SOC FPX 2000 Capella University Comparing Politics Law Policy and Power Essay
Write a 5-7-page essay describing, examining, and reflecting upon a personal cultural diversity encounter.Understanding cultural diversity from a sociological perspective first requires understanding the concepts and theoretical frameworks that guide sociological thinking. Cultural diversity encompasses a variety of social categories, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, social class, age, and physical or mental disability. Sociologists examine these categories at both the micro level (how they affect or are affected by individuals) and at the macro level (how they impact society as a whole).In this assessment, you practice making connections between the micro and macro levels by examining how your personal experiences or observations connect to broader issues related to diversity in American culture. For example, if you have observed or experienced firsthand a situation involving prejudice, stereotypes, or discrimination in the workplace, consider not only how that situation relates to broader patterns or trends in the workplace but also to specific theories of diversity within the field of sociology. By placing your personal observations and experience in the context of the society in which you live, you will be thinking like a sociologist and practicing your sociological imagination.Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
Competency 1: Describe theoretical ideas of power in relation to policy.
Connect a personal experience to sociological concepts of power.
Competency 3: Analyze the effects of social policy using aggregated data.
Analyze data to make valid sociological inferences.
Competency 4: Analyze how laws are applied or created based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and social class.
Analyze how laws or policies are applied to a diversity issue.
Competency 5: Apply diversity strategies in professional, educational, and personal contexts.
Apply strategies for addressing a cultural diversity issue.
Discuss personal characteristics or experiences that might account for feelings or reactions involving a diversity issue.
Competency 6: Communicate effectively.
Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format and with few errors of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Instructions
Reflect on an instance when you or someone else were unfairly excluded, discriminated against, or otherwise neglected or treated inappropriately due to race, ethnicity, age, gender, social class, sexuality, disability, or other category related to diversity. Depending on the setting in which the incident occurred, consider whether any laws or policies were violated, either those established by an organization, such as a business or school, or state or federal antidiscrimination policies.Write an essay in which you complete each of the following:
Part 1 – Describe your experience:
Describe the event and the underlying diversity issues at play.
Describe your opinions, feelings, actions, and what you learned from the event.
Part 2 – Examine your experience:
Discuss experiences from your personal background that might account for your feelings or reactions. Consider areas such as your ethnicity, history, upbringing, local mores, recent events, et cetera.
Connect your experience to at least three sociological concepts and/or issues. For example, if you are writing about what if feels like to be an outsider, you could connect your discussion to the concept of power or social structure, or the broader issue of relationships between dominant and minority groups.
Examples of other concepts you could include are prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes, cultural pluralism, assimilation, structural mobility, social distance, and modern racism.
Examples of theories include functional or conflict theory, Marx's and Weber's theories of inequality, Park's race relations cycle, Gordon's theory of assimilation, human capital theory, scapegoat hypothesis, and the theory of authoritarian personality.
Incorporate research on the broader issue that your experience illustrates. For example, if the incident you describe involves discrimination in the workplace, research workplace discrimination and find data on the prevalence or nature of this problem. If the incident involves bullying at school, locate data on how extensive this issue is. Questions to consider include:
Is the type of incident you describe commonplace?
Where might this be most prevalent?
Among what groups is it most likely to occur?
What trends did you notice in your research? For example, does the kind of incident you experienced or observed seem to be an increasing problem, or is it declining over time?
Analyze how relevant laws or policies might be applied to this situation. These may be civil or criminal laws or, perhaps, policies established in the workplace or schools.
Consider whether any laws or policies were violated and how those laws or policies might be changed or better enforced to address the situation you describe.
Part 3 – Reflect on your experience:
Based on your reflections of the event and the research you have now done, share personal strategies that are useful for informing the interactions or relationships between the involved parties, as well as your own understanding or perspectives.
Additional Requirements
Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
Length: 5–7 pages, not including title and reference pages.
Format: Include a title page and reference page, and format the paper and your citations according to current APA style and formatting guidelines.
Sources: Cite at least two scholarly sources.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.
Portfolio Prompt: Save this assessment to your ePortfolio.
