Stephanie coontz how history and sociology can help today's families

Test Your Skill at Reading Figures and Tables!

Figure 1. Who Attacks Whom? Relationship between victim and offender by gender of victim, 1978 (in percent).

33%

5%

35%

50%

31%

44%

1%

1%

25%

50%

Relative or intimate

Acquaintance

Stranger

Unknown

Women

Men

Victim’s Gender

1. What is/are the independent variable(s) in Figure 1?

2. What is/are the dependent variable(s) in Figure 1?

3. Describe the general relationship between the independent and dependent variable in Figure 1.

4. (Speculate) What social factors might account for the relationship between the independent and dependent variables in Figure 1?

Table 1. Dishonesty about Sex, by Gender.

______

% Men %Women

Has told a lie in order to

have sex 34 10

Would lie about having a

negative HIV test 20 4

Would lie (e.g., understate)

the number of previous

sexual partners) 47 42

Would fail to disclose the

existence of other partner(s)

to new partner 22 10

Has been lied to for

purposes of sex 47 60

Source: 665 college students attending colleges in Southern California completed a dating survey. 422 of the students who were sexually active answered the dating questions; there were 196 men and 226 women. (Cochran and Mays, 1990, New England Journal of Medicine, March 15).

1. What is/are the independent variable(s) in Table 1?

2. What is/are the dependent variable(s) in Table 1?

3. Describe the general relationship between the independent and dependent variables in Table 1.

4. (Speculate) What social factors might account for the relationship between the independent and dependent variables in Table 1?

Writing Assignment #1

Length: 3 full pages

Assigned Readings:

#1 C.W. Mills, “The Promise”

#2 Stephanie Coontz, “How History and Sociology Can Help Today’s Families”

#3 Lisa McIntyre, “Hernando Washington”

What did C.W. Mills mean by the concept “sociological imagination”? According to Mills, of what value is the sociological imagination to the average person? Consider the work done by Coontz and McIntyre. In your informed judgment, in what way did each author demonstrate (or not) that she has a sociological imagination? Explain how you arrived at your conclusion by discussing the evidence you relied upon to form your conclusion.

Paper should:

· Be 3 pages, typed, and double-spaced

· Include proper in-text citations

· Demonstrate that you read and understood assigned readings; demonstrate critical thinking skills and ability to synthesize information

· Demonstrate college-level writing (i.e., proper spelling, grammar, proper use of paragraph breaks, proper sentence structure, proper in-text citations)

· No cover page needed!

Grading Rubric:

· What did C.W. Mills mean by the concept “sociological imagination”? (3 pts)

· According to Mills, of what value is the sociological imagination to the average person? (3 pts)

· Link to Coontz—did she demonstrate that she has a “sociological imagination? (4 pts)

· Link to McIntyre—did she demonstrate that she has a “sociological imagination? (4 pts)

· College level writing (2 pts)

· Proper use of in-text citations (2 pts)

· Minimum 3 pages (2 pts)