Description
Purpose:
The United States of America has long been considered a place where anybody can “make it.” A country without a class system. A nation in which people are judged and rewarded based solely on their merit. The common understanding is that it doesn’t matter where one was born, the community in which she/he was reared, how well off one’s parents are, the school she/he attended, the color of her/his skin, whether one is feminine or masculine, or whether one is a man or a woman. Hard work and determination are what matters. With hard work and determination, anybody can be anything. By extension, success or failure is the result of the individual’s own effort.
At this point in the class, you are well aware of the impact of society on the individual. You’ve studied social structure, culture, socialization, groups, organizations, racial inequality, gender inequality, deviance, and probably most significant, the sociological imagination. This writing assignment will help you understand the reality of America as a meritocracy as you articulate the definition, identify the aspects of American society that are and are not meritocratic, and explain America in terms of a meritocracy. You should come away from this writing assignment being able to differentiate between the myth of American meritocracy and American society. (Learning Outcomes 5.2, 9, and 10).
Task:
Construct an essay in four sections that compares and contrasts the United States of America as a meritocracy.
Section one, approximately one paragraph: Introduction to the essay that includes the definition of meritocracy and a strong thesis statement declaring the U.S.A. is or is not primarily a meritocracy.
Section two, approximately one-two paragraphs: illustrating ways in which the U.S.A. is a meritocracy
Section three, approximately one-two paragraphs: illustrating ways in which the U.S.A. is not a meritocracy
Section four, approximately one paragraph: Conclusion of the essay that includes a brief but persuasive restatement of thesis.
Incorporate a plethora of course material as support
Reference course material in your essay
You may reference outside sources in this essay
Cite, in the text, all information that did not originate with you in your essay
Cite, in the text, correctly using APA style.
Proofread and edit your essay for clarity and standard English grammar
Save your document as a .DOC, .DOCX, or .PDF
Upload the document to the assignment dropbox by the due date/time listed on the course schedule.
Expectations and Criteria for Success:
Your essay should be approximately 500 words
The essay should follow instructions
The essay uses correct, standard English grammar and mechanics, and is free of typos as well as punctuation, capitalization, and word choice errors
The essay incorporates multiple, accurate references to online and text content as support for thesis/claims/argument. Parenthetical references at the end of the sentence using said material is sufficient. They essay should use accurately one style of citations (APA style and formatting) consistently throughout.
The essay demonstrates superior, academic knowledge of the topic under study, and is free from general statements, fluff, and summary
The language is clear and concise with logical flow
The essay is submitted prior to the due date/time
