The significant impact of social media is molding individuals’ attitudes towards unrealistic standards and internalizing negative prejudices and stigmas

The assignment requires you to both demonstrate mastery of course concepts through application to a Popular Culture Object and to engage with library research to ascertain what other scholars have said on the same topic. 

Your paper should include a formal introduction, a number of body sections where you outline your research findings, and a conclusion. Your paper should also include engagement with existing scholarly work on the topic. This might mean that you engage with sociological readings related to your thesis

Remember, your job is not to create a list or literature review, but to analyze, assess and synthesize the information you have obtained through your research.  Your paper will be the culmination of research, critical thinking, source evaluation, organization, and composition. You will make use of primary and secondary sources both academic and online and increase your knowledge about the field.  You must spend time investigating and evaluating sources with thought toward interpretation of texts. Finally, you will offer a unique perspective on the issue at hand. 

Your introduction should include background information which leads up to the thesis statement (1-2 sentences).   The introduction is brief. It establishes why your reader ought to be interested in your topic, gives a preview for what the paper will be about, and through your thesis lays out a roadmap for your paper ahead. 

Common mistakes, cautions, and suggestions:

• You don’t need a “hook sentence” though you are welcome to use one. Avoid clichéd opening lines (“since the dawn of time” etc.). 
• Keep it brief. Your introduction is the “Amuse-bouche” of your research paper, not the appetizer.  You want to establish interest and importance and land quickly upon your thesis.
• Don’t be too brief. Introductions should be at least a paragraph in length – that means 4-6 sentences minimum.
• You may start with an anecdotal introduction if you wish. This is a technique where the author relays a brief anecdote to highlight the importance, or urgency, around their work. Just be certain this doesn’t eat up to much “real estate” your pages will go by quickly!
• One way to consider what to include in an introduction is to ask yourself what does your audience need to know to understand in order to read your paper.
• It is common to need to revise your introduction once you have completed your paper. Some authors even wait until they have completed their body and conclusion to write the introduction to their paper.

Body

This is where you will go over your argument and research findings.  Remember to move from broad to narrow, with each paragraph building upon the one before it.  Each paragraph should have a topic sentence.  If you move on to a new topic, you need a new paragraph.  Paragraphs should not go on for an entire page, so if it is getting long review the paragraph and see where you might separate it out.

The body of the paper is also where you will use the readings from class.  Ideally the use of course readings should be integrated into your paper.  This may be in those first few paragraphs that establish the history of the problem you are discussing. Or, this may be throughout the paper supporting the argument that you are making.  Remember, the tacit assignment of this paper is to demonstrate mastery of course concepts and readings.  You will do this through your use of the course readings and from the way you structure your argument.  Your paper should demonstrate that you are able to apply a sociological lens to mental health issues.   So, when you refer to course readings then be certain to: use terms from that reading, indicate what the main ideas of the reading are, and have that reading do some “work” in the paper.  This will help you earn points toward the grade you want to get.  Similarly, make certain throughout your paper that you are demonstrating how to analyze mental health issues using the frameworks, logics, and analytical tools demonstrated. 

Sources use:

 The Body in Popular Culture by Meredith Jones

Through the Looking Glass: The Queer Narcissism of Selfies by Greg Goldberg

Parties Are the Answer”: Gender, Modernity and Material Culture  by Clarke, Alison J

 Body Dysmorphia, Social Media & Image Filters – Treatment Options. (2020, June 17). Retrieved September 29, 2020, from https://toledocenter.com/social-media/body-dysmorphia-social-media-image-filters/Links to an external site.