The main objective of the assignment is to introduce students to the way sociologists study social problems that is distinguishable from other methods of studying/explaining social problems (i.e., explanations typically found in peoples’ everyday conversations, explanations provided by other disciplines, or explanations provided by the media).  Specifically, this assignment is designed to introduce students to the way of explaining social problems by looking at the larger factors in society (“system-blame” explanations) versus explanations that look at the attributes and actions of individuals (“person-blame” explanations).  In addition, this assignment is designed to test student’s critical thinking and communication skills.