Final Assignment

Alright,

Today you spent the day creating your final assignment for class. Here are the guidelines. Let me know if I missed anything. If you didn’t attend class, please see one of the other students to get the information that you need to complete it.

1. Write a seven page sci fi story which integrates sociological concepts, themes and theories.
2. Each story must incorporate sociological concepts and at least two sociological theories.
3. The story is due to me (via email) by 11:15 am, Tuesday April 28th.
4. Yes, you still have to come to class that day. Bring some food &drink with you (Non-alcoholic please. As much as we could all probably use a drink, we can’t do it on campus, or during class.
5. The point system for the paper will remain the same, but the grading guidelines are below.
6. The other class periods for the semester will be spent working on the final assignment. The email addresses of all class members are in the “To” line of this message. Please feel free to meet with your classmates to complete this assignment. Bounce your ideas off of each other and feel free to see me to bounce ideas off of too. You can send me drafts for quick review, if you like.
7. I really like this assignment and look forward to grading them. Great work in coming up with it as your final. I’m impressed.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Dr. Matthews

Grading for Papers
A: The principal characteristic of the "A" paper is its rich content. The information delivered is such that the reader feels significantly taught by the author, sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph. The "A" paper is also marked by stylistic finesse: the title and opening are engaging; the transitions are artful; the phrasing is tight, fresh, and highly specific; the sentence structure is varied; the tone enhances the purpose of the paper. Additionally, the sociological content, including theoretical analysis, fits seamlessly into the major themes of the paper. The "A" paper, because of its careful organization and development, imparts a feeling of wholeness and clarity. The reader is left feeling satisfied and eager to reread.

B: It is significantly more than competent. Besides being almost free of mechanical errors, the "B" paper delivers substantial information-that is, substantial in both quantity and in interest value. Its specific points are logically ordered, well-developed, and unified around a clear organizing principle that is apparent early in the paper. The opening paragraph draws the reader; the closing paragraph is both conclusive and themati¬cally related to the opening. The transitions between paragraphs are, for the most part, smooth, the sentence structures varied. The sociological content, including theoretical analysis, provides support for the major themes of the paper. The diction is more concise and precise than that of the "C" paper. In general, a "B" paper offers substantial information with few distractions.

C: It is generally competent but lacks both imagination and intellectual rigor; it meets the assignment, has few mechanical errors, and is reason¬ably well-organized and developed. The actual information it delivers, however, seems thin and commonplace. One reason for that impression is that the ideas are typically cast in the form of vague generalities that prompt the confused reader to ask questions about specifics. Stylistically, the "C" paper has other shortcomings: a weak opening paragraph, a perfunctory conclusion, strained transitions, choppy and monotonous sentence patterns, and diction marred by repetition, redundancy, and imprecision. The sociological content, including theoretical analysis, though present lacks seamless integration into the major themes of the paper.

D: Its treatment and development of the subject are as yet only rudimentary. While organization is present, it is neither clear nor effective. Sentences are frequently awkward, ambiguous, and marred by nonexistent grammatical review. Evidence of careful proofreading is scanty or nonexistent. The whole piece, in fact, gives the impression of having been conceived and written in haste. The sociological content, including theoretical analysis, is either non-existent or does not fit into the major content of the paper.

F: Its treatment of the subject is superficial; its theme lacks discernible organization; its prose is garbled or stylistically primitive. Mechanical errors are frequent. In short, the ideas, organization, and style fall far below what is acceptable college writing. The sociological content, including theoretical analysis, is non-existent, as are coherent themes.

The Space Traders

I found it! Well, I actually only found half of it.

Alive In Joburg

Alive in Joburg

Multinational United

http://d-9.com/

Multinational United Spreads Lies

Maths From Outer Space

District 9 Debuts First Alien Abuse Footage

Breaking Down the Secrets of District 9

Tetra Vaal

www.tv-robotics.co.za

Spread the Wealth!!!

