Social Construction or McDonaldization
Pages: 5-6 pages (maximum of 1,500 words), excluding references. Due date/time/place:
January 16th, 2017 in class or by 4:30 pm Anth/Soci Bldg . Percentage of final grade: 10
Write a 5-6 page paper on one of the following topics. Follow the guidelines for writing papers
available on the course website. Be certain to submit the “Checklist: Complete and Attach to
Your Term Paper” found on page eleven of that document, add this as an appendix to your paper.
1) What is money? How can ideas of social construction help to illuminate money? Be sure to
explain what social construction is, and then show how money does or does not qualify as
something that is a social invention, a social thing, or a social construction.
2) How is gender a social construction? Be sure to explain what social construction is, and
then show how gender can be thought of as different from sex.
3) How is race a social construction? Be sure to explain what social construction is, and then
show how race can be usefully understood through the lens of social construction.
4) How is socially constructed? Be sure to explain what social
construction is, and then show how your topic of choice can be usefully understood through the
lens of social construction.
5) Use the lens of McDonaldization to explore an issue of your choice. Be sure to explain
what McDonaldization means and then show how it can help us to understand an issue of your
choice – baseball, art, music, or whatever