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Paper Instructions:

SYD 3804-Question Development (QD) Assignment Handout

QD ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION AND SAMPLE QUESTIONS:
A number of materials (text, films, lectures, etc.) are used in this course to survey a Sociology of Gender. Each of these materials contributes important perspective to an overall understanding of the field. Each of these materials also is required to complete assignments throughout the course.

One of the highest demonstrations of learning is the ability to craft a good question about it.

You will create one multiple choice question from each resource in each lesson. Within each lesson folder and on the left-hand course menu, you will find the Question Development link.
Questions can be of three types:
Definition of Key Terms
Summary of Key Ideas
Critical Thinking/Application Questions
You are required to submit at least one of each type of question.
Please indicate the correct answer for your question.
Examples of each type of question follow:

EXAMPLE OF “DEFINITION…” QUESTION

Parents, attempting to curb their child’s nonconformity to gender norms, might purchase a doll for their child but not a dress. According to Rahilly, this could be termed:
a. gender binary

b. gender literacy

*c. gender hedging

d. playing along



EXAMPLE OF “SUMMARY…” QUESTION

According to Musto, children on the Sharks swim team interacted during practice and competitions but not outside the pool. Which of the following are among the reasons for this self-segregation? (please mark all that apply)
*a. sex segregated locker rooms formally marked boys and girls as different as they entered and exited the pool deck.

b. the children avoided being in situations where they might be compared to the other sex.

*c. the crowded nature of the pool and deck created the risk of heterosexual teasing.

*d. there was a lack of structure or rules upon which the children could focus together during unsupervised times.



EXAMPLE OF “CRITICAL THINKING…” QUESTION

Five-year-old Kaley is really happy to be a girl, to wear princess dresses, sing the princess songs, and see all the princess movies. Kaley could be said to be:

a. gender variant

b. sex normative

*c. cisgender

d. transgender

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Paper Instructions:

Explain and critically discuss ideas about the sources of social inequalities (e.g., in relation to class, social status, race and/or gender) and how such conditions might be transformed according to at least two of the following thinkers explored in this module:  Douglass, Perkins-Gilman, Addams, Wells-Barnett, Cooper, W.E.B. Dubois.  Which of your chosen thinkers provides the most persuasive arguments? Give reasons for your answer. 

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a 4- to 5-page paper that analyzes the implementation of the evidence-based practice in your field of practice to determine if you can expect similar results to the research. The paper should include the following:

A description of the evidence-based practice that you selected including:
The population for which the evidence-based practice is intended
The problems for which the evidence-based practice is intended to address
A summary of the evidence from the research articles that demonstrate the evidence-based practice’s effectiveness
An explanation of any differences between the conditions of the study and the conditions on your practice. Explain the potential impact these differences could have on successful implementation.
A description of the steps that would be required to implement the evidence-based practice including:
Any factors that would support each step and how you would leverage them
Any factors that would limit or hinder each step and how you would mitigate them
A conclusion that includes:
Anticipated results of the implementation in your practice setting
An explanation of whether they will be similar or different from the research results from the articles

