Description: There are many issues circulating on social and regular media that may catch our attention – about gender, race, class, politics, crime, etc. Often, viewpoints are expressed passionately. But can we see beyond the hype to critically evaluate these messages? In this report, you will use concepts and theories from the course, and legitimate research (at least
3 academic sources in addition to the textbook and/or lectures), to evaluate one current media issue. You will choose from the issues below1:
- “The Raptors’ Jurassic Park is a racial utopia. The rest of Toronto needs work” by Morgan Campbell https://www.thestar.com/sports/sports-prism/2019/05/29/jurassic-park-is-a-racial- utopia-the-rest-of-toronto-still-needs-work.html
- “Debate over women’s bras is polarizing, but dress code based on Victorian double standard is a rights violation” by Richard McGuire https://www.osoyoostimes.com/opinion-debate-over-womens-bras-is-polarizing-but- dress-code-based-on-victorian-double-standard-is-a-rights-violation/
- “Changing the Way We Think About Consensual Non-monogamy” by Nirel Marofsky https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_3ZHePuZ9U
- “The next step for Canada: decriminalize hard drugs” by Stephen Maher https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/the-next-step-for-canada-decriminalize-hard-drugs/
Instructions: Each of the choices above is an opinion piece, with the author(s)/ commentator(s) taking a clear side on an issue. In this assignment, you will analyze their opinion and give your own, according to the following questions. Answer the questions in full sentences in numbered sequence (not point form, not essay form). Do NOT include the questions below in your report, only your answers.
1 If you are passionate about a relevant recent issue not listed here, you may investigate that issue, but you MUST speak to the instructor before you begin the assignment to make sure it is suitable.
- What is the author’s/commentator’s (or group of commentators’) main argument? State their argument in one paragraph of two to four sentences.
- Which of the five main sociological perspectives does the author’s/ commentator’s opinion most closely resemble (Feminist [you must specify Marxist, Liberal or Radical], Functionalist, Conflict, Symbolic Interactionist, Postmodern)? Why/How? In answering why/how, make sure to give a general explanation of the sociological perspective, citing the textbook and/or the lectures. Then, explain how the perspective relates to specific messages in the piece. This should be a separate paragraph.
- What are your own thoughts on the issue at hand? (Choose one or more of the questions: Do you agree or disagree with the author’s main argument and why? [N.B. The issues are controversial and you are welcome to agree or disagree as long as you support your argument and are respectful of the rights of other groups, especially if they are traditionally marginalized groups, as discussed in the course material]. What issues are most important in the debate and why? What should be done to remedy the situation or move forward and why?)
You MUST provide evidence to support your reasons and the claims you are making (at least three scholarly sources in addition to the textbook). For example, if you say that you disagree with the author because of statistics xyz or reasons abc, then cite a credible source to support each of those statistics or reasons. As much as possible, identify key course concepts that shed light on the argument (e.g. including but not limited to discrimination, prejudice, gender binary, horizontal or vertical segregation, polyamory, privilege, labelling
theory, etc.), explain each concept, and then say how the concepts are relevant. See below for acceptable and unacceptable sources. This will be 3-4 paragraphs.
- Which of the foundational sociological perspectives does your opinion most closely resemble? Why/How? (Make sure to give a general explanation of the sociological perspective, citing the textbook and/or lectures, as well as how the perspective relates to your thoughts.) This might be the same as the perspective you cited in #2, or it might be different but if it is the same, you must explain why/how it relates to your own opinion. This will be one paragraph.
Sources:
You must use the textbook and/or lectures and 3 additional legitimate sources.
ACCEPTABLE: chapters in academic books, academic journal articles, government reports.
Your sources must be authored, published and current (ie. published within the last
10 years).
NOT ACCEPTABLE: anonymous sources, magazine articles, news stories, blogs, lecture notes, websites, unpublished manuscripts (even if held in library).
Citations:
You must use both in-text and end-of-text citations, using a standard format such as APA, MLA, Harvard, etc.
For example, in APA, in-text citations look like this:
“The conflict perspective argues that…” (Henslin et al. 2014, p.90).
“In Week 3, we learned that …” (Szabo, 2018a).
And the separate “References” page after the report looks like this:
References
Henslin, J.M. et al. (2014). Sociology: A down-to-earth approach. Toronto: Pearson.
Szabo, Michelle (2018a). “Week 5 lecture: Culture”. Principles of Sociology, Winter 2018. [modify for the correct year, date, week and topic]
Szabo, Michelle (2018b). “Week 6 lecture: Socialization”. Principles of Sociology, Winter 2018. [modify for the correct year, date, week and topic]
Etc. (in alphabetical order by author family name)
See Sheridan’s “Cite It Right” site for more information: http://sheridancollege.libguides.com/citation_guide