Growth and empowerment of women labor force
Soc 141: Industrialization and Social Change
Prof. Finnigan
Cumulative Essay Assignment
A major portion of this course is the cumulative two-part essay assignment. Ultimately, the paper
will analyze the evolution throughout industrialization of a social institution of your choosing
from the perspective of a classical theorist, then hypothesize how the institution will continue to
evolve in the post-industrial era. Successful essays will carefully document the history of the
selected institution, demonstrate a thorough understanding of the chosen theorists’ perspective,
and ground its hypothesis for future change in contemporary evidence. The total length of the
essay should be about eight to ten double-spaced pages.
The following sections describe the specific topics for each part of the essay, and the general
criteria for evaluation.
Essay Topic (due October 13)
First, what is a “social institution”? The word institution often conjures images of formal
organizations, like schools or hospitals. However, references like marriage as an institution
paints a different picture. Broadly, a social institution is a set of formal or informal rules to
regulate social relations. Institutions can take many forms, and be of many different sizes.
Examples include the family, women’s labor force participation, and taxi driving.
To help keep your essays on track from the beginning, a description of your essay topic is due
well before the first part of the essay. You should first identify and briefly describe (one or two
paragraphs) the social institution you want to analyze. Next, sketch a timeline of key dates
relevant to your chosen institution. For example, key dates for an essay about public education
may include the founding of the Department of Education, or the beginning of compulsory
education. The topic description should also include a reference list.
Part One (due October 29)
The task for the first essay assignment is to analyze the evolution of the institution you selected
from the perspective of a classical theorist covered in the first two weeks of lecture: Smith,
Marx, Durkheim, Weber, or Polanyi. The essay should begin with a detailed description of the
institution and its history throughout industrialization. Next, interpret the relationship between
the evolution of this institution and industrialization through the lens of the classical theorist you
selected. Particularly insightful essays could also discuss what makes the chosen theorist more
accurate or useful than another.
The essay should be five double-spaced pages long, not including the reference list.
1 of 4
In general, essays that focus on a narrow set of points with strong evidence are clearer than
essays that try to include as much information as possible. This may mean that your analysis
would benefit from focusing on a particular aspect of an institution (i.e., gender inequality within
families, rather than just “the family”). Similarly, it may be difficult to write a well supported
analysis on particularly narrow topic.
Part Two (due December 1)
The second essay adds directly to the first, which you should revise and improve based on your
grader’s comments. The second portion of the essay asks you to hypothesize how the institution
you selected may continue to change in the post-industrial era. This hypothesis should be
grounded in the material from lecture on deindustrialization and post-industrial inequality, as
well as additional source you research. The essay will not be evaluated for the “correctness” of
the hypothesis (which would be impossible anyway). Instead, the goal should be a well reasoned
and supported argument that synthesizes many sources of evidence.
The total essay should be up to ten double-spaced pages long, not including the reference
list.
2 of 4
Submission
The essay should be double spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font, and with one-inch
margins on all sides. There should not be large headings taking up excessive space. Please
submit a paper copy of your essay at the beginning of class on the due date. You should also
submit a pdf copy to SmartSite, under the “assignments” tab by the beginning of class on the due
date. Word documents can easily be saved/exported as pdf files using modern versions of word.
Free software online, including Google Docs, is also able to convert documents to pdf easily.
Requests for extensions must be made at least 48 hours in advance, and with appropriate
documentation. Late assignments will be penalized 10% each day late.
Before submitting your essay, be sure it is consistent with the following:
• All of the main questions above are answered in your essay.
• The main parts of your essay are all supported with references.
• Your essay has used spell/grammar check.
• The in-text citations and reference list are in ASA format (see previous prompt).
• The digital copy is in pdf format.
• Your name and the name of your discussion instructor are at the top of the essay.
Guidelines for Evaluation.
A An “A” is reserved for truly excellent papers. The essay’s argument is
original, insightful, and clearly articulated. The argument addresses all
key questions in the prompt. The paper’s claims are well supported with
appropriate, varied, and properly cited evidence. The paper is also well
written, and the proper length.
B Relative to an “A” paper, any of the following apply:
The paper’s argument is either somewhat unclear, or is less original (but
still addresses all of the key questions in the prompt). The paper’s claims
are not completely supported with appropriate evidence, the range of
evidence is somewhat limited, or the evidence is not properly cited. The
overall clarity or grammer/spelling needs some improvement.
