SU Visual Methods For social scientists Sociology Essay

Produce a 3,000 word essay that incorporates images in the analysis of a social research project. The visual material must be reproducible on paper. That is: for video material, please include screenshots or similar formats.

The assignment will assess the ability of the student to collect and use images in the undertaking of sociological research, collate, categorise, and analyse visual data, consider the ethical issues involved in the use of such data, and reflect on the use of images as a medium for enhancing social enquiry.

The assignment is designed to assess the student’s ability to undertake a piece of research that employs at least one of the visual methods discussed in the course (e.g., visual content analysis, visual discourse analysis, visual ethnography) to engage in the critical analysis of a sociological issue (e.g., racial discrimination, environmental crisis, public health, gender inequalities, social movements). Note that essays related to marketing or e-commerce are not permitted due to the sociological nature of the assessment. The essays will combine:

·       A sociological issue

·       Critical analysis of the issue

·       A visual methodological approach

·        Visual method(s)

Both the issue and the appropriateness of the chosen visual approach and methods should be agreed with the module convenor in advance. This should be done by week 7 at the latest. Students will be provided with discussion opportunities regarding the assignment throughout the module during the workshops and office hours.

The assignment should be accompanied by a portfolio of images that were collected and used by the student during the project (inserted in the essay in the appendix section). These images may be photographs taken by the student in the course of their research and/or ‘found’ images from secondary sources, such as social media platforms, websites etc.