1. Barbara Baird uses the Northern Territory Intervention as an example of ‘the deployment of the figure of ‘the child’ to carry diverse political and cultural agendas’ (Baird, 2008, p. 291). Pick
your own example of contemporary ‘child politics’ (e.g. news media, documentaries or advertising campaigns) and provide a critical analysis of the way the figure of the child is deployed within it.
2. Critically analyse the representation of subculture in a teen film or TV episode. You may want to consider: how youth investment in subcultural identification is explained within the text and/or
the imagined relationship between subculture and race/class/gender/sexuality.

Learning Objective:
The final essay provides a space for students to demonstrate their cumulative knowledge of the topics, issues and theories that have been covered in the course. Specifically, students will be evaluated on their ability to: a) develop a research question/argument, b) work within a case study approach (i.e. youth subculture), c) design a project that includes a historical analysis, literature review and methodology, d) utilize theory to substantiate their research, and e) write in a coherent and comprehensive fashion (i.e. proper grammar, sentence structure etc…). Further, the final essay will also enable students to write within a qualitative framework using either a personal narrative or one that is drawn from an existing youth subculture. See below.
Essay Structure:
The final essay is worth 55% of your grade and will follow the below noted outline.

Student’s analysis may be situated in: a) an ethnographic/auto-ethnographic style paper where students can discuss their own personal experience within a youth subculture. Students will write from a first person perspective, however their writing will be supported through sociological and criminological theory as a way to understand their complex experiences within the broader social system, or b) an essay style paper that utilizes secondary sources. Students will choose an already existing youth subculture where they will also utilize theory to explain the socio-economic and cultural contexts which have impacted these groups across time and space.

The goal of the paper is to understand why youth subcultures arise and how they are received from the broader society. To achieve a good mark students must provide a historical/contemporary analysis of the youth subculture that they have chosen to explore. Students are also required to choose one theoretical perspective as a mechanism to unpack and understand how their youth subculture intersects with the contexts of race, class, gender and crime. It is not enough to just use the theory, instead you must also provide a critique of the knowledge gaps that exist in the literature. Students may choose one of the 3 main pillars examined in criminology (i.e. race, class, gender), however you may find overlap between these contexts. For example, if one is exploring how women navigate gang subculture you may find that your discussion intersects with all three of these contexts. However, please ensure that your argument is clear and you utilize subheadings to structure your paper accordingly.

Length: The final essay must be no longer than 15 pages in length, double-spaced, with 1” margins. In text citation and references should be APA style and will be evaluated for consistency and accuracy. So please edit your paper. Page numbers, footnotes, headings must also follow APA.

Sources: Students must utilize at least 15 journal articles. Peer reviewed journals are the best sources of knowledge, however I will accept some grey literature (i.e. government documents, non-peer reviewed reports etc…). The final essay must also incorporate knowledge from the textbook on subcultures (e.g. Resistance through Rituals).

Abstract:
Intro – history 1-2 pg
Definitions .5-1 pg
Methods .5-1 pg
Theory 2-3 pg
Lit review, discussion of other theoretical lenses – gaps 3-5 pg

Analysis: 5 pgs
example:
Why youth join gangs
Socialization of gang violence
Code of streets

Conclusion: .5-1 pg
Bibliography.