C Relative to an “A” paper, some combination of the above, or any of the
following apply:
The paper’s argument is unclear and/or unoriginal. The argument does
not address all the key questions in the prompt. The paper’s evidence is
limited or inappropriate. The overall writing quality is lacking.
D The paper needs significant improvement in multiple dimensions.
F The paper fails to meet almost all criteria.
3 of 4
A clear and logical argument are essential. Successful essays include a thesis statement,
introductory and concluding paragraphs, and an orderly progression of your argument related to
the thesis statement. The thesis statement should present the main argument of the paper within
the introductory paragraph. An example thesis statement might be, “Growing income inequality
is a social problem because the rich have much greater political influence than the poor, and
government policies will continue to favor the rich over time.” The following paragraphs would
then describe how income inequality is growing, how income inequality is related to political
influence, and why government policies favoring the rich could disadvantage certain groups in
society. Each of these paragraphs should contain a topic sentence which relates to back to the
thesis statement.
I strongly advise you to make a detailed outline of your argument before writing a draft of the
essay. This outline should be based on the guiding questions above. You should also plan to
revise the first draft of your paper, perhaps several times. With each revision, think about how to
make the logical connections between the points as clear as possible. For more help with essay
writing, I encourage you to make an appointment with the Student Academic Success Center. I
also recommend consulting the Online Writing Lab (through Purdue University).
Each element of your argument (including your description of the social institution) should
include references to support it. Be sure that the sources you cite are relevant to the argument at
hand, and make this connection clear. For many arguments, most of your potential reference
material will not contain the exact points you might wish to make. The use of these sources will
require an extra logical step to be relevant to the essay topics. You should clearly explain these
logical steps in your essay. Most essay topics will require many resources such as news articles,
published academic journal articles, and policy reports (i.e., from government agencies or
research institutes). In general, sources such as Wikipedia, internet blogs, and opinion editorials
will not be considered appropriate sources. Please consult your discussion section instructor if
you are not sure a source is acceptable.
Your essay should use the citation format of the American Sociological Association (consult
handouts here and here). This includes both in-text citations, and a reference list for all cited
works at the end of the essay. For example, an in-text citation should look like, “Restrictive
covenants institutionalized segregation by preventing many Black families from buying or
renting homes in predominantly White neighborhoods (Pattillo 2007).” If you are quoting from
the source, insert a colon behind the year and include the page number after it (Pattillo 2007:34).
The reference list would then contain:
Pattillo, Mary. 2007. Black on the Block: The Politics of Race and Class in the City. Chicago, IL:
University of Chicago Press.
In-text references to lecture material should contain the date of the lecture (Finnigan, Lecture
10/10/2015). The lecture material does not need to be included in the reference list.
4 of 4

Growth and empowerment of women labor force
Soc 141: Industrialization and Social Change
Prof. Finnigan
Cumulative Essay Assignment
A major portion of this course is the cumulative two-part essay assignment. Ultimately, the paper
will analyze the evolution throughout industrialization of a social institution of your choosing
from the perspective of a classical theorist, then hypothesize how the institution will continue to
evolve in the post-industrial era. Successful essays will carefully document the history of the
selected institution, demonstrate a thorough understanding of the chosen theorists’ perspective,
and ground its hypothesis for future change in contemporary evidence. The total length of the
essay should be about eight to ten double-spaced pages.
The following sections describe the specific topics for each part of the essay, and the general
criteria for evaluation.
Essay Topic (due October 13)
First, what is a “social institution”? The word institution often conjures images of formal
organizations, like schools or hospitals. However, references like marriage as an institution
paints a different picture. Broadly, a social institution is a set of formal or informal rules to
regulate social relations. Institutions can take many forms, and be of many different sizes.
Examples include the family, women’s labor force participation, and taxi driving.
To help keep your essays on track from the beginning, a description of your essay topic is due
well before the first part of the essay. You should first identify and briefly describe (one or two
paragraphs) the social institution you want to analyze. Next, sketch a timeline of key dates
relevant to your chosen institution. For example, key dates for an essay about public education
may include the founding of the Department of Education, or the beginning of compulsory
education. The topic description should also include a reference list.