Since being a sociology major at E.U.P., I have considered myself to be a Symbolic Interactionist. However, I think the older I get and the longer life has to kick the mess out of me...I think I'm starting to lean to a Conflict Theorist sociological perspective on the world. I think there can be a good argument made especially during our present economic conditions for the scarcity of resources and different groups competing for them. Primarily the resource of "wealth", although I am sure the executives at A.I.G. would have a different opinion.

Last October I was traveling to a conference with a friend to Kansas City. We spent the night half way in St. Louis at his uncles house. He told me that his uncle was pretty wealthy and that we would have a good time staying there. Needless to say, after gaining permission to come through the guarded gate, we entered the 28,000 sq.ft. mansion on the Mississippi River. In the mansion was 14 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, 4 dining rooms, a foyer the size of my entire house, a movie theater, full size arcade game room...as well as a guest house, servants quarters, and a Lamborghini, Prowler, Mustang, and 4 Harley's in the garage. I had my own floor to stay on with my choice of bedroom, bathroom, and a personal servant to get me anything I might need. The mansion had a staff of 20...for the 3 people who lived there. Life was good.

However the good life that I got to enjoy that day was abruptly interrupted by the conference I was attending on "Meeting the needs of the less fortunate." According to C. Wright-Mills, this separation of classes is nothing new but has been evolving from the early years of the formation of our country. But within the last 30 years there has been an enormous spike in the socio-economic stratification of the country.

1. What sociological theory best addresses the current state of our socio-economic condition and how or why we got here?

2. How can the study of social sciences play a part in pulling the plane out of a nose dive...if you believe we're in a nose dive.

3. What work of science fiction do you think best portrays the present day realities of our society, and what could we learn from it's projection?

Exam One - Spring 2009

Sociology of Science Fiction
Exam -- Spring 2009
Due Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 @ 11:15 am via email
ramatthews@edinboro.edu

INSTRUCTIONS
Answer 3 of the 6 questions.
Format: 1” margins -- Arial Font -- 11 pt
Upper right corner header with last name & first initial -- page number underneath, email address underneath that – the font size for your header should be 8 pt.
Place the question above each response.
Use in text citations & include your references at the end of each response.

GUIDELINES
Answer three (3) of the six (6) questions.
Use a theoretical perspective in each response.
Use the readings, and reference, at least, one in each response.
Please feel free to discuss these questions with each other. It is the best way to understand the subject matter. However, do not write your answers together, as this increases the likelihood that you will unintentionally plagiarize each others’ work.
Type your responses! And place the questions above your responses.
I will not accept hard copy exams. Turn it in, in, via email, by Wednesday, March 25th, at 11:15 am.
I will not answer questions regarding your responses once I have handed out the exam. You may, however, ask for clarification.
Do not ask questions in your responses. Answer them. Remember, you are the expert here.
Don’t bullshit me. I really hate it. If you don’t know the answer, move on to another one.

1. The sociological perspective allows us to view social interactions from a broader perspective than other social sciences generally allow. Science fiction, as a genre, seeks to address present day social issues by hypothesizing their existence, or the result of their existence in future societies. Using one of the major social theories, discuss the popularity of science fiction in popular culture and its role in addressing modern social interactions.

2. Discuss the importance of projecting the future of a society to the study of sociology.

3. Core U.S. values provide our major social interactions with a unifying theme. They represent the foundation of our culture. Using two works of science fiction, discuss three core values addressed in the works & juxtapose their depiction in the works with the real world, social realities of their existence in our culture.

4. Octavia Butler’s short story “Bloodchild” exhibits a reversal of gender roles when the T'Lic use mostly men to "birth" their young & T'Gatoi is depicted as a powerful, T'lic, female, political figure. Compare & contrast major gender roles & expectations in U.S. society with the roles depicted in the story. Particularly address whether the domination of one gender over another is welcome, or even encouraged, in both societies?

