Pick a song that you feel describes or encompasses a challenge, problem, or concern of your everyday life. Once you have chosen a song and a direction for your research, you need to think about how others in society may struggle with this same issue. In other words, you are to connect your personal trouble to a public/societal issue. The song you choose does not need to be analyzed on a literal basis, it could be a metaphor for your topic. You have creative license to interpret the song. Analyze the song with your sociological imagination: that is, link the personal issue/topic to larger social structures/social issues within society.
The Deliverables:
Presentation: You will have six minutes as the teacher for this subject. A maximum of no more than 2 minutes should be used to play the song (you may have to cut it off so think about what section you would play). You may want to limit the amount of music you play because your presentation will be limited to 6 minutes. Use your time wisely. For your analysis use sociological data and outside sources to explain your topic and how your music relates that topic. As an option, you may want to present the lyrics of the music, either in your presentation (by focusing on specific example lyrics) or in hard copy for the class. Note: Outside sources must be from reliable articles or books. Government statistics are also acceptable.
Paper: You will also be required to complete a 3-4 page essay where you will discuss and analyze these issues. Include a copy of the lyrics in your paper and a reference page, but do not count the lyric page(s), or reference page(s) in your 3-4 pages.
Some possible topics to consider might include (but are certainly not limited to) your experiences with day care, police harassment, crime, racism, classism, unemployment, low wages, experiences of education, or safety. Your biggest challenge in this paper will be distinguishing between sociological fact and uneducated opinion (hint: the majority of the grade you will earn for this assignment hinges on your ability to do this effectively).
Some possible topics to consider might include (but are certainly not limited to) your experiences with day care, police harassment, crime, racism, classism, unemployment, low wages, experiences of education, or safety. Your biggest challenge in this paper will be distinguishing between sociological fact and uneducated opinion (hint: the majority of the grade you will earn for this assignment hinges on your ability to do this effectively).
Your paper MUST be turned in to me at the time of your presentation (submitted on Blackboard by the start of class) along with a copy of the Powerpoint slides and any other supporting material you plan to use.
The purpose here is not simply to describe your subjective experience but to ultimately link this experience to structural factors. However, this is also your opportunity to allow your classmates to feel, through the music, the way you feel.