SOCI 2006EL The Child and Society
Critical Biography Term Paper
As you progress through the readings for the course, keep in mind that you are required to write a critical biography or autobiography of a child. This can be about you (autobiographical) or imaginary/someone else (biographical). It is strongly recommended that you begin writing early in the course, as your developing biography or autobiography is related to course content. (Hint: Do not wait to begin this assignment until 2 weeks before it is due.)
Your critical biography consists of telling the story of a child. This process includes placing your child in historical and cultural contexts. You may write about yourself as a child or about someone else you know. Or, you may create a fictional character. Your character may be from any epoch of history, the present, or the future. Placed in a setting and specific cultural context, the child in your story should meet and negotiate the challenges and opportunities defined by his or her setting and cultural context. Think about social-class issues and social policy that affect your character. Define your main character in terms of family, peers, media, and historical time.
Your character will assume an identity. The readings in Modules One and Two will help you understand childhood as a time in the life journey during which gender, ethnic, and developmental issues help forge identity. Given the identity that your character possesses or is striving toward, he or she should attempt to adapt to social-contextual challenges and move into adulthood. Module Five will help you understand the problems and challenges that can face children.
There is no single or “right” way to write this paper. You can be creative, melding fiction and fact. You must, however, tell the “story” and use the sociological material provided in this course to comment on/critique/elucidate that story. Students achieve this in different ways and you can be creative, and “have fun” with this writing assignment. However, keep in mind that the elements of a simple narrative are as follows:
Setting: context and social world
Plot: trajectories, pathways
Characters: individual identities and social relationships
Problems and resolutions: challenges and solutions encountered by the characters
Your critical biography is to be no more than eight pages, typed and double-spaced. Use the course readings to give credence to both your character and story. The course readings make the paper “critical” and allow you to reflect on your story. Reference and refer to a minimum of five (5) readings from the course (at least one reading from each Module, including Module Five). Reference all sources by including a reference list on a separate sheet at the end of your paper. See the referencing guidelines below.
Referencing Guidelines
Include author’s last name and year of publication (e.g., Smith, 1987).
Include page number when directly quoting an author (e.g., Smith, 1987: 125).
Always include a reference when you are citing factual information or ideas presented in readings. If you do not credit your sources, you are committing the academic offence of plagiarism.
Always support arguments you are making with references to relevant literature, i.e., cite last names(s) of author(s) and year of publication for sources which lend support to your argument.
Include only the author’s last name and year of publication (a page number, however, is necessary for a direct quotation) when citing references in the body of your essay. Other information such as author’s given name or first initial, title, editor(s), issue number, publisher, etc., should be included in your references section at the end of your essay.
Avoid using two referencing styles. Be consistent and use one style only, preferably the one which is used in the text (APA style).
To be consistent with this style, when you cite two or more authors who have said essentially the same thing, enclose all authors, in alphabetical order, in one set of brackets and separate with semicolons; e.g., (Jones, 1987; Smith, 1986; Towne, 1985).
As previously suggested, list all references in a separate section at the end of your essay. Also, be sure to clarify the source of each reference. When you are citing a source which you have not directly read, make this clear. For example, if the source you read was Smith, who cited a finding by Brown, you should do as follows:
Smith (1984) has cited the findings of Brown’s (1978) study on male delinquency indicating …..
Brown (1978), as cited by Smith (1984), has suggested that …..
Brown (1978), has stated that ….. (cited in Smith, 1984).
If you did not read the original work but wish to cite it, you must make clear your source of the reference.
In your essay, always cite the chapter author, not the editor(s) or title of the text. For example, think about a text in which each chapter is written by a different author. In the body of your essay, you must cite the chapter author. In your references section at the end of the essay, list your sources in alphabetical order, according to authors’ last names. Then, include the editor’s name(s) in this list as indicated in the following example:
References
Dreidger, L. 1986. Ethnic and minority relations. In R. Hagedorn (Ed.), Sociology (pp. 273‑303). Toronto: Holt, Rinehart and Winston Ltd.
The first time you cite a reading which has more than two authors include all authors’ names. Thereafter, you may use the name of the first author listed and “et al.”. For example, the first time you would cite (Jones, Moore & Smith, 1987). Thereafter, you would cite (Jones et al., 1987). If there are only two authors, always cite both names.
References to authors made within the body of the essay are part of the sentence structure. Therefore, do not place a period before and after the reference but rather only after the reference, e.g., The relationship between social class and educational attainment has been clearly documented (Smith, 1986).
See the Assignment Schedule for the due date.
Submit using the Dropbox.
SOCI 2006EL The Child and Society
General Instructions
There are four Discussion Forum postings and responses, Learning Activities, one term paper, and one online final exam for SOCI 2006EL. Before doing anything else, quickly look over this information, noting certain points:
Assignments must be typed and double-spaced.
Assignments are designed so that you reflect on and understand the readings. Completing your assignments will also help prepare you for the final exam.
You will need to refer to Module Five for your critical biography.
Assignments must be submitted on or before the due date. Late papers will not be accepted without appropriate documentation and approval from your course instructor.
Before submitting your assignment or posting in the D2L Discussion Forum, check that everything is complete and in order.
When the assignment is returned, give some thought to the comments and contact your course instructor if you have any questions.
Include in-text citations and a reference page using APA citation and reference format. See information below and seek assistance from your course instructor if you do not understand these requirements.
For each assignment, you must:
Number the pages of your assignment.
Provide a cover page that includes the course name, assignment title, submission date, your name, and your instructor’s name.
Include a running head.
Submit your assignments in Microsoft Word format.
SOCI 2006EL The Child and Society
Collepals.com Plagiarism Free Papers
Are you looking for custom essay writing service or even dissertation writing services? Just request for our write my paper service, and we'll match you with the best essay writer in your subject! With an exceptional team of professional academic experts in a wide range of subjects, we can guarantee you an unrivaled quality of custom-written papers.
Get ZERO PLAGIARISM, HUMAN WRITTEN ESSAYS
Why Hire Collepals.com writers to do your paper?
Quality- We are experienced and have access to ample research materials.
We write plagiarism Free Content
Confidential- We never share or sell your personal information to third parties.
Support-Chat with us today! We are always waiting to answer all your questions.
