SOC b2500
Sociological Writing
(“Making Sociology Speak”)
B. Nadya Jaworsky
Office 3.66
Consultation Hours:
Wednesdays: 13.00-14.00 or by appointment

Discussion/Response/Position Papers – Questions to Ask
•What is the main problem or issue that the author is addressing?
•What is the author’s central claim, argument, or point?
•What assumptions does the author make?
•What evidence does the author present?
•What are the strengths and weaknesses of the text?
•What are possible counterarguments to the text’s claims? •Why are the problem(s) and the
argument(s) interesting or important?

Peer Review Partners
•
•Kim, Chae Kyung & Grauerová, Gabriela
•Rüster, Karl-Albert & Grahovac, Marko
•Cercnik Pusavec, Nika & Rachůnková, Nadia
•Janzekovic, Nejc & Konschuh, Veronika

Becker on writing
•Rituals & Routines – Why do we feel so shameful about them?
•
•The importance of re-writing. Don’t be a one-draft wonder.
•
•Pluralistic ignorance – everyone thinks everyone else is getting it done and on time.
•

Becker on writing
•Two biggest issues - Passive voice and unwillingness or inability to make causal statements.
•
•Persona – everyone has a style of writing. Classy persona, esoteric expertise, “I was there,” all
authoritative in contrast to Becker’s ordinariness and similarity to others. issue of
professionalization, becoming a “real” sociologist.
•

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo



Tips on revising
•Eliminate wordiness
•Redundant pairs – “everyday hassles and annoyances”
•Inflated phrases – “At this point…”
•Intensifiers – “single most common”
•Passive voice
•“it is”… “that” (Some researchers believe that it is the everyday hassles that cause stress.)
•

NEXT WEEK’S READINGS
•REQUIRED READING:
•Mahrer, Kenneth D. 2004. “Proofreading your own writing? Forget it!” The Leading Edge, November.
(2 pp.) •Trim, Michelle. 2007. What every student should know about practising peer review. New
York: Pearson Longman, pp. 1-20. (19 pp.)
•
•HOMEWORK DUE: Response/discussion paper due Monday, March 16 at 13:00 in the Homework Vault and to
your peer-review partner; peer review due in class and in the Homework Vault

•He dropped out of school to support his family.



•The bus company will probably announce its schedule in a few days.



•Student can meet their foreign peers in many ways.



•People often lie deliberately.



•Disobeying safety regulations causes trouble.



•Five out of more than a thousand students at a campus rally were arrested for disorderly conduct,
and several others were charged by campus administrators with organizing a public meeting without a
permit.

•Students think that the most important subjects are those that will be useful after graduation.



•Soon college freshmen must contact their advisors about their choice of major.



•Our company provides opportunities for professional growth and stability in the dynamic field of
aerospace technology.


•There are people for and against capital punishment.
•


•From the readings I did for the course on stress, I have found that there have been many studies
done to try to find the single most common cause of stress. Some stress scholars believe it is the
major life changes that provoke stress. Others believe it is the everyday hassles and annoyances of
life which bring about stress. Despite the conflicting viewpoints in the causality of stress, all
scholars agree that when stressful stimuli can be recognized and regulated early, there seems to be
less damaging effects on the body. At this point I have a confident feeling that I will be able to
locate good, current information on the questions of stress management, which I intend to research
(121 words).
•

•According to my readings on stress, many studies have tried to find its most common cause.
According to some scholars, major life changes provoke stress; for others, everyday annoyances
cause it. Despite conflicting explanations, all agree that early recognition and regulation lessen
bodily damage. I feel confident now that I can locate good relevant information on stress
management. (58 words)