Write an essay of 7-8 paragraphs and record a 4-6 minute speech based on your essay. Your essay and recording should relate sociological principles to the essential learning outcomes and your own personal and professional life, and identify a sociological research question based on your experiences.
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Introduction
During this course, you have learned about a variety of sociological concepts and principles. In this assessment, you will apply what you have learned by writing an essay that connects some of these sociological concepts and principles to your life and to the three essential learning outcomes you practiced in this course (relationship building, problem solving, and personal and social responsibility). Based on your essay, you will then create a short speech that highlights your key points.
Preparation
For this assessment, you will describe three sociological concepts you’ve learned about in this course. Take some time to review the sociological concepts and theories from the course textbook (see the “Key Terms” section at the end of each chapter). Some examples are included below.
Examples of sociological concepts and theories:
- Sociological imagination.
- Conflict theory.
- Symbolic interaction theory.
- Functionalism.
- Culture.
- Norms.
- Values.
- Status.
- Roles.
- Groupthink.
- Primary and secondary groups.
- Bureaucracy.
Use the Capella University Library to find resources to support your conclusions. If you aren’t familiar with the library, the Sociology section of the General Education Information Research Skills Library Guide is a great place to start your search. To ensure you are finding quality sources, refer to the Capella library’s Think Critically About Source Quality resource page. You are encouraged to include 1–2 resources for this assessment.
In addition, you will need to record either an audio file or a video file with voice-over narration using Kaltura or similar software. Refer to Using Kaltura if you need help using this courseroom tool.
Instructions
First, write your essay using The Story of You Template [DOCX] Download The Story of You Template [DOCX], and then record the speech. You will submit two files (your Word document and your audio or audiovisual file). Complete the following steps:
- Describe three sociological concepts or theories that connect to your personal or professional life.
o Following the template, include an introduction (one paragraph) in which you identify these concepts and theories in boldface. Your introduction should also include a clear thesis statement (the main idea of your speech).
o You can choose to relate these concepts and theories to your personal life (your experiences in your family, neighborhood, or schools you attended, for example) or to your career.
- Explain how sociological concepts or theories connect to your personal or professional life.
o Following the template, write one paragraph for each concept or theory (three paragraphs total), applying the concepts or theories to your experiences or observations.
o Include examples from your personal or professional life to illustrate each concept or theory.
- Relate sociological concepts or theories to essential learning outcomes.
o Following the template, explain (in one or two paragraphs) how an understanding of one or more of the sociological concepts or theories you have discussed can help you improve your ability to collaborate with others and further develop one or more of the three essential learning outcomes: personal and social responsibility, problem solving, and relationship building.
o Use evidence from the course materials or other sources to support your points.
- Identify a sociological research question based on your observations or experiences.
o Following the template, include a sociological research question that is based on your story and reflects something you are interested in learning more about. For example, if you wrote about some of the challenges you faced in the education system, your research question might be: What programs or policies have been found to improve the quality of K–12 education in impoverished areas? If you wrote about your frustration with groupthink in the workplace, your question could be: What are the best strategies for reducing the negative aspects of groupthink in today’s workplace?
o For more research question ideas, see Chapter 3 in the course textbook.
- Describe how you would use the scientific method to study your proposed research question.
o Following the template, write a paragraph in which you discuss steps you would take to answer your research question, based on your understanding of the scientific method, which is covered in Chapter 3 of your textbook.
- Following the template, include a conclusion that sums up what you have learned and/or what your audience has learned about you.
- Demonstrate effective audio presentation skills.
o Use Kaltura to record an audio file to accompany your essay. You also have the option to record a video (with audio) if you prefer. Refer to Using Kaltura if you need help using this courseroom tool.
o In your recording, include the following elements:
- Name the three concepts or theories you focused on, with an example of how you applied one of them to your personal or professional life
- Describe how your understanding of one of these concepts or theories can help you improve or develop one of the skills you explored in this course (problem solving, personal and social responsibility, and relationship building).
- Discuss the research question you chose and your ideas for how to answer that question.
