Read the directions provided in each topic and then write and submit a short essay (250 words or less) in which you report your findings and/or conclusions.
1.Cultural Diversity. First obtain information regarding differences in cultural norms by visiting the following website: https://www.cicb.net/en/home/examples. Next, write a short essay (250 words or less) in which you discuss how gestures and norms in one culture may have very different meanings in another culture.
2.Sociological Imagination. Consider a personal problem with which you are currently grappling with, such as juggling work and school, finding adequate childcare, dealing with drug or alcohol abuse, or securing school financing or obtaining affordable health insurance. Write a short essay (250 words or less) in which you briefly explain how you are coping with the problem as a "personal trouble," and then consider how the problem is a "public issue" shaped by the social structure.
3.Media Content Analysis. Select a controversial topic such as racism, sexism, violence, or xenophobia in which to conduct research. Review current news items and action events on the topic that you have chosen at Media Watch (www.mediawatch.com) or go to one of the links to other sites that it provides. Next write a short essay (250 words or less) in which you explain why you selected that particular topic and what information you found that help you to gain a clearer understanding on the subject.
4.Being value-free. Make a list of your personal biases (such as disliking rainy weather or short pants). Next write a list of your cultural biases, those taught and supported by the culture against another different group (such as a different ethnic group, culture, sub-culture, or counterculture). Two perfect examples in the United States today are the distrust of Muslims and the belief that Mexicans should remain on their own side of the border. Then write a short essay (250 words or less) in which you attempt to explain why being value-free is difficult to achieve
5.Historical Research. Choose an event that defined your family's history (slavery, massive European immigration at the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century, the Depression, World War II, Kennedy's assassination, the Cuban Revolution, the Haitian economic crisis, the end of the Cold War, 9/11 and the War against Terrorism, the economic recession after 2008, migrating to the United States, and so on). Conduct some research on the event if it is a historical event you should consult at least two sources; if it is a personal family situation interview your relatives and/or close friends, and then write a short essay (250 words or less) in which you discuss the sociological aspects you found regarding why that event impacted your family's history.
6.Informed Consent. Discuss the rules related to informed consent. Do you think that there are groups that can or some that should not be interviewed? Write a short essay (250 words or less) explaining why you believe that a particular group can be interviewed and others cannot or should not.
7.Content Analysis. Watch a TV show of your choice and examine the way the culture in which you live in is portrayed in the program. Next go online and research at least one issue portrayed in the program, such as social class, race, nationality (ethnicity), gender or age and then write a short report (250 words or less) on the subject.