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Part B
In secularization theory, the ‘tradition’ aspect of religion was expected to diminish greatly if not die
altogether. Tradition as we defined it in class has been very difficult for many modern people, even
modern sociologists, to understand clearly without cultural blinders. Write an essay that shows a careful
understanding of religious tradition as it relates to cases of Jewish religious practice that we read and
discussed in class. You should use each of our three cases: the case of eastern European Jewish shtetl life
in Life is with People, the case of Lincoln Square synagogue (modern Orthodox) converts in Davidman’s
study and the case of Bais Chana (Hasidic) converts also in Davidman’s study. Your essay should
consider:
→Why has it been hard for sociologists to study tradition and why did some think it would nearly die?
Bring in secularization theory and the context behind it—the assumptions of modernization theory. Give a
couple concrete examples of “blinders” or misperceptions that cloud our understanding of tradition.
→What are important differences in how tradition works among the three cases?
→Discuss how religious tradition shapes gender relations and gender self-understandings, especially in
Davidman’s cases. In some circles, people assume that strict religion is “bad for women” or that it
disadvantages them. How would you respond to this idea in light of our readings and discussion?
→How if at all does the trend toward increasing religious individualism in the U.S. affect orthodox
Jewish practice in Davidman’s cases?
For full credit, the essay must draw on:
• Zborowski and Herzog, Life is with People (the selections we read for class).
•Davidman’s Tradition in a Rootless World, both the Lincoln Square and Bais Chana cases.
You may draw on the video Horodok, A Shtetl’s Story 1920-1945 and our discussion of it also, but use it
just for illustration; your main ideas should come from our readings
A good essay will:
a) show you understand the concept of tradition as applied to religion and can discuss it with subtlety.
b) show you can see differences between the three cases, with short quotes or examples from each case.
(We mean religious, cultural or gender differences, not just that one case is from Europe and the other two
are from different U.S. locales. Think about differences in how religious practitioners relate to tradition
and their own religious identities.)
c) show you can see different ways that religious tradition interacts with gender.
d) use short quotes and examples from the readings to support your claims. Use what you’ve learned in
this course and show you thought with our readings.
TIP FOR THE WHOLE ESSAY ASSIGNMENT: These essays need only very short introductions, then
you can get right to stating your argument. Also, no need to take space for descriptive things about an
author or a book, such as “Wade Clark Roof, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara,
wrote a book titled Spiritual Marketplace. . .” You will want to focus on the ideas and arguments in the
readings. Enjoy thinking with the prompts

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Paper Instructions:

Assignment 2 meets the following course objectives:
•Apply a sociological perspective to the social world.
•Analyze contemporary social issues using the sociological imagination and use sociological theories and concepts to analyze everyday life.
•Demonstrate the ability to identify, locate, and retrieve information related to the topics in the course.

Purpose

The primary goal of this exercise is to apply your developing sociological knowledge and skills to the analysis of a current event.

Writing Expectations

This should be 4-6 pages long, double-spaced, 12pt font (arial or times new roman), with 1" margins.

Instructions:

Choosing a Current Event. A current event refers to something that is happening in the world at present and they are usually described on the news and in mass media. You must choose a report (written, from the radio, or televised) of an event that has been reported on within 3 months of the assignment deadline. Remember, the event you choose must have some relevance to the study of society, and you must properly cite the source from which you got your report.

Describe the Current Event. Second, you will need to provide a brief summary of the current event. This should include details such as location, timing (i.e is this an ongoing event, does it appear to be a one time event, is this an example of an event that happens frequently), people involved, and any analysis offered by the report(er).

Analyzing the Current Event. The final step in the process is conducting an analysis of the current event using knowledge you have gained from the course to-date. The most important thing here is that the analysis should not just be your opinion about the current event, but grounded in sociological theory and prior research. You will need to use at least 4 sociological concepts covered in this course to analyze the current event (i.e. social construction, stratification, social control, crime, deviance). You are strongly encouraged to use and cite sources.  Sociological concepts should be clearly identified, defined and then applied.  Any paraphrasing or direct quotes used from another source should include APA formatted in-text citations and a full reference at the end of the essay.

This course has “Resubmission” status enabled to help you if you realize you submitted an incorrect or blank file, or if you need to submit multiple documents as part of your Assignment.  Resubmission of an Assignment after it is graded, to attempt a better grade, is not permitted. 

DISCLAIMER: Originality of attachments will be verified by Turnitin. Both you and your instructor will receive the results.

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Paper Instructions:

Identify the issue, which can be broad, e.g. health care barriers for LGBTQ people, violence within or against LGBTQ communities, the impact of intersecting oppressions (around race, class, ethnicity, ability, immigration status, HIV status, etc.) on LGBTQ people, poverty within LGBTQ communities, etc., or it could be very specific, e.g. police profiling of trans Latinx women around sex work, relationship violence for bisexual-identified women, HIV risk among young MSM of color, etc.  PLEASE NOTE: You will need approval from the professor of the issue you identify before writing/submitting the paper.
Identify challenges and obstacles for LGBTQ people in accessing resources, including safety, support, and services around the issue you identified. This should be explored fairly thoroughly in this paper.
Identify one or more potential solution(s) to the challenges and obstacles you identified. Solutions can include policy change, best or promising practices around services, new interventions, including any.  You must include information on groups actively working on the solutions, e.g. legislative advocacy groups, community organizing groups, service organizations, local activists, etc. Potential solutions should be briefly identified and assessed at a high level, but deeper exploration of one solution will be part of the next assignment.
Share how this learning will impact your practice, including support, training, or experience you plan to seek out to support your own cultural competency, and strengthen your ability to support and ally with marginalized LGBTQ people and communities.

