SOCI 1101: Introduction to Sociology
Sociological Connections Assignment
Background
The purpose of this assignment is to help you make connections between the material we are covering in SOCI 1101 and your life. For this assignment, I would like you to select two concepts or issues that were covered in the first half of the course.
So far, we have covered the following topics in our class:
Sociological Theories
Research Methods
Culture
Society and Social Interaction
Socialization
Groups and Organizations
Deviance
You may choose any topic or issue covered within these chapters from Units 1 and 2. You will then write a 2-4 page essay or personal letter discussing the relevance of the concepts or issues to your own life OR to the life of a family member or close friend.
Choose topics from above that are personally useful and meaningful to you. For your first topic, describe how learning about this topic is useful to your (or your subject’s) life right now.
Then choose a topic from above that is personally useful and meaningful to you (it may NOT be the same topic as before). Now, describe how learning about this topic will be beneficial to you (or a family member or close friend) in the future (e.g., education, career, daily life).
Finally, explain why someone should learn more about the topics you chose.
Be sure to connect the course material covered so far in the course to your life, both now and in the future.
However, I am not asking you to summarize the material, just to elaborate on its relevance to your life.
Instructions
This assignment will take approximately 4 hours to complete. You will need to allocate enough time to
choose your concept(s), reflect on its meaning for you, and to write up your responses.
Your assignment should answer the following questions:
• What concept is relevant to your (or the subject’s) life right now? Provide a thorough
description. (10% of assignment grade)
• How is learning about this topic relevant to your life currently? Answer this in detail. (30% of
assignment grade)
• What concept is relevant to your (or the subject’s) life in the future? Provide a thorough
description. (10% of assignment grade)
• How is learning about this topic relevant to your future goals? Answer this in detail. (30% of
assignment grade)
• Why should someone should learn more about the topic or topics you chose? (20% of
assignment grade)
Be sure to think sociologically when answering the attached questions. You should incorporate concepts
and ideas we have discussed in class when analyzing your experiences. You are also encouraged to
incorporate information from the text as well as outside sources (although this is not required). If you
choose to use information that is not your own, you MUST fully cite these ideas both within the text and
on a separate reference page (see the “citation examples” section attached to this document for more
information). You should clearly define your terms and cite the readings. This means you MUST draw
on concepts from the reading, explain the concepts, and use the concepts to explain your responses. If
you are not citing your text, you are not doing the assignment correctly!
Formatting
Your written essay must be, at minimum, 2 full pages of text (double-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman
font, 1 inch margins) and no more than 4 full pages. You should also include a title page and reference
page (these do not count toward the page limit). This assignment will be graded out of 100 points and is
worth 15% of your final grade.
Your paper MUST be attached as a .doc, .docx, .rtf (NOT .rtfd!) or .pdf
file. (Note: any document on a Mac can be turned into a .pdf by using File > Print. There are many free
.pdf converters for PCs.) DO NOT paste your essay into the text box in the D2L dropbox for ANY
reason. All submissions will be automatically submitted to TurnItIn for plagiarism detection when you
upload your file to the dropbox on D2L.
Learning Objectives
• To make connections between course concepts and daily life
• To make connections between course concepts and future career and education goals
• To illustrate advanced sociological concepts with real world examples
• To develop writing skills
APA Citation Examples
In-text Citations (Author, Date)
Any source cited in your references MUST also be cited within your text. Be sure to include page
numbers in the in-text citations when using direct quotations. Examples:
• Jones (1998) found “students often had difficulty using APA style” (p. 199).
• Similar to racial minority status, sexual minority status is a strong predictor of adolescent
depression (Young & Sweeting, 2004; Ueko, 2005).
• APA style can sometimes be a difficult citation format for first-time learners (Jones, 1998).
• Elder (1998) argues that there are four main components to life course theory: historical time and
place, the timing of events, linked lives, and human agency.
Journal Articles
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (Year). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume
number(issue number), pages. http://dx.doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyyy
Mirowsky, J. & Ross. C. E. (1984). Mexican Culture and its emotional contradictions. Journal of Health
and Social Behavior (25), 2-13.
Books
Author, A. A. (Year of publication). Title of work: Capital letter also for subtitle. Location: Publisher.
Lenski, G. (1961). The religious factor: A sociological study of religion’s impact on politics, economics,
and family life. Garden City: Doubleday.
Book Chapters
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In A. A. Editor & B. B. Editor
(Eds.), Title of book (pages of chapter). Location: Publisher.
Mantsios, G. (2005). Media magic: Making class invisible.” In K. Tiemann (Ed.), Crossroads: Readings
in social problems (43-54). Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing.
Newspaper Articles
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper. Retrieved from
http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/
Parker-Pope, T. (2008, May 6). Psychiatry handbook linked to drug industry. The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/psychiatry-handbook-linked-to-drug-
industry/?_r=0
Films
Producer, P. P. (Producer), & Director, D. D. (Director). (Date of publication). Title of motion picture
[Motion picture]. Country of origin: Studio or distributor.
Examples of citations for other types of sources may be found at the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
