15 Apr In this discussion, you will begin the work, as a class, to unpack the fundamental questions sociologists ask when studying social problems (as per C. Wright Mill’s Sociological I
In this discussion, you will begin the work, as a class, to unpack the fundamental questions sociologists ask when studying social problems (as per C. Wright Mill's Sociological Imagination–what you unpacked in the previous QA assignments). This will include picking a social problem to focus on personally all quarter (for the final) and unpacking it sociologically.
Directions
First, review this and last week's lessons, specifically the PowerPoints (also shared in the lecture last week) and your weekly assignments (including any feedback I may have left). Then, respond to the following questions detailed on this worksheet.
Spring 2024
SOC&201: Thinking About Social Problems
1. Pick any social problem that you are well informed about, passionate about, or that you think is the most important social problem facing your society right now. Briefly describe (make sure it is specific/narrow enough to “study”):
Conflict theory
a) How do you know this is a social problem?
Objective Data:
Subjective Data: This is a subjective data because we have data that can shows us that it's up and down.
2. Is there a “claim” being made by individuals, communities, specific organizations, or social movements about this social problem?
a) Who and what are they claiming? Yes, government has claim because they play an important in the society.
b) Are they directing their claims at any specific social institutions (i.e., media, the criminal legal system, educational institutions, healthcare, religion, certain socio-cultural values, beliefs, or norms, etc.)? Thoroughly describe. Yes, as there is an uneuall distribution of the agends that could lead to conflict in the society. and this conflict attributes to the civil rights, socal changes.
3. Are people listening to the people making the claims? Not all of them butsome of the people try to adjust.
a) Who is hearing the people making the claims (seeing, understanding, validating and/or actionably responding to the claim)?
Statistics, growth chats shows these kinds of claims
b) Is the claim “not heard” by the media and/or other social institutions—by society generally speaking? Why is this the case? (Example: responding to #BlackLivesMatter with #AllLivesMatter).
Everybody heard this kind of claims but some of them try to show that it doesn't matter to them.
4. Are there organizations, social movements, or other social institutions engaging in practices to address the social problem? (Remember: the same organizations and/or social institutions making claims, can also be the social problem workers/policymakers/researchers, etc.).
a) Were or are there policies being passed to address the social problem? Yes, not of them but some extend theyy are foloowing them in order to make changes in the society.
b) Were or is there work being done to address the social problem (despite of or in response to the policies being passed and/or claims being made)? Spcial media, organisations, polls play an role in all these.
