Length: 5 pages, typed, double-spaced 12 point font (excluding cover page and bibliography)
Note: Unless excused ahead of the deadline by Prof. Reese, late papers will be penalized (10 points per day).
Answer one of the following questions:
- How do Omi and Winant extend Gramsci’s theoretical ideas about class formation and hegemony in their theory of racial formation and discussion of racial politics? To what extent is Omi and Winant’s theoretical ideas useful or understanding racial politics today? Be sure to refer to, and cite, at least two outside sources in your answer.
- Choose at least one of the following feminist theorists: Anzaldua, Chow, or Yamada. How does this theorist’s perspective on women’s oppression relate to intersectional or multiracial feminist theory in general and Patricia Hill Collins’ theoretical ideas and concepts in particular? To what extent are the theoretical ideas of one of these two authors useful for understanding either (1) the portrayal of women in the mainstream media (films and/or television), or (2) women’s oppression today. You should refer to, and cite, at least two outside sources in your answer.
- How are the problems identified by Horkheimer and Adorno (‘administered’ culture produced by the culture industries) and Herman and Chomsky (the corporate domination of news production) similar? To what extent are Herman and Chomsky’s ideas regarding how news is produced and filtered useful for understanding mainstream news coverage of a topic of your choice? Please refer to at least two outside sources in your answer. You may want to consider this source: http://www.fair.org (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting’s website; the “Issues and Archives” link found at the top of this website allows you to browse articles by issue area)
- Using Turner, explain Bourdieu’s concept of habitus and explain how it is related to class and capital. Explain how Bourdieu expands Marxist ideas of capital and class. To what extent are Bourdieu’s theoretical ideas useful for understanding the habitus of people that you know? To answer this question, conduct two interviews with friends, family members, or coworkers regarding their tastes and habits in terms of at least two of the following: food, exercise, music, culture (or art), hobbies, or clothing.
- Using Appelrouth and Edles and their excerpt from Foucault’s Discipline & Punish, explain Foucault’s concepts of, and theoretical arguments about, disciplinary society and the panopticon. To what extent are these concepts useful for understanding discipline and punishment in the U.S. today? Be sure to refer to at least two outside sources in your response.
- Explain Michel Foucault’s main theoretical ideas about power, knowledge, and sexuality using the first 2 chapters of The History of Sexuality. To what extent are the theoretical ideas of Foucault useful for understanding at least one major issue facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people today? Be sure to refer to at least two outside sources in your response. For ideas on topics, see: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/9-battles-the-lgbt-community-in-the-us-is-still-fi/
Except for question 4, outside sources can include news articles, personal interviews that you conduct, books, reports, on-line sources, or scholarly articles. Please note that many news sources are available through the Lexis Nexus database (available through UCR’s library website [http://library.ucr.edu]).
When you turn in your paper:
- Be sure to number your pages.
- Include a separate cover sheet: (1) your name; (2) the question number that you are answering; (3) your paper title; (4) your TA’s name; (5) your section number; (6) the current date.You should not include this information in a header for your paper.
- Provide a bibliography for your paper using the format provided below.
Hints and directions:
- . All papers should have an overall argument that is clearly stated in both the introduction and conclusion of the paper and which you develop in the body of your paper. If you can’t answer: “What’s the point of the paper?” in one or two sentences, you still have work to do. In this case, the main point of your paper is your critical evaluation of the authors’ theoretical arguments. Although you need to layout each author’s argument and discuss it, this discussion should relate to and provide the foundation for your evaluation of the author. You should not just evaluate the authors in one paragraph or in the conclusion. You must provide reasons for your evaluation of the author and cite evidence; don’t just state your opinion of the author.
- You should cite all the material you use: Note that you should only cite lecture when it introduced an idea that is not already discussed in the readings.
How to cite a passage that you summarize:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (Blumer 1969: 72-76).
How to use a short quote from the reading:
“XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX” (Blumer 1969: 77).
How to use a long quote (three lines or more):
Indent and single-space the quote; quote marks are not necessary:
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX (Blumer 1969: 77)
Note: After you use a quote, you need to explain what it means.
Recommendation: I strongly recommend writing at least two drafts of this paper. You should “pump out” your first draft, getting a lot of ideas down on paper. Don’t worry about getting it right the first time (no one does). Pick out your best ideas and organize them well in your second draft. It is often very helpful to write an outline of your paper before writing your first or second draft so that your paper is organized and flows well.
Format for citing references in the text of your paper:
Be sure to cite the readings you are referring to using the format below in the text of your paper. You should cite the reading when you summarize it OR when you quote directly from the reading. Since this is a short paper, you should avoid long quotes. If you use a quote, be sure to explain what it means in your own words or how it relates to your main arguments.
Citation Format Example: XXXXXXXXXXXX (Dohan 2003: 20-24). Xxxxx (Last year of pub: pages)
Bibliography (only required for outside readings; use ASA style guide):
Note: List your sources in alphabetical order by author’s name (not by type of source).
Instructions for Bibliography: You need to provide a bibliography only if you refer to outside sources (not listed on the Soc 169 syllabus). Please format your references according to the American Sociological Association’s style guidelines. Be sure to list your sources in alphabetical order by author’s name (not by type of source).
For info on ASA style, see: http://www.asanet.org/documents/teaching/pdfs/Quick_Tips_for_ASA_Style.pdf
http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/files/asa.pdf