Sociology Writing assignment

This is a simple question and written response. Section on choose four questions and bullet point under the question the written answer. Section two answer three and bullet point under the question the written answer. All class postings are posted for your research convenience. NO FORMAL WRITING STYLE just pick the questions and bullet point the written response. 

Section 1 – General Socialization Questions – answer 4 questions (40 points)

1.     When we discussed the Agents of Socialization, I shared the CDC data on the impact of ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’ and the power those experiences had on the development of the individual. Imagine you are sociologist interested in the study of family as an agent of socialization tasked with improving the study. You are to expand beyond the eight ‘adverse childhood experiences’ identified and add what other ‘adverse experiences’ that could happen within the context of a child’s family that you believe could impact a person’s socialization. Explain your choice of ‘Adverse Experience’ and how and why it could/would impact a child’s socialization. DO NOT USE ANY OF THE EIGHT ‘ADVERSE EXPERIENCES’ LISTED IN THE STUDY.

2.     When we discussed the Agents of Socialization, I shared the CDC data on the impact of ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’ and the power those experiences had on the development of the individual. Imagine you are sociologist interested in the study of education as an agent of socialization tasked with improving the study. You are to expand beyond the eight ‘adverse childhood experiences’ identified and add what other ‘adverse experiences could happen within the context of a child’s education that you believe could impact a person’s socialization. Explain your choice of ‘Adverse Experience’ and how and why it could/would impact a child’s socialization. DO NOT USE ANY OF THE EIGHT ‘ADVERSE EXPERIENCES’ LISTED IN THE STUDY.

3.     When we discussed the Agents of Socialization, I shared the CDC data on the impact of ‘Adverse Childhood Experiences’ and the power those experiences had on the development of the individual. Imagine you are sociologist interested in the study of peers as an agent of socialization tasked with improving the study. You are to expand beyond the eight ‘adverse childhood experiences’ identified and add what other ‘adverse experiences could happen within the context of a child’s friends that you believe could impact a person’s socialization. Explain your choice of ‘Adverse Experience’ and how and why it could/would impact a child’s socialization. DO NOT USE ANY OF THE EIGHT ‘ADVERSE EXPERIENCES’ LISTED IN THE STUDY.

4.     Margaret Mead in the reading, Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies, studied the role of biology and culture in gender roles. She wrote: human nature is unbelievably malleable to cultural conditions. The sociologist Erving Goffman wrote about “gendered advertisements”. For this question, you are to identify and explain 3 advertisements (from any source) that define or demonstrate masculine behavior. You are to then identify and explain 3 advertisements (from any source) that define or demonstrate feminine behavior. Show how these advertisements could play a role in the formation of gender identity. This question combines the data from these two sociologists.

5.     In the article A Half Century of Class and Gender in American TV Domestic Sitcoms – the author gathers data on television and portrayal of certain characters. The research is from 2003. Here is your chance to update this data. The author writes: The Honeymooners, The Flintstones, All In the Family, and The Simpsons represented blue-collar (working class) families. The male (father) portrayed as an inept bumbler, buffoon, ineptitude, immaturity, stupidity, lack of good sense … Typically working-class wives and often the children were portrayed as more intelligent, rational, sensible, responsible, mature than their husbands…The children were often smarter than their father…. On the other hand… middle class men fulfill their manly roles competently … (236)”. You are to find 2 examples (not used in the question) of television shows that support this statement and then any that refute (challenge) this statement. Explain your examples and the underlying meaning your findings demonstrate about television as part of socialization.

6.     In the article, A Half Century of Class and Gender in American TV Domestic Sitcoms, the author gathers data on television and the portrayal of certain characters. The research was from 2003. Here is your chance to update this data. The author writes Women have been cast as main characters only where the subjects of romance and family are salient. You are to find one example of a television show that supports this statement and then one that refutes (challenges) this statement. Explain your examples and the underlying meaning your findings demonstrate about television as part of socialization.

7.     In the article, A Half Century of Class and Gender in American TV Domestic Sitcoms, the author gathers data on television and the portrayal of certain characters. The research was from 2003. Here is your chance to update this data. The author writes: Glamorous, prestigious professions predominated over more mundane ones. Give 3 examples of television shows where the characters have “glamourous, prestigious professions” and 3 examples of television shows where the characters have “mundane” professions/job. Overall, which types of professions seem more prevalent on television today? Explain your examples and the underlying meaning your findings demonstrate about television as part of socialization.

