Doing Sociology Assignments
Objectives and due dates:
These assignments provide an opportunity for you to reflect on the material and how it relates to your
experiences and to the “real world” outside of class.
You will complete 4 “doing sociology” responses from the Sociology in Action textbook (copies of the
questions with additional instructions are on the next page):Doing Sociology #1.2 “Channeling C. Wright Mills” (page 9) due January 23
Doing Sociology #5.4 “Impression Management on Social Media” (page 93) due February
18
Doing Sociology #9.3 “Race Relations as Seen on Television” (page 198) due March 13
Doing Sociology #11.3 “Applying Sociological Theory to Educational Issues” (page 232) due
April 22
Each assignment is worth 25 points. They will be evaluated using the grading rubric on the last page.
Formatting and submission instructions:
• Each assignment should be 1-2 pages, double-spaced
• Use 12 point font (Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri) and 1 inch margins
• Submission: upload your assignments (.docx, .doc, or .pdf only) in the iCollege assignment
dropbox by the start of class on the due date
• Note: late assignments are accepted with a penalty of 10% for each day late
A reminder about plagiarism:
• This is an individual assignment – each “doing sociology” assignment should be completed by
you and in your own words
• If you are quoting anything from the textbook or any other sources, you need to include an intext citation (author’s name, publication year, and page number) and the full citation at the end
of your assignment
• If you are paraphrasing from the textbook or other sources, you must also include an in-text
citation (author’s name and publication year) as well as the full citation at the end of your
assignment
• Please review the syllabus policies regarding plagiarism, and this website for additional
information about how to properly cite your sources:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/using_research/avoiding_plagiarism/ind
ex.html
• If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism or how to properly cite your
sources, please let me know!
SOCI 1101: Introduction to Sociology Dr. Sarah Friedman
Assignment 1, due January 23 – Doing Sociology #1.2
In this exercise, you will research and explain how your life would have been different in a past
century.
Recall what C. Wright Mills said about how the society in which we live influences our lives. Imagine
you were living in the society you are in now 100 or 200 years ago (pick one). Look up information on
your demographic group (people of your same age, gender, ethnicity, race, etc.) during this time
period. The following websites may be useful resources:
www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/progressiveera/statuswomenprogressive.html
www.wic.org/misc/history.htm
http://pages.pomona.edu/~vis04747/h21/readings/Gutman_Work_Culture_Society.pdf
Using the information you found (be sure to cite your sources), describe how, if you lived
during that time period, your life would be different in terms of how you would be perceived by
a) your parents. b) other members of society, and c) yourself.
Share your answer to question 1 with a classmate.
How did having good sources of information and examples help you make your point in a more
convincing way? How does this help show the importance of using solid social scientific data to
support an argument?
Note: skip question 2, you don’t need to share your answer with a classmate. Write up your answers
for questions 1 and 3 – be sure to indicate the time period you’re examining and the relevant
demographic characteristics
Assignment 2, due February 18 – Doing Sociology #5.4, page 93
In this activity, you will conduct a content analysis of Facebook or Instagram to determine how
users engage in impression management on social media
Goffman formulated his theories of social interaction before the age of the Internet and social media.
Social media sites like Facebook dramatically change the ways in which individuals are able to utilize
impression management to ensure that people see them the way they want to be seen.
Select three people you follow on Instagram or are friends with on Facebook
Analyze their profile photos by asking the following questions: What is the photo of? If it is a
person, what are they doing? What are they wearing? If it is not a person, what is it? Where?
What impression of your friend does the photo create?
Next, review the last ten posts of each person. What are the posts about?
Create categories to help you classify the posts (for example: politics, everyday life,
accomplishments, vacations or other outings, etc.). If any posts are of photos, analyze the
photo in the way that you did the profile picture.
Once you have coded the status updates write a one- to two-page sociological analysis of how
each individual uses impression management on Facebook.
Note: If you don’t have Facebook/Instagram accounts, you may select 3 people with public profiles
SOCI 1101: Introduction to Sociology Dr. Sarah Friedman
Assignment 3, due March 13 – Doing Sociology #9.3, page 198
In this exercise, you will watch a clip of the show Black-ish and answer questions about its
perspective on race relations.
Black-ish, a hit television show on ABC, has projected race-related issues into living rooms across
American. Watch this brief clip from a 2016 episode at https://sojo.net/articles/less-two-minutesclip-blackish-explains-why-racism-america-isn-t-over and answer the following questions.
What issues discussed in this chapter does this clip raise?
Is the male character’s perspective on race relations today positive or negative? Why?
Do you agree with his perspective? Why?
How do your own racial background and racial experiences influence your answer to question 3?
Do you agree that with the title given to the clip by the authors of the article in which it is
embedded that “everyone should see” this clip? Why or why not?
Note: Use material from the text and your own experiences as you discuss and answer the questions
Assignment 4, due April 22 – Doing Sociology #11.3, page 232
In this exercise, you will take on the role of a school principal to analyze and respond to community
concerns about your school.
Imagine you are a high school principal. Select one of the challenges listed below:
• You receive a series of parent complaints that their daughters have noticed that the high school
biology teacher never presents any examples of, or research from, female research scientists.
• An area newspaper publishes an investigative report documenting that students of color at
your school are more likely to be placed in lower tracks and appear to have lower average test
scores than otherwise similar White students.
• You attend a community meeting where local employers complain that the last three years of
high school graduates have noticeably lower skills in answering phones and interacting in a
professional manner with customers. Employers are concerned they may need to look
elsewhere for qualified workers.
Prepare responses to the following questions:
Why is the issue raised by the parent, reporter, or employer a concern to the person who raised
it and/or the students directly affected?
Why is it a social problem? How does it impact society, rather than just individuals? Consider
the three theoretical perspectives we have discussed.
Which theoretical perspective do you find most useful in explaining why the issue is a social
problem? Why?
Based on your analysis of the problem through the lens of your chosen theory, describe two
policies you would enact to address the issue.
Note: Select any one of the three challenges listed – be sure to indicate which one you selected