SCORING GUIDE
Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated.VIEW SCORING GUIDE
ASSESSMENT 2
Write a 6-8-page essay analyzing a chosen diversity issue covered in the media.In this assessment, you will have the opportunity to take a deeper look at the connection between the media and the cultural diversity of U.S. society. You will discuss how a current program or article in current news media approaches diversity-related issues and explain how we can use the sociological perspective to better understand both the portrayal of diversity-related issues and the media's broader role in U.S. society. Effectively evaluating the accuracy of the information provided in your chosen media piece will require some additional research and fact checking, something that sociologists also do when they are weighing the validity of opposing arguments.Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
Competency 1: Describe theoretical ideas of power in relation to policy.
Discuss sociological theories appropriate for promoting understanding of a diversity concept.
Discuss how a media piece may affect or might have been influenced by policy and/or power.
Competency 2: Identify historical and contemporary influences of discrimination in U. S. culture.
Discuss how minority and dominant groups are portrayed in a media piece to understand influences on discrimination.
Competency 3: Analyze the effects of social policy using aggregated data.
Analyze data that is appropriate for supporting or refuting the central tenets of a media piece.
Competency 6: Communicate effectively.
Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format and with few errors of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Instructions
Choose a news media piece from a reputable source that is focused on an issue related to race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, physical or mental disability, or social class. Examples of acceptable media include newspaper articles, editorials, and radio or television news segments. Write an essay in which you complete the following:
Briefly, in one or two paragraphs, summarize the main events or issues presented in the specific media piece you have chosen and describe how they relate to cultural diversity studies.
Compare and contrast how minority and dominant groups are portrayed in your chosen media article or program.
Consider how your source material demonstrates this dominant/minority group differentiation. For example, is there differentiation along racial or ethnic lines, or other variables, such as gender or social class?
Discuss at least two sociological theories that are most appropriate to understanding the diversity issues in your chosen media piece. Include specific relevant examples from the article or program to illustrate your points. Examples of theories include:
Functionalist perspective.
Conflict perspective.
Labeling theory.
Marx's and Weber's theories of inequality.
Park's race relations cycle.
Gordon's theory of assimilation.
Human capital theory.
Scapegoat theory.
Authoritarian personality theory.
Exploitation theory.
Contact hypothesis.
Noel hypothesis.
Blauner hypothesis.
Culture of poverty theory.
Do one of the following—choose which is appropriate for your chosen article:
Discuss how one or more of Merton's four categories of prejudice and discrimination apply to the media piece you chose.
Explain whether assimilation or pluralism best describes how race and ethnic relations are presented in your media piece.
Find and analyze two credible sources of data (statistics) that are appropriate for supporting or refuting the central tenets of your chosen media article or program.
If data is cited in your media piece, you may go to that source and analyze it yourself; then consult an additional source that supports or refutes the data presented.
Make sure to include citations for any sources used.
Discuss how the content of the media piece may affect or might have been influenced by power. For example, consider how individuals in power influence decisions regarding how issues are portrayed.
This can include corporate executives, lobbyists, special interest groups, or those who own a particular newspaper, channel, or media conglomerate.
Suggest, in your concluding paragraph, a viable policy strategy—one that could be implemented at the local, state, or federal level—for addressing the particular diversity-related issue presented in your news article or program.
Additional Requirements
Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
Length: 6–8 pages, not including title and references pages.
Format: Include a title page and reference page, and format the paper and your citations according to current APA style and formatting guidelines.
Sources: Cite the chosen article or program and at least two additional scholarly sources.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12-point.
Portfolio Prompt: Save this assessment to your ePortfolio.
SCORING GUIDE
Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated.VIEW SCORING GUIDE
ASSESSMENT 3
Often, discrimination is discussed as a primarily individual phenomenon—one-on-one actions in which one person discriminates against another. But as you have learned through your studies and research, some discrimination occurs at the institutional level, despite laws and policies that have been created to reduce or eliminate structural racism.In this assessment, you examine how different experiences for minority groups may reflect a dominant culture that practices systemic discrimination in treatment or access to valued resources. You will examine the extent to which institutional discrimination occurs within a specific institution, such as the criminal justice system or the health care system. A key part of this assessment is incorporating data to support your analysis, something that is also integral to the work that sociologists do. You will also reflect upon and discuss feasible strategies for addressing the institutional inequality uncovered during your research.Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
Competency 1: Describe theoretical ideas of power in relation to policy.
