Projects

Socialization and Identity Project Task Statement

Use your knowledge of Sociology to improve the world

Everything we know and believe has been formed by our interactions with other people, even though many of us are unaware of it. What we wear, the careers we choose, and the people we date, how we treat each other, the language we use, our core values, and literally everything else we do we learn from other people.

The problem is not everything we learn from society benefits us, or those in our community. Racism, discrimination, even things like genocide are all behaviors that are socially learned. Just look at the bullying behaviors common amongst groups of young people, or beliefs about beauty that lead men and women to starve themselves in order to feel skinny enough to fit the standards set in the media.

The main question you will be answering in this project is:

·        What can you do as an individual to break the harmful socialization cycles?

Your Task:

·        Design an identity mask that illustrates how you have been socialized in one fixed identity category

·        Write an essay explaining your mask, and how you have been socialized to be who you are

   

     Tragedy Project

Task Statement

     What role does tragedy play in society? For the Greeks, tragedy helped form a sense of moral code in society. The Greeks realized that tragedy can affect each and every one of us, so it was an important part of maintaining a healthy society. This is true today, when we understand others, their lives and the circumstances under which they live, we can generate a sense of empathy.

  During this project you will:

·        Learn about the six levels of moral development

·        Read two Greek tragedies

·                                                                                       Do a research paper on a current social issue

·                                                                                      Write your own tragedy on this social issue

  Your Task

  In partners you will write a play in which you will incorporate:

·        The format of the Ancient Greek playwrights

·        Your understanding of a contemporary social issue

·        Invoke compassion through a tragedy of the social issue

   Your play may take one of three forms:

·        A play that you act out

§  The play must include a simple set, costumes, and be memorized

·        A play that is video recorded

§  The play must include a simple set, costumes, and be memorized

·        A graphic novel  

§  This must be created in a professional way, refined with the use of computer programs

Projects from 2013:

 http://tragedyprojects2013.weebly.com/graphic-novels.html