Reflection Paper about Violating a Folkway

Assignment: Application Project

For this assignment you will have the opportunity to conduct an experiment, or quasi-experiment, in order to explore deviance in our society. As we learned this week, deviance is "any behavior, belief, or condition that violates significant social norms in the society or group in which it occurs" (Kendall, 2013, p. 180). Cultural norms are behaviors and expectations for a group and fall into three categories: folkways, mores, and laws. For this assignment you will explore society's reaction to a folkway violation. You will then utilize the textbook, online materials, and the South Online Library in order to write a two-page essay on the deviant (not criminal) experience.

Below you will find a step-by-step guide for completing this paper:

1. First, review the sections on Research Ethics and the subsection on Testing a Hypothesis under the section Research Methods in chapter one of your text in order to familiarize yourself with sociological experiments. Then, begin this assignment by choosing a folkway to violate. Examples include (and there are many folkways to choose from): wearing the other gender's clothing, speaking a foreign language to an English speaker, sitting with a stranger at a restaurant, and eating dinner with your hands. Be sure to ask your facilitator if you are unsure if the norm you choose to violate is appropriate for this assignment. Here is an example of a norm violation for you to watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlVsj5vLu_U.

2. Violate your chosen folkway (not a law) in at least one situation and document it with pictures, video, and/or notes. Be sure to note how you feel when you violate the norm, as well as other people's reactions to the violation. If you do not receive adequate data (reactions) in one situation, try it again in another.

3. Write an organized essay that explores the norm you violated, how you felt while being deviant, and the reactions you received while you were violating the norm. You should then analyze the experience, including the theories of deviance presented in the text. Your paper should also include an introduction with a thesis and a conclusion that reviews all main points you present.

Assignment alternative: you may choose to do a reflection paper on an instance when you have been deviant in the past. A reflection paper must contain analysis and integrate concepts from the text. Review the grading criteria to ensure that your reflection paper contains all of the necessary components.

Remember to use APA format for the essay style as well as in-text citations and when listing the references. Submit your 2-5-page essay (maximum 12 pt. font) describing your application project and your findings.