Create a public information piece that conveys a central tenet regarding institutional inequality.
Competency 3: Analyze the effects of social policy using aggregated data.
Analyze data to make valid sociological inferences.
Competency 4: Analyze how laws are applied or created based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and social class.
Describe factors contributing to racial and ethnic disparities within the criminal justice system.
Assess the impact that institutional discrimination within the justice system has had on minorities and minority communities.
Explain ways in which public policies are linked to racial and ethnic disparities within the criminal justice system.
Describe policy strategies for reducing institutional discrimination.
Competency 6: Communicate effectively.
Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format and with few errors of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Instructions
This assessment asks you to demonstrate a deep understanding of institutional discrimination through both research and data analysis.For the purposes of this assessment, you will assume that you are a consultant working for a bipartisan think tank studying one major institution: the criminal justice system, the health care system, the education system, the workplace, or the housing market. In particular, you have been asked to research and analyze the prevalence and persistence of institutionalized discrimination that is based on race and ethnicity. You will explore both the causes and consequences of institutionalized discrimination, from the perspective of the individuals it directly affects, the institution you have chosen, and society as a whole.It is your job to create a public information piece that highlights your findings regarding racial and ethnic inequities within your chosen institution. You will need to support your conclusions with credible data and scholarly research, rather than relying on opinion, and demonstrate your ability to apply sociological thinking to your topic.The first step to prepare for this assessment is to research the topic of institutional discrimination in a specific institution, locating reliable, scholarly sources. Some suggested sources can be found in the Resources for this assessment.Using scholarly research and data, support and communicate the position of a bipartisan think tank group by creating a public information product. The final product should convey the extent to which institutional policies and practices—in the justice system, in the education system, in health care, in the workplace, or in the housing market—disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities. Choose from one of the following public information pieces:
Information booklet targeted to the general public.
Position paper or brief targeted at state or federal legislators.
Mock web site or blog.
Public service announcement (a script for a radio or television program).
PowerPoint presentation targeted to a specific audience, with a description of the audience and detailed speaker's notes.
A recorded speech to be given at a national meeting of practitioners who work in the institution you are researching. If you choose this option, include your speaker’s notes or script and references in a Word document along with your audio file.
The final, professional-quality product should accomplish the following:
Convey the causes and consequences of the problem of institutional discrimination in one of society’s major institutions.
Use formatting and design principles that are appropriate for your chosen product.
Include graphics—such as photos, charts, graphs, and figures—to enhance the presentation when appropriate.
Support your conclusions with data and scholarly research.
Describe and analyze data on racial and ethnic disparities in the chosen institution.
Keep in mind that to be accurate in your assessment, you will need to look at raw data and percentages as well as to consider the data in relation to each racial or ethnic group's percentage within the overall U.S. population.
Discuss the extent to which policies at the local, state, and/or federal level have contributed to racial and ethnic disparities.
Consider any historical or contemporary influences that may have contributed the disparities you have identified.
As an example, if you are studying institutional discrimination in the justice system, you would need to consider national policies such as the War on Drugs as well as law enforcement policies.
Assess the impact these disparities, along with institutional discrimination within your chosen institution more broadly, have had on racial and ethnic minorities and minority communities.
Present at least two potential solutions or strategies to combat the problems identified in your analysis.
These can be community-based, legislative (at the local, state, or federal level), or law-enforcement strategies.
These strategies should be focused on reducing institutional discrimination within the institution itself.
Additional Requirements
Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
Length: The completed public information piece should contain at least 1,500 words. If you choose to record a speech, it should be a 10- to 15-minute speech.
Format: Cite your sources in current APA style and format, including a reference list at the end of your document or presentation along with in-text citations of your sources.
Sources: Cite at least one of the data sources provided in the Resources. Three additional scholarly sources are required.
Portfolio Prompt: Save this assessment to your ePortfolio.