Part One (due October 29)
The task for the first essay assignment is to analyze the evolution of the institution you selected
from the perspective of a classical theorist covered in the first two weeks of lecture: Smith,
Marx, Durkheim, Weber, or Polanyi. The essay should begin with a detailed description of the
institution and its history throughout industrialization. Next, interpret the relationship between
the evolution of this institution and industrialization through the lens of the classical theorist you
selected. Particularly insightful essays could also discuss what makes the chosen theorist more
accurate or useful than another.
The essay should be five double-spaced pages long, not including the reference list.
1 of 4
In general, essays that focus on a narrow set of points with strong evidence are clearer than
essays that try to include as much information as possible. This may mean that your analysis
would benefit from focusing on a particular aspect of an institution (i.e., gender inequality within
families, rather than just “the family”). Similarly, it may be difficult to write a well supported
analysis on particularly narrow topic.
Part Two (due December 1)
The second essay adds directly to the first, which you should revise and improve based on your
grader’s comments. The second portion of the essay asks you to hypothesize how the institution
you selected may continue to change in the post-industrial era. This hypothesis should be
grounded in the material from lecture on deindustrialization and post-industrial inequality, as
well as additional source you research. The essay will not be evaluated for the “correctness” of
the hypothesis (which would be impossible anyway). Instead, the goal should be a well reasoned
and supported argument that synthesizes many sources of evidence.
The total essay should be up to ten double-spaced pages long, not including the reference
list.
2 of 4
Submission
The essay should be double spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font, and with one-inch
margins on all sides. There should not be large headings taking up excessive space. Please
submit a paper copy of your essay at the beginning of class on the due date. You should also
submit a pdf copy to SmartSite, under the “assignments” tab by the beginning of class on the due
date. Word documents can easily be saved/exported as pdf files using modern versions of word.
Free software online, including Google Docs, is also able to convert documents to pdf easily.
Requests for extensions must be made at least 48 hours in advance, and with appropriate
documentation. Late assignments will be penalized 10% each day late.
Before submitting your essay, be sure it is consistent with the following:
• All of the main questions above are answered in your essay.
• The main parts of your essay are all supported with references.
• Your essay has used spell/grammar check.
• The in-text citations and reference list are in ASA format (see previous prompt).
• The digital copy is in pdf format.
• Your name and the name of your discussion instructor are at the top of the essay.
Guidelines for Evaluation.
A An “A” is reserved for truly excellent papers. The essay’s argument is
original, insightful, and clearly articulated. The argument addresses all
key questions in the prompt. The paper’s claims are well supported with
appropriate, varied, and properly cited evidence. The paper is also well
written, and the proper length.
B Relative to an “A” paper, any of the following apply:
The paper’s argument is either somewhat unclear, or is less original (but
still addresses all of the key questions in the prompt). The paper’s claims
are not completely supported with appropriate evidence, the range of
evidence is somewhat limited, or the evidence is not properly cited. The
overall clarity or grammer/spelling needs some improvement.
C Relative to an “A” paper, some combination of the above, or any of the
following apply:
The paper’s argument is unclear and/or unoriginal. The argument does
not address all the key questions in the prompt. The paper’s evidence is
limited or inappropriate. The overall writing quality is lacking.
D The paper needs significant improvement in multiple dimensions.
F The paper fails to meet almost all criteria.
3 of 4
A clear and logical argument are essential. Successful essays include a thesis statement,
introductory and concluding paragraphs, and an orderly progression of your argument related to
the thesis statement. The thesis statement should present the main argument of the paper within
the introductory paragraph. An example thesis statement might be, “Growing income inequality
is a social problem because the rich have much greater political influence than the poor, and
government policies will continue to favor the rich over time.” The following paragraphs would
then describe how income inequality is growing, how income inequality is related to political
influence, and why government policies favoring the rich could disadvantage certain groups in
society. Each of these paragraphs should contain a topic sentence which relates to back to the
thesis statement.
I strongly advise you to make a detailed outline of your argument before writing a draft of the
essay. This outline should be based on the guiding questions above. You should also plan to
revise the first draft of your paper, perhaps several times. With each revision, think about how to
make the logical connections between the points as clear as possible. For more help with essay
writing, I encourage you to make an appointment with the Student Academic Success Center. I
also recommend consulting the Online Writing Lab (through Purdue University).
