East Texas Baptist University Sociology Essay
For Assignment 2, you are asked to apply one theoretical concept to a social dimension of the coronavirus pandemic. To complete this assignment, you will need to find a popular media (journalistic) source that describes a social aspect of the pandemic. The media source should consist of factual reporting, and must not be an opinion-editorial. You will then use your concept to shed additional light on that aspect of the pandemic. The concept should bring a distinct contribution to understanding your chosen aspect of the pandemic.
As a brief reminder, a concept is a narrowly defined idea used to analyze (explain, understand, or critically assess) a real-world phenomenon. Stated another way, concepts are useful terms that researchers employ to focus and define their investigation of the social world. Do not mistake concepts for sociological paradigms. Structural functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism are paradigms, that is, broad theoretical perspectives in sociology. Concepts, on the other hand, are the smaller elements that fit within these broader paradigms. Think of concepts as the “bricks” that help build the paradigm “house.” For example, alienation and commodity fetishism are key concepts in the larger Marxist paradigm.
Understanding what a concept is, realize that you should not select a popular media (journalistic) article that features a sociological concept. (Typically, journalists avoid the use of academic terminology because they are writing for a general audience. So this part of the assignment should not be difficult). In fact, you are expected to offer the sociological analysis that is absent in the popular media source of your choosing. So, in selecting your source, do not choose a sociological article. Aim for a popular media article. And, when you provide your analysis using the concept, ensure that you use keywords from the concept’s definition in your analysis. You are expected to compellingly “connect the dots” between your theoretical concept and the social dimension of the pandemic as found in your chosen popular media article. Do that and you will do well on this assignment.
Use the following outline to complete Assignment 2. Be sure to copy and paste these labels, numbered appropriately, in your final Assignment 2 submission to expedite the grading process.
1. Select a theoretical concept from the text (20 points):< Provide Your Answer >
2. Provide the definition of the theoretical concept as featured in the text (20 points):< Provide Your Answer >
3. Find a media source that reports on a social dimension of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Provide the full reference information (American Sociological Association format) and the web link to that source (20 points):< Provide Your Answer >
4. In 100-150 words, use the theoretical concept to provide a sociological interpretation of the social dimension of the pandemic discussed in the article, taking care to link your concept to information featured in the article (40 points):< Provide Your Answer >Word Count:
Note that the word count is for Item 4 only.
You are asked to only locate one popular media source to analyze. That media source can be an online article, a news report, or a podcast. However, if you select a report or podcast, there must be a full transcription available for you to analyze and cite.
please see the attechment for exampples of how it should look.
