The final project for this course is the creation of a concept map and paper.
Sociology is the scientific study of human behavior. Professionals in the field apply a sociological lens to examine various influences on society in order to better understand current and historical behaviors. This perspective assists professionals in examining various social structures and institutions, which are systems in society that influence human behavior, to inform their understanding of groups as well as daily interactions with diverse viewpoints.
For this project, you will examine a contemporary social issue using your sociological lens. You will create a concept map, breaking the social issue that you have chosen into smaller pieces related to certain sociological concepts, describe the relationship of the concepts and smaller pieces to the social issue, and explain how the sociological concepts help you better understand the social issue.
The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Four, and Five. The final concept map and paper will be submitted in Module Seven.
In this assignment you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
- Explain cultural beliefs and biases utilizing a sociological lens.
- Explain the influences that shape the creation of roles within society utilizing real-world examples.
- Draw basic connections between social inequalities and human behavior.
- Identify the relationship between social change and contemporary social problems through the application of basic sociological concepts.
Prompt You will begin by selecting your own contemporary social issue to use as the base of your project. You may use an issue from the list provided below or choose an issue of interest to you that you find in the news or media, or perhaps one you encounter in your daily life.
- Bullying
- Crime and violence
- Drug and alcohol abuse
- Income inequality and wealth distribution
You will then create a concept map to break down your selected issue into supporting sociological concepts. These sociological concepts will include:
- Cultural beliefs and biases
- Social roles
- Social inequalities
- Existing social conditions
You will also explain the relationship between the sociological concepts and the social issue, describing how the concept is present in the social issue. In paper format, you will explain how the connections you made in the map between the sociological concepts and the social issue helped you better understand the social issue. This is where you will demonstrate the importance of using a sociological view when examining social issues.
You will need to refer to not only your text, but also additional supporting resources as you work on this project. SNHU's Shapiro Library and the Pew Research Center are great starting points to assist in your research. If you are selecting your topic from the provided list, consider referencing the Supporting Resource List for additional research recommendations.