Each element of your argument (including your description of the social institution) should
include references to support it. Be sure that the sources you cite are relevant to the argument at
hand, and make this connection clear. For many arguments, most of your potential reference
material will not contain the exact points you might wish to make. The use of these sources will
require an extra logical step to be relevant to the essay topics. You should clearly explain these
logical steps in your essay. Most essay topics will require many resources such as news articles,
published academic journal articles, and policy reports (i.e., from government agencies or
research institutes). In general, sources such as Wikipedia, internet blogs, and opinion editorials
will not be considered appropriate sources. Please consult your discussion section instructor if
you are not sure a source is acceptable.
Your essay should use the citation format of the American Sociological Association (consult
handouts here and here). This includes both in-text citations, and a reference list for all cited
works at the end of the essay. For example, an in-text citation should look like, “Restrictive
covenants institutionalized segregation by preventing many Black families from buying or
renting homes in predominantly White neighborhoods (Pattillo 2007).” If you are quoting from
the source, insert a colon behind the year and include the page number after it (Pattillo 2007:34).
The reference list would then contain:
Pattillo, Mary. 2007. Black on the Block: The Politics of Race and Class in the City. Chicago, IL:
University of Chicago Press.
In-text references to lecture material should contain the date of the lecture (Finnigan, Lecture
10/10/2015). The lecture material does not need to be included in the reference list.
4 of 4

Growth and empowerment of women labor force
Soc 141: Industrialization and Social Change
Prof. Finnigan
Cumulative Essay Assignment
A major portion of this course is the cumulative two-part essay assignment. Ultimately, the paper
will analyze the evolution throughout industrialization of a social institution of your choosing
from the perspective of a classical theorist, then hypothesize how the institution will continue to
evolve in the post-industrial era. Successful essays will carefully document the history of the
selected institution, demonstrate a thorough understanding of the chosen theorists’ perspective,
and ground its hypothesis for future change in contemporary evidence. The total length of the
essay should be about eight to ten double-spaced pages.
The following sections describe the specific topics for each part of the essay, and the general
criteria for evaluation.
Essay Topic (due October 13)
First, what is a “social institution”? The word institution often conjures images of formal
organizations, like schools or hospitals. However, references like marriage as an institution
paints a different picture. Broadly, a social institution is a set of formal or informal rules to
regulate social relations. Institutions can take many forms, and be of many different sizes.
Examples include the family, women’s labor force participation, and taxi driving.
To help keep your essays on track from the beginning, a description of your essay topic is due
well before the first part of the essay. You should first identify and briefly describe (one or two
paragraphs) the social institution you want to analyze. Next, sketch a timeline of key dates
relevant to your chosen institution. For example, key dates for an essay about public education
may include the founding of the Department of Education, or the beginning of compulsory
education. The topic description should also include a reference list.
Part One (due October 29)
The task for the first essay assignment is to analyze the evolution of the institution you selected
from the perspective of a classical theorist covered in the first two weeks of lecture: Smith,
Marx, Durkheim, Weber, or Polanyi. The essay should begin with a detailed description of the
institution and its history throughout industrialization. Next, interpret the relationship between
the evolution of this institution and industrialization through the lens of the classical theorist you
selected. Particularly insightful essays could also discuss what makes the chosen theorist more
accurate or useful than another.
The essay should be five double-spaced pages long, not including the reference list.
1 of 4
In general, essays that focus on a narrow set of points with strong evidence are clearer than
essays that try to include as much information as possible. This may mean that your analysis
would benefit from focusing on a particular aspect of an institution (i.e., gender inequality within
families, rather than just “the family”). Similarly, it may be difficult to write a well supported
analysis on particularly narrow topic.
Part Two (due December 1)
The second essay adds directly to the first, which you should revise and improve based on your
grader’s comments. The second portion of the essay asks you to hypothesize how the institution
you selected may continue to change in the post-industrial era. This hypothesis should be
grounded in the material from lecture on deindustrialization and post-industrial inequality, as
well as additional source you research. The essay will not be evaluated for the “correctness” of
the hypothesis (which would be impossible anyway). Instead, the goal should be a well reasoned
and supported argument that synthesizes many sources of evidence.
The total essay should be up to ten double-spaced pages long, not including the reference
list.
