Group Project and Individual Final Paper
Group projects
• Choose a topic concerning one or more of the theorists (see the suggestions below).
• Prepare a presentation (PowerPoint or other format).
o Brief introduction: What is the principal concern and methodology of the theorist? Why is the selected topic relevant to the theorist?
o What research question (or hypothesis) would the theorist ask about the selected topic?
o What are the findings of your research?
o Are the findings consistent, or inconsistent, with the theoretical perspective's research question (or hypothesis)?
o What questions do your findings suggest for future research from the standpoint of this theorist (and, if you wish, one or both of the other theorists)?
• Submit the project on Blackboard by the specified deadline.
• Present the project in class: maximum of 10 minutes per group.
o Do not read from your power point slides.
o Do not mention picky details (such as "... increased from 63.71% in 1983 to 74.26% in 20014"): Emphasize big, conceptual issues in regard to the theoretical perspectives.
Individual paper
• Your topic may be some aspect of your group's project or an entirely different project.
• Follow the above format.
• See the syllabus concerning the length and format requirements.
• Submit your paper via turnitin.com by the specified deadline.
Using Marx's perspective
Recommended article on Marxism today:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jul/04/the-return-of-marxism
• Growing wealth inequality-U.S. or global.
• Policy-community conflict in the contemporary U.S.
• Racial-ethnic antagonisms in the contemporary U.S. or Europe, or the world, in the context of economic transformations.
• Foundations of political support for Trump from the standpoint of economic transformations and social class/race-ethnicity.
• Anti-immigrant backlash.
• Gendered/sexualities prejudice, discrimination, and violence.
• Why aren't youprotesting for better work (or university) conditions? More fundamentally, why aren't you protesting against the existence of capitalism?
• The greater Miami area has a high level of inequality and poverty in national urban perspective. Why, then, isn't Miami a site of mass protest for better work conditions and, more fundamentally, protest against the existence of capitalism?
• Apply the concepts "commodity fetishism" and "alienation" to a commodity of your choice (such as your cell phone or laptop, an apparel or jewelry item, a vehicle, a food item, bottled water, etc.). How does this example of commodity fetishism and alienation contribute to the stability of capitalism? How does it jeopardize capitalism in the long run?
• Describe the "global commodity chain" for a selected commodity? How, and primarily by whom, is wealth/profit accumulated across the rungs of the chain? Who are the principal winners and losers? How does this commodity chain contribute to the functioning of capitalism, as well as jeopardize capitalism in the long run?
• Contemporary economic globalization is commonly touted as a dynamic trajectory of capitalism that promises to raise living standards and promote democratic freedom around the world. Contrast this view with Marx's perspective in regard to a topic such as global sex tourism, coltan extraction in Africa, palm (oil) plantations, the recent apparel factory tragedy in Bangladesh, etc.
• Oil/gas prices are plunging, in significant part due to "fracking." Discuss how fracking is currently helpful to capitalism but also how it jeopardizes capitalism in the long run.
• Discuss the "American Dream."
• Explain the massive U.S. investment in prisons and the high U.S. rate of incarceration, particularly for young black and Latino males.
• How is racism helpful to capitalism, as well as injurious to capitalism?
• How is sexism helpful to capitalism, as well as injurious to capitalism?
• Recent decades have witnessed rises in religious fundamentalism (in Christianity, Islam, etc.). Why has this occurred?
• What are the roots of the Tea Party movement?
• What are the roots of ISIS?
• What are the roots of patriotism?
• How is the working class different today than during capitalism's past (for example, the 1950s-60s; 1880s-1920s), and why? What are the political consequences of the differences for capitalism?
• Why is there growing income/wealth inequality in the U.S.? What are the possible consequences for capitalism?
• Why is there growing income/wealth inequality in the world? What are the possible consequences for capitalism?
• What are the causes of the current global economic crisis?
• Capitalists have commonly opposed social reforms such as the U.S. New Deal during the 1930s. In what ways, however, have such reforms been politically and economically beneficial for capitalism?
• Business owners commonly oppose labor unions. In what ways, however, have labor unions been politically and economically beneficial for capitalism?
• Business owners typically complain about government regulations. In what ways are such regulations commonly beneficial for capitalism?
• Any other topic that interests you?
Using Weber's perspective
Recommended articles (which can be interpreted from Weber's perspective)
www.nytimes.com/2016/11/02/world/americas/brexit-donald-trump-whites.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/21/opinion/sunday/who-runs-the-girls.html
https://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/21/a-model-professor/
• The contemporary crisis of "whiteness" in the context of economic transformations.
• The bases of political support for Trump in the context of economic transformations.
• Racial-ethnic relations in the contemporary U.S. or Europe, or the world in the context of economic transformations.
• Anti-immigrant backlash.
• Gendered/sexualities prejudice, discrimination, and violence.
• How would Weber describe Miami in terms of class, status, and party?
• From the standpoint of class, status, and party, why do many non-Hispanic/non-Caribbean Miami residents who were born elsewhere or born in Miami before the Cuban revolution regard Miami as "a foreign country"?
