01 Feb 4. A discussion of your own feelings and ob

Writing Assignment #1 – Deviant Act

As stated in the Syllabus, students must write a reaction paper regarding a deviant act. Deviance refers to behavior that violates social norms. Social norms can be categorized as informal folkways and mores or codified into more formal rules and laws.

As you will see from our readings and through PowerPoint presentations, what constitutes deviant behavior is socially determined – that societies define what is and what is not acceptable. Hence, definitions of deviance will vary greatly over time and in different societies or social settings.

You have the opportunity to understand the contours and limits of daily life by performing a deviant act(s) that break the usual norms and rules by which we all live. Norms include those rules and expectations that guide our appearance, behavior, manner, conduct, etc.

Begin by BEING OBSERVANT. Look for regularities in the patterns of behavior that occur in everyday

interactions.

Use the campus, your home/dorm, a cafeteria/restaurant, the classroom, the street, etc. as your laboratory. Take notes on how individuals coordinate actions with others, and how these actions become commonplace and routinized.

Then, BE CLEVER. Look for subtle ways to violate these norms. Carefully record all of the steps in your “experiment” and provide a detailed chronicle of your actions and the reactions of others. You may want to vary the time or day of the experiment, or perhaps the gender, age, appearance or important characteristic of the rule violator. This will help you to see how the reactions to deviance might vary from place to place or by person.

Remember to take research ethics into account in formulating your “experiment.” In other words, do not rob a liquor store or streak through campus.

Your writing assignment should include the following:

1. A detailed account of what you did;

2. A thorough description and discussion of the typical norms/behaviors that govern the setting that you are describing;

3. An explanation of why your actions could be considered to be deviant. Relate this explanation to the relevant theories and ideas discussed in the lecture and course readings;

4. A discussion of your own feelings and observations while you were performing the act(s) (do this without using the 1st or 2nd person pronoun tense, i.e. “I,” “Me,” “You”);

5. A detailed description of the reactions of others; and 6. What you learned from doing a systematic observation, as opposed to just an informal action (do this without using the 1st or 2nd person pronoun tense, i.e. “I,” “Me,” “You”).