Instructions
Writing projects are designed to allow students to further explore topics of interest. Each student must complete three projects during the class session. Each project should be 1250 words in length (about 3 pages).
FOR ALL PROJECTS:
• All assignments should be linked to the text and lectures. If you cannot tie your project to the course material, you are probably on the wrong track. Please state explicitly when drawing on course materials in your discussions. For example, “In Chapter 7, Ciabattari talked about…” or “Lecture slides for Chapter 5 indicate….” DO NOT USE NON-SCHOLARLY SOURCES in your assignments. If you have a question about whether a source is scholarly, send it to me via email for permission.
• You should properly cite any sources you have used in your project. Please see me if you need assistance on proper citation methods. Your citation and plagiarism quiz provides some guidance, and the Purdue OWL website for formatting style instructions is in the “links” folder in western online. DO NOT fail to engage in in-text citation AND include a proper works cited/references page. Use any formatting style (e.g., MLA, Harvard) that you want, just use it properly. It’s a good idea to use the style customary for your major (e.g., psychology and nursing use APA); if you don’t know what that is, most people have used MLA for composition classes.
• Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about these projects. They are intended to allow you to explore your own interests while expanding your understanding of the sociological approach to the study of the family.
• Deductions will be made on assignments with multiple grammatical and/or spelling errors. Please proofread your assignments.
Choose one of the following two options for Writing Assignment 1
(Topics covered – Family change, family continuity, family diversity, sociological perspective, defining family, U.S. demographics, scientific approaches to studying families, theoretical frameworks)
OPTION 1: Dogs as family members
Read https://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/2008/01/doggies-bff.html by Sally Raskoff (2008).
Using the sociological imagination, terminology from your text, and what you’ve learned in Module 1 regarding definitions of family, address the following:
It’s very clear that norms regarding pets have changed in the past 50 years. Raskoff (2008) writes, “Norms, like policies and laws, do change over time yet they do not often change quickly.” What is the source of the changes in U.S. norms regarding pets?
You may also address some additional suggested directives (not required). From Raskoff:
“Many feel that their pets are a member of the family, but how important are they compared to your other family members?”
“These days . . . many pets are considered equal members of the family.”
“Why are we treating dogs as if they are children?”
“Should we expect increasing acceptance of dogs and other pets into our social spheres whether public or private?
OPTION 2: Paper based on “Two American Families”
Firstly, watch the film here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/two-american-families/
You may also want to browse the resources for this film, found linked on the page.
Write a paper outlining what you believe to be the most important societal changes impacting these families during the decades of the documentary. Use ONE of the “Theoretical Frameworks in the Sociology of Families” from Chapter 3 to analyze these families’ experiences. Be sure to use the text/course materials to support your work.
NOTE: You may find it tempting to critique the individuals adults in this documentary. In your paper, refrain personal judgements about individuals. Your focus should be on the societal changes experienced by individuals, and using a sociological theocixry to analyze their experiences.
Last Completed Projects
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