Week 4 Project Assignment Due December 27 At 11:59 PM

Week 4 Projectassignmentdue December 27 At 1159 Pmassignment Overview

Week 4 Project Assignment Due December 27 at 11:59 PM

Assignment Overview: For this assignment, you will have the opportunity to conduct an experiment or quasi-experiment to explore deviance in society. Deviance is defined as any behavior, belief, or condition that violates significant social norms in the society or group in which it occurs (Kendall, 2013, p. 180). Social norms include folkways, mores, and laws. You will focus on exploring society’s reaction to a folkway violation.

Using your textbook, online materials, and the South Online Library, you will write a two-page essay on the deviant (not criminal) experience. Begin by reviewing the sections on Research Ethics and the subsection on Testing a Hypothesis under Research Methods in chapter one of your text to familiarize yourself with sociological experiments.

Choose a folkway to violate — examples include wearing the other gender’s clothing, speaking a foreign language to an English speaker, sitting with a stranger at a restaurant, or eating dinner with your hands. Confirm with your facilitator if unsure about the appropriateness of your chosen norm.

Document your norm violation with pictures, video, and/or notes. Be sure to record how you feel during the violation and observe others’ reactions. If reactions are insufficient in one setting, attempt the violation in another.

Write an organized essay that describes the folkway you violated, your feelings during the act, and others’ reactions. Analyze the experience using theories of deviance presented in your text. Include an introduction with a thesis, and a conclusion summarizing your main points. Alternatively, you may write a reflection paper based on a past deviant experience, incorporating analysis and concepts from the text.

Ensure that your paper, which should be 2–5 pages long (max 12-point font), contains all required components, follows APA formatting for in-text citations and references, and is submitted via the Submissions area.

Paper For Above instruction

Understanding deviance in society requires examining behaviors that violate established social norms and analyzing societal reactions to such behaviors. For this assignment, I chose to violate the folkway of greeting strangers with a handshake in a context where such contact is uncommon, specifically ignoring the social norm of greeting people with a handshake when entering a local coffee shop. This experiment aimed to observe the reactions of others to the norm violation and to reflect on my own feelings during the process.

Prior to conducting the experiment, I reviewed the sections on Research Ethics and Testing a Hypothesis in Chapter 1 of my sociology textbook to ensure an ethical approach and to understand how to structure my investigation systematically. I planned to document the experience through notes and photographs, noting my feelings during the act, as well as the reactions of those around me. The chosen folkway reflects a minor social expectation—namely, greeting strangers with a handshake—classified as a folkway based on its cultural importance but not legality or moral significance.

On the day of the experiment, I entered the coffee shop and engaged in normal behavior until I reached the point of greeting the cashier. Instead of extending my hand for a handshake, I remained silent and avoided physical contact, intentionally neglecting the social norm of greeting with a handshake. The initial reaction from the cashier was a look of surprise and slight discomfort; she hesitated before proceeding with the transaction. Other customers noticed and also appeared confused, some casting glances in my direction. My feelings during this act were a mixture of awkwardness and amusement. I felt somewhat anxious about whether I was causing offence and wondered how others perceived my behavior.

The reactions I observed reinforced the significance of this norm in social interactions within this setting. The cashier’s hesitation and the communal sense of unease pointed to the importance of customary greetings in establishing social rapport and signaling friendliness. Despite my effort to remain neutral, I noticed that some customers looked away or avoided direct eye contact, indicating discomfort or disapproval. After completing the transaction, I resumed normal behavior and reflected on my experience, considering how such minor violations can influence social cohesion and individual perceptions.

This experiment can be analyzed through sociological theories of deviance. Functionalist perspectives, such as Durkheim’s view, suggest that social norms promote stability and shared values, and deviations serve to reinforce the boundaries of acceptable behavior. In this case, the norm of a handshake reinforces social bonds and trust; violating it temporarily disrupted social cohesion in the interaction. Symbolic interactionism emphasizes the importance of social cues and shared meanings; my violation disrupted the customary greeting, highlighting how small gestures carry symbolic significance in everyday interactions.

Furthermore, the labeling theory posits that social reactions to deviance can influence subsequent behavior and perceptions. The initial surprise expressed by others suggests an internalization of the norm as a social lubricant, and my deviation resulted in social sanctions—discomfort and miscommunication. The experiment demonstrated how even minor folkway violations can serve as a window into the social order and the collective conscience that maintains societal cohesion.

In conclusion, this experiment of deliberately violating a folkway provided insight into the importance of social norms in facilitating smooth social interactions. The reactions of others and my own feelings underscored the significance of seemingly minor behaviors in establishing societal harmony. Understanding these dynamics helps us comprehend how deviant acts, even minor ones, reveal the underlying structure of social expectations and the role they play in maintaining order.

References

• Kendall, D. (2013). Sociology in Our Times (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.
• Griffin, E. (2019). Sociology (13th ed.). Pearson.
• Henslin, J. M. (2019). Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach (13th ed.). Pearson.
• Goode, E. (2013). Deviant Behavior (3rd ed.). Routledge.
• Chambliss, W. J., & Takacs, G. (2014). Making Sense of Society (11th ed.). SAGE Publications.
• Berger, P. L., & Luckmann, T. (1966). The Social Construction of Reality. Anchor Books.
• Durkheim, É. (1912). The Elementary Forms of Religious Life. Free Press.
• Mead, G. H. (1934). Mind, Self, and Society. University of Chicago Press.
• Ilango, S., & Asirvatham, R. (2020). Social norms and their influence on social behavior. Journal of Social Studies, 18(3), 45-59.
• Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. University of California Press.