These are the Internet assignments that I promised you. Remember, you
are to do one of these assignments for the course.
The list will be added to as we proceed with the course. If you have another
idea for such a project that is not listed here,
please inform me and maybe we can work something out.
1. Visit the Dead Sociologists'
Society and select one of the theorists discussed in Chapter 1 of Henslin.
Gather material
for
a brief report on the sociologist's personal background, ideas, and writing.
Present your findings in a brief
written
report.
2. Go to the Sociological Tour Through
Cyberspace Page and look at some of the links. Based on these, write
a
brief essay describing the breadth
of sociology and the possible uses to which it can be put. How do these
perceptions of what sociology
is differ from your perception of what sociology is, or what it should be?
3. Search the Internet for information on a value conflict by accessing
one of the "search engines" (Google, for example)
and entering the
word "abortion" in the search term blank. Try to determine the major arguments
held by the
"pro-choice"
and "pro-life" sides. Write a short report on your findings. To what extent
does the disagreement indicate
changes
in core values in American society? As an alternative, you may choose to
explore the issue of "gun control"
instead.
4. The world is an incredibly diverse place. One place to see this is
on a site called Native Web , which
is where you will go for
this
assignment. Go to the "Geographical Region Index" and choose at least three
different societies from different parts
of the
world. Write a brief paper covering the following questions:
--
Which elements of the society make you comfortable?
-- Which
ones make you uncomfortable?
-- How
objective (culturally relativistic) do you think you could be in studying
each society?
-- Which
element in each society appears most important in understanding that society?
5. Child rearing practices vary widely among different societies. Look
at some of these differences by using a search engine
(e.g.,
Google) and typing in the search terms "child rearing" or "child care."
Compare child rearing in the United
States
with that in at least one other country.
6. Resocialization is the process by which we learn new norms, often in
a dramatically different setting than we are used to.
Go to each of the following sites:
http://www.tyc.state.tx.us/index.html
(click on "Programs and Facilities" and read about "Correctional Treatment,"
"Resocialization," and other relevant links)
http://www.parent-education.com/about.html
http://unicor.gov/placement/
Compare and contrast the similarities
and differences in the resocialization efforts in each case, in terms of
each of the
following factors: the target,
purpose, method and anticipated outcome. How effective do you believe each
will be
in their resocialization efforts?
What social factors influence the success or failure of such resocialization
effects?
7. The power of the media, including the Internet, has raised new questions
about control in the past several years. Use a search
engine
(e.g., Google) to explore the issue by using the search word "censorship."
You might want to limit the search by
using
another key word, such as "Internet." What are the issues, and what are
the arguments of those on different sides of
the issue?
8. The creation of "intentional communities" on the Internet seems at
least in part an attempt to restore an element of Gemeinschaft
to modern
society. Go to the "Intentional
Communities" section of Yahoo and browse through several (at least five)
of the
communities
there. What are the main characteristics of intentional communities? Look
for Gemeinschaft elements of
such
communities, as well as any Gesellschaft components that might exist.
Compare the emphases of the different
communities
that you have explored. What characteristics of postindustrial societies
do you think attract people to such
intentional
communities?
9. Are "electronic communities" really groups? Go to the Cyberculture
section of Yahoo and click on "Virtual Cafes" and
"Virtual
Communities" to explore the kinds of "communities" that people have
attempted to create online. Write a report
discussing
your conclusions, with examples. Alternatively, do the same thing with newsgroups
about which you are already
familiar,
or with channels on IRC (Internet Relay Chat).
10. This chapter outlines and discusses the series of experiments on obedience
to authority done by Milgram in the early 1960's. Use
one of
the search engines to find out more details of the experiment, and write
a report dealing with the importance of conformity
in understanding
group behavior. One brief overview of the experiments can be found HERE.
11. For this assignment, go to Yahoo's section on
Crime and browse through the topics offered. Write a short paper on
this
aspect
of deviance. You should start with a research question and used information
gathered from the links you follow
to offer
supporting evidence for your conclusions.
12. Look at changes in the crime index for major cities. Go to the FBI Home page and look at the Uniform Crime
Reports.
Click
on the Uniform Crime Report (note that you will need Adobe Acrobat to read
this). Go to the table titles "Offenses
Known
to the Police." Note the changes in index crimes from the previous year
in the column entitled "Crime Index total" for
several
different sized cities in various regions of the country. Are there any
patterns in these changes, or is each city unique?
Why do
you think this is?
13. Measuring social stratification in Latin America. Go to Lanic . Under the Subject Directory,
select "Economy." Select "Economy"
again
on the following page. Page down (about 2/3 of the way down the page) to
"Regional Macroeconomic Data Resources"
and select
USAID: Latin American and Caribbean Economic & Social Data." Using the
1996 data base, select "Social Indicators"
and then
select "Selected Social Indicators." Print this table. Next, go back to
the previous page and select "Population in Latin
America
and the Caribbean." Print this table also. Using the column "Human Development
Index" from the "Selected Social
Indicators"
table, compare countries of various sizes. Is Latin America a single unit
of industrializing or least-industrial nations?
Does
size make a difference for development? Focus on two countries with different
Human Development Index scores and
research
differences between them that might help to explain the differences in their
levels of development.
14. The text mentions slavery in Sudan, Mauritania, and Benin. Look at
the site created by the Coalition
Against Slavery in Mauritania and Sudan.
