Theory Paper 1

Theory Paper 1

For this assignment, you will write a 4-page paper in Word (.doc/.docx) or rich text (.rtf) format (no PDF, Pages or Google Docs files, please).  The paper will have double-spaced text and use standard 12-point font and 1-inch margins. There is no need for a separate title page.  Your paper should be in the  https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html . Your essay will be based on the required materials from this course; please do not use materials from outside the class.  The assignment must be submitted through WebCourses by Sunday 2/10 at 11:59pm.  Finally, note that all papers will be scanned for plagiarism using TurnItIn software (see the syllabus for additional information on TurnItIn).

This assignment requires that you have read and thought critically about the assigned materials pertaining to Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, & Max Weber.  Your entire paper needs to be based on the course reading materials pertaining to these theorists.  As always, be sure to cite all resources fully and properly using ASA Style (see “Tips for Success” below for assistance with citations).

Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber all convey very serious concerns about the modern, capitalist social world that they theorize.  Specifically, Marx describes capitalist life as being characterized by alienation, Durkheim expresses concern over elevated rates of anomie, and Max Weber describes moderns as being trapped in an iron cage.  Your task in this assignment is to compare and contrast these theorists in terms of these key concepts (alienation, anomie, & the iron cage).  In so doing, be sure to clearly define and explain the concepts and how they fit into the theorists’ overarching theoretical perspective.  Then you’ll need to compare/contrast how these concepts are similar to and/or different from each other.  Your paper should conform to the following structure:

1. Brief introductory paragraph that sets the stage for the compare/contrast to follow;
2. Paragraph on Marx’s concept of alienation/estrangement;
3. Paragraph on Durkheim’s concept of anomie;
4. Paragraph on Weber’s notion of the iron cage;
5. Paragraph (or 2) that compares/contrasts the concepts and what they explain about the social world
6. Brief concluding paragraph.

Tips for Success

Sociological Content: Remember that this is a sociology theory course.  You therefore need to frame your paper analytically, which means 1) focusing in a clear and well-developed way on the concepts of the theorists and 2) situating those concepts within the theorists’ broader theoretical arguments (i.e., the “big picture” of the theorists’ paradigms).  Remember, you demonstrate your understanding of these materials by using specific concepts/ideas presented in the readings–concepts help you explain why or how something happens in the world and thus become the tools we use when developing social theories.

Follow instructions, meet assignment criteria: Before submitting your paper, be sure to re-read the assignment instructions carefully to make sure you’ve met all requirements.  Also, there is a rubric that we will use to grade your papers.  The rubric includes all of the required criteria and the associated points for those criteria–the rubric is pictured below.  I cannot underscore the importance of meeting the assignment criteria and how often we have to deduct points because students simply don’t follow the assignment instructions to meet those criteria.

Citing properly: You must cite properly using ASA Style (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. guidelines (use the ASA guidelines for citations only, not for paper formatting, which I’ve explained above.).  Not citing properly could result in plagiarism, a serious offense that could result in failing not only the assignment, but the entire course.  After following the citation link above, pay special attention to the style information for “in-text citations” and “reference page” formatting.  You don’t have to have a separate reference page–simply put “References” at the end of your paper and then list the materials that you’ve cited there as if they were on their own references page (alphabetical order, following ASA Style).

Note that all of the readings in our Lemert text and all of the original theorist readings within the L&N text are formatted in accordance with the “Chapter in an Edited Volume” item on the Purdue Owl “reference-page formatting” page.  This means that you cite the author of the specific reading and NOT Lemert or L&N, who are the editors of the text.  Note, too, that you cite the year of publication for our course texts, not the original publication date by the original author.  Thus, an in-text citation for a Lemert reading is (Authorlastname 2016) and an in-text citation for our L&N text is (Authorname 1998).  And the format for a reference page entry for each of the texts are:

Authorlastname, authorfirstname authmiddleinitial. 2016. “Reading Title.” Pp. xx-xx in Social Theory:
The Multicultural, Global, and Classic Readings, 6th Ed., edited by C. Lemert. Boulder, CO: Westview
Press.

Authorlastname, authorfirstname authmiddleinitial. 1998. “Reading Title.” Pp. xx-xx in The Women Founders: Sociology and Social Theory, 1830-1930, edited by Patricia Madoo Lengermann  and Gillian Niebrugge. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.

Rubric

Theory Paper 1 Rubric

Required Texts***

• Lemert, Charles. 2016. Social Theory:The Multicultural, Global, and Classic Readings, 6^thWestview Press.  Print ISBN: 9780813350028. Ebook ISBN: 9780813350448. Readings from this text are referred to by (Lemert) in the course modules. The book is available for purchase at the campus bookstore (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..  There will also be a copy of this text on reserve for checkout in the John C. Hitt Library on UCF’s main campus.
• Lengermann,  Patricia Madoo and Gillian Niebrugge.  1998. The Women Founders: Sociology and Social Theory, 1830-1930. Waveland Press.  ISBN: 978-1-57766-509-0. Readings from this text are referred to by (L&N) in the course modules.  The book is available for purchase at the campus bookstore (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..  There will also be a copy of this text on reserve for checkout in the John C. Hitt Library on UCF’s main campus.
• WebCourses readings. Additional course readings will be available via direct web links through the class WebCourses site in the “Modules” section of the site.  WebCourses items are identified by (Web) in the course modules.