleted form, and reference page)
General reference works such as encyclopedias, dictionaries,
Wikipedia will not be considered as sources meeting this requirement.
Double spaced
Size 12 font: Times New Roman or Arial
For more guidance on APA, various resources are available
APA Checklist: APA Checklist (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site.
Five type of Heading:
http://library.devry.edu/pdfs/Five_Levels_of_Headings.pdf (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site.
In text citation Examples:
http://library.devry.edu/pdfs/In-text_citations.pdf (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site.
APA Style: Quick Reference guide
http://library.devry.edu/pdfs/APA_Style_Reference_Guide.pdf (Links to an
external site.)Links to an external site.
APA Sample Paper:
http://library.devry.edu/pdfs/APA_Sample_Paper.pdf (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site.
For more guidance on Citing Graphics and Images, see
Academic Integrity with Graphics (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site.
Deliverables (what to submit at the end of Week 2):
Identify the person and culture you've selected at the top
of the culture summary page, including your relationship to the person and the
name of their culture.
Written overview of culture based upon research findings
from at least 3 credible sources (APA format including cover page, summary
using bulleted format of one page and reference page).
Week 4 Guidelines
Part 2: Interview Questions and Transcript
Assignment Topic:
Develop a set of questions (open-ended) to interview the
person from another culture you identified in Week 2 and provide a transcript
(written responses) from this interview.
Note: The transcript of the interview will also enable
completion of Course Project - Part 3 that is due in Week 7.
Directions:
Interview Question Selection:
Develop a written set of interview questions that you plan
to use in your interview.
Review the section below containing Sample Questions:
Questions to Ask a Person from Another Culture.
Select 10-12 of these questions (more if you want, but
choose at least 10), plus add any other questions that you would like to ask.
You do not need to ask all these questions or ask them in
the order you have them listed, as you will find that if you use open-ended
questions they naturally lead to other questions based on the person's
responses.
Conduct the Interview:
Interview the person identified earlier using the questions
you have prepared and drawing on your background knowledge from your research
in Week 2.
Although it is very useful to take notes in the interview
and/or tape record the interview, you need to be sensitive to how the person
may react if you do this as well as to how it will influence you if you are
taking notes as you do the interview.
If appropriate and with permission, you may take photos of
the person and where they live, pictures of the person's
home/workplace/environment/artifacts from the person's story; you may scan in
pictures the person has shared with you, or you may draw your own pictures to
illustrate points in your story. For this purpose, kindly get Informed Consent.
See Sample under Section on Informed Consent.
If the person you conduct the interview with does not want
to answer a question, you cannot make them do so.
Keep in mind the code of ethics employed by sociologists.
The three main ethical principles that must guide fieldwork are:
acquiring informed consent,
respecting one’s informant’s privacy and dignity, and
doing no harm (protecting them from risk).
Capturing the Interview Information
After the interview, it will be helpful preparation for Week
7’s Part 3 of the Course Project if you take a moment now to note specific
sociological concepts being learned in this class that may be related to
responses received from your interviewee - especially while the interview is
still fresh in your mind!
How to cite an interview:
As a personal interview is not published or “findable,” it
should not be included in an APA reference list. Instead, a personal interview
should be referenced as a parenthetical citation. For example: (First Name
Initial, Last Name, personal communication, Date of Interview).
Sample Questions - Questions to Ask a Person from another
Culture
What is your history? What is your home of origin? Why did
you/your family settle in _____?
How much do you feel a part of your culture of origin? Do
you participate in your cultural community? How?
How closely do you identify with and affiliate with your
culture? What are some of your family customs and roles of members within your
family? What is your role in your family?
What are the five (5) most important values of your culture
(of origin)?
How do people express these values? What would you see
someone in your culture do that would let you know that these are their values?
How are people taught these values?
How were you taught your values?
What do you think are the most positive things about being a
member of your culture/ethnic group?
Are there any negative things?
What are your family beliefs about around child rearing and
discipline?
What are the gender roles in your culture? And in your
family?
What is your concept of personal space? What is considered
appropriate touch between people of various relationships? (Consider how people
greet each other when they are first introduced, when they greet friends, when
they greet relatives)
What are the power structures in your family? Is age a
factor in who has power? How are decisions made at the family and community
level?
Who holds positions of formal power in your culture? Who are
the most powerful informal leaders in your community? Who held positions of
power in the past?
What religious or spiritual beliefs are influential in your
culture and for your family?
What is your concept of health? What are customary health
practices and beliefs? Who is responsible for and influences health care? Do
you use home or folk remedies, a healer, shaman or some other traditional or
spiritual healer?