You can
get an overview of the grim reality of slavery worldwide by going to the
following sites:
-- http://www.religioustolerance.org/sla_sud.htm
-- http://www.antislavery.org/
What
issues are at the heart of modern slavery? Who is being enslaved and for
what reasons? What can be done to stop such
practices?
Discuss how slavery in the world today is both similar to and different
from the system of slavery practiced in the
United
States before the Civil War.
15. As you begin this assignment, re-read the section on wealth in the
Henslin text. Does the extreme difference between the rich and the
poor
surprise you? The disparities become even clearer as you look at more detailed
data. Go to and read
Wolff's
article "How the
Pie is Sliced" (it might be a good idea to print it). Summarize the
article, addressing the following questions:
--
Of all the growth in wealth and income in the 1980s, how much was gained
by the richest 1%? By the bottom 80%
-- What
is the long term trend in the distribution of wealth and income?
-- How
does the level of inequalities in the U.S. compare with other industrialized
societies?
Discuss
why the rich gained so much in the 1980s, and the possible solutions to
the problem of such extreme inequalities.
16. Welfare reform is an issue that continues to be very emotional, especially
when politicians raise it for purposes of getting re-elected.
Use a
search engine such as Google with the search words "welfare reform" to browse
several sites related to the topic. What
issues
are currently being raised? How do the stands being taken seem to relate
to social class differences in the United States?
Why do
you think this is the case?
17. The text describes the situation of four minority groups--African
Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans.
In this
assignment, you will explore the Net to find out more about one of these
groups. Go to Yahoo search engine and
click
on click
in the blank box beside the "search" button. Type one of the following: "African
American," "Asian American,"
Chicano/Latino
American," or "Native American" and click the "search" button. For example,
after you click "Native American,"
click
on "Society and Culture: Native America" and then on "History." You will
find there "First Person Histories of the NW Coast,"
where
there are excellent graphics, fascinating narratives, and lots of information.
Write a 4-5 page report on one of the groups.
18. One important global human rights issue is violence against women.
One form of such violence is female genital mutilation (FGM).
After
reading the "Cultural Diversity" box on this topic in the chapter, look
at the following web sites:
-- http://www.amnesty.org/ailib/intcam/femgen/fgm1.htm
-- http://www.religioustolerance.org/fem_cirm.htm
Write
a short paper dealing with issue. You should cover the following areas:
1) what is female genital mutilation?; 2) how
does
it differ from male circumcision?; 3) what are the reasons for this practice?;
4) how widespread is it?; 5) how have
international
organizations and others responded to this practice?; and 6) whether or
not these groups have a right or a
responsibility
to campaign against it.
19. The text describes the increasingly recognized problem of sexual harassment,
as well as about its changing legal definitions.
One place
where this problem is being addressed is on college campuses. Marshall has
a policy on sexual harassment.
Get a
copy of the policy, then go to Google and enter the search words "sexual
harassment."
Many
of these will be university policy statements. Compare several of these
statements with each other and with Marshall's.
Write
a paper pointing out what they have in common and how they differ. Indicate
any elements that you thinks should be
added
or removed from Marshall's policy.
20. A number of countries have had female presidents and prime ministers,
but not the United States. In this assignment, you will have
the chance
to ask United States Senators about this issue. Go to the Home page of the United States Senate
. Select "Directory
of Senators
(by Name)." Select each name that appears to be female (how many are there,
by the way?). Note that Connie Mack
is a
male! Choose one from this list and go back to her site. Make sure that
she offers and e-mail address (usually at the bottom of
her page).
If she has an address, read her speeches, addresses, and whatever else she
offers that reflects her political position.
Compose
a message reflecting what you have learned about the Senator's position
on the status of women in our society, and ask
for details
about a particular point. At the end of the message, ask her whether we
should and will have a woman president. Include
your
postal mailing address, since she will likely respond by mail.
21. You have learned in this chapter that the needs of every society have
be met by some kind of family arrangement. Anthropologists
have
studied thousands of societies and have created concepts to refer to various
sorts of kinship patterns. Explore some of
these
by going to Principles
of Kinship tutorial. Compare the two ethnographic examples "A Turkish
Peasant Village"
and "Ancient
Hebrews." Write an essay comparing these systems. How do these compare to
current American society?
22. Search the Web for information on child abuse. You might want to start
with the Google search engine and type in the key
words
"Child Abuse." You may, of course, use any other search engine. Alternatively,
you may choose to write your report
about
spouse abuse.
23. Write a brief report on the state of the world's children by going
to the UNICEF web page. Click on "Information
Resources"
and then
on "Unicef Publications." Look at "The State of the World's Children." You
might want to get the entire report by
downloading
it in PDF format. This requires a special reader, which is available for
download at this site. You will probably
want
to focus on some particular aspect of the condition of children, such as
the situation of child labour.
24. Political action committees and special interest groups play an important
role in the American political process. Go to Yahoo's
list
of sites under "Politics"
. Select "Political Issues." Here you will find several links to single
issue groups. Look at several
areas
which are controversial or are of special interest to you. Write a brief
report on two different groups and their approach
to influencing
the political process.
25. You have read about four different types of social movements, each
having a different kind of goal. As an example of an alternative
movement,
look at a movement devoted to convincing people to stop smoking. Also look at the Jehovah's Witnesses as an
example
of a redemptive movement, Greenpeace
as an example of a reformative movement, and the Rastafarians
as an example
of a
transformative movement. Write a brief paper comparing the four movements
in regard to goals, memberships, publics outside
the movements,
and relationships with authorities. How successful do you imagine any of
these movements have been?