sociological investigation of a social problem 2

Overview of this Assignment:

This assignment requires you present a sociological analysis of a social problem that interests you. You will research the social problem, analyze the problem sociologically, and utilize a global perspective in presenting solutions that another country (or countries) around the world use to address this social problem.

You will then arrange this information in a creative, engaging and well-crafted visual presentation using any of the following formats: video, prezi, blog, power point or podcast. (Please note that if you are going to create a podcast, you must also submit a written transcript of your entire podcast that includes your works cited as well through the submission link).

You will submit your presentation twice—once through the assignment link and once through the Project discussion forum link in week 9 for students to comment on.

Possible Topics:

(You are not limited to these, but please be sure to submit your proposal by the due date stipulated in the syllabus to ensure that you are presenting on something that is appropriate to the course):

Homelessness

Childhood poverty/Poverty in the United States

Crime/violence

Police violence/brutality

Mass Incarceration

Drugs/Alcohol abuse

Global Warming/Environmental Crises

Sexism/Heterosexism

Sexual/gendered violence

Obesity

Social problems related to education

Joblessness

Problems in the Media

Nativism/Migration

Global economic inequality

War/Terrorism

Research Guidelines:

You must consult at least 4 academic sources. Two of these can include texts or readings for this course, the other two sources may include academic journals, white papers, trade books (books that are written from a particularly disciplinary perspective), websites of formal organizations working with the problem, etc. Please do not use Wikipedia! You must include a Works Cited list in your presentation and cite the specific sources of the information that you are presenting throughout your presentation.

File Submission Guidelines:

For this and all assignments for the course, please use the following submission types/files:

Word and Power Point (PPT and PPTX) files

PDF files

Jpeg files

Prezi links

If you are going to create a video for the class, please upload it to YouTube first and submit your YouTube link through the assignment link.

If you are going to create a blog or website you may submit the URL through the assignment link.

If you are going to create a podcast, please upload it to an online streaming service (e.g. Sound Cloud or YouTube) and paste the URL through the assignment link. Again, remember that a podcast will require a separate submission of your transcript in addition to the link to your podcast (see description above).

**Please DO NOT: **

Submit a link to a google doc. If you are using google docs to create your project, please download it as a PDF file and attach that file to submission link.

Submit your project using .pages, rtf files, or any other file formats not specified above.

How to Organize Your Presentation:

Your presentation must address the following questions in this order–

1. What is the specific problem you are discussing and why should it be considered a social problem?

2. How would this social problem be viewed through the lenses of Functionalism, Conflict and Symbolic Interaction Perspectives?

3. Provide some historical context to your social problem. What has contributed to the evolution of this problem as a social problem? Does it have an specific origin in time? How has this problem been viewed historically? (e.g. has it always been a social problem or is it just now being discussed or viewed as a social problem?

4. Who, objectively, is harmed by this social problem and how? (Include statistics and data).

5. What is being done to address this problem in the United States? What are some ways this problem is addressed in one or more different countries? Which solutions do you feel are the most effective and why?

Breakdown of this Assignment:

This assignment has multiple parts with multiple due dates. Please check your syllabus Assignment Calendar for the due dates. In total, it is worth a total of 35 points. Here is how those points break down:

Proposal (5 points)– You will be submitting a brief proposal (a few sentences) identifying the social problem you will be researching and specifically explaining how you view the problem. Your proposal must include 1 outside citation that you have consulted in thinking about your social problem.

Rough Draft (0 points)—This is an optional submission for feedback only. If you would like feedback while you make progress on your project, you can turn it in by the feedback deadline contained in the syllabus. I encourage you to take advantage of this option even though it is not for credit.

Finished Project (20 points total)— Due through assignment link in the Module for Week 9. Please pay close attention to the file type submission guidelines above to avoid having to resubmit or missing out on points altogether.

Sharing and Commenting on Presentations (10 points)— In addition to submitting your project through the assignment link, you must also submit your project for your classmates to view and comment on through the Project Discussion forum (also located in the Week 9 module). You will also choose two other projects to comment on/respond to by the deadline listed in your course syllabus.