SOC 112 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric Overview The final project for this course is the creation of a concept map and paper. Sociology is the scientific study of human behavior. Professionals in the field apply a sociological lens to examine various influences on society in order to better understand current and historical behaviors. This perspective assists professionals in examining various social structures and institutions, which are systems in society that influence human behavior, to inform their understanding of groups as well as daily interactions with diverse viewpoints. For this project, you will examine a contemporary social issue using your sociological lens. You will create a concept map, breaking the social issue that you have chosen into smaller pieces related to certain sociological concepts, describe the relationship of the concepts and smaller pieces to the social issue, and explain how the sociological concepts help you better understand the social issue. The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Four, and Five. The final concept map and paper will be submitted in Module Seven. In this assignment you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:  Explain cultural beliefs and biases utilizing a sociological lens  Explain the influences that shape the creation of roles within society utilizing real-world examples  Draw basic connections between social inequalities and human behavior  Identify the relationship between social change and contemporary social problems through the application of basic sociological concepts Prompt You will begin by selecting your own contemporary social issue to use as the base of your project. You may use an issue from the list provided below or choose an issue of interest to you that you find in the news or media, or perhaps one you encounter in your daily life.  Bullying  Crime and violence  Drug and alcohol abuse  Income inequality and wealth distribution You will then create a concept map to break down your selected issue into supporting sociological concepts. These sociological concepts will include:  Cultural beliefs and biases  Social roles  Social inequalities  Existing social conditions You will also explain the relationship between the sociological concepts and the social issue, describing how the concept is present in the social issue. In paper format, you will explain how the connections you made in the map between the sociological concepts and the social issue helped you better understand the social issue. This is where you will demonstrate the importance of using a sociological view when examining social issues. You will need to refer to not only your text, but also additional supporting resources as you work on this project. SNHU’s Shapiro Library and the Pew Research Center are great starting points to assist in your research. If you are selecting your topic from the provided list, consider referencing the Supporting Resource List for additional research recommendations. Concept Map Social Issue: Existing Social Condition 1: Existing Social Condition 2: Social Roles 1: Social Roles 2: Cultural Beliefs and Biases 2: Cultural Beliefs and Biases 1: Social Inequalities 1: Social Inequalities 2: Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed: I. Topic Selection: To begin this project, you will identify and summarize the contemporary social issue you selected, citing resources to strengthen your summary. Explain what is happening in the issue, and provide a brief history of how the issue began. II. Mapping the Issue: Now that you have selected your social issue, you will break the issue into smaller pieces. You will break the issue down into the following sociological concepts: cultural beliefs and biases, social roles, social inequalities, and the existing social conditions. These concepts will serve as categories through which you examine the issue, as you will identify how each is present in the issue. To represent this process, you will create a concept map connecting the sociological concepts and their smaller pieces to the social issue. A. Identify in the map the cultural beliefs and biases present in the social issue. For example, there may be prejudice or discrimination at play. B. Identify in the map the social roles played by the main individuals or groups in the social issue. For example, an individual may be a mother and/or teacher. C. Identify in the map the social inequalities present in this social issue. For example, there may be racism or sexism at play. D. Identify in the map the existing state or conditions that the social issue is challenging. For example, if your issue is that recycling is bad, the existing condition may be that recycling is good. III. Creating Connections: Now that you have broken the social issue down into smaller pieces in the concept map, you will explain the connections you made and how these connections will help you better understand the issue, using your knowledge from the course. You will describe the connections between the sociological concepts and the social issue and demonstrate the value of using a sociological view when examining social issues. A. Cultural 1. Describe the relationship between the cultural beliefs and biases identified in the map and the social issue, and provide specific examples to support your description. For example, you might describe how the relationship is positive, negative, or strained. 2. Explain how the cultural beliefs and biases identified in the map help you better understand the social issue. B. Social Roles 1. Describe the relationship between the social roles identified in the map and the social issue, and provide specific examples to support your description. For example, you might describe how the relationship is positive, negative, or strained. In your response, you might consider what expectations are in place because of the social roles. 2. Explain how the social roles identified in the map help you better understand the social issue. C. Social Inequalities 1. Describe the relationship between the social inequalities identified in the map and the social issue. How are the social inequalities present in the issue? 2. Explain how the social inequalities identified in the map help you better understand the social issue. D. Impact of Social Change 1. Describe how the social issue is challenging the existing state or conditions, providing specific examples. 2. How might the social issue facilitate change for the existing state or conditions? Provide specific examples. Milestones Milestone One: Topic Selection In Module Two, you will submit your Topic Selection (Section I). Your topic selection should identify the contemporary social issue that you selected, citing resources to support your summary. Be sure to explain the current state of this social issue and provide a brief historical overview of the issue. Your submission should be one page. This milestone is graded with the Milestone One Rubric. Milestone Two: Mapping the Issue In Module Four, you will submit Mapping the Issue (Section II). This milestone is a concept map that will help you conceptualize the social issue and how it relates to the following sociological concepts: cultural beliefs and biases, social roles, social inequalities, and existing social conditions. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Two Rubric. Milestone Three: Creating Connections In Module Five, you will submit Creating Connections (Section III). In this milestone, you will explain the connections that you made in your concept map (Milestone Two) using your sociological lens and citing at least three resources to support your analysis. You should use a sociological view when making your connections, discussing cultural beliefs and bias, social roles, social inequalities and the impact of social change. Your submission should be a minimum of one page. Also submit your concept map from Module Four. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Three Rubric. Final Submission: Concept Map and Paper In Module Seven, you will submit your final concept map and paper . It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course and for Milestones One through Three. This submission is graded with the Final Project Rubric. Deliverables Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading One Topic Selection (Section I) Two Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric Two Mapping the Issue (Section II) Four Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric Three Creating Connections (Section III) Five Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric Final Submission: Concept Map and Paper Seven Graded separately; Final Project Rubric Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: You must submit your concept map and a 3- to 4-page paper (plus a cover page and references). The concept map will be submitted using the concept map tool of your choosing. Your paper must be a Word document. Use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Include at least four references cited in APA format. Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For more information, review these instructions. Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value Topic Selection Meets “Proficient” criteria and expertly balances brevity with necessary details Identifies and summarizes the social issue, citing resources Identifies and summarizes the social issue, but does not cite resources, or summary has gaps in detail or accuracy Does not identify and summarize the social issue 4 Mapping the Issue: Cultural Beliefs and Biases Meets “Proficient” criteria, and identification demonstrates keen insight into cultural beliefs and biases Identifies cultural beliefs and biases in the social issue Identifies cultural beliefs and biases, but identification is inappropriate Does not identify cultural beliefs and biases in the social issue 7.6 Mapping the Issue: Social Roles Meets “Proficient” criteria, and identification demonstrates keen insight into social roles Identifies social roles in the social issue Identifies social roles, but identification is inappropriate Does not identify social roles in the social issue 7.6 Mapping the Issue: Social Inequalities Meets “Proficient” criteria, and identification demonstrates keen insight into social inequalities Identifies social inequalities in the social issue Identifies social inequalities, but identification is inappropriate Does not identify social inequalities in the social issue 7.6 Mapping the Issue: Existing Conditions Meets “Proficient” criteria, and identification demonstrates keen insight into the existing state or conditions Identifies the existing state or conditions challenged by the social issue Identifies the existing state or conditions challenged by the social issue, but identification is inappropriate Does not identify the existing state or conditions challenged by the social issue 7.6 Creating Connections: Cultural Beliefs and Biases Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into the cultural beliefs and biases Describes the relationship between the cultural beliefs and biases in the map and the social issue, providing specific examples and using knowledge from the course Describes the relationship between the cultural beliefs and biases in the map and the social issue, but description has gaps in detail or accuracy, or does not use specific examples or knowledge from the course Does not describe the relationship between the cultural beliefs and biases in the map and the social issue 7.7 Creating Connections: Cultural Beliefs and Biases and Social Issue Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into the connections between cultural beliefs and biases and social issues Explains how the cultural beliefs and biases identified in the map help better understand what’s happening in the social issue, using knowledge from the course Explains how the cultural beliefs and biases identified in the map help better understand what’s happening in the social issue, but explanation has gaps in detail or accuracy, or does not use knowledge from the course Does not explain how the cultural beliefs and biases identified in the map help better understand what’s happening in the social issue 7.7 Creating Connections: Social Roles Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into the social roles Describes the relationship between the social roles in the map and the social issue, providing specific examples and using knowledge from the course Describes the relationship between the social roles in the map and the social issue, but description has gaps in detail or accuracy, or does not use specific examples or knowledge from the course Does not describe the relationship between the social roles in the map and the social issue 7.7 Creating Connections: Social Roles and Social Issue Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into the connections between social roles and social issues Explains how the social roles identified in the map help better understand what’s happening in the social issue, using the knowledge from the course Explains how the social roles identified in the map help better understand what’s happening in the social issue, but explanation has gaps in detail or accuracy, or does not use knowledge from the course Does not explain how the social roles identified in the map help better understand what’s happening in the social issue 7.7 Creating Connections: Social Inequalities Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into the social inequalities Describes the relationship between the social inequalities in the map and the social issue, using knowledge from the course Describes the relationship between the social inequalities in the map and the social issue, but description has gaps in detail or accuracy, or does not use knowledge from the course Does not describe the relationship between the social inequalities in the map and the social issue 7.7 Creating Connections: Social Inequalities and Social Issue Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into the connections between social inequalities and social issues Explains how the social inequalities identified in the map help better understand what is happening in the social issue, using knowledge from the course Explains how the social inequalities identified in the map help better understand what is happening in the social issue, but explanation has gaps in detail or accuracy, or does not use knowledge from the course Does not explain how the social inequalities identified in the map help better understand what is happening in the social issue 7.7 Creating Connections: Existing Conditions Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into the relationship between social issues and existing conditions Describes how the social issue is challenging the existing conditions, providing specific examples Describes how the social issue is challenging the existing conditions, but description has gaps in detail or accuracy, or does not provide examples Does not describe how the social issue is challenging the existing conditions 7.7 Creating Connections: Social Change Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into the connections between social issues and social change Explains how the social issue might facilitate change for the existing conditions, providing specific examples Explains how the social issue might facilitate change for the existing conditions, but explanation has gaps in detail or accuracy, or does not provide specific examples Does not explain how the social issue might facilitate change for the existing conditions 7.7 Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas 4 Total 100%