Socialization Paper / Project

This project has a dual focus:

ü      To gain awareness of socializing forces in American culture

ü      To gain awareness of similar or competing forces in other cultures

Each project should have two or three authors.

Overview:

1. Select a focal topic  such as gender, social class, education, work place behavior, professions, family behavior, or peer groups.
2. Use the CSS Library, your textbook, meetings with your professor, and other resources to identify some typologies or variables that are at work in your focal topic.
3. Explore the research on socialization in this area.
4. Present socialization in the U.S. context with typologies or research findings.
5. Locate a resource exploring this dimension in another culture. This might be a movie made by a film-maker in that culture, magazines or publications from that culture, or a series of news stories (see the BBC) related to that culture.
6. Compare and contrast socialization in the non-US culture to US socialization.
7. Create a presentation that can be posted on our blog.  This could be:
   • a PowerPoint slide show
   • a mini-video
   • a PDF of a traditional paper including images
   • an audio podcast
8. How long should it be?  It should present at least 4 aspects of socialization (e.g., 4 types, or
   4 elements or 4 different methods or 4 theories) in the U.S. context.  It should make at least two distinct comparisons with the non-US culture.  It should be an appropriate length to accomplish that.
9. Do include full citations for any material that you use (video clips, songs).  This is an academic project, so you are covered by the Fair Use provisions of copyright law.

Due date:  Wednesday 12 March

Example Socialization Project 5: Social Class from PBS

Links to two clips from the PBS series People Like Us: Class in America.

You Are Your Stuff  – possessions as class markers

More WASP Lessons – behaviors, speech patters, clothing as class markers.

Example Socialization Project 4: Alcohol & Tobacco

An example considering the impact of advertising on consumption of alcohol and tobacco.

Notice the inclusion of research findings that are contrary to the message of the advertising.

Example Socialization Project 3: Media & Gender

A short version of a one-hour film available in the CSS library, focusing on the impact of media advertising on women.

The speaker and researcher in this video makes disparaging remarks about men that, in fact, undercut her message of the importance of respect. Her analysis and her research is accurate and well-done; it offers an excellent example of approaching everyday materials analytically.

Example Socialization Project 2: British

This example focuses on the topic of peer groups.

It names types of groups but does not define them.

It explores the experience of receiving pressure, but does not make the typologies as clear as other examples.

It does use a research report at the end, to draw its material together.

Example Socialization Project from YouTube

 A project focusing on gender role socialization.

Techniques used:

• Contrast of visual images from searching
• Contrast of typologies of female roles
• Contrast of typologies of male roles
• Use of popular culture (TV, music) as representative of media socialization