please remember to follow the assignment directions as well as APA guidelines and provide in-text citations throughout the paper as required. The theory section should also have in-text citations.
SOC 111: Introduction to Sociology: Culture & Norm Assignment Class, For this assignment, you are required to write a 5-page paper (not including title & reference pages) on the importance of following social norms in our culture. Please use your best writing skills! Proof-read and spell check your paper, before you submit the assignment. Your paper must be written in APA format, be at least 5-pages in length and include a title page. Please note that references will be required. This section will be worth 10 points. However, if any portion of the format is missing your paper will be deducted the full -10 points. Step One: Write and Complete the Assignment Paper - Required Information: 1. Briefly define the Sociological definition of social norms. 2. Discuss the differences between social norms and laws. 3. Discuss why following social norms are important in our culture. 4. Discuss why the social environment is important to labeling a social norm a violation. 5. Discuss and explain social sanctions and how and why society labels those individuals who choose not to follow societal norms 6. How do race, class, and/or gender affect social norms violation (others opinion of it, and response to the violation, different sanctions that might be brought against different groups or person engaging in the same act)? 7. In your conclusion section of the paper describe: a. What did you learn about societal norms and social control (informal and formal)? b. What other observations can you make about social norms? Culture and Norms Assignment Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the informal pressures to conform social norms 2. Understand the sources of internal/external social controls 3. Understand personal power in various social/environment settings Note: Please be sure to follow the directions carefully; points will be deducted if you do not. This assignment is created to help you understand the concept of internal/external social controls. The culture and norm assignment paper will be worth a maximum of 100 points and will be due on the date outlined in the syllabus (end of the day). After the cut-off time of 11:59 pm the assignment link will close preventing submission of your assignment. Please do not wait until the last possible minute to submit your paper. Remember that late papers will not be accepted, no exceptions. Culture & Norm Assignment Grading Rubric Assignment Rubric for Grading: Below is the grading rubric for this assignment. Please follow the assignment directions as well as use the grading rubric to complete your assignment. Please follow the rubric and assignment directions to successfully complete the assignment. Each section is worth a specified point total. Your paper will be graded according to the grading rubric. Grading Rubric Part 1: The paper is at least 5 pages in length, typed and double- spaced. The paper follows APA guidelines including a title, headings, and a reference page with at least 5 references as well as provides in-text citations. Please note that if one or more of these requirements are missing you will be deducted the full -10 points. Grading Rubric Part 2: The paper must provide the required information in full detail and follow the required assignment directions and format: (90 points total). • Definition - The paper provides a Sociological definition of social norms (5 points). • Social Norms versus Laws - The paper discusses in detail the differences between social norms and laws (10 points). • Culture and Norms - The paper discusses in detail why following social norms are important in our culture (10 points). • The Social Environment - The paper discusses in detail why the social environment is important to labeling a social norm a violation or accepting behavior as normal (10 points). • Social Sanctions - The paper discusses and explains in detail social sanctions and how and why society labels individuals who choose not to follow societal norms (20 points). • Individual Factors - The paper discusses in detail how race, class, and/or gender affect social norms violation (society’s opinion of it, and the response to the violation, how different sanctions might be brought against different groups or person engaging in the same act)? (20 points) • Conclusion – The paper provides a conclusion section of the paper describes 1) What did you learn about societal norms and social control (informal and formal)?and 2} What other observations can you make about social norms? (15 points possible) **Please note that 10 points will be automatically deducted if the paper does not follow the assignment formatting requirements such as providing title/reference pages, page length, and the quality of your paper including organization, formatting and following APA guidelines including headings and in-text citations. Feedback will be provided via Blackboard. Alternative Norm Violation Assignment 1 EXAMPLE: DO NOT COPY/PASTE Culture and Social Norm Violation Assignment How Violations of Social Norms Affect Society [Student Example] SOC 111 Professor Small Wichita State University Alternative Norm Violation Assignment 2 Sociological Definition of Social Norms Social norms are the informal rules that govern behavior in groups and societies (Winter, 2018). This means that social norms are basically unspoken rules that regulate how a certain individual should act in public. For example, if you are a boy you are supposed to primarily be strong and athletic. Whereas, if you are a girl you are more closed off and shy. Even in certain setting Social norms appear. For example, if you are at church you are supposed to act a certain way. If you are in church the social norms are that you sit, stand, or kneel when you are supposed to. While at church you are also supposed to be reverent to whatever is going on at the altar. If one of these social norms is violated it could be frowned upon in a whole community. Even if a boy is more feminine then people think they should, they will be weirded out and give the boy negative attention. Differences Between Social Norms and Laws As discussed in the above paragraph a social norm is the informal rule that governs behavior in groups and societies. A law is a system of rules which a particular country recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties (Webster, 1828). The main difference between social norms and laws is that with a law, they are enforced and there can be serious consequences from breaking a law, this could include jail time or community service. There are about five other differences between a social norm and a law. The first is obligatory, the norm in itself only marks the behavior, but if a social norm is broken, it doesn’t imply incurring crime unless it is a legal norm. The second is provenance, social norms are established by the majority of a community. As for a law it is established by the legislature and must be previously approved by Congress (Jean, 2019). The third difference is target. The law should apply to all cased without exception, whereas the norm Alternative Norm Violation Assignment 3 can be addressed to a specific group of people or to a very specific situation (Jean, 2019). The fourth difference is flexibility and change. Norms can be reinterpreted with certain ease. Laws however require a procedure that can be complicated. The fifth and final difference is consequences for non-compliance. For laws there will always be a sanction and these sanctions are already determined prior to the non-compliance. For a norm it is possible for there to be no preestablished punishment (Jean, 2019). However, for a norm the society or community may have punishments for non-compliance behavior. Social Norms and the Importance in our Culture Social Norms are very important in our culture today. They frame what is morally right and wrong. Human beings need norms to guide their behavior and to provide order in social relationships. Social norms are also important to our culture because it helps us as an individual to understand each other’s actions (McLeod, 2008). However, social norms are not always good for the culture around us. For example, some people still believe that it is socially unacceptable for two men to be married. This is a social norm for some people, and it is not correct. Social roles are also very important to our culture. Social roles are the part people play as members of a social group (McLeod, 2008). With each social role you adopt, your behavior changes to fit the expectations both you and others have of that role (McLeod, 2008). Environmental Importance of Social Norm Violations In the face of environmental issues, the problem starts with human behavior. When the prevalence of anti-environmental behaviors is very high, it’s not recommended to create messages that show the prevalence, but instead to depict images of what not to do (Sevillano and Olivos, 2019). There are two different types of behavior when it comes to environment. The first is civic behavior. An example of civic behavior is littering. The second type of behavior is post- Alternative Norm Violation Assignment 4 environment behavior. An example of this type of behavior is energy saving in homes, species conservation, and recycling. When it comes to environmental ads there are two types. One is saying what people have done in the past and the other is telling people what not to do. When people see what other people have done, they think it’s okay, but if they see that there is an obvious behavior to portray, they will follow the second ad which tells them what not to do. These are known as descriptive and prescriptive norms. Some ways to go about descriptive norms are that you shouldn’t use these for anti-environmental behavior, take into the account of the previous behavior of participants, indicate a goal, and clearly identify (Sevillan and Olivos, 2019). Some recommendations for prescriptive norms are to indicate the specific behavior desired, ensure the correct understanding of the info provided, and add an achievement indicator (Sevillan and Olivos, 2019). Social