Grading Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to practice providing a grade and feedback grounded in a rubric.

1. Review the essay prompts.

2. Review the grading information and rubric.

3. Review the essays provided in response to each essay prompt.

4. Provide each essay a grade out of 10 pts, tied to the rubric, and provide feedback of at least two
sentences. More may be required.

5. Each essay grade/feedback will receive a score out of 5 pts, for a total of 20 pts.

6. Your work will be graded on:

 how well you interpret and apply the essay rubric (1 pt).
 the nature of the feedback you provide (your ability to be specific, target your feedback to
support the writer, identify areas they need to work on, and identify something the writer did
well, etc.). (2 pts)
 your ability to identify copied material that is not cited (if any) and your ability to call out major
issues (if any) and adjust the grade accordingly. (2 pts)
 I am not sure how long this assignment will take, but allow at least 20 minutes per essay.

I tried to provide essays that reflect a wide range of abilities. I edited some essays. That does not mean
there is a perfect essay, a "B" essay, a "C" essay, and a terrible essay.

The students who contributed these essays were enrolled in a course of mine. In that course, students
were told that any work they submitted might be used as example work in other classes, and that they
had the right to request their work not be used in that way.

To complete this assignment, you will copy or download the material I provide, then upload a word
document that includes your grade and feedback for each essay. I recommend emailing back-up copies
to me, pasted directly into an email. I would rather receive 3 copies than one copy I am not able to
access.
 Rubric

When you assign a grade for each essay, you must provide feedback that explains where the grade came
from; that explanation must relate specifically to this rubric.

2 1 0
ASA style All quotes, definitions, Some summarized Most/all quoted
and summary material is not cited; summarized material is
statements are there is a quote with not cited, reference list
correctly cited in the no citation, references is incomplete or
ASA style; each citation are incomplete or missing.
is accompanied by a consist of a pasted web
complete reference. address.
Grammar/spelling, Essay has few errors in Response may be too Response is far too
length spelling/grammar. short fully address the short, written without
Essay is long enough to prompt. There are enough detail or
fully address the more than a few errors examples. There are so
prompt. in grammar/spelling. many errors with
writing mechanics the
response is difficult to
understand.
Relevance of response Response reflects Response provides Response
original thinking. examples, but those demonstrates minimal
Response provides examples are not well- effort, provides more
thoughtfully chosen chosen. Response is unsupported opinions
examples. perfunctory and lacks than analysis. Response
detail. wanders off-topic.
Sociological thinking Response is clearly Response Response displays no
sociological in nature, demonstrates thought, evidence of any
referring specifically to but not necessarily perspectives or
ideas, concepts, and sociological thinking. concepts from the
theories from the field. An attempt was made social sciences.
to frame response
within the social
sciences but does not
refer specifically to
ideas within sociology.
Contribution to class Assume student Assume student Assume student
dialogue provided an intelligent provided an intelligent provided an intelligent
response to a peer and response to a peer and response to a peer and
assign 2 pts for this assign 2 pts for this assign 2 pts for this
category. category. category.
 Essay One

Prompt: There are three primary sociological perspectives; Functionalism, Conflict, and Symbolic-
Interactionist. Briefly summarize each theoretical perspective in your own words, citing whichever
source you used to understand the theories even if you did not copy the definition word for word.
Analyze a social institution using each of the three perspectives.

Response: The three sociological perspectives in focus are Functionalism, Conflict, and Symbolic-
Interactionist.

Functionalism is "the theory that various social institutions and processes in a society exists to serve an
important or needed function so a society can function efficiently."(Conley, 2019, 32)

Conflict Theory is" the idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic, animating force of
social change and society in general. (Conley, 2019, 33)

Car Dealerships

The social perspective on the functionalism of car dealerships are tailored by the needs of the buyer.
Humans need cars in order to travel and have the ability to travel great distances in minimal time and
moving about freely. Car dealerships play a role by providing the best product for that individual.
Automakers such as Honda, Ford, and Chevy, who have reputable product must maintain sales to stay
on top of others such as Ram, Hyundai, and Kia. This brings me to the conflict theory.

