SOCY275 – Theories of Deviance and Social Control
THEORETICAL APPLICATION PAPER (Fall 2024)
Due: Friday, November 15th by 11:59pm
Weight: 30%
Formatting Requirements:
Length: 5 to 6 pages excluding cover page and reference list
Citation Style: ASA
Cover Page: Required
References: Minimum of 6 scholarly sources (journal articles or book chapters) that are current (published from the year 2000 onwards, unless primary sources for theoretical explanations)
Writing Format: All writing should be in full sentences and proper paragraphs. You may use first-person language, though your writing must still be academic.
- Unsubstantiated personal opinions do not constitute academic writing. Therefore, avoid language like “I believe that”, “in my opinion”, and/or “I think that”.
- Instead, first person language can be used to state things like “in this paper, I will argue that”, and/or “Upon investigating existing literature, I have found that”, etc.
How to Submit Your Assignment:
Please upload your assignment in MS WORD or PDF format to OnQ prior to 11:59pm on Friday, November 15th.
Late Policy:
If you miss the due date without an accommodation or extension for extenuating circumstances, you will receive a late penalty of 5% per day, including weekends. For all accommodations and/or academic considerations inquiries, please contact Katie! TAs cannot grant extensions.
Artificial Intelligence & Academic Integrity:
Use of artificial Intelligence software such as ChatGPT is not permitted for any assignments in this course. If your assignment appears to be AI-generated, it will be flagged and ran through AI-detection software. Confirmation of AI use will result in a 0 and a breach of academic integrity that may lead to more serious academic consequences.
Assignment Guidelines:
Theoretical application and theory testing are important areas of inquiry in the field of criminology. The purpose of this assignment is to begin to develop your skills in these areas. As such, you are required to select a theory covered in class to explain a form of deviance or crime of your choosing. In 5-6 pages double-spaced, you will first need to explain the main premises of the theory and then make an argument for why it effectively explains the form of deviance or crime that you have selected. Finally, using your theoretical argument as a guide, you need to make a policy recommendation related to the selected form of deviance or crime. Based on these guidelines, you may consider structuring your paper as follows:
- Introduction – A strong introduction will clearly convey brief context on the paper’s topic (theory and type of deviance selected), the purpose of the paper (argumentative thesis statement), and how the remainder of the paper is to be organized (road map). Your thesis statement is not a statement of fact or intent, rather it includes both a claim/position and reasoning behind it.
- Theoretical Framework – In this section, you should provide a summary of the key premises of the theoretical framework you have selected. In order to demonstrate understanding of the theory, it is imperative that you paraphrase wherever possible (avoid over-reliance on direct quotes). Where appropriate, original sources should be utilized as referenced material. NO application is required in this section, only overview/summary.
- Theoretical Application – following your overview of the theory’s main premises, the next section of your paper will work to apply that theory to the form of deviance or crime you selected. In this section, you should offer well-reasoned subpoints that work to substantiate your overarching thesis. A strong theoretical application will draw on peer-reviewed research to convey to the reader why the theory selected accurately explains the illicit behaviour. Could some other theory do a better job explaining why people engage in the behaviour? Why not? Why is the theory you selected an important lens for understanding the form of deviance or crime? These are questions to consider as you write this section. A high quality argument engages in analytical as opposed to descriptive writing, with one’s own ideas clearly reflected in the argumentation (rather than simply summarizing existing research on the topic, sources are used as evidence to support your claims). The majority of your academic sources should be used in this section as evidence to support your points.
- Practical Implications/Policy Recommendation – In this section, you’ll need to discuss the practical implications of your theoretical argument in terms of a policy recommendation for the form of deviance or crime you chose. What can be learned from using the theory as a lens for understanding the behaviour? How can what was learned be applied to address, reduce, or alleviate harm caused by, the form of deviance or crime? Remember, your policy recommendation must be clearly and logically grounded in the insight gained from your theoretical application.
- Conclusion – Concisely restate your thesis and what you have demonstrated throughout your paper. Remember, you should not be bringing any new information into your conclusion.