te
The essay is due Saturday, October 29th!
The essay topic
It is often argued that American society is a meritocracy in which every individual has an equal opportunity to succeed. From this perspective, those individuals who have talent and work hard end up in higher social classes; those individuals without much talent and who don’t work hard end up in the lower social classes. Each generation has a new chance to succeed, regardless of how well its parents did. The merit of individuals, then, would explain why society is unequal.
Basing yourself on the sociological arguments, data, and evidence we have studied so far this semester (not your personal opinions or experience), make an argument as to whether (or not)–or to what extent–our society is, indeed, such a meritocracy. What would be the position of Marxists and functionalists on this issue?
You must address all of these issues in order to get full credit for the essay. You must provide evidence in the form of data and citations from the course material to substantiate your points. Do not wander off into a discussion of your own personal opinions and experiences. You must not substitute an exploration of your own views for an engagement with the material we are studying. Students who do so will receive zero credit for this part of their essay.
Required sources
In answering this question, you must make use of the articles by Lareau, Anyon, Engels, and Davis and Moore, and Tumin. You may also make use of other material covered in the class. You may not use anything other than the readings, activities, lectures, etc. covered in this course to write your essay. Do not go to About.com, Study.com, Wikipedia, or any other outside source to write your essay. Making use of non-class sources and/or plagiarism of any kind will result in a failing grade of zero.
Required concepts
Below is a list of concepts that you must use in writing your essay. The concepts must be used in an accurate and meaningful manner. When you use a concept in the essay, highlight it in bold.
Social structure | Marxism |
Social institutions | Functionalism |
Socialization | Social mobility |
Class | Cultural capital |
Organic solidarity | Social capital |
Length and other expectations
Your essay should be 1250 words (5 pages). It must be clear, well-written, thorough, and thoughtful. You must use proper grammar and spelling. You may make use of any of the assigned readings, activities, and lecture material.
Citations
You are required to use formal citations in APA format for this essay. You must indicate the sources from which you are getting the evidence, data, arguments, and quotes you use. If you are drawing on a PowerPoint, just put the title of the PowerPoint in parentheses–e.g. (Functionalism and Inequality PowerPoint)
How you will be graded
Delivering a high-quality product at a reasonable price is not enough anymore.
That’s why we have developed 5 beneficial guarantees that will make your experience with our service enjoyable, easy, and safe.
You have to be 100% sure of the quality of your product to give a money-back guarantee. This describes us perfectly. Make sure that this guarantee is totally transparent.
Read moreEach paper is composed from scratch, according to your instructions. It is then checked by our plagiarism-detection software. There is no gap where plagiarism could squeeze in.
Read moreThanks to our free revisions, there is no way for you to be unsatisfied. We will work on your paper until you are completely happy with the result.
Read moreYour email is safe, as we store it according to international data protection rules. Your bank details are secure, as we use only reliable payment systems.
Read moreBy sending us your money, you buy the service we provide. Check out our terms and conditions if you prefer business talks to be laid out in official language.
Read more