Writing in Sociology: Understandingurban Subcultures (SOC 190)

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Anna Maria Bounds, Ph.D.

Sociology Department

Writing in Sociology: UnderstandingUrban Subcultures (SOC 190)

Overview

Course Overview

This course will focus on writing about urban subcultures. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a subculture can be defined as “a cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger culture.” Think for a moment about your experience as a New Yorker. How many subcultures can you identify? What characteristics cause you to think of these groups as subcultures? How are these subcultures unique to cities?

To better understand the genesis and characteristics of urban subcultures, we will explore topics such as the presentation of self, the development of individual identity, group cohesion and group dynamics, and the relationship between subcultures and systems of power (based on class, race, gender, and sexuality). New York subcultures to be studied include Graffiti Artists, Hipsters, Buskers, Doomsday Preppers, Skateboarders, and Surfers. In this course, students will write a series of reports designed to explore elements of urban subcultures through scholarship and field research. These reports will include: an issues reaction paper, a field diary and questionnaire, an annotated bibliography, and an ethnographic report. This course fulfills the College Writing 2 requirement and builds on the work of English 110 (College Writing 1) to teach the conventions of writing in the discipline of Sociology.

Learning Objectives

• Readcritically and analytically, including identifying and evaluating an argument’s major assumptions (Issue Reaction Paper)
• Write clearly and coherently in varied, academic formats using standard English and appropriate technology to critique and improve one’s own and others’ texts (Writing Workshop Participation)
• Demonstrate research skills using appropriate technology, including gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing primary and secondary sources (Annotated Bibliography)
• Support a thesis with well-researched arguments, and communicate persuasively across a variety of contexts, purposes, audiences, and media (PowerPoint Presentation to the class)
• Formulate original ideas and relate them to the ideas of others by employing the conventions of ethical attributions and citations (Ethnographic Report)

Assignment 1: Issue Reaction Paper (2-3 pages)

The purpose of an issue reaction paper is to define an issue clearly and to formulate and clarify your position on that issue by reacting to a controversial statement. In the film Gimme the Loot, several controversial statements were made about the Graffiti Artists. For this assignment, react to one controversial statement by presenting an argument that supports or argues against the statement. Be sure to draw on the articles and ideas discussed in class to support your position.

Steps:

1. Select a suitable reaction statement.

2. Explain your selection.

3. Define the issue addressed in the statement.

4. State your position on the issue.

5. Defend your position.

6. Conclude strongly and concisely.

Audience: A group of people interested in subcultures

Assignment 1: Lesson Plan

Pre-Writing Activity on Reading Critically

Lesson Objective(s): Read critically and analytically, including identifying and evaluating an argument’s major assumptions

Total estimated time: 60 minutes

Course work or assignment underway: None, to be used as a model for the Issues Reaction Paper

Work and/or reading completed before class: Introductory articles that define subcultures and a screening of a film about Graffiti Artists

Part 1: In-Class Activity

Sequence of Classroom Activities

1) Have students read an editorial about a specific subculture (10 min).

2) Divide the class into pairs. With their partners, students review and discuss the editorial by identifying the six elements (20 min).

The Six Steps:

• Select a suitable reaction statement.
• Explain your selection (What does the author mean?).
• Define the issue addressed in the statement.
• State the author’s position on the issue.
• Explain how the author has defined his or her position.
• Identify if and how the author concluded strongly and concisely.

4) Instructor leads class discussion about the editorial, outlining the answers and details on board. Instructor asks class to discuss why this knowledge may be important to researchers that seek to understand subcultures (25 min).

5) Instructor assigns the Issue Reactions Paper for next class meeting, emphasizing that the students should rely on the “Six Steps” in writing their essays (5 min).

Assignment 2: Lesson Plan

Conducting detailed observations and recording field notes are crucial research skills. To practice these skills, you will visit an NYC site to observe the behavior of a subculture. The instructor must approve your selection. Your field observation should be two hours long. Your field diary should include a detailed summary of your observations, a code sheet of observed behaviors, two photographs taken during your site visit, and your reflections on the experience of being a researcher.

Please also include a copy of your questionnaire and a transcript of any interviews that were conducted during your site visit.

Audience: A group of researchers that will use your field notes and interviews to learn about the subculture

Pre-Writing Activity on Description

Lesson Objective: To develop writing techniques that link first hand observations to descriptions that are meaningful for other researchers

Total Estimated Time: 60 minutes

Course work or assignment underway: Students have screened films and read subculture research and they are now keeping observation logs and learning how to frame their observations into descriptions that can be used by other researchers.

Work completed before class: Students will have previously “visited” Union Square through YouTube videos and still images.

Sequence of Classroom Activities

1) The instructor reads an interesting excerpt from a research diary on observing buskers perform at Union Square to familiarize students with the writing style and content in a social scientist’s recorded observations (5 min).

2) Class discussion on the content of the observations (12 min).

3) Students are asked to visualize watching buskers performing at Union Square. They are asked to take a few moments to close their eyes and imagine that they observing the performance at Union Square, focusing on the feeling of the performance – the type of performance, the type of performer, the audience, the park landscape, sounds, smells, season, time of day, light, and temperature (3 min).

4) Writing. Students are instructed to write a one page description of the busker performance at Union Square that they visualized, using sensory information from their “experience” (20 min).

5) Student volunteers are asked to read passages from their descriptions to the class. The class responses to each passage according to framing questions provided by the instructor. The student passages and respective discussions should highlight the successes and challenges of transcribing observations (20 min).

6) At the conclusion of the class, students are encouraged to use this preliminary writing as a model for their own field diaries.