- Write in a well-organized and concise manner that adheres to the rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Additional Requirements
Your template submission should meet the following requirements:
- Written communication: Written communication should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
- References: A minimum of two references are required. Additional course resources can also be used, or you can search for an additional source via the Capella library or Internet search.
- Citations: Properly cite any sources used on both your reference page and within your typed script. Review Evidence and APA for more information on how to cite your sources.
- Length of essay: 7–8 paragraphs total plus your research question.
- Length of audio: 4–6 minutes.
Review the assessment scoring guide for details on how your assessment will be graded.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Demonstrate how scientific methods or sociological principles are used to study society.
o Describe sociological concepts or theories that connect to your personal or professional life.
o Explain how sociological concepts or theories connect to your personal or professional life.
o Identify a sociological research question based on your observations or experiences.
o Describe how you would use the scientific method to study a proposed research question.
- Competency 2: Explain how collaboration is improved through the application of sociological concepts and principles.
o Relate sociological concepts or theories to specific essential learning outcomes.
- Competency 4: Address assignment purpose in a well-organized manner, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
o Demonstrate effective audio presentation skills.
o Write in a well-organized and concise manner that adheres to the rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Scoring Guide
Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated.
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Criterion 1
Describe sociological concepts or theories that connect to your personal or professional life.
Distinguished
Describes sociological concepts or theories that connect to your personal or professional life in a clear and concise manner.
Proficient
Describes sociological concepts or theories that connect to your personal or professional life.
Basic
Partially describes sociological concepts or theories that connect to your personal or professional life, but the description is inaccurate or incomplete.
Non Performance
Does not describe sociological concepts or theories that connect to your personal or professional life.
Criterion 2
Explain how sociological concepts or theories connect to your personal or professional life.
Distinguished
Explains how sociological concepts or theories connect to your personal or professional life, providing specific examples.
Proficient
Explains how sociological concepts or theories connect to your personal or professional life.
Basic
Attempts to explain how sociological concepts or theories connect to your personal or professional life, but the explanation is unclear or is not relevant.
Non Performance
Does not explain how sociological concepts or theories connect to your personal or professional life.
Criterion 3
Relate sociological concepts or theories to specific essential learning outcomes.
Distinguished
Relates sociological concepts or theories to specific essential learning outcomes, clearly showing the connection using specific examples.
Proficient
Relates sociological concepts or theories to specific essential learning outcomes.
Basic
Attempts to relate sociological concepts or theories to specific essential learning outcomes, but the connection is unclear.
Non Performance
Does not relate sociological concepts or theories to specific essential learning outcomes.
Criterion 4
Identify a sociological research question based on your observations or experiences.
Distinguished
Identifies a clear, specific sociological research question based on observations or experiences, with a clear explanation of why the question was chosen.
Proficient
Identifies a sociological research question based on your observations or experiences.
Basic
Identifies a sociological research question, but it is not based on observations or experiences or it is not relevant.
Non Performance
Does not identify a sociological research question based on observations or experiences.
Criterion 5
Describe how you would use the scientific method to study a proposed research question.
Distinguished
Describes how you would use the scientific method to study a proposed research question, providing clear, specific steps.
Proficient
Describes how you would use the scientific method to study a proposed research question.
Basic
Partially describes how you would use the scientific method to study a proposed research question, but the description is unclear or not relevant.
Non Performance
Does not describe how you would use the scientific method to study a proposed research question.
Criterion 6
Demonstrate effective audio presentation skills.
Distinguished
Demonstrates exceptional audio presentation skills, providing a concise and clear summary of the essay.
Proficient
Demonstrates effective audio presentation skills.
Basic
Demonstrates competent presentation skills, but the presentation is unclear in parts or incomplete.
Non Performance
Does not demonstrates effective audio presentation skills.
Criterion 7
Write in a well-organized and concise manner that adheres to the rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Distinguished
Organizes content so clarity is enhanced and all ideas flow logically and smoothly. Writes concisely, precisely, and directly, with nearly flawless adherence to the rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Proficient
Writes in a well-organized and concise manner that adheres to the rules of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Basic
Writing is unclear, wordy, or disconnected, with errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics.
Non Performance
Does not write in a well-organized and concise manner.
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