SOC 120 SCSU Introductory Sociology Paper

Hello,

I need help with doing a mini research paper please.

I have uploaded the paper rubric, and here is the instruction:

Mini Research Paper #3: Third Places and Civil Society

This mini research paper asks you to investigate the phenomenon of the local hangout using participant observation, like a bar, restaurant, gym, park, student union, an online space (e.g. Facebook), or bookstore (among others, certainly). What’s important is to make sure that it’s a real hangout someplace where people linger and return to regularly to socialize. Part of your work will be to determine just what constitutes a good hangout. As such, think a bit about your own habits and those of your friends, and choose what you think is a good hangout to study using participant observation. You will have to spend several periods of observation at this space, so it may make sense to choose places you frequent already.

Once you’ve chosen a location, make some ethnographic field notes describing the setting. What makes this place a good hangout for the people there? You’ll also need to distinguish who are the “regulars” and who are not. How do you tell a one-time visitor from a regular? How do people establish themselves as regulars? What kinds of interactions take place at the hangout? Interview a few people you think are regulars. What does the hangout mean to them? How does it function in their everyday life? In what respect is being a regular a part of their identity? In writing up your analysis, include some examples of the particular idioculture you find- the customs and values expressed in the place and in the interactions of the people who hang out there. Furthermore, pay attention to whether this space you observe constitutes a third place that is good for civil society and democracy or whether it is an idioculture that simply creates a lifestyle enclave. If it is good for civil society and democracy, how do you arrive at that decision? If it is a “lifestyle enclave” type of an idioculture, is this seemingly a consequence of conspicuous consumption? Refer back to the recreation and leisure lecture for discussion on all these issues. Lean hard on theories on social capital from Robert Putnam and Alexis de Tocqueville, as well as Veblen’s theory on conspicuous consumption, but be sure to draw on other relevant theories from class!

Once you have evaluated these kinds of things, determine what kind of thesis-style argument you can make as the basis for your paper. Remember, that argument needs to be driven by theory and defended by your observations. Follow the remaining instructions for a mini research paper found under Grading Rubrics