Write, for a general audience, a long-form magazine article that explains how one of our classical theorist’s ideas can help us understand something important about an issue or dispute in contemporary American society: for instance, a social trend, a recent notable event or controversy, or a longstanding social problem.
In your paper you should find a few editorials on your topic to get a sense of the boundaries of the “public conversation” around your topic. You should also consult recent sociological research on your topic. Your job, then, becomes to help the “public conversation” attain some nuance, using sociological concepts that you will…
1) Explain the meaning and origin of the term
2) Situate within a broader theoretical understanding of society
3) Bring into the present and apply to your chosen topic, showing how the concept helps you make sense of the event, and the data you are bringing into the conversation.
As you write, imagine that your audience is ignorant of both sociological theory and the phenomenon you are discussing, so you will need to briefly and describe introduce both.
The issue can be one of your choosing, or you may draw on one of the following recent research articles for ideas:
Christina Simko. 2012. “Rhetorics of Suffering: September 11 Commemorations as Theodicy.” American Sociological Review 77:880-902.
Clem Brooks and Jeff Manza. 2013. “A Broken Public? Americans’ Responses to the Great Recession. American Sociological Review 78: 727-748.
Miller McPherson, Lynn Smith Lovin, and Matthew Brashears. 2006. “Social Isolation in America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two Decades. American Sociological Review 71:353-375.
Seidman, Steven and Chet Meeks. The Politics of Authenticity: Civic Individualism and the Cultural Roots of Gay Normalization.” 2011. Cultural Sociology 5: 519-536.