Chapter 17 Projects

Project Assignment

Purpose

Government gives society structure and order. It can empower people with a sense of community and citizenship or perpetuate prejudice and discrimination. The purpose of this project is to help you understand the different forms of government, how they exist in the world today, and how people make sense of governmental values and norms.

Directions

Part 1

Choose a country other than the United States and research that country's form of government. Look for up-to-date information about what this government has recently accomplished. Also, consider any current events that relate to the type of government or have caused changes within the government. Make sure to answer the following questions:

• What type of government is it? An oligarchy, a monarchy, a dictatorship, a democracy, etc.?

• What were the sociohistorical conditions that brought about this type of government?

• How does this type of government integrate and bolster the nation's cultural norms and values?

• Did this country recently have an election? If so, what was the outcome? Were there any important events that surrounded this election? Describe them.

  • What were the citizens' reactions to the election's outcomes?

• Has the government passed any important laws recently? If so, what were they?

  • What were the citizens' reactions to these laws?

• Has the government been criticized or praised in the news lately? If so, what for?

  • From whose perspective does the critique or praise stem? How might this affect the way people see this government?

• Have there been any current events that shaped the form of government or caused major changes within it?

  • How have government officials differently responded to citizens based on their race, gender, class, sexual orientation, or religion?

Part 2

Once you have completed your research, write a summary of the information you have collected. This summary should be short, about one to two pages in length.

Part 3

Finally, use your sociological imagination to think about what it would be like to be a citizen of the country you researched. Pretend you are a citizen of the country writing a letter to a friend in another country. Share with your friend a day in the life of a person living in your country under its form of government. Try to incorporate the things you learned in your research, like current events, elections, or laws passed that might affect a citizen living in that country and how they make sense of their role in that country.

Materials

Sources on the country and government chosen, word processing software

Checklist

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Writing Assignment

Purpose

Society is based on authority and power. Individuals and organizations with great power and authority have the potential to permanently alter the makeup of any given society. The purpose of this writing assignment is to explore power and types of authority and consider how they affect society and people.

Directions

In an essay of three to four pages (APA style), examine the sociological definitions of power and authority. Be sure to answer all the following prompts:

• What is the sociological definition of power?

• What is the sociological definition of authority?

• What are the different types of authority? Describe them and provide examples of well-known people for each, explaining why each person fits that type of authority.

  • How did each of these people exercise their authority? How did everyday people experience and understand their authority?

  • How do these types of authority differently affect people based on their race, gender, class, sexual orientation, or religion?

  • How do those in positions of authority use cultural values, norms, symbols, and rituals to gain and assert power?

• How did Max Weber classify authority, the different types of authority, sources of power, and leadership styles?

Your essay should be free of any spelling and grammatical errors and cite any outside sources appropriately.

Materials

Sources of sociological definitions of authority and power, word processing software

Checklist