SOC 210 Major Project

The overarching goal of SOC 210 is to assist you in developing the tools and knowledge to better understand the world you live in. At DCCC SOC 210 has applied for and received permission to be a ‘global studies’ course. Of course, a very good method with which to provide you with the knowledge, skill and abilities that will enhance your understanding of the world in which you live is to ‘personalize’ the experience.

In sociology we will examine groups, culture, institutions, poverty, race and gender, ethnicity, equality and much more by using a variety of sociological theories and concepts. These topics are interesting and informative in-and-of themselves. However, in the name of retention you will stand a much greater chance of understanding and applying sociological theory to these topics if you study them from a personal perspective.

We can all agree that we came from somewhere. Our ancestors might have been indigenous to what is now America. Our ancestors may have migrated from Europe, Mexico, Africa, Scandinavia, China, Japan Vietnam or….virtually from anywhere in the world!

Your task is to identify the most probable country from which your ancestors came. More than likely you will be part something and part something else. Use your judgement and ask a bunch of questions. This may take a little work as many of us are not exactly clear where our ancestors came from and, in fact, our ancestors may have multiple ethnicities. I would encourage you to ask your parents and grandparents, they will be a great source of the oral history of your family. You can also perform some basic internet research that will assist you in identifying your ancestor’s country of origin. Google your last names of your father and the maiden name of your mother. Do the same for your grandparents and continue as far back as is known (great grandparents etc.).

Here is the important part:

Writing Prompt

Write a 1-3 page, (double spaced) essay on your probable country of origin.

• What was the approximate year that they would have arrived in the US?
• What were the possible reasons that, at some point in time, your ancestors decided to come to America?
• What were they seeking?
• Were they oppressed in their country of origin?
• What was life like in their home country when they decided to immigrate?
• Were they welcomed upon arrival?
• How did they assimilate?
• What role does the food from the previous culture influence their life today?
• What were the barriers to success they found after they arrived?
• How are religious and or ethnic minorities treated today in this country?
• Are people from this area still immigrating to the United States?
• Reference Page– This will be an additional page. Reference style can be APA or MLA