For your first assignment, I would like you to analyze what is known in public as "Ferguson Case" sociologically. As you know, Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old black teenager was shot and killed by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in Ferguson, Mo., Suburb of St.Louis on August 9, 2014. The shooting prompted protests that roiled the area for weeks. On Nov. 24, the St. Louis County prosecutor announced that a grand jury decided not to indict Mr. Wilson. The announcement set off another wave of protests.
For the assignment you are expected to reflect on the case, and the subsequent protests as a sociologist, which means that you should NOT play the role of judge, jury and/or the detective. You are NOT expected to evaluate whether or not Darren Wilson was innocent. Instead, use your sociological imagination, and put the case and the subsequent protests in a larger social context. You can take a side but first make sure that you are using sociological concepts in thinking about "Ferguson Case."
So how do you think "sociological imagination" could be useful in analyzing "Ferguson Case"? Post a response (Do NOT exceed 200 words) where you take the following steps:
1- Do some research on the case. Scan newspapers and read some articles about it (Don't forget to cite your sources. Wikipedia is NOT a reliable source). Tell us what happened. Be as concise and descriptive as possible.
2- Explain what sociological imagination is. Why is it important? Why is it a complete negation of the American dream?
3- What can sociological imagination enable us to understand about the Ferguson case?