explain this current event through theory we have discussed this year in class (going from Tocqueville to Dubois).
Students are to write a four to five paper based on a current events article, applying theory to a specific subject/issue/event in today’s society. Students will use this article as “data’ on which they will seek to explain this current event through theory we have discussed this year in class (going from Tocqueville to Dubois).
The paper should include:
1) An intro, one or two paragraphs explaining the topic the student is writing on, the source of this information, and the theory they will be using
2) A summary and description of the article and the social issue it reports on (1-2 pages).
3) A discussion of how your theory explains this issue.(1-2 pages)
4) A conclusion, summing up your argument; why is the theory you chose important in dealing with this issue (1-2 paragraphs).
5) References. Must include at least a reference from the writings of the theorist (on Blackboard) and a secondary reference relating to this theorist and theory (for instance, a reference to an article by sociologist Robert Merton on Weber’s Protestant Ethic thesis)
you can use any of these for the theorist and theory
I Tocqueville:
a) The inductive method
b) The importance Mores
c) Mores’ origins in religion
d) The separation of religion and politics
e) Tyranny of the majority
f) The role of associations– self interest and mutual interest
II Durkheim
a) Social facts
b) Divison of labor
c) Organic and mechanical solidarity
d) The function of religion
e) Collective consciousness
III Marx:
a) A conflict theory
b) Division of labor and class division
c) How revolution happens
d) The ideological role of religion
