Apply a sociological perspective to the social world.

Analyze contemporary social issues using the sociological imagination and use sociological theories and concepts to analyze everyday life.

Demonstrate the ability to identify, locate, and retrieve information related to the topics in the course.

Develop written communication skills and critical thinking skills.

Apply American Psychological Association formatting and citation style when completing course assignments.

Purpose:

The primary goal of this exercise is to apply your developing sociological knowledge and skills to the analysis of a current event.

Directions and Suggestions:

Choosing a Current Event. A current event refers to something that is happening in the world at present (i.e. the war, the presidential inauguration, 1:4 teenage girls contracting an STD, etc), and they are usually described on the news and in mass media.You must choose a report (written, from the radio, or televised) of an event that has been reported on within 3 months of the assignment deadline.Remember, the event you choose must have some relevance to the study of society, and you must properly cite the source from which you got your report.

Describe the Current Event. Second, you will need to provide a brief summary of the current event.This should include details such as location, timing (i.e is this an ongoing event, does it appear to be a one time event, is this an example of an event that happens frequently), people involved, and any analysis offered by the report(er).

Analyzing the Current Event. The final step in the process is conducting an analysis of the current event using knowledge you have gained from the course to-date.The most important thing here is that the analysis should not just be your opinion about the current event, but grounded in sociological theory and prior research.You will need to use at least 6 sociological concepts covered in this course to analyze the current event (i.e. social construction, stratification, social control, crime, deviance). (hint: sociological concepts should be clearly identified, defined AND then applied; ANY paraphrasing or direct quotes used from another source should include APA formatted in-text citations and a full citation at the end of the essay)