Sociological Perspective
Sociology is the study of social behaviors and their impact on society. The themes of sociology are found in everyday culture including films. Motion picture films are an excellent vehicle to demonstrate the concepts and theories discussed in this course. For this assignment, students will analyze the content of the film for specific sociological concepts from the course. Analysis papers are the demonstration of a students ability to make connections between class discussions and popular media. The goal of the analysis paper is to explain how specific sociological elements are present in an in-depth manner. Analysis papers are NOT a film summary. Examples from the film are used to provide evidence of specific sociological factors, NOT a film review. A brief synopsis of the film may be included in the introductory paragraph. Analysis papers must follow standard essay format in a well-written essay of 800 words or more. Your introduction must briefly summarize the film and include a detailed thesis. The thesis statement must clearly identify how that particular film show evidence of the specific concepts that you are willing to discuss in your paper. A good example of a thesis statement might be: The 1988 film Stand and Deliver represents a clear analysis of achieved status, as well as ethnic and economic stigma through the conflict perspective. This thesis tells the reader that the writer will be discussing ethnic and economic stigma as well as the relationship between those stigmas and achieved status. The writer also identified that they decided to perform their analysis of specific sociological terms according to the conflict perspective. For body paragraphs, you should select three-four terms from the chapters that we covered throughout the semester. You should include a definition of the term/concept prior to giving examples of that term. Also, refer to how your examples are reflections of that term. A conclusion paragraph must be present. A conclusion paragraph should wrap us your ideas and reiterate your thesis. Analysis papers must be typed in Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced. All margins, top, bottom, left, and right, should be 1 inch. You must bold your thesis. You will submit your paper on D2L assignment box. Points to remember about your analysis: ? Clearly identify and explain at least one sociological perspective when analyzing the film ? Show clear comprehension of two or more of the key concepts! Sociology on the screen assignment constitutes 15% of your final grade in the course. You will have the opportunity this semester to explore, sociologically, a film of interest. 1 Perspectives Defined: Functionalism- approach that emphasizes the contributions made by each part of society Conflict perspective- approach emphasizing the role of conflict, competition, and constraint within society. Symbolic interactionism- approach that focuses on the interactions among people based on mutually understood symbols.
