The movie Taxi Driver 1976 film
TAXI DRIVER: deviance, stigma, alienation, counter-culture, self, presentation of self
Analytical essay [1500 word minimum] reviewing a contemporary film, book, or writings [your media choice]. You will not be writing a review regarding your chosen topic per do not want to know, if for instance, you have chosen a film, what your opinion is of the acting, plot, writing or directing [a.k.a., it is not relevant whether you enjoyed the film, whether you thought it humorous, too stylized, insipid, too complex, etc.]. Rather, the goals of this assignment are threefold:
Write a review using sociological terms found within your paper topic. First, choose at least 2 of the main sociological paradigms found within the first chapter [Conflict theory; Structural-Functionalist theory; or Symbolic Interactionism]. Keep in mind the level of analysis of these over-arching theories. If you are writing about small group interactions, Symbolic Interaction may be appropriate. If you are writing about more societal interactions, the other 2 theories may apply. You can use both in your analysis, just be sure to acknowledge this.
Then, pick out different concepts you have learned since the start of class that fit under those paradigms [culture, ‘self’, socialization, class issues, stigma, social stratification, race/ethnicity, cultural hegemony, symbolism, ethnocentrism, relative deprivation, false consciousness, norms, deviance, ETC.].
Apply these concepts to your chosen topic, and analyze them in terms of the 3 paradigms studied. Identify these sociological concepts and, using one or more of the three approaches studied, attempt to explain what, sociologically, is ‘going on’.
2) You will use at least 3 outside sources from scholarly works by other sociologists. This will not only familiarize you with the initial research process but also, the arguments of others in the academy will help substantiate your own ideas.
