Research Essay: Past, Present and Future paper

Research Essay: Past, Present and Future Paper (30% of course grade; 60 points) 

Due End of Week 8  or August 11 by 11: 30  pm EST in your Assignment Folder.

For this assignment, you have the choice of one of two different paper options:

(1)          Option A: Effects of globalization on cities and communities

(2)          Option B: Disasters, Preparation, Response, Recovery in Cities and Communities

Option A: Effects of Globalization on Cities and Communities 

Option A  will require you  to develop a research-based and well-written responsive essay concerning the effects of globalization on cities and communities.  There is much research on the topic of globalization; however, you  should be able to synthesize the wealth of information and to present a clear and well-researched responsive essay.  This assignment is worth: 60points.

In Option A of this assignment, you should develop a responsive essay that addresses (at a minimum) the following:

• Define globalization.
• Discuss the historical origin of globalization
• Identify at least one theoretical perspective used to analyze globalization.
• Discuss general dimensions of globalization (please access the link below for an explanation of the general dimensions, which are interconnection, intensity, integration and institutionalization, pace, and level of impact).
• Identify major debates concerning globalization (e.g., hyperglobalizers;; transformationalists).
• How have social institutions (or processes) in cities been affected by globalization?                 (Here, you can discuss what some call “dimensions”.  These include: the economy,, politics, culture, technology and international trade relations).
• What are some successes, failures, and consequences of globalization?
• Identify current and/or future trends of globalization and its affect on cities.

Formatting

Be sure to follow all requirements concerning citations and requirements for submitting a well-developed responsive essay.  The length of the responsive essay should not exceed 3-4 pages.  Please single space your response.  You can use the questions as an outline (or format) for your responses. Remember that *pdf documents will not be accepted and will be returned to you with no grade.

Useful Reference Material for Option A:

Center on Law and Globalization.  (Dimensions of globalization)***

http://www.americanbarfoundation.org/uploads/cms/documents/abf_rl_fall09_final.pdf

Professor Saskia Sassen, Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology, Columbia University.

http://www.saskiasassen.com/

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Option B:  Disasters: Preparation, Response, Recovery in Cities and Communities

For Option B, you will consider the field of The Sociology of Disasters. The Sociology of Disasters is an emerging field in the discipline and has origins in Environmental Sociology. You can use the terms  the Sociology of Disaster and Environmental Sociology to locate literature relevant to your paper.  The FEMA (Federal Emergency Management) website is also a good source for information but your paper should focus on the consequences of disaster for societies and social interaction.

In this paper, you should examine the sociological implications of disaster planning, responses, and recovery.  It should be particularly attentive to the social consequences of disasters in terms of sociological theory.

In Option B of this assignment, you should develop a responsive essay that addresses (at a minimum) the following:

• How can you apply sociological theories to disasters?  You will need to support your analysis by accurately applying the major premises of theory and provide supportive (empirical) examples drawn from actual events.  Here are examples of possible theories (Structural functionalism, Conflict theory, Symbolic Interaction theory). Other theories presented in the course can also be applied in your paper:
  • Examples of sociological theories and application to disasters:
    • How do disasters affect social cohesion, or social dysfunction, premises of Structural Functionalism?
    • Do they create conflict between “the haves” and “the have-nots:, a premise of Conflict Theory?
    • In what ways do individuals and groups create their day-to-day reality to prepare, respond, or recover from disasters, the focus of Symbolic Interactionism?

• Provide at least one example from the partial list below or another that you think applicable to each stage of a disaster: preparedness, response, or recovery.
• Choose one disaster–for each stage that you think best represents the theory you are applying.
• It would probably be easier to choose different disasters to make your points.  You can also apply more than one theory so long as it is applicable to your example.
  • the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Hurricane Katrina
  • Midwestern/Southern state  tornados
  • Chilean earthquake
  • Hurricane Irene and the flooding of Manhattan, NY (August 2011)
  • Impact of hurricane Maria on Puerto Rico.

Formatting:

Your paper should be no fewer than 5-7 and no more than 15 double spaced pages and should present your research findings in an organized format that covers the four areas below.  It should include a bibliography with 6 references, The remaining references can be to print and electronic media coverage of specific events associated with disasters, academic journals in the social sciences in the UMGC library, or fields relevant to the topic.

General Organization of Option B Essay/Paper:

1. Introductory paragraph(s): Describe why natural disasters have increasingly become a national and international concern.
2. Body/Narrative:
   • Examples and theoretical application: Identify each stage of a disaster; identify an applicable theory; describe an actual event associated with a disaster that supports the theory;
   • Analysis: Explain why the event (whether negative or positive) is supportive of the theory and how a similar event might be dealt with or avoided in the future;
   • Summary of major findings and conclusion.

General Rubric for Research Essay/Paper (Both Options)