SOCI 112
Section J12N02
Introduction to Sociology
Summer 2012
PHOTO ESSAY
The purpose of this assignment is for you to apply your
understanding of sociological theory and concepts to the world around you. It
asks you to use your Sociological Imagination to capture sociological insights regarding
things that you may encounter every day and to illustrate the overall main
focus of the semester which is to develop your sociological imagination and the
sociological perspective.
The report will have the following components (spacing = 1.5):
Title Page: with course and student identification
information, and a date;
Introduction: 1 page introduction and rationale, with one paragraph describing your chosen topic(s) and approach
– deductive or inductive – and the reasons for
these choices;
Development:including
five (5) photos
The text accompanying each photo (5 photos) will include a brief
presentation of the photo followed by a written analysis of how
the photograph reflects specific sociological concepts. The photo itself should
not take up more than half a page. The text accompanying the photo should take
up the equivalent of approximately 1 full page – that means approximately 1½ pages per photo;
Discussion: the discussion (1½ to 2 pages) will
contain a fuller, approximately two-page write up
In the text of the discussion you
will address the following points:
– how the
photographs link together with the theme of
the semester which is developing the sociological perspective;
– how your
understanding of your chosen themes, concepts or
theories has changed over the course of the semester;
– what you would
have «seen» before developing a sociological perspective and imagination;
– your
reflections on how your chosen approach worked. In the introduction, you have
to justify your choice of the deductive or inductive approach; in the
discussion, you will evaluate the effectiveness of this approach: did it work
the way you hoped or would you have been better off with the other approach;
Conclusion:a
brief conclusion in which you will present a question or reflexion on what you
would do if you wanted to extend the study. What questions come out of your
analysis? If you were to continue this study, what question would you explore?
Bibliography: the bibliography lists the references for
any books or articles that you may have used for identifying concepts and
theories. All assignments will need a bibliography, as you are required to find
a minimum of 3
references other than your textbook. This means that you will at
least have 4 references in your bibliography. You may only include ONE online reference. You MUST use
scientific references.
Although they are not a section of your essay, Ethical considerations must be
demonstrated throughout the assignment, either with the inclusion of the
waivers or the references for the photos (ie. The name of the photographer must be included for
each one of the photos).
There are three elements involved in this project.
1. The
approach: you must choose to use either the deductive
approach or the inductive approach to be used throughout
your essay. With the deductive approach («theory
testing»), you will start with a theory or concept and find photos that illustrate
it (not photos that prove it, but photos that illustrate it). For example, you
could choose photographs that help you illustrate and explain the different
theoretical perspectives: functionalism, interactionism, Marxism, feminism.
With the inductive approach («grounded theory»), you will start with
photos of things that interest you, and then develop a theory or a conceptual
framework to understand what you have found. For example, you could choose
photographs of places you visited on a recent trip and examine how they
illustrate certain theories.
2.
The 5 photos:
take the time to go out and look at your environment with a sociological eye.
Use photos to illustrate any of the concepts or theoretical outlooks that we
are discussing throughout the semester. Feel free to read ahead in the book and
choose a topic that we will be seeing later on. Each one of the 5 photos needs
to be presented and discussed. The
photos can be digitally inserted into the document or attached to a page with
glue, tape, staples, whatever works.
3.
The discussion:
Overall, the discussion is your effort at linking
the photo(s) to your chosen concept(s) or theoretical perspective(s). Your
essay does not need to be devoted to one specific theme: you can explore more
than one theme or theoretical outlook. However, you
must link everything back to the theme of the semester, developing the
sociological perspective. At some point in your write-up, you must talk
about the approach you have chosen (deductive or inductive). You will explain
what it was like to work with that approach, and then contemplate what it would
have been like to try the other approach.
Ethics of photo
taking:
Do not take photos of people in private locations: this
includes restaurants, stores, their homes, or where they may be paying to be
there (such as a cafe, bar or theatre). Taking photographs of people, even in
public places, requires thought, respect and active efforts to respect peoples’
privacy and dignity. Please examine carefully the document concerning ethical
guidelines for taking photographs that is posted on the class Moodle site.
Evaluation:
Your mark will reflect the overall quality of the written
assignment, your understanding of your chosen concepts and how you relate the
photos to these concepts. The quality of the photographs is not an issue – you will
not be graded on the quality of the photographs. Choose photos that will allow you to tell a sociological story.
