Sociology Visual Sociology
Visual Sociology Essay – Steps to Completion
Examine the photo essays in your text; they appear in several of the chapters. While these examples do not contain a written component, they can serve as good examples of how to put together a series of images related to a particular topic. As you’ll see below, your assignment includes a specific written component. Each student selects a separate sociological topic, clears it with the professor, then writes an illustrated research paper with photos collected online that illustrate some aspect or meaning or significance of the topic. This paper should be 4-5 pages of text. Font size should be 10 or 12. You can use either WORD or Power Point for this assignment. Photos can be placed within the text or at the end of the paper. You need in text citations and a References (APA) or Works Cited (Research essay writing service – MLA) page.
Under the Course Home you will the Visual Sociology Homework help – Discussion. Use this space to ask questions, put forward ideas, and most importantly identify your specific topic selection. Though ungraded, topic selections are due no later than the end of Week 2.
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Photos:
The only restriction on the use of photos is that the images must not be illegal, no copyright violations, and if you are taking the photos in private settings, you must obtain written permission from your subject(s).
Include ony photos that illustrate exactly what you’re writing in your paper. Defend a photo’s presence in your paper by making sure it illustrates one of your sociological points.
Some topics you might wish to explore may be sensitive and controversial. In these cases, extra care must be taken to protect the privacy and safety of your subjects. No matter what the topic, always check with your subjects to find out how public they wish to be and always honor their requests. You are responsible for maintaining the research ethics of the discipline (Chapter 2).
Each photo requires proper citation.
Visual research papers are due in the Drop Box on the final day of class, February 28.
See the Guidelines below for more information about the Visual Essay.
Guidelines: Visual Sociology Essay–Pictures Can Tell Us About Society
In his famous discussion of the sociological imagination, C. Wright Mills explains that our personal biographies (which include individuals we know and interact with) reflect larger historic and cultural trends in society and even the world. The process of socialization that helps form our identity emerges within our families, but also is shaped by world events, the time in which we live, and social institutions such as education, religion, politics, the economy, and the mass media. To help us understand the connections many chapters in our text end with a photographic essay that allows us to “see” the phenomenon being discussed. The power of the photographic essay is in its visual representation, but equally important is the sociological analysis provided to help the observer understand how these photographs relate to the larger social world. Thus, both visual and textual cues help us to understand and appreciate how private experiences (depicted in the photos) are related to broader cultural and social forces.
The photographic essay is an exciting opportunity for you as a sociology student to use an available rich photographic data (i.e., photo albums) set that you have. As you use your own photos as “data,” you are required to step outside of intimate, personal space and consider how social forces have shaped your life and experiences. By looking at familiar photographs with a sociological eye, you can begin to understand how demographic, racial, economic, and religious influences, among others, have shaped your life.
Many students enjoy analyzing their own photographs, but you may also gather photographic data from other sources. These may include books, magazines, the Internet, or a variety of other sources. Although the use of such sources may make the experience less personal for some students, it is equally effective in helping to think about and visualize how the private and public spheres are connected. One example of how to complete this assignment is to identify a research topic and then develop a research question about a topic(e.g., the teenage experience; after school jobs, unemployment, the housing crisis, poverty) and collect the data (take photographs) to document the situation. Visual imagery is a powerful technique for thinking about and reflecting upon relationships. The purpose of this assignment is to encourage you to think about society visually
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