8.     In the article, A Half Century of Class and Gender in American TV Domestic Sitcoms, the author gathers data on television and the portrayal of certain characters. The research was from 2003. Here is your chance to update this data. The author writes, Working wives or mothers appeared much more frequently in the 1980’s and 1990’s than in previous decades. Identify three television shows where the wife or mother works outside of the home. Are there any shows on television today that portray a ‘stay at home’ mother (or father)? Again, in what way does the portrayal of females working outside of the home reflect today’s culture? Explain your examples and the underlying meaning your findings demonstrate about television as part of socialization.

9.     You are to select an example of a deviant or criminal behavior and explain how each of the three theories (Demonological, Classical, Biological) covered in class would explain the deviant or criminal behavior you have chosen. Provide examples and detail of how each theory could fit your example.

10.  This question is a follow up to question 10. Using the same example of a deviant or criminal behavior as in question 10, you are to explain how the behavior you selected would be “altered” using each of the theories covered in class. Provide examples and detail of how each theory could fit your example.

11.  Using the ideas of Differential Association Theory, create an example of a person who belongs to two different groups. In one group, the person is ‘encouraged’ to engage in deviant or criminal behavior, whereas in the second group that same behavior is ‘discouraged’. Show how through these interactions, the person defines the behavior differently based on the group they are participating in at the time. This could be a ‘real’ or a ‘fictional’ example.

SECTION 2 – More Challenging Socialization – answer 3 questions (60 points)

1.     Media is an agent of socialization. Your assignment is to study children’s books as an agent of socialization. You are to study 3 children’s books to use as examples. One of the books should target a pre-school age child and the second two should target a school age child. Read the books and discover what is taught to the young reader. You are to identify the “cultural lessons” (the reader of this book should or should not …) constructed in each book. Identify the socialization occurring within these books.

2.     You are to watch two hours of television. For one hour, you are to watch a children’s television show to see what is being advertised (the commercials). For the second hour, you are to watch a sporting event to see what is being advertised (the commercials). As you are watching these two hours, you are to study advertising as the agent of socialization. You are to identify at least 4 “cultural lessons” (the viewer of this program should or should not …) that are constructed in these advertisements. Tell me what you observed, what did you learn and what does this convey about socialization? Explain.

3.     You are to watch two hours of television. For one hour you are to watch The Price Is Right (on M through F at 11:00am) to see what is being advertised (the commercials). For the second hour, you are to watch a show beginning at 09:00 or 10:00 pm to see what is being advertised (the commercials). As you are watching these two hours, you are to study advertising as the agent of socialization. You are to identify at least 4 “cultural lessons” (the viewer of this program should or should not …) that are constructed for the viewers of The Price Is Right. You are to identify at least 4 “cultural lessons” (the viewer of this program should or should not …) that are constructed for the viewers of show on late at night. Tell me what you observed, what did you learn and what does this convey about socialization? Explain.

4.     Magazines represent another example of Media as an Agent of Socialization. Select 2 magazines targeted to people that are different than you are. You could do magazines targeted to children, parents if you don’t have your own children, males if you are female, females if you are male. Use your sociological imagination and discover what socialization is occurring in these magazines. You are to identify at least 4 “cultural lessons” (the reader of this magazine should or should not …) that are constructed in each magazine. What did you discover about the image the magazine is trying to create for the reader? Explain.

5.     Music is another agent of socialization. For this question, you are to analyze the lyrics of two songs (they can be of the same genre of music or from two different genres) to demonstrate socialization through music. The song must be within in the last 5 years. Use your sociological imagination and discover what socialization is occurring in these songs. You are to identify the cultural lessons (the norms) constructed in each song. Tell me what you discovered about the lyrics and what does this convey about socialization. Explain. [NOTE: You may focus on how the song lyrics convey ideas related to behavior, gender, interaction, money, current events (for example the “protest songs” of the 1960’s), or any other “rules” that are conveyed through the lyrics.]

6.     You are free to create your own question and response. Following the format of questions 1-5 above, you are to design a question regarding the role of “social media” (Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, etc.) in socialization [For example, you could study the postings of an “Instagram Influencer” and how their postings encourage (socialize) their followers into a certain way of thinking, acting, or feeling]. Then you are to answer the question you created. Remember the focus is to be on the role of social media in socialization. [Your grade is based on the quality of the question created and the response]

As Sir Francis Drake is reputed to have said: I have brought you to the storehouse of the world; blame yourself if you go away empty handed