Writing an academic essay about a social movement

SOS 102: Semester Assignment (10%): Social Movements

Assignment:

This assignment is the semester one for SOS 102 course. It is an essential part of the course and 10 points are awarded according to the rubric (to be shared on LMS).

Background:

Social Movements are usually referred to as an organized collective activity to bring about or resist fundamental change in an existing group or society (Benford, 1992). Social Movements like #Black Lives Matter, Civil Right Movement, the Environmental Movement, and #MeToo are some of the fundamental ones that have shaped society at a global scale as we know it today. For this reason, social movements were chosen as a topic for the semester assignment. Students individually or in pairs can explore a social movement of their interest and present it in class. Students should talk about the formation of the social movement, its cause, the connection with the given culture at the time it was created, as well as the sociological impact it has caused then and today.

Instructions:

Students can work individually, in pairs, or in groups up to four people. This assignment cannot be taken as a group assignment, strictly up to 2 people in each assignment. Try to find a different social movement.

Students should produce a report of a minimum of 1000 words describing the social movement. Students can talk about the structure of the movement, its ideas, why it was created, what was the impact on society and any other relevant information that connect to the learnings of this class. The report has to be in Times New Roman Font, Size 12. Section titles should be Times New Roman, Size 14, bold. A rubric will be used for assessment. All research should be cited (APA style 7) in the appropriate place in the assignment as well as being included in a reference list at the end of the assignment (references do not count for the 1000 word count). No plagiarism should be attempted, all plagiarism cases will follow the official YU procedure.

Deadlines:

The 1000-word report is due April 4th 2021 (submitted through LMS only). For late assignments a 10% penalty will be awarded per day (24 hours). Reports should be submitted through LMS on a word document. No email submissions will be accepted. Pages or other formats will not be accepted. If students do not have Microsoft office, they can install it in one device using their YU email address (for support ask YU IT Department), or download a free word version ( www.openoffice.org ).

Questions:

Students will have some class time to prepare for their assignment, but they will also need to work outside class time as part of their assignment. Students can ask questions during class, over email, or during office hours. Students should abide by the deadlines set for this assignment. Students should prepare about this project ahead of time and not ask questions at the last minute.

References:

Benfort, Robert D. 1992. “Social Movements.” Pp. 1880-1887, vol. 4, in Encyclopedia of Sociology, edited by Edgar F. Borgatta and Marie Borgatta. New York: MacMillan