Writing Assignment: The Sociology of You!
Instructions:
There are TWO parts of this assignment. You MUST complete both parts by the deadline (no extensions) in order to get ANY points:
1) Writing Assignment instructions are on Page 1
2) Grading rubric instructions are on Page 2 [Note, you may want to look at the grading rubric before your write your assignment, so you can see how others will grade your paper]
You will receive 0 points TOTAL if you do not complete the peer review as well as the paper by the deadlines in the syllabus.
Part 1 (of 2): Writing Assignment Instructions
[See the rubric on the next page too.] Use your sociological imagination and what you have learned in this course (in lecture and/or textbook) to analyze the social forces that have shaped your life.
Write two to four paragraphs (try to write around a page [plus or minus; 2 pages maximum], double-spaced) connecting sociological concepts to your own life. You might, for example, write about the way your family, educational track, SES, etc. affected your behaviors, life chances, and outcomes.
Discuss at least two structural advantages and at least two structural disadvantages that have affected your life outcomes, using specific sociological terms or concepts (if you’re having trouble with this, look at the lecture slides for words in bold or in color (or key terms in your textbook) to help give you a start. For example, with educational tracking you may have been tracked in Advanced Placement classes (this is an advantage) or not (this is a disadvantage) – and explain why. Underline the specific sociological concepts you use to make it easier for your peers to catch the sociological terms you’re using.
Remember to view your life and experiences through a sociological lens – not an individual lens and not about opinions…connect your life to sociological concepts and social forces you’ve learned in this course – for example, don’t talk about the individual choices you have made (e.g., I exercise, I eat healthy) – instead, move beyond the individual lens and talk about things that could influence the range of choices you have (e.g., I live in a low crime area with nice sidewalks, so it makes it easier for me to exercise; I don’t live in a food desert, so it’s easier for me to purchase healthy food).

Note that your peers will be reading this, so only include information that you are comfortable sharing. Again, underline any specific sociological concept you use to make it easier for your peers to see where you are connecting sociological concepts when they are reviewing your work.
SEE NEXT PAGE FOR GRADING RUBRIC”¦
Part 2 (of 2): Grading Rubric for Peer Review
You will grade 3 of your peers’ ‘Sociology of You’ writing assignments. Grade them on the following criteria. There is a maximum of 10 points given for discussing structural advantages and another 10 points maximum for discussing structural disadvantages. Note that the peer reviewing is also worth points (even though the assignment is only worth 20 points total – both the content and peer review grades will be weighted by 85% and 15% respectively).