Engagement Assignments - Introduction to Sociology State of the Union (#1)
ONE: For your first engagement assignment you will watch or read the 2013 State of the Union address by President Barack Obama. While you are watching or reading the speech take notes on what you are hearing. Before next Tuesday, have a conversation with a family member or friends about the State of the Union address. Have a 15-20 minute conversation about the issues discussed and the problems that Obama is trying to solve in his second term. Take notes during your conversation.
Your paper should be 1-2 pages single spaced on your reaction to the speech and your analysis of your conversation. Guiding questions: Did you and your family member or friend agree on the issues? What were the differences between your perspectives and theirs? Why do you think you have similar or different ideas?
What to turn in?
Your paper should be 1-2 pages single spaced on your reaction to the speech and your analysis of your conversation. Guiding questions: Did you and your family member or friend agree on the issues? What were the differences between your perspectives and theirs? Why do you think you have similar or different ideas?
What to turn in?
- Your notes from the speech
- Your notes from the conversation
- Your Paper
Engagement Assignment #2
Open Secrets (Center for Responsive Politics) is a website that offers the behind the scenes information about politics. This is also known as the money trail. Check out this link. The link will take you to the donations for each Congress-member in California.
http://www.opensecrets.org/races/ (Choose the state of California)
Pick a representative in the state of California. See how much money they raised in the 2012 election. Due to the changes in campaign finance laws (Citizens United- 2010) there has been an increase in campaign contributions from private corporations. 2012 was the first presidential election to see the impact of Citizens United.
For this assignment your job will be to speculate on the impact of corporate contributions on the future of California and it's impact on our social and political realities.
Guiding questions:
· What corporations provided campaign contributions for each candidate? List each corporation and give the amounts.
· What major social or political issues are these corporations interested in and why?
· What groups of people are impacted by the issues?
· Why do you think the corporation chose that candidate? What committees or other leadership position(s) does the candidate hold that the corporation is hoping to influence?
· Pick one of the corporations that funded the candidate of your choice. In what ways does this corporation shape our daily lives? (This will take you looking up the corporation to see what they sell, produce or distribute) What’s the impact of their products, business model or leadership style?
· What else did you find out about your candidate on Open secrets?
· Use the conclusion to share your personal beliefs and ideas on the impact of the Supreme Court decision and the corporations that you learned about.
The majority of your paper (1 ½ -2 pages – single spaced) should be factual and reporting what you found in your research.
Use the following websites for your paper.
· http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-citizens-united-v-fec/
· http://dyn.politico.com/tag/citizens-united
· http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/21/citizens-united_n_2519178.html
Due Tuesday, April 2, 2013
http://www.opensecrets.org/races/ (Choose the state of California)
Pick a representative in the state of California. See how much money they raised in the 2012 election. Due to the changes in campaign finance laws (Citizens United- 2010) there has been an increase in campaign contributions from private corporations. 2012 was the first presidential election to see the impact of Citizens United.
For this assignment your job will be to speculate on the impact of corporate contributions on the future of California and it's impact on our social and political realities.
Guiding questions:
· What corporations provided campaign contributions for each candidate? List each corporation and give the amounts.
· What major social or political issues are these corporations interested in and why?
· What groups of people are impacted by the issues?
· Why do you think the corporation chose that candidate? What committees or other leadership position(s) does the candidate hold that the corporation is hoping to influence?
· Pick one of the corporations that funded the candidate of your choice. In what ways does this corporation shape our daily lives? (This will take you looking up the corporation to see what they sell, produce or distribute) What’s the impact of their products, business model or leadership style?
· What else did you find out about your candidate on Open secrets?
· Use the conclusion to share your personal beliefs and ideas on the impact of the Supreme Court decision and the corporations that you learned about.
The majority of your paper (1 ½ -2 pages – single spaced) should be factual and reporting what you found in your research.
Use the following websites for your paper.
· http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-citizens-united-v-fec/
· http://dyn.politico.com/tag/citizens-united
· http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/21/citizens-united_n_2519178.html
Due Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Engagement Assignment # 3
Bring an object to class that represents your culture, heritage or social status in society. More instructions given in class. If you fully participated in this activity you earned points.
Engagement Assignment # 4
On Tuesday, April 22 we all bravely participated in a smaller scale version of a PowerShift / Community Building exercise. In our circle we publicly shared our commonalities by stepping into the circle together to share our collective experience. For example I asked, "If anyone has ever been hungry before they go to bed at night - please step into the circle," those of us to identified with that experience came into the circle. Another example was, "If you have ever been arrested and/or gone to prison or jail not as a visitor - please step into the circle." We covered 15-16 types of experiences that bridge our realities experiences in society.
Like I mentioned in class the intent of this exercise is to show us our commonalities and to get out of our divide and conquer (assigned categories). In order to create a less divided world I believe we should be able to see ourselves in other people. We are not that different from one another - when we realize this we wont allow one another to be unjustly deported, killed, exploited, etc. Let's be brave everyday!
See assignment specifics below:
Remember you can write your reflection in a creative manner. I am not requiring a page count or word count for this assignment. Use this freedom to create something worth while and beautiful for yourself. You can turn in a:
I'm open (please be honest and open in your reflection). Those who missed class will have a make up assignment from our textbook.
See below
NOTE: [This is not the same as your final journal that is due in the coming weeks]
Like I mentioned in class the intent of this exercise is to show us our commonalities and to get out of our divide and conquer (assigned categories). In order to create a less divided world I believe we should be able to see ourselves in other people. We are not that different from one another - when we realize this we wont allow one another to be unjustly deported, killed, exploited, etc. Let's be brave everyday!
See assignment specifics below:
Remember you can write your reflection in a creative manner. I am not requiring a page count or word count for this assignment. Use this freedom to create something worth while and beautiful for yourself. You can turn in a:
- traditional written reflection (single or double spaced - up to you),
- a poem (any form),
- a song, spoken work poem/hip hop rhyme,
- any other form written creative expression.
I'm open (please be honest and open in your reflection). Those who missed class will have a make up assignment from our textbook.
See below
- Make up assignment for those who missed class/ see page 142 in book, Exercise 9.2
NOTE: [This is not the same as your final journal that is due in the coming weeks]