• Why do required educational credentials (degrees, certificates, licenses, etc.) for a given occupation keep increasing beyond the knowledge/skill requirements to perform the work effectively-even if a person who does not possess the required credentials is actually more capable of performing the work than someone who does possess the credentials?
• What aspects of your college education are probably more important than the subject-specific things you learn in shaping your subsequent career/life chances?
• Describe the history of the American Medical Association (AMA) from the standpoint of class, status, and power.
• What is the history of the gendered/occupational/prestige/power/income-earning relationship between nurses and physicians?
• Describe the history of the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude test) from the standpoint of class, status, and power.
• What is fashion from the standpoint of class, status, and power?
• Describe "VIP girls" (see the link above) from Weber's perspective.
• Describe the history of changing beauty standards for women's (and/or men's) bodies.
• Sexism: Describe the various ways-personal and institutional-by which men commonly try to keep women down, as well as the various ways by which many women resist. Why do men commonly try to keep women down?
• Racism: Describe the various ways-personal and institutional-by which dominant racial or ethnic groups try to keep subordinate racial or ethnic groups down, as well as the various ways by which subordinate groups resist. Why do dominant racial-ethnic groups try to keep subordinate groups down?
• What are the roots of patriotism?
• Why is there backlash against immigrants (or minorities or women)?
• Why is it that, in order to become U.S. citizens, foreign-born persons have to pass a test on American "civics" which U.S.-born citizens would commonly fail?
• Why do some interests want to establish English as the official language of the U.S.
(https://www.us-english.org/ )? Describe the history of the politics of language and dialect in the U.S. (https://goo.gl/iK5uYv ) (such as in Louisiana or regarding Ebonics or Gullah or Native Americans) or elsewhere (such as Canada, Belgium, or France).
• Recent decades have witnessed rises in religious fundamentalism (in Christianity, Islam, etc.). Why has this occurred?
• What are the roots of the Tea Party movement?
• What are the roots of ISIS?
• The roots of fundamentalist religious movements (including ISIS).
• Why are there youth gangs?
• Why are mafias, cartels, etc., commonly associated with specific ethnic or national groups?
• Why are tattoos so popular?
• What is "MacDonaldization"?
• How is Weber's perspective relevant to marketing/advertising?
• Other topics?
Using Durkheim's perspective
• The contemporary crisis of "whiteness" in the context of economic transformations.
• Political support for Trump in the context of economic transformations.
• The roots of ISIS.
• The roots of fundamentalist religious movements (including ISIS) in general.
• Anti-immigrant backlash, in the U.S. and/or in Europe.
• Gendered/sexualities prejudice, discrimination, and violence.
• Cyber bullying suicides
https://cyberbullyingsuicides.blogspot.com/2011/11/closer-look-at-motives.htm
• Why do African-Americans on average attempt and commit fewer suicides than whites?
www.nber.org/.../c10690.pdf
• Why are suicide rates comparatively high among LGBT youth?
• Why do poor Hispanics on average have longer life expectancies than other poor ethnic/racial groups in the U.S.?
• What is the relationship of degrees/forms of social integration and physical or mental health?
• What does this master's thesis argue concerning violence against women in India?
lnu.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:634833/FULLTEXT01.pdf
• Why is religion still important in modern, secular society? https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2013/jan/14/emile-durkheim-religion-sacred
• What is the role of today's mass media in social rituals and identities?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/dec/24/emile-durkheim-religion-ritual-ancient-modern
• Describe the historical relationship between religion and lynching in the American South.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3856205/
• What's the point of manners/etiquette?
www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/public.../81066.p..
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-hitchings-manners-20131128-story.html
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/nov/09/history-table-manners-etiquette-beeton
https://hubpages.com/topics/education-and-science/sociology-and-anthropology/social-etiquette/6104
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2010/11/04/hold-that-door-please-observations-on-elevator-etiquette/
• Describe the changing role of etiquette (including etiquette manuals).
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jtsb.12071/abstract
• Are manners declining?
• Why do we experience shame?
• Research indicates that capital punishment has no deterrent effect on crime. Why, then, is capital punishment used in the U.S.?
• Why are Apple products so popular from Durkheim's perspective? What does this say about patterns of consumption in general?
• Why are tattoos popular?
• What is fashion?
• Recent decades have witnessed rises in religious fundamentalism (in Christianity, Islam, etc.). Why has this occurred?
• What are the roots of the Tea Party movement?
• What are the roots of ISIS?
• Why are there anti-immigrant (or anti-women) backlashes?
• Why is there racism?
• What are the roots of patriotism? Why do we typically sing national anthems before sporting events or before the class day begins in school? Why do we celebrate patriotic events, such as the Fourth of July in the U.S.?
• Why do some interests want to establish English as the official language of the U.S.
(https://www.us-english.org/ )? Describe the history of the politics of language and dialect in the U.S. (https://goo.gl/iK5uYv ) (such as in Louisiana or regarding Ebonics or Gullah or Native Americans) or elsewhere (such as Canada, Belgium, or France).
• Why are there youth gangs?
• Why are mafias, cartels, etc., commonly associated with specific ethnic or national groups?
• Other topics?