The conflict is that competition between car dealerships especially during the COVID-19 pandemic have
become scarce. Due to several border restrictions and the demand for popular vehicles has slowed the
auto industry significantly and has be forced to get ahead of the online sales curve. This means
competing with online dealers such and Autotrader and Carvana. Michael Corey, President of Jack-
Sherman Toyota, stated that car sales have suffered a 70% decrease.([Link], 2020). This leaves the
majority of all car dealerships to work harder to establish themselves against companies that already
have this tactic of making online sales easier for society.

Social Interactionism has literally driven this wave of innovation and virtual online system has provided
different ways to communicate with the buyers without being exposed to possible COVID-19 symptoms.
"President Rick Jindra stated his main concern was everyone being safe and only partaking in face-to-
face sales if necessary. (J. Arpey, 2019)

References:

1. Conley, Dalton. 2019. You May Ask Yourself; An Introduction To Thinking Like A Sociologist. New York.
W. W. Norton

2. Arpey, J., 2020. 'The Wave Of The Future': COVID-19 Forces Car Dealers To Get Ahead Of The Online
Sales Curve. [online] WBNG. [Link]
dealers-to-get-ahead-of-the-online-sales-curve/> [Accessed 17 August 2020].
Prompt: Using at least two concepts from Chapter 6 and at least three sources (.org, .edu, .gov) discuss
one of the following topics. Make sure you clearly define the ideas you introduce (for example, there are
varying definitions of what it means to "defund" the police). Topics sometimes overlap.

Defunding the Police

Capital Punishment

Mandatory Minimums

Community Policing

Corporate Crime

Militarization of the Police

Response: Within society, there are set rules and norms in which individuals must obey. However, we do
not live in a perfect world and some individuals may go against the societal norms and commit a crime.
Conley defines a crime as formal deviance, meaning that there was a violation of laws that were enacted
by society. When a crime has been committed, the individual who broke the law must be seen in court
and sentenced by a judge.

In the past, judges were able to use their judgment and federal sentencing guidelines to come to a
decision on a case. They would consider the merits of the case and hand out their sentence. However,
this all changed in 1984 when the Sentencing Reform Act was passed (“The History Behind Mandatory
Minimums, 2020). This new sentencing was referred to as mandatory minimums. As the name states,
mandatory minimums are minimum sentences that are not up to interpretation. It didn’t matter if the
offender had no history of criminal activity, the judges were bound by law to hand down a sentence
minimum.

There are people who agree with mandatory minimums and there are people who disagree. Proponents
of mandatory minimum sentencing penalties believe that they are an effective deterrent against drug
and weapon crimes and sexual assault offenses; protect against possible disparities in sentencing; and
keep convicted offenders incarcerated for longer periods of times (keeping these individuals off the
streets will prevent new crimes) On the other hand, opponents of mandatory minimums believe that
there is no evidence showing that these tougher sentences deter would-be offenders from committing
the specified serious offenses, such as drug. In addition, they believe that under mandatory minimum
sentencing laws that minority defendants are disproportionately incarcerated compared to Caucasian
defendants. Also, many offenders who are sentenced under these laws are largely nonviolent.

By taking away a judge's right to use his or her own judgment when sentencing, they are contributing to
higher rates of recidivism. Recidivism is when a former convict commits another crime after release for a
previous crime committed. Many people believe that the best way to prevent recidivism is to stop
people from going to jail in the first place. For example, an offender who is only seventeen gets caught
selling drugs, specifically crack cocaine, for the first time and has no prior criminal record. Under
mandatory sentencing laws, this individual will be put into prison for ten years. When this person is
released they will be twenty-seven years old and have no marketable job skills, but has been educated
in criminal activity while in prison. Instances like this are attributed to individuals feeling deep despair
and they don’t always reach out for help to better their situation. Thus leading them to recidivism and
then being put back in prison because that’s all they know. However, there are programs that are out
there to help individuals once they get released from prison. These are often referred to as re-entry
services and they focus on educating, investing in, and caring for the person once released (Stand
Together Foundation, 2020). They offer educational resources and job training to help fill the gaps that
the criminal justice system left (Stand Together Foundation, 2020).

Overall, while there are opposing views on mandatory minimums and the rates of recidivism, when
looking further into mandatory minimum sentencing laws it really calls into question whether they are
effective and fair.