2 of 4
Submission
The essay should be double spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font, and with one-inch
margins on all sides. There should not be large headings taking up excessive space. Please
submit a paper copy of your essay at the beginning of class on the due date. You should also
submit a pdf copy to SmartSite, under the “assignments” tab by the beginning of class on the due
date. Word documents can easily be saved/exported as pdf files using modern versions of word.
Free software online, including Google Docs, is also able to convert documents to pdf easily.
Requests for extensions must be made at least 48 hours in advance, and with appropriate
documentation. Late assignments will be penalized 10% each day late.
Before submitting your essay, be sure it is consistent with the following:
• All of the main questions above are answered in your essay.
• The main parts of your essay are all supported with references.
• Your essay has used spell/grammar check.
• The in-text citations and reference list are in ASA format (see previous prompt).
• The digital copy is in pdf format.
• Your name and the name of your discussion instructor are at the top of the essay.
Guidelines for Evaluation.
A An “A” is reserved for truly excellent papers. The essay’s argument is
original, insightful, and clearly articulated. The argument addresses all
key questions in the prompt. The paper’s claims are well supported with
appropriate, varied, and properly cited evidence. The paper is also well
written, and the proper length.
B Relative to an “A” paper, any of the following apply:
The paper’s argument is either somewhat unclear, or is less original (but
still addresses all of the key questions in the prompt). The paper’s claims
are not completely supported with appropriate evidence, the range of
evidence is somewhat limited, or the evidence is not properly cited. The
overall clarity or grammer/spelling needs some improvement.
C Relative to an “A” paper, some combination of the above, or any of the
following apply:
The paper’s argument is unclear and/or unoriginal. The argument does
not address all the key questions in the prompt. The paper’s evidence is
limited or inappropriate. The overall writing quality is lacking.
D The paper needs significant improvement in multiple dimensions.
F The paper fails to meet almost all criteria.
3 of 4
A clear and logical argument are essential. Successful essays include a thesis statement,
introductory and concluding paragraphs, and an orderly progression of your argument related to
the thesis statement. The thesis statement should present the main argument of the paper within
the introductory paragraph. An example thesis statement might be, “Growing income inequality
is a social problem because the rich have much greater political influence than the poor, and
government policies will continue to favor the rich over time.” The following paragraphs would
then describe how income inequality is growing, how income inequality is related to political
influence, and why government policies favoring the rich could disadvantage certain groups in
society. Each of these paragraphs should contain a topic sentence which relates to back to the
thesis statement.
I strongly advise you to make a detailed outline of your argument before writing a draft of the
essay. This outline should be based on the guiding questions above. You should also plan to
revise the first draft of your paper, perhaps several times. With each revision, think about how to
make the logical connections between the points as clear as possible. For more help with essay
writing, I encourage you to make an appointment with the Student Academic Success Center. I
also recommend consulting the Online Writing Lab (through Purdue University).
Each element of your argument (including your description of the social institution) should
include references to support it. Be sure that the sources you cite are relevant to the argument at
hand, and make this connection clear. For many arguments, most of your potential reference
material will not contain the exact points you might wish to make. The use of these sources will
require an extra logical step to be relevant to the essay topics. You should clearly explain these
logical steps in your essay. Most essay topics will require many resources such as news articles,
published academic journal articles, and policy reports (i.e., from government agencies or
research institutes). In general, sources such as Wikipedia, internet blogs, and opinion editorials
will not be considered appropriate sources. Please consult your discussion section instructor if
you are not sure a source is acceptable.
Your essay should use the citation format of the American Sociological Association (consult
handouts here and here). This includes both in-text citations, and a reference list for all cited
works at the end of the essay. For example, an in-text citation should look like, “Restrictive
covenants institutionalized segregation by preventing many Black families from buying or
renting homes in predominantly White neighborhoods (Pattillo 2007).” If you are quoting from
the source, insert a colon behind the year and include the page number after it (Pattillo 2007:34).
The reference list would then contain:
Pattillo, Mary. 2007. Black on the Block: The Politics of Race and Class in the City. Chicago, IL:
University of Chicago Press.
In-text references to lecture material should contain the date of the lecture (Finnigan, Lecture
10/10/2015). The lecture material does not need to be included in the reference list.
4 of 4