SOC 201 Introduction to Sociology Prof. Wood UNIT 3 – 4 PROJECT INSTRUCTIONS OBJECTIVES – Explore solutions to a problem that you care about – Apply sociological thinking to your understanding of that issue – Synthesize material we’ve read in our course (from at least two chapters in Unit 3 and 4 and any other chapters you want) along with information found in at least two reliable journalistic or research sources. – Present a compelling case – using images and text – to convince people they should do something specific that would help address the problem you are studying. – Demonstrate strong, clear, written communication skills (including appropriate documentation of use of sources). STEP 1: Choose a problem or question to address. Make sure it will allow you to draw on multiple chapters from Unit 3 and 4 and that it is something you can research using responsible journalistic and sociological research sources. Below are some choices I know will work, but you can create one of your own if you want. – Mask-wearing, social distancing, and ultimately vaccination are important steps people can take to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and yet many people object to doing these things because of perceived limits on their freedom. How could we increase people’s sense of social solidarity and community-minded feelings to make it easier for them to adopt these relatively basic measures? Support your proposals with logic and evidence. – Our nation is deeply divided politically, and there is currently a great deal of concern being generated about the legitimacy of our elections. What can you discern about voting patterns in the United States and how can we develop a system for voting that will ensure high levels of participation by all groups? Support your proposals with logic and evidence. – The Movement for Black Lives continues to shine an important spotlight on issues of racial injustice in policing and over the summer a campaign called #DefundThePolice began to trend. First explain the degree and the cause of the problem and then evaluate possible solutions, focusing on the community level as much as possible. Make sure to support your proposals with logic and evidence. – Family violence is a significant and often invisible problem in our communities. Explain the impact of the problem on different demographic groups and how it intersects with other issues like economic inequality, racism, and sexism. Propose concrete policy changes or programs that would help people reduce levels of family violence in their communities. Support your proposals with logic and evidence. – You may substitute a question or issue of your own but make sure to check with me if you have any questions about whether or not it fits the assignment. STEP 2: Research your question/problem. You need at least three (3) sources including our assigned reading material. You should begin with our readings. Beyond those, consider responsible news sources like: – The New York Times – The Wall Street Journal – Other news sites of similar credibility (ask me if you have questions!) – Academic sources found in our library’s databases. These should be peer- reviewed research articles. STEP 3: Create your work. You need to present a visually engaging infographic or PowerPoint to help you persuade your audience that the problem is significant. You also need a written component that helps explain the nature of the problem and explains the solutions you are proposing. Choose one from each of the following: – An infographic or PowerPoint presentation that uses data, graphics, or images with text to helps people understand the problem itself. – A pamphlet or op-ed essay that explains the causes of the problem and proposes solutions STEP 4: Share with the class for feedback. – If you are in my online class you will do this by posting your work – or writing a post about your work – in the Unit 3 – 4 Discussion forum. – If you are in my remote instruction class, you will do this as we did for the Unit 1 – 2 project, by sharing during a brief in-class presentation. – In either situation, be prepared to offer helpful feedback to your classmates so that they can submit the strongest work possible for grading. STEP 4: Upload to Blackboard. Whatever format you use to create your work, the easiest way to share it is to save each document as a PDF file (use the File menu in most programs to chose “Save as” and then select PDF as an option OR use the “Print” option and choose “Save as PDF”.) – Find the Unit 3 – 4 Project link in Blackboard – Click on the Unit 3 – 4 Assignment link – Scroll to the Assignment Submission portion of the page and choose “Browse My Computer” to locate and upload your files. This project will require you to produce an artifact that you can use to help improve your community in some way. In that sense, it’s designed to be a practical application of the sociological imagination and what you’ve learned about social structure, culture, stratification, and social change. OBJECTIVES Explore solutions to a problem that you care about Apply sociological thinking to your understanding of that issue Synthesize material we’ve read in our course (from at least two chapters in Unit 3 and 4 and any other chapters you want) along with information found in at least two reliable journalistic or research sources. Present a compelling case – using images and text – to convince people they should do something specific that would help address the problem you are studying. Demonstrate strong, clear, written communication skills (including appropriate documentation of use of sources).

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