Assignment: Stratifications Among Social Groups Essay

Analyze the degree to which forms of human differences and stratifications among social groups shape individual and group experiences of, and perspectives on, contemporary issues. Such differences and stratifications may include race, language, religion, ethnicity, country of origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic status, abilities, or other social distinctions and their intersections. I expect you to employ what we learned in class and to apply it to your own life.

Short Essay Analyze the degree to which forms of human differences and stratifications among social groups shape individual and group experiences of, and perspectives on, contemporary issues. Such differences and stratifications may include race, language, religion, ethnicity, country of origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, economic status, abilities, or other social distinctions and their intersections. I expect you to employ what we learned in class and to apply it to your own life. Instructions for Students: 1. Pick a social outcome that is patterned by some social status. Label your independent and dependent variables. (Ex. College engineering major rates by gender, home ownership by race, life expectancy by social class, obesity rates by region, the family wealth by race etc.) PICK YOUR OWN. 2. Locate AT LEAST three characteristics of yourself from the wheel of diversity that relates to the outcome you chose AND note whether each status makes you “more likely” or “less likely” to experience an outcome. (Ex. Life expectancy by social class, education, and race: middle class: more likely to live longer, White nonHispanic: more likely to live longer, higher education: longer life expectancy).

In other words, once you’ve set up the dependent variable you are adding two independent ones. 3. What are the mechanisms by which your social characteristics interact with the issue? This is a chance for you to use sociological analysis to understand the broader effects of social categories. You MUST speak about every characteristic you have chosen: how are they working independently AND together? (e.g. What sociological concepts can you employ here to explain why we see disparities by social groups? Following the example above, what about race and class explain this disparity in life expectancy between races?) 4. Discuss how your own personal choices, attitudes, behaviors are conditioned by the broad social effects you brought up in part 3. This is a chance for you to use sociological analysis to understand how social forces shape your own identity and behavior. You MUST speak about every characteristic you have chosen: how are they working independently AND together to shape your identity? (For example, considering the example above, you might note that being White Non-Hispanic will raise your chances longer. How does this affect your outlook on life and the decisions that you make?) FORMAT 1-2 are bullet points.

Then, write one paragraph for part 3 and one paragraph for part 4 (see short guide below). Remember that individual choices happen within social contexts that shape the likelihood and meaning of those choices, but are rarely determinative. [YOUR NAME] Fall 2020 1. Incarceration rates [dependent variable] by social class, type of community (e.g. urban, rural, suburban) [independent variable(s)] 2. [Your characteristics here] upper-middle class – less likely, urban – less likely etc. 3. [Here you could invoke cultural and social capital – to explain how they make incarceration less likely for members of these social categories, you can put in more than two concepts, (you need at least one) but remember quality is more important than quantity.] 4. [Consider how your own personal choices, attitudes, and behaviors (i.e. agency) is conditioned by social forces (i.e. the cultural and/or structural forces you discussed in the previous paragraph).] You should be able to demonstrate a contextualized understanding of the sociological imagination. In other words, you should be able to use course material to explain how specific social forces impact a specific social issue. Rubric: How we will grade these Poor (68 or below): Student is unable to understand how social differences create different outcomes because s/he either ascribes to an all or nothing approach (i.e. treats social groups/conditions as determinative rather than conditional) OR cannot move beyond an overly individualistic account. Causal mechanisms, therefore, are individualistic (e.g. “some people just…”) or simplistic and determinative (e.g. society says that x people are inferior and treats them badly).

There is confusion between independent and dependent variables. Fair (74, 78): Student points out that social differences create different outcomes, but often slips into individualistic or determinative accounts. Cliché’s and valueladen judgments often take the place of (or push aside) sociological analysis. However, student identifies at least one social force, even if a bit simplistically (i.e. racism in policing makes blacks more likely to encounter police). The overall account is also correct, but key details are left out. The distinction between independent and dependent variables is clear. Good (84, 88): Student generally sticks to identifying and explaining social forces. While some cliché’s and value-laden judgments may appear they generally appear alongside rather the substitute for sociological explanations. Sociological explanations counter both individualistic and determinative explanations. The overall account is correct, but some minor details/nuance is left out. Outstanding (95): Student identifies and explains social forces, the overall account is not only correct, but includes and connects relevant details. Student is able to bring in nuance without taking away from their key points. The student seems able to entertain alternative theses and provide an account that would stand up to them. Additional notes on grading: Simplistic and deterministic accounts, even if social, are highly problematic.

First, they are often perfunctory and evidence little thought or consideration on the part of the student. Second, to the extent they are accepted they create two additional problems: Deterministic accounts make social claims fragile – i.e. unable to withstand a single non-conforming anecdote. (Ex. I know someone who grew up poor and graduated college, so therefore social class doesn’t hamper poor people… ) OR people may simply discount, ignore, or refuse to believe (see “fake news”) any information that doesn’t fit a deterministic account rather than thinking through social patterns and embracing the nuance and uncertainty that are hallmarks of science. Cliché’s and value-laden judgments create their own problems. Such tropes are easily accessible tools for “understanding” our social world. In other words, cliché’s allow us to deal with social issues without having to engage in critical thinking. We just pick the “right” side and take that side. Lastly, this exercise should reinforce the importance of marking the difference between independent and dependent variables when making social claims.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource