Project 1 (100 points, 20% of your final course grade) – Due end of Week 5

Describe yourself from a social scientific perspective. This may seem overwhelming at the beginning, but follow the guidelines below in preparing your thoughts, then write the paper.

Introduction: Begin the paper with a brief introduction of yourself and how you have come to be a student at UMUC.
Sociological perspective: Discuss your social circumstances: when and where you were born, what social environment (social class, race, religious affiliation, social honors etc.). Discuss how various social institutions such as your family, school, religion, and other groups have affected your growth and make you who you are now. Include any noteworthy or memorable processes that have impacted your development. A sociological discussion usually uses concepts such as social class, socio-economic status, social institutions. Be sure to include sociological terms in your discussion. For example, discuss the social institutions (family, education, religion, ethnicity, work, and social class) that have impacted your development.
Anthropological perspective:Discuss yourself from an anthropological perspective. Discuss what cultural environment you were born into, what beliefs and values have shaped you over time and made you into who you are today. Discuss how your race, gender and religion have affected you over time and how you have shed some of those values and beliefs and acquired new ones over time. Here we are looking at the impact of culture on your development. This step might include an anthropological discussion of terms like kinship, cultural values and norms, ethnicity, religion, cultural change, and gender as they impact development.
Psychological perspective:Discuss yourself from a psychological perspective. Discuss the interpersonal and intrapersonal factors that have shaped your development from childhood until now. A psychological discussion typically includes concepts like childhood and adult development, personality, cognition and intelligence, aptitude and achievement, self-esteem and self-concept, mental health and well-being, and identity. These can all be affected by the sociological and anthropological factors mentioned above. Discuss how your personality, identity, and well-being have been shaped by internal (personal) and external (social) factors.
Conclusion:Complete the paper with a conclusion that summarizes important points from your sociological, anthropological and psychological profiles.
Instructions:

This project is a written assignment (6 pages of double-spaced text are required plus a seventh page that lists your references) that builds on your readings and online discussions about social science interdisciplinary study and the social science disciplines of sociology, anthropology, and psychology. You will use concepts and information from psychology, anthropology, and sociology to complete your analysis. Use subheadings (e.g. “Sociological Perspective,” “Conclusion”) to organize your paper into distinct sections. Please note that this paper gives you an opportunity to critically analyze, synthesize, and integrate knowledge, skills, and perspectives across the social science disciplines.