Module Two Discussion Guide
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cbradleyModule Two Discussion Guide
Uploaded by
cbradleyModule Discussion Two Guide
The purpose of Module Discussion is to test your ability to think critically when you are asked questions
that seem simple to answer but actually have a more complex meaning. Module Discussions are graded
and scored with 50 points, with your Initial Post being worth 30 points out of 50 and your Peer Response
being 20 out of 50 points. Please note that failure to reply to a peer on discussion assignment results in
your grade starting points being a 30 out of 50, which is a 60.
Important Note:
Since this is a sociological course, the best rule to follow is to submit your best work and to avoid
using sources that have information that are biased, generalizations, or stereotypes: the ONLY
source you need for this assignment is your course textbook. If you choose to not follow this rule,
that is your risk.
Initial Post
A. Choose ONE agent of socialization and explain how it has impacted your perceptions of formal
AND informal deviance.
a. Informal and formal deviant behaviors are created from norms. What norms do your
agent have in place that impact your view of society and how to behave in society?
Remember, there are six types of norms. It is vital that you specify which type of norms
you are discussing. Along with this, since you are discussing norms, you should be
discussing the social control mechanisms of the norm you are writing about.
b. If you are discussing social control, this means you should be discussing the complexities
of authority, leadership, and power that leads to conformity. Be sure to be specific,
especially since each of these terms has different types that must be directly stated in
your work.
c. Be sure to connect your writing to all the chapters we have discussed and reviewed in the
course. We have now learned the critical application of Chapter 1 through Chapter 6,
with Chapter 3 through Chapter 6 being the core of this assignment.
d. Be sure to keep in mind that you are discussing BOTH informal and formal deviance. If
you only discuss one in detail, but not the other: major points will be deducted from your
rubric.
B. Change a category (i.e. social identity) that you belong to (e.g. race, gender, sexual orientation, or
social class) and discuss the ways the agent of socialization you chose would change in relation to
the informal and formal deviant behaviors you previously mentioned.
a. Be sure to keep in mind that you will be restructuring your previously mentioned
informal and formal norms and how they would change due to you having a new social
identity.
b. This part of the assignment will showcase your ability to think critically about the social
inequalities that were labeled with in-groups and out-groups. For the social identity you
choose, which social inequality connects with it? Changing your identity will place you
in the in-group or the out-group?
Peer Response
A. You are using your Peers’ answer to Part B to create your Peer Response.
a. You will choose whether the conflict, functionalist, or symbolic interactionist paradigm is
best equipped to interpret their explanation. To do this properly, you will need to refer to
information from their post that gives you hints that the paradigm you chose was the best
to choose for their situation.
b. Keep in mind that you are only choosing ONE of these paradigms in your work. Your
focus is to showcase your ability to connect that the student is stating to the paradigm and
discuss the details they provided that let you know this and what other terms connect to
their response.
Discussion Tips
1. To properly complete this assignment, you will be using material from the course. Be sure you
are not only using terms, but you are using them correctly. You will have points removed if you
are not showcasing a well-rounded sociological imagination.
2. Your Initial Post will be around 500 to 650 words, and your Peer Response will be around 400
words (if you have showcased a thorough sociological imagination).
3. Remember that the purpose of Module Discussion is to test your ability to connect terms and
theories to your own micro-level life.
4. Utilize your Writing Lab time to ask questions if you are not comfortable with completing this
assignment.
