Sociology in My Career Pathway

Critical Thinking Writing Assignment

Learning Outcomes:
1. Explain major sociological concepts, theories, and perspectives.
2. Apply sociological concepts to personal, social, and career-specific issues.
3. Demonstrate critical thinking skills in writing through the application,
analysis, and synthesis of sociological theory and research.
4. Identify a culturally specific issue in one’s career and explain
potential research-based solutions/interventions that will enhance
cultural awareness.

Product:
Write an 1,000- to 1,500-word essay (not including title and references pages) in which you
will apply, analyze, and synthesize sociological concepts to a social issue related to your
future career. In the essay, you will need to clearly identify your future career path and why
you have chosen it, and then explain how what you have learned in sociology will enhance
your future career path.

Grading:
This assignment is required and is worth 100 points. The rubric will be used to assess this
assignment. Please review the rubric before you start this assignment and once you complete
your essay.

Instructions:
The Sociology in My Career Pathway essay will require you to use your critical thinking skills
and your writing ability to address a question of primary importance: How will you use
sociology to understand a social issue related to your future career? To successfully answer
this question, you must be able to analyze and synthesize sociological theories, concepts, and
research and be able to apply them to your social issue. In your essay, you will also need to
clearly identify your future career path and why you have chosen it, and explain how what you
have learned in sociology will enhance your future career path.
1. Select your career path.
2. Research a social issue that is relevant to your career.
3. Select a theory that is discussed in the textbook.
4. Use this theory to explain the cause of the social issue.
5. Use your TWO instructor-approved, empirical journal articles to identify and
explain the effects and potential solutions to your social issue.
6. Reflect on how your sociological understanding will enhance your career path.

Reminders:
1. You must use APA formatting for the essay. See the myLearning Module
“Resources: Avoiding Plagiarism & Using APA Style 7th ed.” for guidance on
 how to use APA format. Paraphrase or summarize the material in your own
words as much as possible.
2. Your essay should follow the formatting of the outline used in a previous
assignment, i.e. there should be five headings (Introduction through
Reflection).
3. Your essay will use two TYPES of sources:
a. The first source for this assignment is TWO instructor approved
empirical peer-reviewed journal articles published after 2010 which
address your social issue. These will be referenced in sections two, five,
and six of the paper (but can be used anywhere).
b. The second source for this assignment is THREE credible public
sources published after 2010 that examines your social issue. These
sources will be used to support your arguments throughout the
paper. Note, the course textbook can be used as one of your credible
sources.
Paper Outline:

I. Introduction (this section in your term paper will be approximately 150 words)
a. Create a thesis statement (e.g. “This paper will discuss the career pathway of a
zoologist and the implication of deforestation.”).
b. Identify your future career pathway.
c. Explain why you have chosen this career pathway.
d. Identify a social issue relevant to your career.
II. Research-based analysis of social issue (this section in your term paper will be
approximately 450-600 words)
a. Describe the social issue clearly and comprehensively, including all information
necessary for full understanding: identify the main aspects of the social issue,
provide examples, describe areas where there is disagreement among scholars,
and use clear reasoning.
b. Identify and explain the potential effects of the social issue on an individual in
your career pathway (micro-level), as described by your references (see textbook
section 1.1 for a discussion of microanalysis and macroanalysis).
c. Identify and explain the potential effects of the social issue on society at large
(societal/structural/organizational; macro-level), as described by your references.
d. Determine how cultural issues are relevant to your social issue and briefly explain
why and how. Almost all social problems have cultural connections, since they
are affected by language, norms, values, beliefs, etc. Be sure to incorporate
references into your discussion.
III. Research-based social issue solutions (this section in your term paper will be
approximately 150-300 words)
a. Identify an individual (micro-level) solution to your social issue – a solution you
can personally implement to reduce or eliminate this issue, as described by your
references.
b. Identify a macro-level (societal/structural/organizational) solution to the social
issue, as described by your references.
IV. Application of theory to your chosen social issue (this section in your term paper will be
approximately 150 words)
a. Identify a sociological theory found in the textbook and two concepts or ideas
from that theory that are relevant to your social issue.
b. Provide a general description of the theory.
c. Apply the two theory concepts to your social issue.
d. Explain the cause of your social issue according to your chosen theory.
V. Reflection (this section in your term paper will be approximately 150 words)
a. Identify how the knowledge attained reinforced or changed your perspective on
your career pathway.
b. Identify how the knowledge attained increased your awareness of the complexity
of the issue.