reflection paper with field notes

Sociological Reflection Papers are the primary way for students to prove to me they are actually listening during class discussions, participating in class activities, and making an effort to keep up with class readings. The paper is a ‘reflection’ of a student’s experiences so far this semester. The task is to synthesize all the parts of class (discussions, activities, EQ’s, games, readings, etc.) into a coherent and interesting narrative.

The minimum amount of effort gets you the minimum amount of points. So really think about how awesome your paper needs to be if you turn in the minimum page length of 1 page.

Format Requirements:

Title page with title, name, class, and date. Paper will be 1-page minimum (text must extend the full length of page for full credit), single-spaced, 12-point font size, and Times New Roman font. No bullet points. I will reformat any paper I think does not comply to requirements and grade the reformatted version. **added 3/24/19 – use normal page margins.

Citation Requirements:

You must provide a citation (author’s name, year of publication, and page number/link to website) for EVERY key term, direct quote or paraphrase in your paper.

You have to use at least four key terms from the current unit in your paper for an “A”. Key terms should also be inbold type to make it easier for me to identify how many key terms you actually defined/used/cited correctly. You do want credit for all your work, right?

Learning Objective:

(1) Briefly synthesize what you have learned during the unit (from class discussions/activities, group activities, PPTs, and unit readings) in order to reflect on our taken-for-granted assumptions of social reality. Basically, what have we been focused on in class.

(2) Practice using your new skills by analyzing real-life experiences and/or pop culture sociologically. You will do one (short) mini-project associated with the current class content and provide your sociological analysis in your reflection paper. You get to pick one option from a list of research activities I will provide for each reflection paper. Depending on the activity, you will either observe real-life, do interviews, or analyze pop culture. You are required to take notes and/or answer questions during your data collection (aka, fieldnotes). You will need to provide your fieldnotes separately as evidence of learning. If you write your fieldnotes out by hand, you can turn them in during class. If you type them, attach the fieldnotes at the end of your reflection paper. I will provide a student example of fieldnotes before the first reflection paper.

3. Wrap-up your reflection with a strong normative (taken-for-granted) vs. sociological (empirical evidence) perspective conclusion.

I will have the list of research activities associated with Sociological Reflection Paper #1 by the beginning of the 2nd week of class. We will be discussing research methodologies on Wednesday so it’s a good time explore all your