Critical Core Signature Assignment Guide

The authors are discussing the current Parental Leave in our country and are using sociological
aspects that are implied throughout the entire article. Since these aspects are implied, it is your
responsibility to find the key sociological terms and theories that the authors are referring to and
unintentionally using as the means of the purpose of the article.

PART A
The author(s) thoroughly imply that social inequalities are present in the Parental Leave
structures for their purpose. Module Three introduced us to these inequalities more in-depth. Use
the course material to back up the information provided in the article that helped you identify
how these social inequalities are presented, and what is the purpose of them being presented by
the author.
Once you figure out these social inequalities are being presented with the purpose, you will have
an easy time discussing the information for Part B and C. This is because these social inequalities
are the bases of the author’s truth and those who would disagree with the purpose of the article
are those who do not support the ideas presented when discussing these social inequalities. Think
of the Chapter each social inequalities are in and refer to that chapter to find key terms that
highlight why someone would not support the authors’ purpose.

PART B
Sociological Theories
I wanted to provide a list of the theories since, at this point, there are many theories we have
learned about. Of course we have the ‘Core Four’ (Conflict, Structural Functionalist, Symbolic
Interactionist, and Feminist), but as we have learned there are offshoot theories of each that
might need to be used to better explain a sociological situation.
Hint: The authors use TWO of the offshoot terms to provide how what they are saying is truth
and use the social inequalities they are using as the means of why they are using this theory. If
you provide the ‘Core Four’ theories as your answer: you are incorrect.
1. Conflict Theory
a. Weberian Theory
b. Critical Race Theory
2. Structural Functionalist Theory
a. Social Control Theory
b. Postmodernism and Social Reproduction
3. Symbolic Interactionist Theory
a. Dramaturgy
b. Labeling Theory
 c. Differential Association Theory
4. Feminist Theory
a. Feminization of Poverty
Again, the authors are using TWO of the offshoot theories. Hint: Which theory intersects the
social inequalities that the author is using for their purpose to highlight social impact? Which
theory highlight a key point within society that expresses the importance of understanding how
lower, working-class women of color of the most impacted why what is going on?
These theories connect the pieces of what the author is basing as truth of their purpose. This does
not mean that these are the only terms you will use. This means that piecing these two together
helps you better understand what other terms to use from the course material learned from
Chapter 1 through Chapter 9.

PART C
The author takes the time to include evidence of why individuals, or groups, in society would not
want or believe that changes need to be made to the current Parental Leave structure. You must
use sociological thinking and provide terms that showcase the ways of thinking for those who do
not agree with the fact that the National Paid Leave Program is in dire need of change. The terms
were learned and discussed during lecture for the respective social inequalities that the author is
using within their purpose.

PART D
This part of the assignment is for you to showcase how much your sociological imagination has
grown since you entered the course. To do this, you must think about the macro impact of what
would occur for those impacted by the current Parental Leave structure. What does this look like
within society? How do you know this? What category of people in society would experience the
impacts of change the most? Is there any information the author should have included to
strengthen their purpose? To answer these questions, you must reflect on all the material you
have learned how to apply sociologically thus far in the course leading up to the due date of this
assignment.

ASSIGNMENT STANDARDS
1. Each answer you provide for the questions should be a page minimum. It is completely
fine to go over since there is no maximum. This means when you are finished with your
work, you will have four or more pages.
2. Be sure to remember that your answers should be structured in a formal essay style.
MLA, APA, ASA, or any other style supported by Purdue Owl is acceptable for this
 assignment. Be sure your citations are correct based off of the style you choose. How to
Format Citations?
3. Be sure you are using terms and theories that are related to what you are answering. Stay
on topic with your writing and be sure you are providing in-depth information. For
example, I would not simply state that the norms of society have impacted people
affected by classism. What type of norm (informal or formal and is the norm a folkway,
more, or taboo)? What does this look like? Meaning what actions of discrimination occur
in society that lets you know these individuals in the out-group are affected by this social
inequality? Are these actions due to people with authority or power? If so, which type of
authority or power? For this assignment, the more the better. In many cases, those who
provide the bare minimum do not do well in their work.
4. Be sure you are not presenting generalizations, unless you are discussing the view of
those who would not agree with the purpose presented by the author in Part C.
5. Be sure at the top of each page, you put a headline before presenting your answer.
Example: Part I: The Author’s Purpose | Part II: The Acceptance of the Author’s
Truth | Part III: Groups and/or Individuals Who Would Not Support the Author’s
Purpose | Part IV: The Societal Impact if the Author’s Purpose is Considered
6. Be sure to keep in mind that there will be nine chapters worth of terms and theories that
you can potentially use for this assignment. Be sure you are looking critically through
your notes and textbook for information. Keep in mind that the only sources you need are
the article provided by me and the course textbook. Again, those who follow this
statement typically do the best on the assignment.
7. Your work will be turned in through Turnitin. For those who have never used this, it is a
plagiarism processor. It can tell if you use ChatGPT and another AI technology, copied
from other sources, etc. If you are flagged for this assignment, you not only receive a
zero, but you will be reported to the university. Remember, this is a departmental
assignment. Be sure to keep this in mind. Your college career can potentially end if you
decide to cheat and/or use technology to help you with your writing. It is not worth it.
Refer to your Student Conduct Book for more information about how plagiarism is
handled, if you have any other questions.

BEFORE STARTING YOUR WORK

1. Keep in mind that you have read and completed nine chapters of work when you are
completing this writing assignment. That means, there are terms from each chapter that
relates to this article. Be sure you are using course terms and thinking critically when
providing information.
2. If you have read this guide and are confused, I would highly suggest you schedule an
Office Hour Appointment immediately.
3. Ask questions. This is the only way I can aid you. If you have not read the article yet, do
so immediately. This is not an assignment to wait until the last minute to complete.