5. Thoroughly discuss empire, its expansion, its depiction in science fiction, and whether or not it constitutes a core U.S. value.

6. Social interactions are constructed via values, norms & cultural belief systems of a society. Generally speaking, they are constructed in order to maintain and sustain a particular social structure. Exchange theory is a subtle, unspoken theory of social interactions, in real society, as well as in science fiction. Its intersection with conflict theory is addressed even less. This is a function of the high priority placed upon the value of “feeling” and emotion in the construction of relationships. Using an intersection of exchange and conflict theories, compare and contrast the construction of relationships, families and reproduction in science fiction and the real world.

Families of Star Wars

Star Wars has been a favorite science fiction saga of mine since I was a little kid. I have very much enjoyed the lasers, jedi, spaceships, and the intense action scenes found throughout the tale. But I have recently realized that Star Wars is filled with sociological metaphors and beliefs. This includes the institution of the family. Family is very important in the story, and nontraditional families seem to appear quite often. However, it seems as though George Lucas has a negative viewpoint of these types of families, and feels that they result in a dysfunctional family. Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa are raised by somewhat traditional families. Neither are raised by biological parents, but they have the traditional “father” and “mother” figure in their lives; Luke has his Uncle and Aunt on the planet of Tatooine, and Leia has her adopted parents on the planet of Alderan. When they mature, they grow into adults who not only posses good morals, but actually become leaders of a rebellion for the greater good. They work to correct the apparent flaws of the social institutions of the Empire, and viewers are led to believe that they are successful.

Now on the other hand, children of nontraditional families in the story turn into the villains. Boba Fett is raised as a son (despite the fact that he is actually a clone) by Jango Fett. Jango is a single father. He appears to be a good father to Boba, and it appears as though Jango loves the boy. However, they are constantly on the move because Jango is a bounty hunter. Thus, Boba also grows up to be a bounty hunter who cares for nothing except money. Another example of a nontraditional family would be that of the Skywalkers. Anakin’s mother raises her children by herself, and struggles in doing so. She actually sells herself and her family into slavery because she cannot afford to care for her family. And thus, Anakin suffers from inner agony throughout the tale. He finally snaps in Revenge of the Sith, and slaughters the people he once called friends. By doing this, Skywalker reshapes the government of the republic, and disrupts the entire structure of their society. Perhaps George Lucas is hinting that these single-parent families are not appropriate for child-rearing, and the child will only suffer in such an environment. And through this suffering, the children will mature into dysfunctional adults, and disrupt social institutions. Perhaps Lucas is implying that children raised in a single-parent home will suffer the same fate as Anakin Skywalker, and they will turn to the Dark Side of the force.

Discussion questions:
1. How is Lucas’s portrayal of nontraditional families similar/different to our contemporary society?
2. What are some of the effects of single-parent families on children? Does this environment lead to dysfunctional families?
3. Are nontraditional families beneficial to our society as a whole, or do they cause social institutions to crumble? Explain.

African womanism is an ideology that struggles to be defined admist other womanist and femenist views. There is a lot of controversy on what term we shall call these people that prescribe to this ideology. Do they want the race or gender to be emphasized or other? Just like the academics struggling with this name game, I became thoroughly lost trying to balance the differance between black and african, feminist and womanist. The confusing academic dribble aside we can learn through African Womanist theory. What i find particular important is that the black womanist can't totally extracate themselves from the male gender because they need eachother in the fight for racial equality. Many feminist theories were white centered and did did not account for the cultural diffances of resulting from oppression. I believe as the more encompassing fact of racism is undermined and challenged that women as a collective will have more power. More clear cut objectives will be able to be considered when challenging male dominated society. Black females deal with more elements when defining themselves because race issues offer a myriad of challenges let alone female oppression and inequality.

Discussion questions
1 What are the advantages and disadvantages of black women ideolically seperating themselves from black men?
2 How does the politics of naming bog down black womens quest on self identification?