Question: FINAL PROJECT
The purpose of the project is to see how sociological principles and concepts on deviance operate outside the classroom and in everyday life.
You are to interview someone on or off campus about any topic in deviance that most interests you and ask him/her questions about the extent to which they have participated in that form of deviance. If you prefer, you may interview yourself and then reflect on the deviance in which you have participated. If you choose this latter option, you must still do the paper as it is required to be done; it doesn't change the assignment.
First, frame a set of issues, concerns, and questions you would like to address in the interview. Tape the interview if at all possible and only if the person agrees to it. Transcribe the interview. Analyze the interview for major themes. You will need to turn in a copy of the interview transcript. Please note that the transcription of your interview does not count as part of the final paper; the final paper is meant to be an analysis linking together the findings and patterns from your interview with course materials.
If the person you interview is connected to a particular organization, you may want to ask this person if you can spend any time there or if they will be sponsoring any events or meetings or sessions you can attend.
Draw on course material wherever possible in your project. It is more important that you draw on our course material rather than rely on materials from other classes or from library or Internet research. I trust that you will agree that we have plenty of rich material to work with right here.
A very successful paper will be one that analyzes and makes sense of themes that run through the entire semester. You must fully and sensitively master, think through, and expand on the central concepts and questions of the semester, make use of relevant theoretical concepts, and stay grounded in our course readings, discussions, and films. I am interested in how you demonstrate your own ability to think critically. Avoid using very long quotations and close paraphrasing of the readings. Some quoting is indeed very important though to support your points where applicable. I am most interested in how you discuss and interpret ideas in your own words. When citing any sources, please document these carefully and be consistent throughout.
Your papers must be no more than four pages, double-spaced, with page numbers, in 12 Point Times font, black ink, and with one inch margins.