A Day in the Life

The Week 7 Homework 3 Assignment meets the following course objectives:
• Apply a sociological perspective to the social world.
• Analyze contemporary social issues using the sociological imagination and use sociological theories and concepts to analyze everyday life.
• Recognize and define social structure and social interaction
• Explain the reciprocal relationship in the influence between societal and structural factors, individual behavior and the self’s development
• Develop written communication skills and critical thinking skills.
• Apply American Psychological Association formatting and citation style when completing course assignments.

The purpose of this assignment is to record your life for one day and critically discuss how you are an actor in society; how you affect your social surroundings; and, how your daily life is shaped and constrained by society. This will allow you engage with many of the sociological concepts reviewed to-date including newer concepts such as impression management, stage theory and emotional labor.

Explain why you needed to perform in such a way (i.e., your motives, instincts, feelings, or structural constraints). Do you see who you are and where you are now? Write down your conclusion for this one-day life review journey.

1) Keep a journal. For one day record your life starting from the time when you wake up, to the first person you talk to, until you have finished your day and fall into bed asleep. The journal should be highly detailed Including details such as times, locations of every place you have been to (including where you start and end), people you have encountered, the ‘roles’ you have played facing different people and in different situations, the institutions you come into contact with (education, family, government, health, etc). Identify ‘who’ you were and ‘where’ you were in terms of what you have performed and what ‘stage’ you were on. Once you have completed your day, you will need to type your journal and include it at the end of your write-up. (the journal does not count towards you page count)

2) Analyze your day: After your day of journaling, you will use your typed journal to write a 3-6 page review of a day in your life (in essay format), using at least 8 sociological concepts (identified, defined, and analyzed) covered in this course to discuss:
– details about your day from a sociological perspective (eg. roles, institutions, interactions, impression management, stage theory, emotional labor)
– explanation of why you needed to perform in such a way in each of the settings you encountered (i.e. your motives, instincts, feelings, and/or structural constraints)
– a macro sociological analysis of ‘who you are’ and ‘where you are’ in society
– your conclusion for this one-day life review journey

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The paper should be typed, double-spaced, 11-point font, 1? margins. Both the write-up and your typed journal should be saved as ONE document with page numbers. Remember to include a citation for any resources referenced, in proper APA format, and make sure your name is on your paper.

Grading Rubric

CATEGORY Outstanding Above Average Average Below Average Unacceptable
Description of day (interlaced w/analysis) Description of day included good detail (3 pts) Description of day needed some elaboration (2.4 pts) Description of day lacked clarity in some areas and needed elaboration. (2.1 pts) Description of day not clear, needs much elaboration. (1.8 pt) No description of day included (0-1.5 pts)
Sociological Concepts Identified Clearly identified 8 relevant sociological concepts from the readings. (6 pts) Clearly identified 6-7 relevant sociological concepts from the readings. (4.8 pts) Clearly identified 4-5 relevant sociological concepts from the readings. (4.2 pts) Clearly identified 1-3 relevant sociological concepts from the readings. (3.6 pts) Did not clearly identify any sociological concepts (0-3 pts)
Sociological Concepts Defined Clearly defined 8 relevant sociological concepts using the text and/or other source(s). (6 pts) Clearly defined 6-7 relevant sociological concepts using the text and/or other source(s). (4.8 pts) Clearly defined 4 -5 relevant sociological concepts using the text and/or other source(s). (4.2 pts) Clearly defined 1-3 relevant sociological concepts using the text and/or other source(s). (3.6pts) Did not include text definitions of sociological concepts (0-3 pts)
Analysis Clearly applied 8 relevant sociological concepts to analysis of the current event. (6 pts) Clearly applied 6-7 relevant sociological concepts to analysis of the current event. (4.8 pts) Clearly applied 4-5 relevant sociological concepts to analysis of the current event. (4.2 pts) Clearly applied 1-3 relevant sociological concepts to analysis of the current event. (3.6 pts) Did not apply sociological concepts to analysis of current event. (0-3 pts)
Typed Diary Included Diary has been typed up and included at end of write-up(.5 pts) Diary lacks sufficient details (.4) No diary included (0)
APA Formatted Citations Included APA formatted in-text citations and full references for ALL paraphrased and quoted work from other sources. (1.5 pts) Minor errors in APA formatting of citations. (1.2 pts) Multiple errors in APA formatting of citations. (1 pt) Missing some citations, and errors in APA formatting. (.9 pts) No citations included. (0-.5 pts)
Grammar & Spelling Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. (2 pts) Author makes a couple errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. (1.6 pts) Author makes a few errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. (1.4 pt) Author makes multiple errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. (1.2 pts) Author makes so many errors in grammar and spelling that the intent of the paper can not be understood. (0 -1 pts)