Sociological Theory Essay Assignment Guidelines (200 points possible)

1. Each student is responsible for four (4) essays
• Each contribution should be a focus on the ideas, concepts, and insights of one of the theorists or theories from the specified chapters.
  • Students are expected to provide detail and explanation going beyond what is available in the assigned textbooks and lecture notes.
  • Students must choose a topic and develop an essay (using text, images, and hyperlinks--as relevant)
• If you are interested in what I expect, here are some sample first wiki contributions from fall 2008. And here is another (contribution 3) from FS09 and a contribution 4 from FS09. Finally, here's a more recent example from SP2012 and here is basically a perfect example of what I'm looking for from FS2012 (you'll need to log on to "roksworld" (use your Gateway ID and password) to access both of these).
• Your essay must be the equivalent of 750-900 words (about 3-4 pages). See the grading rubric for your essays at #6, below.
2. Dues dates are posted on the "Assignments, Readings, and Course Schedule" and here:

1. Contribution 1 (focus on themes from chapter 2) on due by Monday, September 18.
2. Contribution 2 (focus on themes from chapter 3, 4, or 5) due by Monday, October 16 by 11:59 PM.
3. Contribution 3 (focus on themes from chapter 6 or 7) due Monday, November 13 by 11:59 PM.
4. Contribution 4 (focus on themes from chapter 8, 9, or 10) due Monday, December 11 by 11:59 PM.

1. Be sure to correctly cite all information used from research resources (in-text citations and a list of references for each page) using the ASA manuscript submission guide (local copy with web citation guidelines or a full version of the ASA Style Guide). Additional assistance with referencing online resources can be found here. Also, remember we are undertaking an academic activity, so please refrain from using opinion, unreliable or invalid resources, sensationalism, and other non-academic practices. See academic integrity statement and Turnitin information.
2. Grading rubric (click for even more detail) for the essays (50 points possible):
• Statement of purpose-- problem, concept or issue to explore: 5 points
• Details and explanations of key points and concepts related to class discussions and reading (you need to display your understanding here--Critical Thinking--not simply regurgitate what we all have read AND you need to demonstrate how this material fits into the historical tradition of sociological theory): 10 points
• Annotation, integration, and appropriate use of relevant outside resources (3 per contribution): 10 points
• Content thorough, comprehensive, and complete (Critical Thinking--I am looking for you to take the basic information we cover in the course, develop it in new ways, apply it to contemporary situations, and/or relate it to the work of other sociologists not necessarily covered in the course): 15 points
• Grammar, spelling, and overall mechanics (no contractions, etc.): 5 points
• Proper citations and bibliography: ASA manuscript submission guide (local copy with web citation guidelines or a full version of the ASA Style Guide). 5 points
3. Outside Sources: Peer-reviewed sociology journals (other peer-reviewed social science/humanities journals may be acceptable--ask if you are uncertain), original work by the theorists--not included in the class reading assignments, and other primary source documents, articles and books. Other textbooks--especially introductory texts, encyclopedias of any sort, Wikipedia, online dictionaries, sites like "answers.com," blogs, etc. can be used but will not be accepted as "outside sources" and should not form the basis for your essay. And, don't use "outside sources" that simply repeat information we have in the text, lecture notes, and develop in class discussion--the point here is to go beyond these basics. Before using information found on external web sites, please review the guidelines found at: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/webcrit.html to insure the information is reliable.  Better yet, try looking for research and information from the libraries database system (http://www.umsl.edu/services/library/databases/databases.html), it's a wealth of academic research at your fingertips.

Integration means developing ideas from your outside sources, applying them and using them in creative ways that display your understanding of the key concepts and theories we are studying. I am looking for Critical Thinking.

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