Who is the prime minister of America? This assignment focuses on the topic of race, gender and discrimination in
organizations. Make use of the concepts and perspectives discussed in the readings
and class discussions to write the assignment. This assignment involves applying these
concepts to the organizations and industries in one empirical example. You can feel free
to criticize the readings or discuss how these theories do not fit the examples. Use the
“How to Write Your Assignments” section below to guide you.
We have discussed several examples and concepts about race and gender thus far. In
this assignment you should apply concepts about race and gender (or both) to one of
the given empirical examples below. Which concepts appear to be the most useful for
the empirical examples of the organization?
Use the following empirical example:
What Sheryl Sandberg’s Exit Reveals About Women’s Progress in Tech
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/03/technology/sheryl-sandberg-women-in-tech.html?s
mid=urlshare
How to Write Your Assignments
You can choose one or more theories.
Your task with these assignments is to evaluate how well these theories or concepts
apply to and make sense of your empirical examples. This assessment may seem
overwhelming at first but organizing your thoughts and writing succinctly is an essential
skill for any researcher and it can be learned and is easier than you think.
Before attempting your assignments go through the instructions below, which explains
how each of the paragraphs should be structured. Then, write down an outline
consisting of several bullet points for each paragraph, based on the instructions. Next,
turn your bullet points into sentences. Every paragraph should have thesis sentences,
or sentences that summarize the paragraph’s main point. In other words, write down a
top sentence that best summarizes what these bullet points are saying and go from
there. Be sure to include a relevant topic sentence at or near the top of the paragraph.
Be sure to also include a transition sentence to the next paragraph. Do not write in the
first person (e.g., I believe that). Instead, engage with the theories or ideas. For
instance, theory X is useful in situations related to Y, but is limited in other ways. It fails
to consider Z or how A shapes B. How can X be known
First paragraph - Your introductory paragraph and your thesis statement
Attempt this paragraph after you have an outline of all the other paragraphs apart from
the concluding paragraph. This paragraph is the most important. If you do not have a
well-written and structured introduction paragraph that showcases your central
argument (i.e., what is your thesis?), then the rest of your work is wasted. I highly
recommend outlining and structuring the other paragraphs first (apart from the
conclusion) before attempting to formally write your main paragraph. It explains what
the paper is about and why it is important. It should present your argument and hint at
the evidence you will use to make your point.
Structure of Paragraph One:
• Your thesis sentence for your paper.
• Sentences introducing your empirical example and your theories, along with how you
will use these theories in the context of your example.
• Concluding sentence that broadly outlines what you plan to do in the subsequent
paragraphs and sets up the transition to the next paragraph.
Second paragraph - A brief overview of your empirical example
Your first task is to identify the empirical case you will apply your theories to. Here, you
are not developing your own theory, but you are (in a way) developing a hypothesis. You
will be given one or more empirical examples for each assignment to apply perspectives
and concepts towards.
Structure of Paragraph Two:
• Topic sentence summarizing your empirical example.
• Supporting descriptive sentences that explains, at a high level, your case, focusing on
the points that you will later bring up in your analysis section.
• Concluding sentence that transitions to the next paragraph. Third paragraph - An
analytic synthesis of your chosen theory
Here, you will analyze (take apart) the various ideas in the readings. After going through
the readings and the lectures, start by writing down around bullet points summarizing
the theories you selected in your own words. Explain it in the easiest and fastest way
possible. In analysis, a general first step in a theory application assignment is to make
certain you understand the theory. You should be able to state the theory concisely. You
should also specify the causal relationship (X->Y) or the causal model (which might
involve multiple variables and relationships). You will deconstruct the theories to their
core elements and then find connections and dissimilarities as it will relate (in the next
few paragraphs) to your example.
Structure of Paragraph Three (Synthesis):
• Topic sentence commenting on what is the theme/what is in common among this
theory?
• Supporting sentence that reinforce your topic sentence
• Concluding sentence that transitions to the next paragraph.
Excellent paragraphs should display sharp and insightful connections and contrasts
among themes in the theories that reveals a deep understanding.
Fourth and fifth paragraph - Application of the theory to your example
While the thesis is the most important paragraph, this is the “heart” of the memo, as it is
where your analysis resides. Theory application assignments generally require you to
look at empirical phenomena through the lens of theory. Ask yourself, what would the
theory predict ("have to say") about a particular situation. According to the theory, if
particular conditions are present or you see a change in a particular variable, what
outcome should you expect? Clearly understanding all the parts of a theory helps you
ensure that you are applying the theory correctly to your case. For example, you can
ask whether your case fits the theory's assumptions and scope conditions. Most
importantly, however, you should single out the main argument or point (usually the
causal relationship and mechanism) of the theory.
Structure of Paragraph Four:
• Point – Topic sentence that captures how the theory explains your empirical example.
• Explain – “This is because…” (or similar phrase) • Example – List two or three
instances that support your topic sentence. • Analyze – “This shows that…” or “Given
this…” etc.
• Link – Concluding sentence that links back to your main point and transitions to the
next paragraph. Structure of Paragraph Five:
• Point – Topic sentence arguing for why theory best explains your empirical example. •
Include sentence analyzing the weaknesses of the theory and what they fail to fully
explain with your example.
• Explain – “This is because…” (or similar phrase) • Example – List two or three
instances that support your topic sentence.
• Analyze – “This shows that…” or “Given this…” etc.
• Link – Concluding sentence that links back to your main point and transitions to the
next paragraph.
Final paragraph - Concluding paragraph
For your paper’s conclusion, be sure to add a few sentences at the end of your last
paragraph to summarize your core thesis. The paragraph should remind the reader
what your core argument is. In other words, if your reader takes away one big point from
your paper, what would it be? Excellent conclusions should be clear and concise
recapitulations of the main points in the paper, one that leaves the reader with the
paper’s central thesis, with no grammatical errors.
Structure of Paragraph Six:
• Topic sentence recapitulating your thesis.
• Supporting sentences outlining how your theories both elucidated and obfuscated your
empirical
example.
• Concluding sentence. for sure or captured with data?