How can you communicate effectively in your culture?
Consider the meaning of tone of voice, gestures, eye-contact, overall body
language, terminology used to describe health, face-saving behaviors.
How assimilated into the mainstream culture are members of
your family and how well is that accepted by the rest of the family?
How much a part of American culture or society do you feel?
Are these cultural values that are the same or similar to
American cultural values or values that help you "fit" or succeed in
American culture?
How are your culture's values different from
"American" cultural values?
Has this caused any problems for you or people you know?
(ask for examples)
How do you/did you deal with this?
Were there or are there difficulties in participating in
mainstream American culture/society?
Have you or your family or friends experienced
discrimination or negative experiences based on treatment due to your
cultural/ethnic group? (Examples).
Identify and verify customs, beliefs, and practices that
might be misinterpreted by established institutions within your community e.g.
schools, law enforcement, social services, health care providers (this includes
beliefs around certain body parts, such as the head, male and female
circumcision, cutting or puncturing the skin, transfusions, autopsies)
What do you think are the most important needs of your
cultural/ethnic community?
[Adapted from E. Lynch & M. Hanson (1998) Developing
Cross-Cultural Competence.]
Informed Consent:
See samples of Informed Consent and Photo Release: Informed
Consent._Samples.docx (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Deliverables (what to submit at the end of Week 4):
Written assignment which includes:
Cover Page in APA style
Provide a copy of questions with transcript (answers).
It should be typed, double-spaced, size 12 font: Times New
Roman or Arial font
Length of paper (excluding cover and reference page): 2-3
pages
Reference Page: As a personal interview is not published or
"findable," it should not be included in an APA reference list.
Week 7 Guidelines
Part 3: Course Project Culture Summary
Assignment Topic:
Present a summary about another culture based on previous
readings and the responses from your interview of a person from that culture.
Directions:
Analyze the responses from the interview and present a
summary of your findings on the culture of the person you interviewed. This may
be in any one of the following formats:
A Written Essay (3-4 pages double spaced, not counting the
cover page and reference page).
An Illustrated Essay with photographs/pictures/drawings
(images must be cited, the written portion must still be equivalent to the
length of the Written Essay option not counting the images).
An illustrated Blog - submit the URL and a printout (PDF) of
the blog post
An Adobe Spark Page - submit the URL and a printout (PDF) of
the web page
A Video Presentation (record a screen capture video, with
audio of you speaking about the content of your PowerPoint slides displayed on
your screen (or use similar visual references)) - submit any slides or graphics
used along with an .mp4 file for the video.
Podcast-type Audio recording (record a 3-5 minute audio
presentation, similar to a podcast, on the subject of your interview and
culture summary, addressing all of the points required for this assignment).
Submit an outline of your speaking notes, and an .mp3 file for the audio
portion.
An audio-narrated PowerPoint file (a set of 10-12 slides
with notes and with your voice recorded on each slide to present the material.)
See Instructions for Audio PowerPoint in Introduction and Resources > Course
Resources.
Select fifteen (15) sociological concepts learned in the
course (more if you want, but choose at least 15).
Suggested sociological concepts covered in the course may
include: socialization, customs and roles, cultural values, personal space,
beliefs, gender roles, religious or spiritual beliefs, power structure,
informal leaders in that community, cultural assimilation, cultural adaptation,
cultural diffusion, culture shock, discrimination.
Notes about the Format Options
All formats other than the Written Essay must essentially be
equivalent to the Written Essay format in the amount of content presented. By allowing you several choices you can be as
creative as you like and may choose the format you most prefer. Remember to cite sources, too, regardless of
the format of your Week 7 Culture Summary submission.
It is recommended to compose the essay first, and then
design your creative-format version using the essay as the basis for the other
format option's content. That way, if you happen to run short on time, you can
still submit the assignment in the Written Essay format.
For example, after you write the essay first you can then
add graphics afterwards to transform the essay into an illustrated essay, blog,
or Adobe Spark web page. Similarly,
writing the essay first will also expedite creation of PowerPoint slides if
you've chosen that format.
Deliverables (what to submit at the end of Week 7):
Summary of your findings on the culture of the person you
interviewed. For details on each format,
see the Directions section above. This Culture Summary may be completed in any
one of the following forms:
A Written Essay (3-4 pages double spaced, exclusive of cover
page and reference page).
An Illustrated Essay (with photographs/pictures/drawings).
An illustrated Blog
An Adobe Spark Page
A Video Presentation
Podcast-type Audio recording
An audio-narrated PowerPoint file - a set of 10-12 slides
with notes.
