After youve copied the text into the window and you are ready to submit the essay, click on the submit all and finish button to send it to me for grading. You may open and close the quiz as many times as you like until you are ready to submit the essay (up to the deadline). Heres what I want you to write about in the essay: One goal of social theory is to illuminate connections between our individual experience and social processes. This semester, we have learned how some very influential sociological theorists looked at the social worlds they inhabited. What I would like you to do is to write an essay that applies some of their sociological theories and ideas to analyze social forces and processes affecting your day-to-day life. This is your opportunity to show that you can apply sociological insights to make sense of how social processes, large and small, are related to the way your life unfolds (and has unfolded to this point). In the spirit of multiperspectival theorizing, I would like you to apply the perspectives of three different sociological theorists in your essay. What social forces and processes would each theorist highlight in making sense of your lived experiences? What story would they tell about the social factors shaping your past, present, and/or future? When possible, pay attention to what the theorist would have to say about social influences unfolding at the micro- and macro-levels. Here is how I want you to select the three theorists to apply in your essay: Choose ONE theorist from EACH of the three groups listed below (your essay will thus cover three theorists): Group 1: Patricia Hill Collins, Karl Marx, C.W. Mills Group 2: Emile Durkheim, Beatrice Potter Webb, Harriet Martineau Group 3: Michel Foucault, Dorothy Smith, Molefi Kete Asante Please note, you need to write about the perspectives of ONE theorist from EACH group. Every semester, someone makes the mistake of writing about three theorists from the same group please dont let this be you. Ideas about how to get started: Some questions that might be relevant to your thinking about this are: What would each theorist see as the dominant social forces shaping the quality of my life? For example, how would Marx or Collins describe the social forces affecting things such as: where you live, work, and study; who you interact with regularly; your physical and mental well-being; your opportunities and life prospects; your levels of social privilege and/or oppression; your ability to create positive social change; and so on? These are just a few questions to get you thinking about how some of the theorists might interpret the social forces affecting your experiences. There are many others that may occur to you just use the ones that you find most appropriate to each theorist you choose to write about. A note about sources: Draw upon what we have covered in our discussions, the readings, and the posted instructors comments. Be sure to cite (in a reference list) any quoted and/or paraphrased material drawn from these sources. There is no need to bring in additional sources. Please focus your argument to ensure that your answer does not exceed 1200 words (about five double-spaced pages using 12 point font). Please make sure to maintain the paragraph formatting when you enter your answer.
