Social Stratification in Kern County Research Paper

 

 

Research Paper

The focus of this paper is to explore how residential patterns affect intergroup relations. You will use research approaches such as observation and secondary data analysis to further understand your community. Remember, you should conduct the observation (Step 2 below) on the same locale for which you completed the demographic report in your Week Three assignment (Step 1 below). If you are currently overseas or have other barriers that prevent you from physically accessing a location in the U.S., please contact your instructor for alternative assignment instructions.

Step 1: Using Secondary Data
Use the data gathered on your chosen locality in the Week Three assignment, “Demographic Report,” and implement any feedback from your instructor into your paper. If more data is needed, use demographic data from the latest census (available online using the US Census American FactFinder (Links to an external site.)) and identify the various social and economic characteristics (i.e., education, population, housing, race, class, etc.) of this locale. You can also check government websites for your state, county or city for data. Present your findings in two to three pages of the paper.

Step 2: Using an Observational Study
Next, spend 30 to 60 minutes observing your community. Go to a central place in your town such as the center of the city, a major landmark, or you can drive or walk to different areas and observe for a few minutes. Take notes of what you observe, including the types of people you see, the economic conditions, as well as the businesses or other institutions that are present. Based on your observations, what can you tell about the economic condition of the majority of people? Is the locale integrated or segregated? In this step, consider the information you have gathered in Step 1 regarding social and economic characteristics, and identify whether it matches what you have recorded from your observation. Be sure to compare the data you gathered from your observations to what was found in the census data and make note if there are differences. Present your findings in one to two pages of the paper.

Step 3: Analysis and Reporting of Research
Analyze your data and present your responses in two to three pages in the paper:

Describe how segregated the neighborhoods are in your locality. Be sure to consider the various social inequality indicators: race, ethnicity, class, gender, and perhaps sexuality for some areas.

Indicate if there are policies, practices, or specific circumstances that have created and maintained these patterns.

Here are some examples of aspects to consider: Historically, has there always been racial segregation or not? Was it traditionally an area of immigration from a certain ethnic region? Is there an LGBT community? Was it an industrial area that had a strong working class community, or is it a technology area with highly educated citizens? Have there been efforts to desegregate or plans in the future?

In Chapter 1 and throughout the text, you have explored several sociological theoretical perspectives. Indicate which theoretical perspective best presents your analysis of your locality. Describe why you have chosen this theoretical perspective and ensure you include detail on which theorist’s work is most representative.

The Research Paper:

Must be seven to nine double-spaced pages in length (excluding title and reference pages), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Must include a title page with the following:

Title of paper

Student’s name

Course name and number

Instructor’s name

• Date submitted

Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.

• Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.

Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.

Must use at least five scholarly resources, including a minimum of two from the Ashford University Library.

Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links 

• Required Resources

Text

Durkin, K. F., & Carrothers, R. M. (2015). Sociology: Beyond common sense [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

Chapter 12: Collective Behavior, Social Change, and Contemporary Society

Articles

• Fuchs, S., & Plass, P. S. (1999). Sociology and social movements. Contempory Saociology, 28 (3), 271-277. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2654139

The full-text version of this article can be accessed through the JSTOR database in the Ashford University Library. This resource is provided as an alternative and supplemental viewpoint to the text and provides greater detail in relation to the topic of social movements.

• Hargittai, E. (2003). The digital divide and what to do about it (Links to an external site.). In D.C. Jones (Ed.), New Economy Handbook. Retrieved from http://www.eszter.com/research/pubs/hargittai-digi…

This resource is provided as an alternative and supplemental viewpoint to the text and provides greater detail in relation to the topic of social change.

Multimedia

• TED. (Producer). (2003, February).  Wade Davis: Dreams from endangered cultures (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_on_endangered_…
• The video depicts how social change is destroying various cultures and provides a visual interpretation of Social Change that is supplemental to the text.
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• Due to current physical distancing restrictions in place throughout the US, the ‘observational walk of your neighborhood’ mentioned in the Week 3 Assignment and assigned in the Week 5 Research Paper, should not be performed.  Instead of performing this observation, you should do the following:Watch this short video, ‘Sociology of Walking’.  https://youtu.be/Zcn-q0k-r0I (Links to an external site.)  The video will help you get in the frame of mind of the kinds of things you should consider about where you live. Perform a YouTube search of your town or city, using a search criteria such as “neighborhood walk in [name of town]”, and check a local Government or community website for city-cams or videos of where you live.  If you do a quick search you can usually find something.  If these are unavailable, then refer to memory, and think about some of the things Dr. Back mentions in the Sociology of Walking video when you consider where you live.