Social Location Essay

Due Jan 16, 2015 by 11:59pm
Points 50
Submitting on paper
Available after Jan 7, 2015 at 12am

WRITING ASSIGNMENT 1 DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL

Sociologists and criminologists often debate whether or not it is possible to conduct objective research that is value free. One school of thought argues that a researcher should suspend his/her values and personal biases while conducting an investigation. According to this perspective, the data should speak for itself and personal opinions and biases should not even be an issue. The other school maintains that it is impossible for a researcher to totally suspend his/her personal values and biases and asserts that it is naïve for a researcher to assume that he/she can conduct value free research.

In class, we have discussed how a person’s social location shapes his/her values and view of the world. A person’s social location is defined by many variables: including: age, generation, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation or identify, marital status, geographical background, travel history, education, income, occupation, religious views, cultural values, occupation and personal experiences and the shared experiences of your family or group and exposure to various cultures, societies and types of people.

For this assignment, I would like you to write a 2 to 3 page paper that:

1) Briefly identifies your social location in this society (see above demographics)

2) Describe your personal experiences with crimes and victims and if you feel comfortable, discuss your own experiences with the criminal justice system.

3) Explain how these variables have helped shape your views of the world and personal values; and

4) discuss how your social location and your personal experiences might influence or bias your research in the field of criminology and juvenile delinquency.

5) Identify any biases that you might possess and could impact your work with victims or with perpetrators of crime

6) Double space and space twice after periods and use spell check.

7) you will receive a grade for the content and a grade that evaluates your writing. The writing grade is for your own information and will not be recorded in the grade book.

Please hold on to this paper after I return it to you because we might referring to it later in the course.