General Sociology

Description

SOC101: General Sociology In this final presentation assignment you are being asked to forgo engaging with all communication technologies (texting, email, internet, or social media) for a full 24 hours. You will record your feelings about this experiment and any difficulties you encounter completing it. You will reflect on the role that communication technologies play in your life in terms of sociology. You will need to apply concepts and theories from the course in your analysis. There is material that relates to this assignment in every chapter. Please use the terms and themes that stood out to you the most. To prepare for the experiment: Choose a 24 hour period of time where you will completely disconnect from all forms of communication technologies—yes—all forms. That means no email, no texting, no messaging of any kind, no social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc), no online games, forums, podcasts, or apps —no internet at all! This is going to require you to plan ahead so you can minimize disruption— though the point is that this will be at least somewhat disruptive to your daily life. Obviously, avoid days where you are required for class or work to be online if possible. Next: Record your thoughts, feelings, and experiences during the 24 hour period. Pay attention to how many times you reach for your phone or computer to get on social media or to text, for instance. Do you feel like you are missing out on anything? Are you completely cut off from friends or family? Why are you going to the Internet? If it is for information, is it information you could get any where else? Why or why not? Think about how this disrupts personal connections to family and friends as well as any virtual communities of which you are part. What are the positive and negative consequences of this disengagement? Structure of the PowerPoint Presentation PowerPoint criteria: PowerPoint should be 10-12 slides not including cover and reference page. PowerPoint should include visuals in addition to the format below. Introduction: Describe the exercise and your thoughts before and during completing the exercise Discussion: See paragraph above that starts off “next”. Analysis: What sociological conclusions can you draw from this? What hidden social norms govern social interactions through communication technology? How does this exercise relate to the text (think: views of self, culture, ethnocentrism, class, privilege, cultural appropriate, constructionism, etc. à it is up to you to decide what direction to go with this assignment). An analysis requires an application of the course materials that leads to insights about your real life experiences. An insight should be a conclusion or realization that is illuminated through the application of course concepts or theories. Just because you are writing about your personal experiences doesn’t mean this paper is just a reflection or an opinion piece. It should be sociological—you must apply theory. Subjective interpretation should not be used in lieu of sociology. Conclusion: Reflect on the experiment and what you learned. Rubric: Organization and format (see above): /6 points Discussion/Reflection on Assignment: /4 points Analysis & Incorporation of themes from the text & course: /10 points Adopted from an assignment created by Professor Jill Bakehorn at University of California, Berkeley