Assignment:
Project
1: Summary-Critique of article
This activity will enable you to:
2. Apply appropriate social science theories and methodologies to do an in-depth analysis of an important question, issue or problem (Social Science Learning Outcome #2).
Select a sociology article that interests you and summarize and critique it using the tools we've just mastered. Identify the theoretical framework and the research methods, even if they are implied rather than stated explicitly, and evaluate the piece according to its own theory, methods and evidence presented, as well as the broader theory and methods of the discipline we've just covered. Consider these questions as you prepare this paper:
• Does the article prove the point it's trying to make? Why or why not?
• How do social researchers use their expertise in theory and methods to evaluate other people's writing and research?
• How do we know if an article about family sociology is valid and reliable?
Find and critique a discourse about family relations presented on a website, magazine, television show, movie, or journal. When selecting material, students are encouraged to focus on a topic covered in this course, including but not limited to gender, domestic violence, the family in historical context, family diversity, work-family conflict, care for elderly family members, childhood, etc.
If you are not certain if your chosen article is acceptable, please feel free to ask your instructor.
Suggested publications include leading sociology journals such as the American Journal of Sociology, Journal of Marriage and the Family; major news weeklies and monthlies, such as Harpers, Atlantic Monthly, Time, Psychology Today, New Yorker; the class website (My FamilyLab), or any article listed in the reference section of your textbook. S
The name of the article or multimedia piece, with its, authors, publisher, volume number etc. should be on the cover page of the paper followed by your name, course number and date written.
This paper should summarize the major findings in the article as well as your opinion on the information you learned from the article.
The paper (not including the cover page) should be approximately 750 words in length, double spaced in 12 point font