Describe and analyse an aspect of your life which has been affected by COVID-19, using what you have learned in this unit.

Take-Home exam, SOCI1010 in 2020

Due date: Sunday of week 13 (8 November 2020) at 11.59pm.

Weight: 40% of your final mark.

Total word count: 2,000 words maximum (no plus 10% leeway)

For this assignment, you must answer the two mandatory questions in part 1 and answer two (ONLY

2) of the questions in part 2.

Q1 + Q2 + 2 of your

choice from Q3 to Q9

= 4 questions

in total

Some general advice: Remember to cite reading or lecture material. We are not interested in

Wikipedia or other random webpage definitions, but rather to see if you are familiar with the unit

material. This is not a research assignment. Therefore, focus on the unit material and do not cite

other sources than the ones we have provided.

Also, be careful to write in your own words and do you own thinking. Lifting answers from the

internet, slides or readings is not OK. Instead, show us that you can transform what you have

learned into your own language. That is what good academic practice.

Also, do not forget to include complete in-text references (in Harvard) and a full reference list on a

separate page at the end of your document.

Part 1: Two mandatory questions

Mandatory question 1: Your own life

Weight: 10 possible points in total

Length: 300 to 500 words

Describe and analyse an aspect of your life which has been affected by COVID-19, using what you

have learned in this unit.

Mandatory Question 2: Key concepts, theorists and the use of them

Weight: 10 possible points in total

Maximum 2 points for each correct answer.

Length: 80 to 100 words for each answer.

For each of these key concepts, make sure the mention: (1) the meaning of the concept, (2) the

person(s)/theorist associated with the concept, and (3) an everyday situation where this concept can

be helpful for understanding what is going on.

Please note that you cannot ‘recycle’ a concept from this list when answering the optional questions

(Q3 to Q9). That is, if you pick say Biopower here, you cannot pick option 7. Similarly, if you pick

Commodity Fetishism, you cannot pick option 5. Therefore, consider which two optional questions

you want to answer before starting on these.

According to your preference, choose five (5 only) of the following concepts (do not answer all):

1. Agency/Structure frame

2. Micro/Macro frame

3. Cultural/Material frame

4. Symbolic interactionism

5. Dramaturgical theory

6. Interaction order

7. Reflexive project of the self

8. Anomie

9. Cultural capital

10. Social capital

11. Erotocentrism

12. Deviancy

13. Biopower

14. Disciplinary power

15. Intersectionality

16. Commodity Fetishism

Here is an example to model your answer on:

Rationalisation: Weber (Inglis, 2004) argues that in modernity, a particular form of rationalisation

which focusses on processes rather than outcomes came to dominate. Although Weber was

concerned with bureaucracy in organisations (Inglis, 2004), the concept is also helpful for

understanding the everyday practice of queuing in an airport to get through security. At the start of

the line, people stand in one line then are divided into shorter queues as they get closer to the check

point. That is, the process is more important than considering who may or may not miss their flight

(the outcome).

Part 2: Two questions of your choice

Here, choose two (only 2) questions of your choice from option 3 to option 9.

Option number 3: Consumerism and stuff

10 possible points in total.

Length: 300 to 500 words in total.

What do we mean by a cultural/material frame, can you explain that with an example (4 points)?

What is consumerism (1 point) and what does the ‘stuff’ we buy say about our society and our place

in it (3 points)? What alternative perspective does David Miller in The Comfort of Things propose

about the objects we collect and display (2 points)?

Option 4: Class

10 possible points in total.

Length: 300 to 500 words in total.

What do we mean by class in sociology (3 points)? Who are some theorists that we have associated

with class in this unit (2 points)? How are class and taste related to each other (2 points)? Analyse an

item or a food in relation to class (3 points).

Option 5: Sandwiches or Rajma

10 possible points in total.

Length: 300 to 500 words in total.

Question: What does food ethnocentrism mean (1 point) and what is the composite/opposite

concept of that idea (1 point)? Explain how food ethnocentrism plays out in the everyday situation

described below (2 points). Marx talks about commodity fetishism, explain what he means by this,

and give an example (2 points). Now, think of a food product in your fridge. Are there costs that are

not reflected in the dollar price of that product and what are they (4 points)?

Option 6: Dating

10 possible points in total.

Length: 300 to 500 words in total.

What is theory and how can it be contrasted with methods (2 points)? What is ethnomethodology (1

point)? Who are the main theorist(s) associated with this approach (1 point)? What is a breaching

experiment (2 points)? Engaging with one or two of the articles below, what are some social norms

for dating, were there some social norms that had been breached, and how do we know this (4

points?)

When putting together your answer, focus on one of these interviews about blind dates.

- https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/aug/01/blind-date-i-probably-should-

have-saved-the-massage-parlour-story-for-a-second-date

- https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jul/18/blind-date-lucy-alex

- https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jul/11/blind-date-matt-adam

- https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jun/13/blind-date-esther-luke

- https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/oct/03/blind-date-ben-fiona

- https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/aug/08/blind-date-laura-zachary

Option 7: ‘Normality’ and relationships

10 possible points in total.

Length: 300 to 500 words in total.

What does biopower refer to (2 points), and who is the theorist associated with this concept (1

point)? Western views of sex have changed over the past few centuries. Which two new ideas

emerged according to the theorist you had to identify above (3 points)? What is heteronormativity

(1 point) and can you give an example of how heteronormativity or other norms about what is

‘normal’ influence our intimate and other relationships (3 points)?

Option number 8: Bodies and gender

10 possible points in total.

Length: 300 to 500 words in total.

What is performativity (2 points) and who coined this concept (1 point)? Describe the difference

between performance and performativity, using the example of drag (3 points). Finally, discuss why

Butler’s argument about gender is important in the fight against inequality (4 points).

Rocco D’Amore and Katya Zamolodchikova

Option 9: Beauty

10 possible points in total.

Length: 300 to 500 words in total.

What is intersectionality (2 points) and who is mostly associated with that concept (1 point)? What

does Lupita claim about beauty (3 points) and why is that about intersectionality (4 points)?

Listen to Lupita’s speech here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPCkfARH2eE

SUBMISSION

Via Turnitin

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Content understanding: The main marking criterion for this assignment is the author’s understanding of the course content. Therefore, the quality of each of the answers has the most bearing on the mark.

The author demonstrates they have read and understood the course material. They make reference to the reading material to support their interpretation of the reading and they do not overly rely on lecture slides.

In addition to content, it is important to pay attention to:

Structure: There is a clear structure, where answers correspond to the question.

Analysis: The author is able to identify the main arguments presented in the unit material. They are able to demonstrate that they understand the concepts.

Expression: The work is clearly written, making it easy for the reader to follow the argument. Sentences and paragraphs are both concise and well structured. It is clear how concepts are being used. Language is not overly complex or academic, but is able to convey complex ideas.

Referencing: There is a clear referencing system that makes it easy for the reader to identify where evidence and ideas have been sourced. References are clear, so that which text corresponds to which source is easily discernable. References are specific, so that quotes, figures and specific ideas are sourced by pages or sections of a source. All material that is directly quoted is clearly marked as such. References are complete.