Sample assignment · Formal, analytical writing · A final project
In classroom use, this is typically a graded assignment serving as a final project. Weighting, scheduling, and grading treatment are at the adopting instructor's discretion.
About This Open Educational Resource
This worksheet was developed as the final project for SOC 250: Racial and Ethnic Communities in the United States, an undergraduate course at Lehman College, CUNY. It is a structured analytical assignment that invites students to apply sociological concepts to a documentary they have viewed during the course.
Adoption notes for instructors:
- The worksheet is fully adaptable. Instructors can substitute the documentary list with films aligned with their own course themes; the section structure and analytical scaffolding will work for any sociologically rich documentary.
- The assignment uses a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) approach: students move from situating a text within a framework, to close analysis with evidence, to synthesis. Each section is explicitly scaffolded — a structured form that supports first- and second-year students who may not yet be comfortable with open-ended essay prompts.
- The evaluation criteria are intentionally holistic rather than point-by-point, but they can be converted to a numeric rubric if your context requires it.
- Word-count targets and pacing are adjustable to your course.
For self-directed learners: choose one documentary from the list (or any sociologically rich documentary connected to a module you have completed) and work through the three sections in order. The guiding questions are designed to be answerable from the documentary and the module's readings alone.
Course Context
This worksheet was originally developed for the six-week summer version of SOC 250, which addresses race, education, and the building of a nation; eugenics and biopolitics; the carceral state and policing; police violence and urban uprising; and racial capitalism, Black wealth, and reparations — themes that correspond to material across the modules of The Making of Race. Students completed weekly discussion posts alongside this final analytical project.
Purpose
This worksheet is designed to move beyond summary and toward sociological analysis. Throughout the course, students engage with readings, data, and documentaries that explore how race and ethnicity are constructed, institutionalized, and contested in the United States. Here, you will select one documentary from the course and use it as a case study to demonstrate your ability to connect course concepts, engage with evidence, and develop an analytical argument.
Think of this assignment as a structured analytical essay in worksheet form. Each section asks you to build on the previous one: first situating your documentary within the course's sociological frameworks, then analyzing specific scenes or arguments using course readings as evidence, and finally synthesizing your analysis by drawing connections to racial equity in the context of community organization, policymaking, or education. Your responses should be specific, analytical (not just summary), and grounded in course materials.
Instructions
- Choose one documentary from the table below.
- Complete all three sections of this worksheet. Each section contains prompts that guide your analysis.
- Use specific examples from the documentary (scenes, interviews, data presented) and cite course readings in each section when applicable.
- Your total responses across all three sections should be approximately 600–800 words.
- Submit the completed worksheet by the deadline your instructor sets.
Student Name: ________________________________
Documentary Selected: ________________________________
Choose One Documentary
| Documentary | Source | Week & Theme |
|---|---|---|
| The Five Demands | PBS, 2023 | Week 1: Race, Education, and the Building of a Nation |
| The Eugenics Crusade | PBS, 2018 | Week 2: Eugenics, Biopolitics, and the Making of Citizens |
| 13th | Netflix, 2016 | Week 3: Prison State, Policing, and Racialized Surveillance |
| LA 92 | National Geographic, 2017 | Week 4: Police Violence, the Courts, and Urban Uprising |
| Tulsa Race Massacre: 100 Years Later | PBS, 2021 | Week 5: Racial Capitalism, Black Wealth, and Reparations |
Section I: Documentary Context and Sociological Framework
This section asks you to situate your chosen documentary within the sociological frameworks and key concepts introduced during its assigned week. The goal is to move beyond describing what the documentary shows and begin explaining why it matters sociologically.
What is the central issue or story the documentary presents, and how does it connect to its assigned weekly theme? Identify at least one key sociological concept from that week's readings (e.g., racial formation, biopolitics, carceral state, racial capitalism, reparations) and explain how the documentary illustrates or complicates that concept.
To guide your response:
- Name the documentary, its assigned week, and the weekly theme.
- Define the sociological concept(s) you are using in your own words.
- Provide a specific example from the documentary (a scene, interview, or piece of evidence) that illustrates this concept.
- Reference at least one course reading from the assigned week.
Your Response (approximately 200–250 words):
Section II: Critical Analysis and Evidence
This section asks you to dig deeper into the documentary's arguments and evidence. You should analyze specific moments in the documentary with the same rigor you would bring to analyzing a written text, using course readings to support your claims when needed.
Select one pivotal scene, segment, or piece of evidence from the documentary that you find especially powerful or revealing. What does this moment show about how race operates in the United States? What sociological processes are at work (e.g., racialization, social control, collective resistance, structural violence)? Evaluate how the documentary uses evidence — such as archival footage, data, personal testimony, or expert commentary — to build its argument, and consider how historical context shapes the story it tells.
To guide your response:
- Describe the scene or segment in enough detail that someone who hasn't watched the documentary can follow your analysis.
- Name the sociological process(es) you see at work and explain why.
- Support your analysis with evidence from at least one course reading. How does the reading help make sense of what is happening in this scene?
- Assess whether the documentary's evidence or historical framing is convincing, and note what might be missing.
Your Response (approximately 200–250 words):
Section III: Synthesis and Implications for Racial Equity
This final section asks you to step back from close analysis and consider the broader significance of your documentary. Synthesize what you have learned and translate it into a clear argument about racial equity that could inform real-world action.
If you were advising a community organization, policymaker, or educator, what is the single most important insight or lesson from your documentary that you would want them to understand? How would you use course concepts and evidence to make your case?
To guide your response:
- Frame your insight as a clear, concise argument (not just a topic — a claim). Think of this as your concluding takeaway.
- Support it with evidence from the documentary and/or at least one course reading.
- Explain why this insight matters for how we think about racial equity today.
Your Response (approximately 200–300 words):
Guiding Principles for Evaluation
| Criterion | Description |
|---|---|
| Sociological Analysis | Applies course concepts accurately and uses them to analyze (not just describe) the documentary — defining the concept in your own words and using it as a lens for interpretation. |
| Use of Course Readings | Engages substantively with assigned readings, using them as analytical tools that support, complicate, or extend the documentary's argument rather than as surface-level references. |
| Specificity of Evidence | Draws on concrete scenes, data, or testimony from the documentary, describing specific moments in enough detail to support your analysis. Avoids general statements without specific evidence or reference. |
| Synthesis and Application | Develops your analysis into an argument with meaningful implications for racial equity — connecting what the documentary shows to broader questions of community, policy, or education. |
| Clarity and Organization | Responses are thoroughly organized, with ideas moving thoughtfully from one point to the next. Language is precise and reasoning is easy to follow. |
To receive a satisfactory grade, consider all five criteria above as you compose your responses. Rather than scoring each criterion separately, your instructor reads each worksheet as a whole — paying attention to how you engage with course materials and develop your analysis across the three sections. If anything is unclear or you would like support, please reach out to your instructor before the deadline.