SOC 2302: Milestone 2 Guidelines and Grading Guide

Overview

The final project for this course is the creation of an Analysis of a Social Problem.

In this milestone you will select one theoretical perspective and how that particular perspective would explain the social

issue that you have selected. Remember to look at the feedback from your instructor from your journal entry in Module 1

and your short paper in Module 3 before you start this assignment.

Prompt Briefly outline your topic and the perspective are you selecting.

Explain how the theoretical perspective would apply your chosen topic. Include the following in your response:

● How the theoretical perspective would explain your topic.

● Identify your approach to the topic – how did you select your perspective? Such as are you interested in

the big picture (macro) or how individuals (micro) are affected by the issue? For example, a macro topic

could be income inequality and the effects it has on society overall. This would require a different

perspective than explaining how individuals are affected by the experience of income inequality or what it

means to be poor when others are not.

● Is there any classic explanation from the perspective you have selected that is addressed in the textbook

(pre-1950)? If so, what is it? Who was the theorist associated with the explanation? For example, Conflict

Theory could be a useful perspective to analyze poverty. Classic examples of the conflict perspective

come from Karl Marx and his writing on the divide between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat and Max

Weber’s three components of stratification. These are really important theorists and theories that the

modern theories are based upon.

● What is the specific theory/theorist that you feel best addresses your chosen social problem?

Analyze the strengths and challenges of the theoretical perspective. Include the following in your response:

● What is the strength of the perspective you selected in explaining your topic? What does the perspective do well?

● Where do you think this perspective could be improved in explaining your topic? What exactly could be improved?

For example, you could discuss the strengths of conflict theory in explaining income inequality. This could include its

particular focus on power differences between groups and differences in resource allocation and what those concepts

mean.

Conflict theory is mostly focused on large groups of people and does not focus much on how individuals make sense of

inequalities or how individuals contribute to inequality other than at group levels, though. This is a weakness of this

perspective, especially compared to symbolic interactionism, which would be very focused on how individuals make sense

of power differences and how interactions reinforce, or, reduce inequalities.

Rubric for Milestone 2 Final Project (100 pts) Requirements of Submission: Your milestone must be submitted as a two-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman

font, one-inch margins, and at least one source cited in APA format.

Instructor Feedback: Students can find their feedback in the Grade Center.

Critical

Elements

Satisfactory (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Topic and

Perspective

Outlines the topic and the

theoretical perspective.

N/A Outlines the topic and the

theoretical perspective but the

response is missing details

and/accuracy.

Does not outline the topic or

perspective.

10

Theoretical

Perspective

Application

Explains how one of the

major theoretical

perspectives would apply to

the topic with sophisticated

awareness.

Explains how one of the major

theoretical perspectives would

apply to the topic.

Explains how one of the major

theoretical perspectives would

apply to the topic but the

response is missing detail

and/or accuracy.

Does not explain how one of

the major theoretical

perspectives would apply to

the topic.

40

Strengths and

Challenges

Analyzes the strengths and

challenges of the theoretical

perspective in explaining

the topic with sophisticated

awareness.

Analyzes the strengths and

challenges of the theoretical

perspective in explaining the

topic.

Analyzes the strengths and

challenges of the theoretical

perspective in explaining the

topic but the response is

missing detail and/or accuracy.

Does not analyze the

strengths and challenges of

the theoretical perspective in

explaining the topic.

40

Articulation of

Response

Submission is free of errors

related to citations,

grammar, spelling, syntax,

and organization and is

presented in a professional

and easy to read format.

Submission has no major

errors related to citations,

grammar, spelling, syntax, or

organization.

Submission has major errors

related to citations, grammar,

spelling, syntax, or

organization that negatively

impact readability and

articulation of main ideas.

Submission has critical errors

related to citations, grammar,

spelling, syntax, or

organization that prevent

understanding of ideas.

10