First post: Due Friday, 200 words minimum
Response post: Due Sunday, 100 words minimum
Remember: Discussion posts are academic assignments. Use correct grammar and appropriate evidence. Cite any outside sources. Be respectful of your classmates and of people and practices you discuss in your posts. Even if you disagree, remember your response should NOT be a personal attack but rather an evidence-based presentation of a different perspective on the same subject.
Deviance
Do an online search and find a prominent example of deviance from the news or social media that has taken place in the past two years. This could be a crime or it could be behavior considered deviant but not criminal (such as cheating in a monogamous relationship). Your source can be a news article, blog post, YouTube video, etc. Your source must be:
Credible. It should be a legitimate news/reporting outlet and/or otherwise provide evidence to back its claims.
Detailed. You need enough information about the situation to be able to interpret it using course concepts.
Shareable. You will need to link the URL for your classmates to read – so nothing from Facebook, Instagram, etc. that would require a login. (Most such stories will ALSO be covered by other sites/outlets.)
Consider how different theories of social deviance discussed in Chapter 5 would explain this story. You might consider applying Merton’s strain theory, differential association, social disorganization theory, or labeling theory.
First Post Instructions:
Describe the act of deviance in a few sentences.
Choose ONE of the theories presented in Chapter 5 and apply it to the crime/deviance. Using specific facts from the news article/example of deviance, explain this crime or act of deviance using the theoretical perspective you have chosen. Multiple theories may apply to the same example; you will need to explain why you think the theory you have chosen is a good fit for the case you have chosen.
The textbook describes five types of “rationalizations” people use to try to “neutralize” acts of deviance. Does the story include any of the rationalizations named in the chapter?
If so, what are they (what is said)? What type of rationalization is this?
If not, given an example of a rationalization that might be used by someone to describe this situation.
At the bottom of your response, include a full bibliography entry for the article/video/item you found, as well as a link. This bibliography entry can be in MLA or APA format.
**You will lose 5 points if this bibliography entry is missing, EVEN IF YOU INCLUDE a link to your source.**
Response Post Instructions:
Comment on the theory that your classmate applied to the crime/deviance that s/he selected.
Do you think that the theory does a good job explaining the crime/deviance? Why or why not?
Is there a different theory that you think provides a better explanation?
Is there an additional rationalization you would expect to see in a situation like this one?
Make sure to respond to a classmate who chose a different example of deviance than you did.
Remember: Discussion posts are still academic assignments. Use correct grammar and appropriate evidence. Cite any outside sources. Be respectful of your classmates and of people and practices you discuss in your posts. Even if you disagree, remember your response should NOT be a personal attack but rather an evidence-based presentation of a different perspective on the same subject.
First post: Due Friday, 200 words minimum
Response post: Due Sunday, 100 words minimum
Remember: Discussion posts are academic assignments. Use correct grammar and appropriate evidence. Cite any outside sources. Be respectful of your classmates and of people and practices you discuss in your posts. Even if you disagree, remember your response should NOT be a personal attack but rather an evidence-based presentation of a different perspective on the same subject.
Deviance
Do an online search and find a prominent example of deviance from the news or social media that has taken place in the past two years. This could be a crime or it could be behavior considered deviant but not criminal (such as cheating in a monogamous relationship). Your source can be a news article, blog post, YouTube video, etc. Your source must be:
Credible. It should be a legitimate news/reporting outlet and/or otherwise provide evidence to back its claims.
Detailed. You need enough information about the situation to be able to interpret it using course concepts.
Shareable. You will need to link the URL for your classmates to read – so nothing from Facebook, Instagram, etc. that would require a login. (Most such stories will ALSO be covered by other sites/outlets.)
Consider how different theories of social deviance discussed in Chapter 5 would explain this story. You might consider applying Merton’s strain theory, differential association, social disorganization theory, or labeling theory.
First Post Instructions:
Describe the act of deviance in a few sentences.
Choose ONE of the theories presented in Chapter 5 and apply it to the crime/deviance. Using specific facts from the news article/example of deviance, explain this crime or act of deviance using the theoretical perspective you have chosen. Multiple theories may apply to the same example; you will need to explain why you think the theory you have chosen is a good fit for the case you have chosen.
The textbook describes five types of “rationalizations” people use to try to “neutralize” acts of deviance. Does the story include any of the rationalizations named in the chapter?
If so, what are they (what is said)? What type of rationalization is this?
If not, given an example of a rationalization that might be used by someone to describe this situation.
At the bottom of your response, include a full bibliography entry for the article/video/item you found, as well as a link. This bibliography entry can be in MLA or APA format.
**You will lose 5 points if this bibliography entry is missing, EVEN IF YOU INCLUDE a link to your source.**
Response Post Instructions:
Comment on the theory that your classmate applied to the crime/deviance that s/he selected.
Do you think that the theory does a good job explaining the crime/deviance? Why or why not?
Is there a different theory that you think provides a better explanation?
Is there an additional rationalization you would expect to see in a situation like this one?
Make sure to respond to a classmate who chose a different example of deviance than you did.
Remember: Discussion posts are still academic assignments. Use correct grammar and appropriate evidence. Cite any outside sources. Be respectful of your classmates and of people and practices you discuss in your posts. Even if you disagree, remember your response should NOT be a personal attack but rather an evidence-based presentation of a different perspective on the same subject.