SOC101: Exploring DSJ Topics in Newspaper Articles (2023)
Nomita Yadav
One assignment that I use in my SOC&101 Introduction to Sociology class is looking at diversity in newspapers from a sociological lens. The assignment is a paper that I scaffold across weeks:
PART 1: Newspaper Article Summary Assignment
Purpose
Please use this discussion area to find a newspaper article on Diversity in the Newspaper and summarize it.
Due Date
See Canvas.
Tasks
1. Find a News Article: Each of you individually must find a popular news article related to diversity. Think of diversity as the result of differences between people in terms of their ethnicity, race, nationality, language, age, economic or social class position, physical or mental abilities, religion, gender, or sexual orientation/identity. Please do NOT choose an opinion piece (editorial, blog, someone’s Facebook or fan pages) but a news article that is likely to have gone through some quality control by the news source/publisher. Please choose an article that was published recently. Below are links to the homepage of major news sources. Type a keyword, such as diversity or race and health, in the homepage search box to find articles.
2. Example:
3. Read through the article and ensure that it is descriptive and sufficiently long enough.
4. Post the article in the discussion board. Do not just paste a link but download the article and attach the file. Sometimes the link may not be accessible.
5. Each student writes their own summary. Your summary must:
- Summarize 3-4 main points of the article
- Include two short quotes (one or, at most, two sentences each).
- Briefly explain why you chose the article’s points and quotes.
- Use in text citations and references in APA. For guidance, click on the link: APA style quick guide.
- You need 250 -300 words (not including quotes!) minimum
Your summary should also:
- Use academic language (not conversational language), although you can use “I” when talking about why you chose these points and quotes.
- Have minimal grammatical errors.
- Utilize a thesis statement and good academic paragraph structure (but you do NOT need all of the elements of an essay)
- Be clear, cohesive, and concise.
PART 2: Diversity in the Newspaper Group Assignment: Sociological Summary
Purpose
Please use this discussion area to discuss and draft the sociological analysis section of your Diversity in the Newspaper.
Due Date
See Canvas.
Tasks
To be accomplished by each student individually.
- This section focuses on the sociological analysis section of the body of your paper.
- In the Reply box below, each individual should develop a sociological analysis of the newspaper article which applies at least two different concepts and uses one sociological theoretical perspective: structural-functional; social conflict; symbolic interactionism; intersectionality.
- You must provide a minimum of two applicable literal quotes from course readings (not audio or video materials), with source, year, and page numbers indicated. Make sure to integrate your quotes well by providing transitions for them which explain how they are related to the argument you are making (e.g., Conerly et al. make a similar point when they state, “…”; The authors define [concept] as “…” (Conerly et al., 2021, p. 7); The course material on [concept] is especially applicable to the news item because…(Conerly et al., 2021, p. 17). In essence, be explicit about why you are using a particular quote in a particular context.
- Please use in-text citations whenever you use direct quotes and complete references at the bottom of the posting in APA format.
- The word limit is 450-500 words
- Look at the grading rubric in this discussion area (menu on the upper right) to see how you will be graded for your individual contributions to this forum.
General Criteria for Success
- Two sociological concepts.
- Research findings/ one sociological theoretical perspective: structural-functional; social conflict; symbolic interactionism; intersectionality.
- Two applicable and integrated quotes from course readings.
- In-text citation and reference (at end of posting) in APA format.
- 250-300 words excluding in-text citation and reference
Part 3: Diversity in the Newspaper Group Assignment: Introduction and Conclusion
Purpose
Please use this discussion area to discuss and draft the ‘introduction and conclusion’ section of your Diversity in the Newspaper.
Due Date
See Canvas.
Tasks
To be accomplished by each student individually.
This section focuses on the ‘introduction and conclusion’ section of the body of your paper. In the Reply box below, each of you individually should develop:
Task 1: Introduction (50 to 100 words) which contains
- A sentence about the topic/central idea of your article
- The title of the article and the publication in which it appears
- A short statement about why the information is important or useful
- A mention of the sociological concepts or research findings you will apply.
Task 2: Conclusion (50 to 100 words) which contains
- a brief restatement of the main points of your paper
- a closing statement/final thought about the topic
A useful link to develop an Introduction and Conclusion can be found by clicking the following link: General guidelines to write Introduction and Conclusion of Academic Papers.
- Please use in-text citations whenever you use direct quotes and complete references at the bottom of the posting in APA format.
- Look at the grading rubric in this discussion area (menu on the upper right) to see how you will be graded for your individual contributions to this forum.
General Criteria for Success
- Introduction
- Conclusion
- Intext citation and reference (at end of posting) in APA format.
- Word limit: 200 words excluding intext citation and reference
Part 4: Diversity in the Newspaper Assignment: Final Paper
The final paper is a culmination of the short segments of assignments under the Diversity in Newspaper group. Previously, this assignment asked you to select a current news article related to diversity, summarize it, and analyze it from a sociological perspective.
Purpose
This assignment gives you an opportunity to meet at least five of the learning outcomes for this course:
- Explain basic sociological terminology, concepts, and theories
- Describe how culture can influence our behavior through shared values, norms, and beliefs
- Describe how life experiences and opportunities may differ according to various social locations (such as race, age, gender, and socioeconomic status)
- Identify the ways in which social institutions (such as the economy, the media, and the family) shape our everyday experiences
- Describe processes of social change
Completing this assignment will be useful to you because it
- prepares you for writing academic papers in APA;
- encourages you to compose a succinct summary; tasks you are likely to be assigned in future academic courses;
- gives you practice making connections between what you learn in the news and other sources of information and thereby helps you to more critically evaluate news or media content; and
- gives you practice working remotely in small groups, something often required in other courses and in the workforce.
Due Date
See Canvas.
Tasks
- APA_Template_7th_ed._.docx
- Your final paper is a double-spaced APA-styled- paper.
- It should include a cover page, abstract and reference page.
- It should be about 600 words long (not counting the cover page, reference page, in-text citations in APA)
- It should include the following:
Introduction (50 to 100 words) which contains
- a sentence about the topic/central idea of your article
- the title of the article and the publication in which it appears
- a short statement about why the information is important or useful
- a mention of the sociological concepts or research findings you will apply.
Body (450 to 500 words) which contains
- a one-paragraph summary of the main points of your news article, written mostly in your own words, except for the inclusion of two short, direct or literal quotes from it (not just paraphrases). A summary should simply report on the contents of the news piece without including your own response to it. Summarize the main points in the same order in which they are presented in the article, using “signal” phrases that indicate that you are summarizing someone else’s work (e.g., The author/s begins by stating… S/he/They then argue… The author/s ends…). The two quotes from the article should be short (one or two sentences each) and be about the main points or controlling idea(s) of your news piece. Remember to cite in APA format.
- a second paragraph with a sociological analysis which applies at least two different concepts and one of the sociological theoretical perspectives from course materials to the news item and provides a minimum of two applicable literal quotes from course readings (not audio or video materials), with source and page numbers indicated. Make sure to integrate your quotes well by providing transitions for them which explain how they are related to the argument you are making (e.g., Conerly et al. make a similar point when they state, “…”; The authors defines [concept] as “…” (Conerly et al, 2021, p. 7); The course material on [concept] is especially applicable to the news item because…(Conerly et al, 2021, p. 17). In essence, be explicit about why you are using a particular quote in a particular context.
Conclusion (50 to 100 words) which contains
- a brief restatement of the main points of your paper
- a closing statement/final thought about the topic
Peer Assessment
This assignment will be graded by your peers in the upcoming week and the grades will be moderated by me.