SOCIOLOGY
CH.3 RESEARCH PAPER/ESSAY
TOPIC: Research a counterculture or a subculture. The group may be either
contemporary or historical. After examining the data you gather, write a paper in
which you answer all of the following questions or themes:
a) Against what elements of the larger (dominant) culture are (was) the group
rebelling or separating itself?
b) What are (were) the major norms and values of the group? Include any
folkways, mores, laws, rules, beliefs, symbols, languages, etc. that are unique to
your topic group. Explain how these norms and values are different from the
dominant culture, or how they are the same, in some cases.
c) Explain how or why the group you chose to write about can be classified as
either a counterculture or a subculture.
TIPS:
Take care to write a SOCIOLOGY paper—don’t just write a history of your
group—you need to also analyze the group from a sociological perspective. Make
sure that you use sociological terms and concepts to describe your topic. Examples
of subcultures and countercultures can be found on p. 98. I do not want a paper on
the Chinese subculture, however. Find your own topic. If you like, you could use the
old Sociology text, pp.63-64, to see an example of an article about an ethnic
subculture (Hispanic). Again, you can’t use that one for your own. If your topic is
about a counterculture, you may have trouble using our server here, because of
internet blocks. You should plan on looking for sources in multiple places.
The paper needs to be typed, double-spaced, and needs to include a “works cited”
page (sources list) of the books, magazines, internet sites, etc. you used to research
it. I don’t need individual citations listed, unless you copy your data word for word.
Minimum length: 3-5 pages. I prefer that your paper be covered with a title page.
Neatness counts!
The paper will be worth 100 points (same as one exam grade in weight).