SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION ESSAY

ESSAY OBJECTIVES We often understand our lives as personal and private. When something good or bad happens, we have a tendency to credit or blame ourselves alone. Sociologist C. Wright Mills (1959) challenges us to understand how our private experiences are linked to broader, public issues—the seemingly private can be understood more fully when seen in a public context. This assignment allows you to use your sociological imagination to reflect on your own biography. Your goal is to take something from your own experience and demonstrate how it could be understood as a product of social and historical forces. Pick an issue, incident, decision or circumstance in your life (such as your decision to attend university, or whom you are friendly with, or your leisure interests, or your self-presentation, or a move to a new country), and use Mills’ conceptions of personal troubles and public issues to explain your biographical detail sociologically. MOTIVATING QUESTIONS

• What is the relationship between private troubles and public issues? Between biography and history? Between the individual and society?

• What experience in your life can be better understood by tracing its roots as a public issue? Why did you pick this experience for this paper?

• How is this experience shaped by social and historical context? What sociological concepts or processes help make these connections visible?

• Why does Mills write that the sociological imagination is both “terrible” and “magnificent”?

2

ESSAY OUTLINE – WHAT TO INCLUDE (OCT 30)

• A unique paper title (it can change later)

• Your name, student number, the date, the course, the instructor, and your discussion section

• Name the personal experience you would like to analyze

• Identify potential social and historical forces that have shaped this experience

• Note the key ideas from Mills (1959) The Sociological Imagination that you will draw upon

• List and describe the academic sources you will use to develop and support your arguments (In addition to Mills’ work, incorporate one or more course readings and one or more external academic sources, such as a peer-reviewed journal article or data from Statistics Canada).

FORMATTING: 1-2 pages with size 12 Times New Roman font and 1 inch margins. Bullet-points acceptable.

FINAL ESSAY – WHAT TO INCLUDE (NOV 15)

• A cover page with unique paper title, your name, student number, the date, the course, the instructor, and your discussion section

• In-text citations in APA format for all statistics, quotes and ideas from others

• A bibliography in APA format

• In addition to Mills’ work, incorporate one or more course readings and one or more external academic sources (e.g., peer-reviewed journal article, data from Statistics Canada)

FORMATTING: 5-6 pages double spaced with size 12 Times New Roman font. Pages numbered and stapled, with 1 inch margins.

ESSAY ASSESSMENT RUBRIC (SEE NEXT PAGE) 

3

Assessment Rubric (Total out of 30)

0 1 2 3 4 5

Sociological imagination

Please see TA.

Insufficient material to

assess.

Author defines private troubles and public issues but definition

may be unclear, inaccurate or not

written in their own words. Author's reflection on the

sociological imagination is missing or may be rambling,

imprecise or inaccurate.

Author accurately defines private troubles and public issues in their own words.

Author provides some general reflection on the

relationship between these terms. Writer provides a

vague or unclear reflection on the implications of the sociological imagination.

Author clearly and accurately defines and discusses private troubles and public issues in

their own words. Author reflects on the relationship between

these terms with reference to Mills. Writer demonstrates

reasoned reflection upon the implications of the sociological

imagination for individuals, society and/or the social

sciences.

Author clearly, accurately and thoughtfully defines and discusses private troubles and public issues in their own words. Author

reflects on the relationship between these terms by engaging directly with Mills' specific arguments in The Sociological

Imagination (1959). At appropriate point(s) in the paper, writer demonstrates

unique, insightful, reasoned reflection upon the implications of the sociological

imagination for individuals, society and the social sciences.

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5

Personal experience

Please see TA. Insufficient

material to assess.

Author alludes to a personal experience but some details are

missing. The relevance of this experience for

the paper is not established.

Author describes details from a personal experience. The

description may be unclear, rambling or lacking in context.

Author clearly describes most key details from a relevant personal experience with

appropriate context. Writer may or may not fully explain why this is an appropriate experience to

discuss in this paper.

At an appropriate point in the paper, the author clearly and concisely summarizes

key details from a relevant personal experience with useful context needed for

the reader to understand. Writer briefly yet clearly explains why they selected this

experience for this paper.

0 1 2 3 4 5

Social and historical context

Please see TA. Insufficient

material to assess.

Author makes vague or unclear connections

between their personal experience and past social or historical

context. Some elements are lacking in

depth.

Author makes some appropriate connections between their personal

experience and its formative social or

historical context. The nature of the connection

could be more fully articulated.

Author makes thoughtful, convincing connections between their personal experience and its formative social and/or historical

context.

Author makes thoughtful, complex, convincing, detailed connections between their personal experience and its relevant

formative social and historical context. The analysis is historically rich, accurate, and

specific.

4

0 1 2 3 4 5

Links to course

content

Please see TA.

Insufficient material to

assess.

The analysis may draw upon course content,

but it does so inaccurately or

unclearly.

The analysis loosely draws upon course content in a way that lacks depth or

detail.

The analysis draws upon appropriate course content.

Writer demonstrates very good understanding of course

material.

Relevant concepts and processes discussed in course lecture or readings are used to frame or enhance the analysis in a way that is insightful, specific, and nuanced. Writer demonstrates highly advanced

understanding of course material.

0 1 2 3 4 5

Supporting evidence

Please see TA.

No evidence provided to

support claims.

Minimal evidence is provided. The evidence is vague, extraneous or

unreliable.

Some evidence is provided to support the analysis but

it may not be directly relevant or scholarly and

peer-reviewed.

Relevant, scholarly evidence is provided that directly supports

the analysis (e.g., peer-reviewed journal article, data from

Statistics Canada).

Ample relevant, specific, scholarly evidence is provided that strongly and

directly supports and bolsters the analysis (e.g., peer-reviewed journal article, data

from Statistics Canada). No claims are made without appropriate evidence.

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5

Citation/ reference

accuracy and APA style

Possible Plagiarism! Please see

TA.

No references/

citations

Inconsistently uses APA. Many errors.

Citations/ references missing.

Consistently uses APA for citations/references. Only

3 or 4 slight errors.

Consistently uses APA for citations/ references. Only 1 or 2

slight errors.

Consistently uses proper APA formatting for citations/references. No errors.

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5

Organization

Please see TA.

Insufficient material to

assess.

Writing lacks purpose, information is weak in terms of organization, and ideas are poorly

organized.

The purpose of the writing is somewhat clear,

information is mostly organized and ideas are

adequately grouped together somewhat

logically.

Writing has a clear purpose, information is organized

adequately, and ideas are relatively well-grouped in a way

that makes sense.

Writing has a clear purpose, information is well-organized and ideas are well-grouped in a way that makes sense for a 5-6 page

paper and enhances the reader’s experience. Tone is appropriate for an

academic paper.

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5

Formatting

Please see TA.

There are significant formatting

issues.

Substantial information is missing. Several

requirements have not been followed.

Some of the formatting requirements have been

followed.

Most of the formatting requirements have been

followed.

The cover page includes a unique title and all student/course information. Pages are

numbered. All writing is size 12 Times New Roman font. Page limit has been followed (excluding bibliography and cover page).

 

Need a similar essay? We have qualified writers who can assist. Click ORDER NOW to get a special bonus- Up to 18% Discount Offer!!!

You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
error: Content is protected !!