John Turner Essay

In Chapter 7 of The Code of the Street, Elijah Anderson tells the sad story of one of his informants, John Turner. Reading this story, it is natural to share Anderson's frustration about Turner's seemingly self-defeating behavior, given the opportunities that come his way. What I want you to do in your essay, however, is to make a "sociological" reading of John Turner's story. Rather than trying to understand his psychology, or simply sharing Anderson's frustration, I want you to use the tools of sociology to make sense of how people like John Turner are produced and why they often persist in seemingly self-destructive behavior. From a sociological point of view, how do you make sense of John Turner's story and the fact that it is by no means a unique one? And what does your sociological analysis of John Turner's story suggest about ways to address the related social problems of inner-city neighborhoods that Anderson discusses?

In answering these questions, I expect you not only to draw on Anderson's discussion in Chapter 7 and in the rest of the book (including the contrast with "Robert" described in the concluding chapter), but also on other relevant readings and class materials, including Collins and Yeskel's Economic Apartheid in America and Wilson's When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor , as summarized in his article on "Jobless Poverty." Both of these books provide indispensable background to understanding the structural and historical factors that lie behind the lives of people like John Turner. Other possible candidates for inclusion include the concepts of social and cultural capital and of "weapons of the weak," and McNamee and Miller's critique of the "meritocracy myth." Be sure to use proper APA citation when drawing on these works and to include a reference list at the end in APA style.

I expect your essays to average 3-4 pages, typed and double-spaced, although there are no firm limits. While you may have several points you want to make, find a way to combine them into an overall argument, stated clearly at the beginning of the essay and reiterated at the end. Be sure to include both a sociological analysis of John Turner's life and a set of sociologically-informed policy recommendations.

Here are a few suggestions to help guide your work.

• Think about the key events in John Turner's life and try to identify the key social forces shaping those events and how he handles them.
• Think broadly about these social forces--from the local all the way up to the global.
• Think about how C. Wright Mills' ideas of history and biography, and of private troubles and public issues, may shed light on Turner's life
• Use the key distinctions that the readings use and grapple with: emic vs. etic, structural vs. cultural, sociological vs. psychological, race vs. class.
• Make sure that your recommendations for action follow from your analysis.
• Remember that your key task is to provide a sociological analysis.
• Review the checklist I will use to grade your paper.
• Read these instructions carefully!