S assess 2

Social structure, or the patterns of behavior that organize society, shapes our everyday interactions and help us assess and react to daily life. Social structure guides our behavior, and our position in the social structure affects our attitudes, behaviors, and ideas. One aspect of social structure is culture, which is the glue that holds a society together. Culture includes the values, norms, language, food, and customs of a group of people. Socialization, the lifelong social experience through which we learn culture, teaches us to become members of our society. The most common agents of socialization are our family, peers, school, and media. The family, for example, influences a child’s development by such things as the way the parents hold a baby, look at it, talk to it, and respond to its needs. We take on typical gender roles at birth as girls are typically given pink clothes while boys are given blue clothes. Family socialization is reinforced or modified by experiences at school and with peers, by the mass media, and by interaction with others. In the second assessment, you will create a poster in which you connect what you are learning about sociological concepts like culture, socialization, and social structure to your life.

Note: The course assessments build upon one another and must be completed in sequence.

Overview

Preparation

Review concepts and theories in the following chapters:

• Andersen, M. L., & Taylor, H. F. (2026). Sociology: The essentials (11th ed.). Cengage.
  • Chapter 1, “The Sociological Perspective.”
  • Chapter 2, “Culture.”
  • Chapter 4, “Socialization and the Life Course.”
  • Chapter 14, Education and Health Care.
    • Focus on pages 346361.

Download the and save it to your computer for easy access. If you still have questions on how to get started, please view the media and the “How do I get started on my assignment?” information.

Instructions

Using the , begin by adding a photo in the box at the top right. Be creative by including additional photos or graphics on your poster. You can also move around or resize the existing text boxes as needed.

In your poster, include the following:

• Describe the impact that culture has had on your life.
  • Integrate and apply at least two relevant sociological concepts covered in the assigned course materials, such as culture, subculture, culture shock, ethnocentrism, norms, or values.
  • Consider one or more of the following questions as you complete the “Culture” box in the poster template:
    • What norms or values are important to your culture?
    • What particular customs, beliefs, foods, music, languages, or celebrations are part of your culture?
    • How have your cultural experiences contributed to your outlook or beliefs?
• Describe the influence of socialization on your life.
  • Integrate and apply at least two relevant sociological concepts covered in the assigned course materials, such as socialization, agents of socialization, looking-glass self, roles, or identity.
  • Consider one or more of the following questions as you complete the “Socialization” box in the poster template:
    • What agent of socialization had the biggest impact on you? How?
    • What roles have you occupied? How have these roles shaped your identity?
    • Have you experienced resocialization?
• Explain the role of education in your life.
  • Integrate and apply at least two relevant sociological concepts covered in the assigned course materials, such as socialization, hidden curriculum, tracking, stereotypes, or the functions of education.
  • Consider one or more of the following questions as you complete the “Education” box in the poster template:
    • What major functions has education had for you?
    • How has education been related to your life experiences or outcomes?
    • What experiences with inequality or stereotypes have you had during your education?
• Explain how sociological theory applies to your life.
  • Integrate and apply at least one of the four sociological theories covered in the assigned course materials, such as functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interaction theory, and/or feminist theory.
  • Consider one or more of the following questions as you complete the “Theory” box in the poster template:
    • Which one of the four sociological theories might help you understand your life or particular experiences youve had?
    • How might an understanding of one of the theories help you better understand and collaborate with other people?
    • Which of the sociological theories could be used to help you solve a particular problem youve observed or experienced?