Write an analytical essay that critically discusses some of the different ways sociologists have attempted to study (using particular methods) and explain (drawing on specific theoretical perspectives) ONE of the following issues:

Write an analytical essay that critically discusses some of the different ways sociologists have attempted to study (using particular methods) and explain (drawing on specific theoretical perspectives) ONE of the following issues: A. Class; B. Gender; OR C. Sexuality. In order to complete this task, you need to both 1. provide an overview of studies of your chosen issue 2. conduct a critical analysis of how/why a given approach (or approaches) is valuable. This requires that you pose an argument as to why one or more method/perspective is useful or significant for thinking about your chosen issue In order to do so, you must draw on at least 8 scholarly journal articles, three of which have been preselected for you to help you begin your further research: Class: Atkinson, A.B. (2014) ‘After Piketty?’, British Journal of Sociology 65(4); 619-38. Rubin, M. et al (2014), ‘“I Am Working-Class”: Subjective Self-Definition as a Missing Measure of Social Class and Socioeconomic Status in Higher Education Research’, Educational Researcher 43(4): 196-200. Mallman, M. (2015) ‘Not entirely at home: Upward social mobility and early family life’, Journal of Sociology, DOI: 10.1177/1440783315601294, 1-14. Gender: Huppatz, K. & Goodwin, S. (2013) ‘Masculinised jobs, feminised jobs and men’s ‘gender capital’ experiences: Understanding occupational segregation in Australia’, Journal of Sociology 49(2-3): 291- 308. Morrell, R., Jewkes, R. & Lindegger, G. (2012) ‘Hegemonic Masculinity/Masculinities in South Africa: Culture, Power, and Gender Politics’, Men & Masculinities 15(1); 11-30. Perrons, D. (2014) ‘Gendering inequality: a note on Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century’, British Journal of Sociology 65(4): 667-77. Sexuality: Brickell, C. (2012) ‘Sexuality, power and the sociology of the internet’, Current Sociology 60(1): 28-44. Drummond, M. (2005) ‘Men’s Bodies: Listening to the Voices of Young Gay Men’, Men & Masculinities 7 (3): 270-290. Jamieson, L. (1999) ‘Intimacy Transformed: A Critical Look at the “Pure Relationship”’, Sociology 33 (3): 477- 94. SCLG1002 – INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY 2 2016 ANALYTICAL ESSAY – INSTRUCTIONS Page 2 of 4 Instructions for research and reading: 1. You should first consult the required reading associated with each. These are: • Class: van Krieken et al. (2014) Sociology [Ch.7 ‘Class & Inequality’]; • Gender: van Krieken et al. (2014) Sociology [Ch.9 ‘Gender & ‘Sexuality’]; and • Sexuality: van Krieken et al. (2014) Sociology [Ch.9 ‘Gender & ‘Sexuality’]; 2. Once you have selected the topic you wish to write about, you should then seek to locate the relevant articles listed above by searching for them in the SOCIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS database, which is the first database listed for sociology and social policy at the following link: http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/databases/sociology.html N.B. To access the database, you will need to log in using your UniKey. 3. Once you have arrived at the Sociological Abstracts home page, select the ADVANCED search option, which appears immediately below the database’s title. 4. Enter the title of the first article (not the journal title) in the first line and change the ‘in’ drop down menu to DOCUMENT TITLE. This should lead you directly to the relevant entry for the article. 5. Select LINK TO FULL TEXT, which will open a new tab and take you to the article so that you can download it in PDF format. Repeat steps 2 to 5 until you have collected all three articles. 6. Read each article, being sure to take notes with respect to the following questions for each one: a. What is the specific research topic (or problem) the author has written about and how is it related to the broader topic you have selected for this task? b. What kind of material does the article present? Is it a review of existing literature? A research article? An essay? c. What limitations do they identify with respect to the existing sociological literature on their topic? What theoretical perspective, if any, does the author adopt or suggest should be adopted? What research methods, if any, does the author use or suggest should be used in studying the research topic or problem? d. Once you have read the articles and taken notes addressing the questions above, you should have some sense of the kinds of additional articles you will need to find. 7. To locate additional articles, re-enter the article title into the Sociological Abstracts search bar and explore the sources listed under both the CITED BY and REFERENCES links sitting immediately below each article’s details. N.B. Be aware that one of the marking criteria for this task (‘Relevance’) has been SCLG1002 – INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY 2 2016 ANALYTICAL ESSAY – INSTRUCTIONS Page 3 of 4 included to assess your ability to select relevant sociological sources, not just any or the first few sources you come across. This means that you should take some time to explore the ‘cited by’ and ‘references’ links of other articles you encounter, not just those listed for the articles you have been provided with. Your aim is to select ‘high value’ sources that present a diversity of sociological perspectives (theories) and approaches (methods). Consequently, you should also be prepared to spend at least 2 to 3 full days browsing for and selecting the journal articles you will draw on in writing your analytical essay. 8. Once you have located and selected your relevant, high value sources – including those you have been provided with – you should then read each and take note of the information indicated in the questions at Step 6. 9. You should then seek to think critically about how the research approaches and/or theoretical perspectives offered by different authors measure up against one another. For instance: a. Does the author of one article make a strong argument against the theoretical perspective adopted by the author of another? Which author is more convincing? Why? b. Does the author of one article make a strong argument for the use of a particular research approach to a problem that another rejects? Which author is more convincing? Why? c. Do the competing arguments made by some authors suggest to you that, in fact, a synthesis of two approaches and/or theories may be the best way forward? Instructions for writing and submitting your essay: 1. Prior to writing your essay, you are expected to consult the following sections of the Department of Sociology and Social Policy’s Study, Writing and Style Guide (see the ‘Study Sociology’ page on Blackboard): • Planning an Essay; • Writing and Structuring an Essay; • Citations and Referencing; • Language, Grammar, Punctuation and Editing; and • Presentation and Layout. 2. Once you have finished writing your essay, ensure that you have saved it as: SCLG1002_AnalyticalEssay_SID_SURN AME_Given name. 3. Before you can submit your essay, you must complete an Academic Honesty Quiz, which is located in the Analytical Essay folder in the ‘Assessment’ area on Blackboard. You must answer all 8 questions correctly in order to proceed, so you have multiple attempts at the quiz available to you. 4. Once you have completed the Academic Honesty Quiz, you must then complete SCLG1002 – INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY 2 2016 ANALYTICAL ESSAY – INSTRUCTIONS