Overview
1-3 Journal: Film Exploration - 1 Paragraph
In preparation for your discussion assignment in Module Two, compose a journal assignment in which you discuss the BOYZ IN THE HOOD film for the final project. What sociological issues staged in the film or films you are considering spark your curiosity? How are those social issues manifested in the film(s)? Are there elements of the film that you find puzzling and that you would like to explore in more depth? If you are hesitating between two choices, explain why. Do you have any questions about the project itself? If so, articulate these in your journal assignment.
DISCUSSION 1: - 1-2 Paragraphs
Write an initial post that addresses the following: Does your chosen film support a functionalist perspective on crime—the idea that crime is normal in any society? Explain the ways in which your film supports or contradicts a functionalist perspective. Illustrate your views with specific examples from your film. If functionalism is correct, then why do we spend so much time and money to combat crime within our society? Or does the fact that we do spend so much time and money on a contemporary prison-industrial complex simply support a functionalist perspective?
DISCUSSION 2: 1-2 Paragraphs
Analyze what you believe are the root causes of poverty by thinking about the role of the individual as well as the role of society. In your initial post, answer the following questions:
- What actions can individuals take to alleviate poverty (e.g., voting, policy)? How do different social variables (e.g., race, class, and gender) affect poverty rates?
- Compare and contrast poverty in different communities. There are larger proportions of African American and Hispanic Americans in poverty than Whites. However, there are greater numbers of Whites in poverty, according to John Creamer et al., in Poverty in the United States: 2021. What are the processes that might explain poverty for these different communities regionally? How do the processes that worsen poverty explain contexts in different countries?
Provide specific examples in your response to both questions above.
JOURNAL 2: 1 page
Researchers aim to limit personal biases as much as possible, if not completely. In sociology, it is hard for researchers to remove themselves completely from the subject matter. The researcher must take steps to identify and limit their biases as much as possible. For this assignment, you will watch Truth Be Told (26:45), a video on objectivity in research, and answer the questions below. The responses should reflect your educated opinion, so include references for any sources you use. Include any personal experience you have with the question. You will then choose a sociological theory (conflict, functionalist, or interactionist theory). Finally, you will address how, by using that theory, you can limit personal bias in your research.
- Is complete objectivity impossible to achieve? Why? Or why not?
- How do culture (religion, learned appropriate social responses, etiquette), environment (where you were born, friends, family structure), and personal characteristics (race, gender, socioeconomic status) affect objectivity?
- Should a researcher strive for complete objectivity? Why? Or why not?
- How can you limit personal bias using the sociological theory you selected?