References:

Conley, Dalton. 2019. You May Ask Yourself; An Introduction To Thinking Like A Sociologist. New York.
W. W. Norton

“The History Behind Mandatory Minimums-RED-Stop Recidivism. (2020). Retrieved 14 September 2020,
from [Link]

What is Recidivism, and What Can We Do About It?-Stand Together Foundation. (2020). Retrieved 14
September 2020, from [Link]
about-it/
Prompt: Complete the Working Poor Simulator at least twice. In your essay, discuss your reaction to this
simulator and whether it reinforced what you already believed or gave you a different perspective.
Please remember to define, explain, and cite at least two text concepts from the chapter on social
stratification.

Response: I completed the Working Poor Simulator two times. The first time I work at a restaurant the
second on I worked at the warehouse. With the first time I had small amount of money to carry over to
the next month but, I also lost my job. The second time I took it, I ran out of money on day 29 of the
month, so I did not have adequate money to pay next month’s rent. I feel that I made through the first
simulator only because I made numerous of tough decisions. For example, allowing a friend to stay, it
helps but end the that friend became a nuisance, Ignored the notification about the payments due on
the car and the car was repo and I lost my job because of no transportation.

This simulator reinforced what I my mothers continue to state to me that managing my financial is a
must and that unexpected thang will happen the are out of your control. Being in college and trying to
manage school work and a job is hard and a lot of my wants my have to be pushed to the back to
satisfied those needs. But in the world to it a must just to try and get one step ahead of yourself. There
is a misconception of equality of opportunity theory. The textbook states that the equality of
opportunity theory is “that everyone has an equal chance to achieve wealth, social prestige, and power
because the rules of the game, so to speak, are the same for everyone.” (Conley 2019, 259).

Conversely, the simulator demonstrations that every situation is different for every individual. Every
person in life face a different circumstance. My mothers always talk to me about looking at all my
option before I make a decision and look at the outcome that may come with that decision. Now the
question is do I take heed to it; Not all the time, but when that decision the I made fails it then shows
me what they were are trying to show me. It’s possible that everybody could have equality of condition.
As stated in the reading “everyone should have an equal starting point.” (Conley 2019, 260).
Unfortunately, this undefine in our world today and as everyday people we live on a day to day or week
to week furthermore month to month base just to stay “afloat” and make it.

Reference:

Conley, Dalton. 2019. You May Ask Yourself; An Introduction To Thinking Like A Sociologist. New York.
W. W. Norton
Prompt: Briefly describe your family. Discuss either a family conflict, a dramatic family event (i.e. a
wedding), or a daily occurrence (family night) that you experience/d as a family. Explain your selection
by referring a theoretical framework described in chapter one--they may represent radically different
views of the same event. Make sure to clearly explain and cite 2-3 concepts from the chapter (theories
are concepts, so are glossary terms that appeared in this chapter). If you are finding it difficult to
complete the essay for some reason, please contact me for a suggestion.

Hello everyone. I grew up in a real tight-knit family. My mother and I live with my grandparent since I
was a child. I always saw my mom play many roles in my family. She was the caretaker for both of her
parents. Growing up I saw my mom be a chef, cleaning lady, nurse, banker, taxi driver. She wore a lot of
different hats. I always appreciated her for that. The older I got I started taking on more roles around
that house as well. I started helping my mom with my grandparents. My mom always thought that she
never did enough. She always tried to do more. At times I would get really upset because I felt like I
never had much alone time with my mom; just me and her to sit and talk or go eat or just spend quality
time together. I had to think about where she was coming from. I had to engage in the role-taking
process. Role taking is a process where "we imagine ourselves from the other person's viewpoint"
(DeLamater and Collett, 2019). My mom did what she did so she could provide a good life for me. She
did it so she could buy my school supplies, food, etc. She did it because she loved me. She had no one
else to depend on. After doing so I was able to appreciate what my mom did more. I knew she was doing
it for me. She wasn't not trying to spend time with me. She loved me and wanted the best for me. There
are several good things that can come of role-taking. The "first, role-taking makes cooperative action
possible. Based on previous experience, we can imagine how another would react in any given situation"
(DeLamater and Collett, 2019). This helps us understand a person better and we can stop and think
before we speak, and avoid making a situation worse. I care so much about what my mother thinks of
me because she works so hard to take care of me and always has and I want to be there for her like she
has for me. My mother would be classified as a significant other. "The persons whose opinions they are
most are significant other" DeLamater and Collett, 2019).