Sociology 100, Spring Quarter 2006
Writing Assignment
“The McDonaldization of Society”
Due Date: Friday May 26, 2006 (in class). Papers received after 9:25AM on this date will be
considered “late” and will not be accepted! In addition to turning in a hard copy of final your
paper in class, you will also submit your final paper to turnitin.com. Directions for that process
are outlined below. The paper is worth 25 points.
Assignment Goal: After reading Chapter 5 in the text about groups and organizations and the
reading “The McDonaldization of Society,” by George Ritzer, be able to determine whether all
parts of American culture and society are really becoming “rationalized.”
What You Need to Do: Choose a group/organization/setting that you can access and observe for
the assignment (workplace, religious organization, social club, coffee shop, health club, an
office...but don’t choose examples used in the Ritzer reading—and don’t choose McDonalds!!).
You don’t have to be part of setting to analyze it, but it might be more interesting–and fun–to
analyze a setting with which you are familiar. Once you have chosen a group or place and it has
been approved, you will conduct observation research to determine whether the dimensions of
McDonaldization are visible or absent in the group or social setting you selected.
Paper Format (in at least 4 full pages)
Introduction (3 points): Describe what the paper will be about (McDonaldization, what group
or social setting you observed—basically, a general outline of your paper). (1 paragraph)
First (5 points): In your own words, explain McDonaldization, including a discussion of the
dimensions Ritzer outlines (efficiency, predictability, calcuability/quantity, nonhuman
technology, control. (1-1.5 pages)
Second (3 points): Include a brief description of your group, organization, setting [what is its
purpose, function(s), how it is organized]; how much does your group or social setting appear to
be rationalized? (1-1.5 pages)
Third (5 points): Describe how each of the dimensions operated in the group or social setting
you observed. Also discuss what might be the advantages and disadvantages of each dimension
for the group or social setting. Be specific in order to show how the process of McDonaldization
appears in your example. Did you see any occurrence of the irrationality of rationality? (1.5-2
pages)
Conclusion (4 points): Provide some comments on the significance of McDonaldization for your
example. Does McDonaldization make the group or social setting you observed operate better or
not? Why or why not? Does McDonaldization apply to all types of groups or social settings
regardless of the goal, or might McDonaldization only work better in certain types of groups or
social settings? Do you see McDonaldization as a positive in our current society? Why or why
not? Is McDonaldization in any way beneficial for your own social experiences? (1-1.5 pages)
Organization, grammar & spelling (5 points): Paper has logical introduction, body, and
conclusion by following paper format outlined above. No major spelling, grammar errors.
*Your paper should be between 4-7 pages in length, typed, double-spaced, and paginated.
Please do not use report covers/binders when turning in your paper. Use 12 point font and
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1-inch margins. Please use Word or WordPerfect—if you don’t have these, you can save
your work as .rtf document. (See me if you are unclear about what this means.)
Citing a Reference
While you do not need to cite any outside sources to complete this assignment, if you cite a quote
from the Ritzer reading or from the Henslin textbook, do the following:
For a direct quote: “The modern American family, often with two wage earners, has little time
to prepare elaborate meals” (Ritzer 1983, p. 406)
If you not using a direct quote but use an idea and explain it in your own words, you must also
cite the author like this: (Ritzer 1983).
If you cite Ritzer or Henslin, please include a separate bibliography page and use the following
style:
Ritzer, George. 1983. “The McDonaldization of Society.” Pp. 405-413 in A Sociological
Oddessey: Contemporary Readings in Introductory Sociology (2nd edition), edited by
Patricia A. Adler and Peter Adler. Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth.
Henslin, James. 2006. Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (6th edition).
Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------HELPFUL TIDBITS FOR WRITING A GOOD PAPER
Don’t lose points because of grammatical, organizational, and spelling errors!
*You can write your paper either in first or third person. However, whichever one you choose,
please use it throughout your paper.
*Avoid using “you,” in your writing, as in “You can go to any McDonalds….” Instead, write “A
person (or individual) can go to any McDonalds…”
*Watch out for “their” (possession), “there” (location) and “they’re” (contraction for “they are”)
in your writing. Be careful of the same for “its” versus “it’s” and “affect” and “effect.”
*Read your paper out loud to yourself to make sure it sounds logical, that it makes sense. This
will help in organizing your paper.
*Please refer to the ASA Style Guide posted on my webpage if you are unclear about writing
issues. There are helpful comments about writing style, including clarity, gender-neutral writing,
voice, verb tense, and punctuation.
*SPELLCHECK!!!
*If you need help with your writing, I suggest making an appointment with the Writing Center
(AE 101; 661-654-6411).
And of course, I am available during office hours (and by appointment) if you need any help in
preparing your paper (even reading partial or full rough drafts of your paper).
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Using Turnitin.com
In addition to turning in a hard copy of your McDonaldization of Society paper, you must also
submit your final paper through turnitin.com. To access the folder for this course to turn in your
paper, do the following steps.
1. On the web, go to turnitin.com
2. You will need to create a user profile based on your e-mail address and a password you
create. Click on “new user” to create your user profile. If you have used turnitin for
another course, use your existing user profile based on your e-mail address and password.
3. Once you create your user profile, go to red bar at the top of the page. Click on “user
type” and then click on “student”.
4. You will get a “welcome” message. Click on “here” to enroll for the course. Use the
following information to enroll for the course.
a. Class/section ID: 1514864
b. Enrollment password: mcdonald
5. Click on “Introduction to Sociology” and you will see a folder titled “Mcdonaldization of
Society.” This is where you will submit your final paper. Click on “submit” and then
follow screen instructions entering your name and the title of your paper. Make sure the
pull down menu says “file upload” so that you can submit your paper. Once you’ve
browsed and uploaded your paper, hit the “submit” button. Your paper will be sent to the
“Mcdonaldization of Society” folder.
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