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The paper should include the appropriate sections (title, introductory paragraph, body, concluding paragraph and sources).
The paper must cover the topic thoroughly and must utilize sociological analysis, using key sociological terms and concepts.

Sociology 101

Guidelines for critical thinking writing assignments

Writing assignments criteria and grading (from the course syllabus)

First Paper (worth 60 points toward your final grade):

Choose a social institution (for example the family, science, religion, education, the economy, the healthcare system, political system, legal system, criminal justice system, the military or mass media) and analyze it in some detail from one of the three major sociological perspectives (functionalism, conflict perspective or symbolic interaction).

Second Paper (worth 60 points toward your final grade):

Choose a social problem (for example poverty, homelessness, crime, juvenile delinquency, discrimination, mental health or suicide) and examine it in some detail within the context of one of the following:  social class, income level, race/ethnicity, sex/gender, gender expression/orientation, or age.

Each paper must meet the following criteria and will be graded according to how well they meet the criteria:

• Required minimum of 1200 words, preferably Times New Roman, 12 Font type
• Required minimum of three sources relevant to the topic which must be properly cited. Sources should be primarily sociological and should be academic or “scholarly” sources such as books and journal articles.  While online academic sources are acceptable, do not use quick “look-up” informational, encyclopedia, dictionary or wiki-type references.  Points may be deducted for these types of sources.  Analysis of your topic should incorporate and utilize your source material.
• Organization: the paper should include the appropriate sections (title, introductory paragraph, body, concluding paragraph and sources); should be “readable” and should be reasonably easy to follow and understand.
• Critical thinking: the paper must cover the topic thoroughly and must utilize sociological analysis, using key sociological terms and concepts covered in the text and in class.  The paper must be more than descriptive or “informational” and must apply the sociological perspective or context you choose in some depth.
• Presentation: the paper should be well written and generally free of spelling and grammatical errors.

We’ll spend time in class discussing these criteria in more detail to help you in preparing to complete your papers.

Suggested steps to take toward completing your paper

• Review the section of your text that covers the topic and be certain you understand the purpose of the paper; ask questions if you are uncertain.
• Narrow the focus of your topic; in other words, “zoom in”. A common problem encountered in writing a paper is trying to cover the topic too broadly.  You will not have the time or space to do an exhaustive analysis of a large topic, so you will do yourself a favor by keeping your work focused.
• Do some reading and research on the topic. Begin with your text; conduct a search on the topic and locate several relevant articles or books, either on line or in the library.  Choose your sources wisely and seek credible authors.  Remember, the internet is a great tool for information, but you must be discerning in seeking trustworthy information.  Not everything you find will be credible, so be sure to consider the source.
• It may be helpful to begin with an outline and then create a first draft. You may want to have a peer read it to give you some feedback.  Your instructor is available and willing to review an outline or a draft to provide feedback, though this is not a requirement.
• Consider utilizing the PPCC Learning Commons – instructors, tutors and peers are available to provide support in writing your paper.

Paper format

There are several formal paper formats utilized in higher education.  Writing assignments for this class do not require that you use any of those formal formats.

While American Psychological Association (APA) format is not a requirement for these papers, APA is a widely accepted format for social science papers and is required in many higher learning institutions.  If you plan to continue your social science education at PPCC or a four-year college or university, you are encouraged to use APA format for your paper as a learning opportunity which will serve you well in your future academic work.  An APA writing guide is posted along with these guidelines.

Regardless of the format you use, your paper should be typed (using Times New Roman 12 font), double-spaced and should generally contain the following sections, as referenced in the paper criteria outlined above:

• A title
• An introductory paragraph (sometimes called an abstract) which states your topic and what you will be attempting to accomplish with your paper
• The body of the paper in which you develop your thoughts, analysis, consideration of data or theory – and discuss any reading or secondary analysis research that you have conducted
• A concluding paragraph which relates back to your introductory statement and explains what you learned or concluded through writing the paper
• Sources – three are required – you must provide the author’s name; name of the article or book; and date of publication

Before completing your final draft for submission, remember to proofread, correcting any typographical errors, awkward sentence construction or formatting issues.  While content, critical thinking and organization of thought are the primary criteria for success, appearance, presentation, grammar and spelling create either a positive or negative impression.  A poorly written and presented paper will distract from your content.  Remember that spell-check will catch many errors, but not all.

Academic honesty

Plagiarism and cheating in any form are completely unacceptable. Students will receive a “zero” score on assignments that have been plagiarized or cheated on.  They Dean may be notified as well.  It is assumed that your writing will be your own work.  It is fine and appropriate to quote the work of others in constructing your paper; however, any such source must be credited.  Also, any quotations used in your paper must be enclosed within quotation marks and these should not exceed a few sentences per quotation.  Quotations should not make up a significant portion of your paper – the paper must be your own work, not that of others.  Copying and pasting material found online without a reference is unacceptable.

Submission of papers

An assignment submission folder will be opened in D2L prior to the due date for each paper and papers in Microsoft Word document form should be uploaded there electronically prior to the deadline for submission.

Assignments should be completed on time.  Should there be a need to complete or submit an assignment late, it is your responsibility to notify the instructor in advance or no later than the due date in order to make arrangements to complete the assignment late.  Generally, only a day or two may be allowed for late submission and assignments which are submitted late may result in a reduction of points.

Please access the Powerpoint entitled “Requirements for papers, using proper citations and submitting your paper online” located in “Course documents in D2L for additional information on these topics.

Please do not hesitate to contact the instructor should you have any questions regarding these guidelines.

DS 09/29/2016; Rev. 01/2017; 1/2018; 8/2019; 12/2019