Overview
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT #1
The purpose of this class is for you to use your sociological imagination and apply it to a written assignment. You will do the following by: 1) identifying a social problem 2) be able to critically analyze the issue 3) address issue using a theoretical perspective 4) assess the implications for society
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
- FUNCTIONALIST
Functionalism interprets each part of society in terms of how it contributes to the stability of the whole society. Society is more than the sum of its parts; rather, each part of society is functional for the stability of the whole. Emile Durkheim actually envisioned society as an organism, and just like within an organism, each component plays a necessary part, but none can function alone, and one experiences a crisis or fails, other parts must adept to fill the void in some way. (www.sociology.about.org)
- CONFLICT
Conflict theory originated in the work of Karl Marx, who focused on the causes and consequences of class conflict between the bourgeoisie (the owners of the means of production and the capitalists) and the proletariat (the working class and the poor). Focusing on the economic, social, and political implications of the rise of capitalism in Europe, Marx theorized that this system, premised on the existence of a powerful minority class (the bourgeoisie) and an oppressed majority class (the proletariat), created class conflict because the interests of the two were at odds, and resources were unjustly distributed among them.
- INTERACTIONIST
The symbolic interaction perspective, also called symbolic interactionism, is a major framework of sociological theory. This perspective relies on the symbolic meaning that people develop and rely upon in the process of social interaction. Although symbolic interactionism traces its origins to Max Weber'sassertion that individuals act according to their interpretation of the meaning of their world, the American philosopher George Herbert Mead introduced this perspective to American sociology in the 1920s.
- SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
The definition of social stratification is the division of large numbers of people into layers according to their relative power, property, and prestige. It applies to both nations and to people within a nation, society, or other groups.
- SOCIAL CLASS
This concept applies to a large number of people with similar amounts of income and education, and who work at jobs that are roughly comparable in prestige,
YOU MAY USE ONE OF THESE PERSPECTIVES IN YOUR PAPER
Writing Your Paper
All of your papers are to be typed in MLA or APA format
- Use Times Roman 12-pint type when typing your paper
- Format your paper with 1-inch margins all around
- Paper should be 3-4 pages long, incert page numbers
- Double space between sentences
- Make sure you use the appropriate citations to document any research you do. Do not plagiarize any of your work. See the section regarding Academic Honesty in your student Handbook.
- If your paper is late, I will deduct 10 points for every day that its late
- Papers will not be accepted after the first week they are due. This includes ALL extra credit work or any rewritten papers.
- Spell check your work!!