Highlights
Task:
GUIDELINES ON ESSAY
Choose ONE of the following social problems (in the Australian context): unemployment, binge drinking, homelessness. Choose ONE of the three key sociological perspectives (functionalism, conflict theory, or symbolic interactionism) discussed in weeks 2-4 to explain the phenomenon. In your answer, you will need to demonstrate an understanding of the nature and extent of the ‘problem’ before applying your chosen sociological theory. The recommended combination of social problems and theories is as follows:
BEFORE YOU START
There are at least four places where you will find useful information about what needs to go into this essay:
This site contains the course profile which provides you with your essay question, formatting guidelines and the submission process. Here you can also find an Assessment tab that contains further relevant information such as the guidelines you are currently reading.
This guide contains crucial information about the general requirements for an academic essay, as well as tips on how to write a better essay. Be sure to check out the three modeled essays to see what markers are looking for. Follow this link: https://bblearn.griffith.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_30682_1&content_id=_867538_1
On learning@Griffith, students can access the CCJ Essay Writing Help via the
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This sheet shows clearly how marks will be awarded and what you need to do. You will see that it is broken down into three main sections – content, structure, and writing and referencing. You need to use this sheet as a check list and make sure you have covered the points listed. Below is a brief overview of these three sections (according to the criteria sheet).
SUGGESTED ESSAY STRUCTURE (according to the marks allocated to each section)
- Introduction (5 marks): 150 words (one paragraph)
Outline the social problem you will be discussing, the theory you will be applying and your argument (that the theory can be used to explain the origins of the social problem).
- Social problem in an Australian context (10 marks): 300-350 words (one to two paragraphs)
Give a definition of a social problem (and reference it), and connect it to your chosen social problem. Outline the nature of the social problem (who is most affected – the young, the elderly, men, women, social or cultural groups? What is the social impact [this is not about the biological or physical effects or personal impacts, but the impact on society as a whole]). Also outline the extent of the social problem (how many people in Australia are impacted? What percentage of males and females are affected? What percentage of various age groups are affected?)
- Theory description (15 marks): 400-500 words (two paragraphs)
Give an overview of the broader theoretical perspective you have chosen to apply in this section – aim for three or four elements of the theory. While your description of concepts from the theory are marked within this criterion, it is better to in terms of structure to save concepts until the application section (next section).
- Theory application (15 marks): 400-500 words (two paragraphs)
Name and define one concept from the theory and then apply it to explain the origins of the social problem – use research to support this application. Keeping the definition of the concept close to your application of the concept increases the chances that you will apply the concept to explain the origins of the social problem. This is why the recommendation is to define your concepts here and not in the previous section (although your definitions will be marked as part of theory description).
Name and define another concept from the theory and then apply it to explain the origins of the social problem – use research to support this application.
- Conclusion (5 marks each): 150 words
Outline the social problem you discussed, the theory you applied and your argument (that the theory can be used to explain the origins of the social problem).
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