Assignment 3: Annotated Bibliography (3-4 pages)

An annotated bibliography is a listing and a brief description of articles, books, or other sources on a given topic. Each entry contains two items: the bibliographical citation (ASA or APA style) and the annotation, the brief description or summary (usually about 100 to 250 words) of the work’s contents.

Please complete an annotated bibliography of six works that discuss a specific element of subcultures or that discuss a particular subculture. Be sure to rely on models discussed in class. Please use ASA or APA style. Summaries should be between 100-250 words. Be sure to write your own summary rather than merely providing a copy of an abstract.

Audience: Readers of an academic journal who are seeking to learn about subcultures

Assignment 3: Lesson Plan

Pre-Writing Activity on Writing and Analysis

Lesson Objective(s): To learn the elements of analysis in Sociology

Total estimated time: 60 minutes

Course work or assignment underway: Scripts and diaries have been written, academic articles have been read and discussed in class.

Work and/or reading completed before class: Students are assigned to read a particular article on subcultures and to answer a series of questions about the article (referred to as a “Critical Analysis Sheet”). Students are expected to bring the article and their answer sheets to class.

Example of Critical Analysis Sheet
Answer the following questions in your critical analysis:
1. What is one research question or hypothesis in this article? (If there is no research question or hypothesis, describe what the research is about.)
2. Pick two of the variables or concepts that are studied. For each of the concepts or variables, give a conceptual or theoretical definition.
3. Describe the study’s population, sample, and the kind of sample used.
4. What kind of study design was used? Was the study design appropriate to the purpose of the study? Would another design have been better?
5. What method(s) of data collection were used? What were the advantages and disadvantages of using this method or methods? Would different method(s) of data collection have been possible or better? Comment on the practicality of the methods.
6. Briefly describe one of the study’s major findings.
7. What is your reaction to this research? Do you think this study will be useful or helpful to others in some way?

Sequence of Classroom Activities

1) The instructor leads the class through a discussion of the article’s research question, method, and findings. To bolster student confidence and to test student knowledge, the instructor relies on an interactive discussion to arrive at these answers rather than presenting a traditional lecture (15 min).

2) The class then answers the questions on the critique sheet. Students exchange papers with one another and “grade” the answers as the class moves through each question (Graders must list their names at top of paper to be graded.). As students determine the correct answers to each question, the class engages in a close reading of the text. This activity allows students to evaluate their own comprehension of the article in relation to their peers (45 min).

3) The homework is the collected by the instructor for final grading.

Assignment 4: Ethnographic Report (6-8 pages)

For our class, an ethnographic report is a descriptive analysis of a particular subculture. The instructor must approve your subculture selection.

Now that you have studied scholarship on subcultures and conducted field research, you are prepared to make a meaningful contribution to intellectual debate about the significance of these groups to urban culture. Drawing on your class research and assignments, you will prepare and present a case study that analyzes a NYC subculture in relation to three elements: the subculture’s key characteristics, its history, and important insights that the group reflects about sociological theory on these groups.

To strengthen your arguments, be sure to use both scholarship and the knowledge you gained in the field. Remember, you are now the class expert on this particular subculture!

You will have 10 minutes to share a PowerPoint presentation on the subculture to the class (your fellow researchers). The presentation should be an overview of your case study that emphasizes the highlights of your research. Be sure to focus on the three areas of your case study. Use your creativity in developing your presentation. This is your chance to share a meaningful story about the subculture. Please incorporate text, maps, and photographs to help us understand the importance of your research.

Also, please be sure to practice your presentation. A well-rehearsed and thoughtfully planned presentation is an important hallmark of a good researcher. A PowerPoint guidelines and tips sheet will be distributed in class.

Audience: A group of academic conference attendees who are interested in learning about subcultures

Assignment 4: Lesson Plan

Pre-writing Activity on Orienting

Lesson Objective(s): Students will revise their presentations (speeches and slides) to better orient audience members. Audience members should be thought of as both listeners of and viewers of the text.

Total estimated time: 60 minutes

Course work or assignment underway: Ethnographic Report and presentation

Work and/or reading completed before class: Completed draft of presentation to include both speech and copies of slides.

Sequence of Classroom Activities:

1) Review Gordon Harvey’s definition of “Orienting” (10 min) and provide examples.

In revising their presentations, students will be encouraged to consider the central question: “What does the audience member need or expect here?” Students will be ask to determine what kind of information, explanation, or visual element is needed to help audience members who aren’t experts on subcultures to follow an argument.

For example, the discussion of a subculture is better explained through identifying specific elements of its culture and its membership. Photographs also illustrate important concepts (such as a photo of buskers performing in a public space).

2) Students will work in pairs to critique each other’s work. Students should identify specific sections where orienting is necessary, and one place where the work of orienting fails to be “brief” or “graceful.” Students should then share their respective findings with one another (20 min).

3) Students will then revise their drafts to provide the missing “orienting” information and noting what information still needs to be researched (15 min).

4) Students will then discuss the changes and review the revised drafts to ensure that the weaknesses of the presentation have been addressed (15 min).

*Throughout the activity, the professor should circulate among the pairs to provide additional insight.

Grading

The final grade for this course consists of:

•Pre-writing Assignments 20%

•Issues Reaction Paper 10%

•Field Diary and Questionnaire 20%

•Annotated Bibliography 20%

•Ethnographic Report 20 %

•Ethnographic Report Presentation 10%

Recommended Texts

The following books were used in developing the course:

Subcultures: The Basics by R. Haenfler;

The Sociology Student Writer’s Manual by W. A. Johnson et al.; and

The Great Floodgates of the Wonderworld by J. Hocking.

Additional texts:

Goffman, A. (2009) “On the Run: Wanted Men in a Philadelphia Ghetto,” American Sociological Review 74(3): 339-357.

Subculture: The Meaning of Style by D. Hebdige

Newspaper and Magazine Articles on Subcultures