Assignment task:
YouTube Video: Becky Blanton: The year I was homeless
YouTube Video: 15 Years Homeless in New York City
The two videos present two different "looks" at homelessness. Compare and contrast the two videos in the context of urban sociology and our reading this week. Provide answers to these questions within your reflection:
1) Are the videos an accurate portrayal of homelessness? What is similar in the portrayals?
2) How do the two videos differ in their portrayal? What are the reasons for the different portrayals? In your opinion, which portrays homeless more accurately? How so?
3) Our reading this week offers several possible reasons for urban homelessness. Does either video capture or allude to any of these reasons? How so? Why is it dangerous to assign "reason"?
- Deindustrialization of the economy
- Deinstitutionalism of the mentally ill
- Dismemberment of urban welfare systems
- Loss of single-room-occupancy (SRO) housing
4) Why is it important to explore homelessness in a Urban Sociology course?