SCORING GUIDEUse the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated.VIEW SCORING GUIDE
ASSESSMENT 4
Note: You must complete this assessment before starting on Assessment 5.Many of the current political, legal, and social debates in U.S. society concern diversity and its related issues. Two of those debates have centered on immigration policy and same-sex marriage. These debates involve not only arguments regarding discriminatory treatment of particular ethnic groups or sexual minorities but also legal, economic, and religious questions and concerns.In this assessment, you apply the sociological perspective to one of these debates. You research the political players and key arguments on the different sides of your chosen controversy, and you place them in historical and contemporary context to gain a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of the debate, and current and proposed policy solutions. Understanding the key developments and policy changes that pertain to your debate puts you in a position in which you can more accurately evaluate the merits of arguments made by politicians, leaders, and others with a stake in shaping future policy decisions.Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
Competency 1: Describe theoretical ideas of power in relation to policy.
Discuss how sociological theory can be used to understand disparities in political power.
Competency 2: Identify historical and contemporary influences of discrimination in U.S. culture.
Describe the evolution of the social movements that have emerged as a result of a diversity issue.
Competency 3: Analyze the effects of social policy using aggregated data.
Address questions that reflect public perception using supporting data or research.
Competency 4: Analyze how laws are applied or created based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and social class.
Analyze the evolution of antidiscrimination law to give context to current law or policy.
Competency 5: Apply diversity strategies in professional, educational, and personal contexts.
Discuss tactics employed by activists to promote a cause.
Competency 6: Communicate effectively.
Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format and with few errors of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Instructions
Your task in this assessment is to choose one of two debates—same-sex marriage or immigration policy—and create a presentation that would be delivered at a symposium on a college campus. You will need to place the debate in historical context, which will involve researching the history of policy as it pertains to your chosen topic and the social movements that developed as a result—for example, the gay rights movement. You will also be asked to address potential questions audience members might ask in this kind of situation.Your presentation should demonstrate your understanding of the debate you have chosen, as well as your ability to apply the sociological perspective to a complex and controversial social issue.Focusing on either same-sex marriage or immigration policy, create a PowerPoint presentation for the hypothetical audience you are addressing that addresses each of the items below. Include graphics with supporting data in the form of charts, tables, or graphs when appropriate, and include any other information that supports your message. Be sure to include extensive speaker's notes (using the Notes feature in PowerPoint, which allows you to add notes to each slide) to provide detailed descriptions of each of the topics covered in the presentationComplete the following:
Provide an overview and description of the central issue you have chosen to address.
Describe the evolution of the social movements (the gay rights movement or immigration rights movements, for example) that are a precursor for or have emerged as a result of your chosen issue.
Include a time line with key events to provide historical context.
Describe any milestones that have characterized the development of the social movement involving your issue.
Briefly analyze the following for your selected topic:
The evolution of federal legislation on the topic over the past 10 years.
The current political landscape, including key political debates related to your central issue.
Introduce the important political players in the national debate.
Explain how at least one specific sociological theory can be used to understand why some players have more power than others in this debate. Examples of theories include conflict theory, power elite theory, and human capital theory.
Discuss how the continued uncertainty in political and legal environments affects stakeholders who are seeking to expand their rights or challenge existing policies.
Describe tactics activists on either side of the debate have used to further the cause.
The symposium coordinator has sent you the questions below in anticipation of your visit. Draft answers for each, typing your answers in the Notes box below the Questions slide you have created, if you are doing a PowerPoint presentation. If you are writing a speech, include the questions and answers at the end. Support your answers with research and data from scholarly sources. Choose the set of questions that is appropriate for your chosen topic.
Immigration:
"Ninety percent of illegal immigrants are on the public dole. Why are we giving welfare benefits to people who aren't citizens?"
"Mexicans are taking away our jobs. What is the best way to stop them?"
Same-sex marriage:
"I heard 75 percent of people are against gay marriage. Who are they?"
"If we allow gays to marry, won't it destroy our social fabric?"
Additional Requirements
Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
Length: If you chose to do a PowerPoint presentation, it should contain 15–20 slides. Slides should contain no more than a few bulleted points and/or a graphic. Rather than cramming slides with text, use the Notes box below each slide to explain and expand on your bulleted points in each slide. If a written speech is chosen, it should be 15–20 minutes long when read aloud, aloud or at least 1500 words.