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Paper Instructions:

Your purpose or this essay is to write a properly focused argumentative essay that argues whether or not we should install more surveillance cameras in public places. Support your position with evidence that includes specific reasons and examples why or why not. Use information from the NPR broadcasts as evidence to help support and prove your points, but do not conduct any research. When you use information from either of the NPR broadcasts, be sure to cite that info using MLA style

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A research paper about sex trafficking/exploitation against girls (it is usually North African immigrants) in Italy and how it is portrayed, talked about, addressed, combatted in Italian Media. Here is description:

Students will write and present an original individual research paper about a relevant topic within the scope of
the course using scholarly sources (journal articles, book chapters, video documentaries, photographs, etc.)
as well as other pertinent sources such as newspapers, blog entries, or social media contributions. 8-10 pages long and will include an introduction, main body, and conclusion. Essays must be
typed, double-spaced in Times New Roman (12pt), and 2.5cm/1-inch margins on all four sides.

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Inclusion in Early Childhood Education for Special Needs

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For this paper, I would like you to discuss the family member who you found to be the most interesting, most valuable, or most important to this family’s journey and why – talk about at least three places in the book (from the beginning, middle and end) where this family member is discussed. Talk about each of those sections presented in the book and why and how you feel this explains why you felt this person was most interesting, valuable, important. Be sure to identify the specific chapters and page numbers. 

Begin your paper with: “I chose ___ as the family member who I found to be most interesting, valuable and/or important.”  Then tell me why, using the examples from the book. That’s your paper. Be specific when talking about what is discussed in the book (e.g., “In Chapter #X on page #Y, when the author talks about Z…..”). It must be very clear to me you read the book….. not a book review. Your paper should be 1,000 or more words (be sure to check your word count)

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Paper Instructions:

This end of term project is in lieu of a traditional paper or final, however, the student is expected to use this opportunity to convey their knowledge of all of the class material. References to lectures, guest interviews, reading assignments, and outside sources are critical to receiving a good grade on this assignment.

Reviews will: 

Briefly summarize the facts and themes developed in the book (I have already read these books and many papers about them, so the emphasis is on briefly);

Discuss and apply information and themes from the class and other readings;

Provide details about the insights the author shares; 

Reflection on the quality of the writing and story, including positive and negative observations about plot, style, and readability. 

Reviews may include:

A personal reflection section;

Discussion of factors contributed to the protagonists’ vulnerability

Analysis of interventions that could have helped prevent the abuse, shortened its length, or lessened its impact;

Observations about people who offered resources, skills, or hope to the protagonist;

Discussion of character traits that made this protagonist particularly resilient;

Analysis of the role cultural or individual attitudes towards race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, and disability play in the story;

Discussion from outside research about the author, story, or book;

If one or more movies have been made based on the book, a comparison of the book to the movie maybe included. 

Please note that the instructor is aware that many of these books have been made into movies. Students should be aware that none of the movies contain the same information and details as the books. All of the movies leave out key themes and storylines that are contained in the books and that are relevant to the class objectives and goals. It is inconceivable that a book review will receive a passing grade if the author simply watches the movie and does not read the book. However, a paper that is written based only on watching the movie and not reading the book will be given a zero.

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Paper Instructions:

Your book review should include the following elements:

Bibliographic information about the book and background information about the author.  Use APA or other full citation format for the book and do a google search of the author to find their current position and look at a curriculum vitae (CV)/ resume for information about their other research and scholarship). 1 point
Brief overview of the methods and types of data drawn on in the book. 1 point
A summary of the book's contents in which you highlight at least three of the main points the author is making. 3 points
Your assessment and appraisal of the book’s merits and shortcomings — how it compares with other research you've read on similar subjects, whether its conclusions flow from the analysis, and whether there is anything new or different in them.  2 points
Your assessment of how the findings / argument might be useful in shaping public policy on work and family.  1 point
Note:  Your review should minimize jargon and technical language.  It should not: (a) repeat the table of contents chapter by chapter or section by section; or go to great lengths to find something “bad” or “good” about the book or something that “should have been included”.