SOC 233- Intro to Social Inequality and Difference
In this course, we spoke about and touched on most, if not all, social institutions. We were given free range to explore the institutions that interested us most, while also discussing specific institutions as a class. With the freedom we did have, I explored sports, family, law enforcement, economics, etc. As a class, we discussed inequalities from racial, to class, to political, to gender, and differences in the family, in education, and especially in the workplace. Given these concepts, any of them can aid me in the workforce, and especially in a field like dispatch. Becoming more knowledgeable about different social institutions can aid me in the duties I need to do and understanding the different scenarios that may come up in this line of work. Listed below are three different papers that I wrote in this class that reflect learning that I did.
Over the course of these three papers, written in the class, my writing became more sociological and the structure of my writing became less choppy. When I began writing in this course, I knew very little about sociology or social institutions, and I did not want to ask too many questions. Also, given that this was one of the first sociology classes I took at Longwood University, I did not know much. I was fighting myself trying to “wing it” on certain papers and assignments; however, by the end of the course, I found that the more information I learned from the class, the more I wanted to dive deeper into other topics. I would research information on my own and use it to support my claims in discussions. Along with this, my writing became smoother and more formulated, and I felt like I wasn’t “winging it” anymore. Over time, and over the semester spent writing these papers, I noticed that I did not just stick to one or two institutions either. I expanded my research and wrote about many different institutions. I started off writing a lot about what we learned in class, and then once we were given some more free range to expand our writing, I dipped my toes into other research; I looked at other institutions that interested me.
Paper 1:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ovYragNhbR74BI95KcOLk4TInu8DNTyS9kEA74eM9mc/edit?usp=sharing
Paper 2:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LUcA704MmTTaHdjjEiPByUHuWhihsbjfwc_LCjsKhuM/edit?usp=sharing
Paper 3: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qJedSv078Q9hRKiOhXfBxBEvqgARhf04F5MA-1qrDhQ/edit?usp=sharing
SOC 205 – Deviance
In this course, we discussed institutions such as law, criminal justice, media, law enforcement, family, government, economics, etc. We discussed some intense topics such as drugs, suicide, sexual abuse, child abuse, homicide, gang involvement, etc. Alongside all of these tough topics, I learned about sociological theories, both positivist and constructionist, that help us to understand why certain deviant life events occur in individuals’ lives. Moreso than the previous class, SOC 205 and the concepts of deviance discussed in this class will be helpful in the line of work I wish to enter into. When answering 9-1-1 calls, having an understanding of certain kinds of deviance and theories to help explain such deviance can aid me in understanding and responding to situations in this line of work. Listed below are two different papers that I wrote in this class that reflect learning that I did. Given that we were only assigned two papers, I can only provide two.
When discussing my writing in this course and how it has changed and matured, I see a lot of growth. SOC 205, Deviance, was one of the first courses I had that really dove into discussing theory. It took concepts I had heard of before from other classes such as sociological imagination and theory, that I did not quite understand, and really did a fantastic job at submerging me into the material. In this first paper, we were asked to watch a movie and talk about the deviance we saw occur in the film. When I wrote this paper, there was no theory incorporated or concept analysis. Instead, I really just listed off that the kids in the movie did a lot of breaking and entering, underage substance use, and plenty of theft, which is deviant and illegal behavior. Furthermore, in the second and last paper I wrote, I had a firm grasp on theories presented to us, concept analysis, the material in the book we were writing about, and believe I displayed a great amount of growth compared to the prior writing. In this paper, I discussed the book, Gang Leader for a Day, and the themes in the book, along with sociological theories to explain why certain themes occur. My writing ability matured, and the structure of my writing, I believe, was more coherent than the first paper. In addition, I believe I displayed more sociological understanding of concepts and theories, which is reflected in the writing of this second paper.
Paper 1: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZhiEYXDyHpWZsT5WhVFNiAt7mU4q06_d8pyAVkz7JgA/edit?usp=sharing
Paper 2:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ws4-CUi3KEgW5hpcrcLA2Vkc5U_g0b1ur7dGwoZiAzc/edit?usp=sharing
SOC 345- Social Research & Program Evaluation
In this course, we dealt specifically with the institutions of family and education. Throughout the semester, we did social research on family and parent involvement of children in and around Prince Edward County. We sent games and surveys out to families to further our research on parent involvement and its effect on children and their development. Sadly, our study had some gaps, but it really offered a lot of first-hand learning and insight on social research. Provided below is a list of three papers written in the class that reflect the learning I accomplished in the class.
Over the course of these three papers, written in the class last semester, I would not say that I think my writing has changed much. While the course was interesting, informative, and taught me plenty of information to retain, I would not say that my writing has changed a whole lot over the course and displayed by these papers. The papers themselves built off of eachother, and the style of writing did not change. By the end of the course, I did, however, learn how to formally write a literature review and how to interpret and analyze data provided from receiving back surveys. Social research maybe provides limitations on maturing or changing ones’ style of writing, however. I say this because if someone were to read a research paper published by someone who kept changing their writing style, even in a positive manner, it would be quite confusing and difficult to read. Therefore, I think it is rather a good thing that my writing has not changed much, but that my knowledge has grown.
Paper 1: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12Fya3WggO-LSyOimwurVPUXDh4zzhUHLICHzCOgzcFA/edit?usp=sharing
Paper 2: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k7IvYcL4eLySrik5X1AXe058KlPFHj9Pij6Gia16X_Y/edit?usp=sharing
Paper 3:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h86IpTzqyI2seHF8tkLR0LdgyLCiqzF15XsKhZ0uEaM/edit?usp=sharing