This assignment will have you engaging in the activities required of professional sociologists. Specifically, you will interpret a social problem from the sociological perspective and suggest policies for managing/reducing the negative consequences of this social problem.
Directions
Select a social problem from your textbook (THINK: Carl 2013 Social Problems) that you are interested in writing about. The topic you select can address either a general (e.g., "family violence") or specific (e.g., "child abuse") topic...
Find 2 articles from the popular press (newspapers, magazines, web pages) and 2 articles from a social science journal.
Write a brief review of each of the four articles. That is, in your own words, summarize each article's main points. For the articles in social science journals you will focus primarily on the abstract, introduction, and conclusions/discussion.
Select one of the sociological perspectives: functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, or either version of feminist theory. Interpret the social problem from this perspective. Your interpretation should reflect what you have learned from your four readings. Be specific in your interpretation about what you learned from each reading. Also, be specific about which sociological perspective you are using in your paper (e.g., "I will use conflict theory to explain....").
Suggest a social policy to mitigate the negative consequences of the social problem.
You do not need to attach copies of your four articles to your papers. Be certain, however, to provide full citations to them.
The paper should be minimum 4-5 pages in length (see: Writing Instructions).
Students are not allowed to share work with one another. Each paper should be unique. Please refer to the Writing Instructions for information about how to write your paper.
Please follow these instructions carefully. Points will be deducted from your written assignment for failure to do so.
Writing Instructions
The paper should be minimum 4-5 pages in length, typed, double-spaced.
The paper should have 1" margins all around.
The type font should be Times New Roman, size 12.
· All pages should be numbered.
The references should be listed on a separate page from the text.
Because this assignment asks for your personal interpretation/opinions, feel free to use the pronouns "I" and "me."