Soc 320 - Social Theory

SOC 320-SOCIAL THEORY

Professor Gul Aldikacti Marshall

TERM PAPER-FALL 2011

Choose one of the following theories:

Marxist theory,

Weberian conflict theory,

Durkheim's functionalist theory,

Symbolic interactionism,

DuBois' theory on race.

Feminist theories of Gilman, Smith, or Hill Collins

The unit of analysis for your paper is power. Explain how the theory you chose defines power and reveals the construction and use of power in society among social groups. Using a social event that you found in a newspaper or a newsmagazine, examine the extent to which this conceptualization of power by the theory explains the social event and predicts the trajectory of the social event. Use the social event to elaborate on the strengths and the weaknesses of the theory in regards to explanations of power. You may read further on the theory in addition to using your text book. You may use any newspaper or a newsmagazine.

The term paper should not exceed five pages. Attach a copy of the newspaper or newsmagazine coverage of the event to your paper. Use in-text citations and references at the end of the paper. You may use Chicago Manual of Style or APA as a citation style. Proof read your paper for spelling, grammatical, and organizational errors before turning it in. Papers must be double-spaced and stapled. Font size should be 11 or 12. The paper is due December 2. You can find helpful instructions on writing an academic paper at http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/index.html.