This assignment involves creating a long form feature story to analyze a contemporary real-world event or issue using the theoretical and conceptual concerns of this course. A feature story allows professionals to communicate to a broader audience, with the intention of presenting/explaining an issue or phenomena.

Long form feature story

Goal: to apply sociological thinking to a contemporary social issue; to evaluate and connect categorical powers, privileges and oppressions; to translate elements of sociological theory/concepts into public sociology Assignment: Students will create a long form feature story to analyze a contemporary real-world event or issue using the theoretical and conceptual concerns of this course. A feature story allows professionals to communicate to a broader audience, with the intention of presenting/explaining an issue or phenomena.

Long form feature story

While they are commonly published in newspapers and online, they have the added benefit of reaching your stakeholders, such as policy makers, by directing attention to an issue important to you. Sociologists conduct public sociology to bring sociological issues to the attention of everyday people. The possibilities of topic are nearly endless. For example, you may choose to analyze a Black Lives Matter protest, considering how elements of class, race and gender (as well as power and privilege) impact public perception of the event and outcome.

Long form feature story

Or, instead, you may want to compare the work-family policies of your home country with those of US, discussing how the different countries’ families balance earning with caretaking, as well as outcomes of both policies. This should be an issue you care about. Your feature story will be written with an educated public audience in mind, and may include video, audio or interactive components. Assignments should consider the issue along with its implications for outcomes and policy. It should also include both macro and micro considerations, such as: what structural conditions produced this phenomena? How are individuals enacting agency under these conditions? How are elements of power and privilege combining to create this issue? https://youtu.be/uCak2riitKo

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