Format: Include a title and reference slides or pages. Cite any sources used in current APA style and format.
Sources: Cite at least six credible scholarly sources to support your presentation.
Portfolio Prompt: Save this assessment to your ePortfolio.
SCORING GUIDEUse the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated.VIEW SCORING GUIDE
ASSESSMENT 5
Note: You must complete Assessment 4 before beginning this assessment.How can sociological research help us understand how laws and policies are made and how they change over time? How might we use the sociological perspective to develop more effective solutions to political and social issues or create policies that are effective and based on sound research? These are questions to consider as you explore the connection between political and economic power and legislative decision making.In this final assessment, you study how our culture's beliefs about diversity are reflected in the law-making and policy-making process, including laws and policies that pertain to immigration and same-sex marriage. As you compare and contrast how two specific states have approached immigration or same-sex marriage, reflect on which sociological theories (such as power elite theory, state autonomy theory, or pluralism) best apply to the policy decisions that have been made in your states. Something to think about, too, is whether the policies and positions maintained by those in power actually reflect the research and data on the topic or issue they address. The research you do for this final assessment should show you how power and politics, as well as population demographics, influence policy making.Demonstration of Proficiency
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
Competency 1: Describe theoretical ideas of power in relation to policy.
Discuss contrasts in how states approach a diversity issue, using theoretical ideas of power.
Competency 2: Identify historical and contemporary influences of discrimination in U.S. culture.
Discuss law, policy, or politics in states with varying approaches to a diversity issue.
Competency 3: Analyze the effects of social policy using aggregated data.
Analyze data to project how state policies might affect population migration.
Competency 4: Analyze how laws are applied or created based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and social class.
Discuss contrasts between two states in areas of law, politics, or policy as they apply to a diversity issue.
Competency 5: Apply diversity strategies in professional, educational, and personal contexts.
Apply historical solutions to an issue where there are discrepancies between state and federal diversity law.
Competency 6: Communicate effectively.
Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format and with few errors of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Instructions
Building on your research and analysis of the immigration policy or same-sex marriage debates, this assessment asks you to more closely examine the connection between power, policy, and law making by comparing and contrasting how two states have handled these issues.In order to understand the link between power and political and legal decision making, you will place this process in each state in the appropriate context. That means that you need to assess the historical, demographic, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that have influenced each state's different approach to immigration policy or same-sex marriage. You will also reflect on the consequences of state-to-state discrepancies in policies and laws regarding controversial social and political issues like these.This assessment combines the key components of studying cultural diversity from a sociological perspective—placing current social issues in historical context, understanding how demographic and cultural trends influence public opinion, and applying sociological theories to determine the role of power in shaping policy-making decisions.Write an essay addressing each of the following three parts:
Part 1 – Complete the following:
Discuss one of the following for each of the two states you have chosen as it relates to your chosen topic:
Law (rules and standards enforced by a particular institution).
Politics (the key political players in the policy-making and law-making processes).
Policy (principles or methods used to achieve a particular goal or make decisions about political or social issues).
Discuss theories of power that might explain the differences between how each state has handled your issue.
Examples of theories of power include power elite theory, the four networks theory of power, pluralism, Marxist theory, and state autonomy theory.
Discuss other possible explanations for the differences in how each state's government has approached your topic. Address at least three of the following potential factors, and come up with another of your own that might explain the divergent approaches you have identified:
Demographics of the state population, including age, race/ethnicity, gender, and percentage of the population in urban versus rural areas.
Geography.
Religion.
History.
Socioeconomic standing, including median or average income and education levels of the population, as well as the overall economic well-being of each state.
Part 2 – Answer the following, incorporating data to support your answers:
To what extent have these states' existing policies and laws affected past or recent migration patterns of the groups affected (immigrants or those seeking same-sex marriage rights)?
How might future migration patterns be affected?
Part 3 – Complete the following:
Reflect on a historical precedent in which a state has had to alter its laws as a result of inconsistencies with federal law.
Why and how did the state change its laws?
What lessons might be learned from this precedent, and how can those lessons be applied to your topic?