This assignment asks you to explore the public relevance of sociology in today’s world by becoming familiar with a particular application of sociological research. According to Ritzer, public sociology is sociological work that addresses “a variety of local, national and global groups,” “most of which are outside the academy” (Ritzer, 2015 22).

1.Explore the website called Public Sociology Live [http://isapublicsociology.wordpress.com/] Begin your quest with the summary lecture by Michael Burawoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJgWAcOctCQ#t=386
You may choose to research one of the international sociologists listed on the website:
– Manuel Castells
– Nandani Sundar
– Cesar Rodriguez-Garavito
– Ramon Flecha and Marta Soler (*NOTE: most of their articles appear in Spanish)
– Walden Bello
– Karl Von Holdt
– Sari Hanafi
– Michael Wieviorka
– Frances Fox Piven

2.Conduct library research about your chosen example to understand this public sociologists’ contribution to the discipline of sociology, and his or her efforts to bring these insights into the public domain. Keep a record of the places that you search and the search terms you use – what worked and what did not work (this will be included at the end of your paper). Start your search using the links on the Public Sociology Live web page. From there, continue by looking at what is available in MyLibrary. Select information from both scholarly journals and other reliable sources of information[i]. Investigate the following questions as you conduct library research:

Describe the public work of this sociologist.

What sociological concepts and theories does s/he use to illustrate their work?

To whom is this sociologist talking (their public)? Locate any press coverage that enables you to assess how this work was received.

3.Write a 1000-1500 word research report analyzing your case of public sociology, responding to the above questions, and discussing the potential for public sociology to make important contributions for positive social change. Include a description of your search process as an appendix to the paper. Be sure to cite your sources properly, using the ASA format in the text of your report as well as to generate a list of works cited[ii].

[i] Sources of information can include: (1) materials written by the public sociologists themselves, both in scholarly outlets and the popular media including personal websites or blogs; (2) journal articles citing the work of your public sociologist (you can find articles through our library’s electronic databases, see http://marymount.libguides.com/sociology); and (3) academic books contained in the WRLC collections.

[ii] See http://www.asanet.org/documents/teaching/pdfs/Quic….