Writers Den

Assignment
2: Application Project

For this assignment you
will have the opportunity to conduct an experiment, or quasi-experiment, in
order to explore deviance in our society. As we learned this week, deviance is
”any behavior, belief, or condition that violates significant social norms in
the society or group in which it occurs” (Kendall, 2013, p. 180). Cultural
norms are behaviors and expectations for a group and fall into three
categories: folkways, mores, and laws. For this assignment you will explore
society’s reaction to a folkway violation. You will then utilize the textbook,
online materials, and the South Online Library in order to write a two-page
essay on the deviant (not
criminal) experience.

Below you will find a
step-by-step guide for completing this paper:

1.
First, review the sections on
Research Ethics and the subsection on Testing a Hypothesis under the section
Research Methods in chapter one of your text in order to familiarize yourself
with sociological experiments. Then, begin this assignment by choosing a
folkway to violate. Examples include (and there are many folkways to choose
from): wearing the other gender’s clothing, speaking a foreign language to an
English speaker, sitting with a stranger at a restaurant, and eating dinner with
your hands. Be sure to ask your facilitator if you are unsure if the norm you
choose to violate is appropriate for this assignment. Here is an example of a
norm violation for you to watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlVsj5vLu_U.

2.
Violate your chosen folkway (not a
law) in at least one situation and document it with pictures, video, and/or
notes. Be sure to note how you feel when you violate the norm, as well as other
people’s reactions to the violation. If you do not receive adequate data
(reactions) in one situation, try it again in another.

3.
Write an organized essay that
explores the norm you violated, how you felt while being deviant, and the
reactions you received while you were violating the norm. You should then
analyze the experience, including the theories of deviance presented in the
text. Your paper should also include an introduction with a thesis and a
conclusion that reviews all main points you present.

Assignment
alternative: you may choose to do a reflection paper on an instance when you
have been deviant in the past. A reflection paper must contain analysis and
integrate concepts from the text. Review the grading criteria to ensure that
your reflection paper contains all of the necessary components.

Remember to use APA format
for the essay style as well as in-text citations and when listing the
references. Submit your 2–5-page essay (maximum 12 pt. font) describing your
application project and your findings by Tuesday, November 29, 2016, to the W4: Assignment 2 Dropbox.

Assignment 2 Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Presented an organized paper that meets the assignment’s criteria.	8
Provided documentation of norm violation.	16
Integrated personal views on the main issue.	10
Related norm violation experience to the concepts and theories discussed in the textbook and/or outside resources.	10
Used correct grammar, spelling, and APA format throughout assignment.	6
Total:	50