Module 1 Journal Entry SNHU Daniel McAlister In this module we learned about three aspects of sociological theories. Functionalism is how social institutions work together to help society function. It suggests that if institutions fail to do their job in society, it will cause dysfunction in everything. I have never thought about any of these concepts in society. The next one is the conflict theory. This theory talks about how society is in constant battle over resources. This one made perfect sense to me until it mentioned prestige. I can look everywhere around me and see the other parts of the conflict but I have never thought about how much society fights for prestige. The final theory is interactionism. It is when our independence shows by our beliefs, actions, and groups we interact with. I thought about this in the context of sports. I am a sports junkie. I love Clemson sports because it is where I am from and have grew up going to all their games. On my car I have a big tiger paw on back window. I also wear a lot of their clothes and all. I also could understand this theory by when they mentioned about the way we use the flag to mean different things. I have never seen the true definition of how society works together like this. This module helped me look at society a little more positive because I only believed in how selfish the world was. Now I can see where some aspects are there to work together to help our society continue forward. I still see where conflict plays a very big part in society. I think conflict is more obvious than all the others. Maybe one day the world will use this one the least to make our society a better and happier place to be. Milestone 2 Daniel McAlister SNHU II. Research: There are many different variables when it comes to the drug epidemic in our country and globally. The United States have been through many different eras of drug epidemics. It has had the marijuana and hallucinogens time in the peace days. Then society was ambushed by the cocaine party phase. Then that was followed by the crack cocaine epidemic which is still around behind the scenes now. But now society has a very bad opioid problem. Most people start out by getting narcotic pain medications from doctors to deal with ailments or surgeries. The issue is that many people manipulate or pill hop nowadays to fuel their need. The issue is that people are overdosing on an alarming rate. From 1999 to 2016 over 350,000 people died just from opioid overdoses according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. On October 2017, President Trump declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency. This is just in America. Globally it is way worse. Canada and Germany are right behind us. Drugabuse.gov states that between 26.4 million and 36 million people abuse opioids worldwide. There are other aspects they play parts in this big issue such as detox centers and rehabs using other opiates to get people addicted to opiates off them. This is called the Suboxone and Methadone treatment plans. The issue with these are that most only use these to keep from being sick from withdraw symptoms from heroin or other synthetic opioids. But if properly monitored it could help wing addicts down off the opiates that they have been using. Buprenorphine is supposed to reduce the cravings. III. Approach: In this area I may struggle a bit. My personal experience with drugs in my life contradicts a lot of what people think about addiction. Another issue is that I work at a treatment facility seeing this epidemic first hand doesn’t help. I will have to set aside my personal experiences with Suboxone and other thought methods of treatment that I have seen fail at least over a hundred times. I will have to probably stick with the conflict theory to help with the biases of how people look at addiction. If you ask most people they will tell you that addicts have a choice to use and that is far away from the truth. It has reared its ugly head in the middle to upper class now and it is finally showing the world that its not just criminals, homeless, and poor people that are strung out. That why it is now being notices. I think that once people realize it is a disease and not a choice then we could actually treat this epidemic with the real solution. References: https://www.drugabuse.gov/about-nida/legislative-activities/testimony-tocongress/2016/americas-addiction-to-opioids-heroin-prescription-drugabusehttps://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/epidemic/index.htmlhttps://assets.kpmg.com/content/da m/kpmg/ca/pdf/2018/04/the-opioid-epidemic.pdf Module 4: Journal Letter of Intent Daniel McAlister SNHU Idea of Letter of Intent The organization I would try to write would be the maker of the drug OxyCotin. Purdue Pharma is the company who developed this opioid and mislead doctors into thinking it was the solution to a long time chronic pain issue to patients. Though the company has backed off its aggressive sales pitch, the epidemic had already begun. In 1996 when the opiate came out and hit the market, opioid overdoses began to climb ridiculously. In 2016 alone 64,000 deaths were reported from opioids. In this area I would use statistics and the history of how heroin and other opioids and the impact it has on society today. The solution I want to ask for help and funding is for Purdue Pharma to help pay for patients that have got addicted to opiates to get into treatment. Or they could start help fund some nonprofits so they could scholarship addicts with no financial means to get into treatment. I would also ask if they can get more intense with the education aspect they have tried to implement and also maybe bring it to the school levels. The social theory I would use is the conflict theory to show the negative impact their product and negligence has caused society over the years. The pharmaceutical companies need to realize that them and the doctors have been the drug dealers and possibly haven’t even known it. The medical field needs to quit feeding into the big pharma money business and wake up. 6/11/2018 Grades - SOC-213-R5311 Sociology of Social Problems 18EW5 - Southern New Hampshire University Organization: It looks like you got a good start on thinking about the agency you would write, but your focus now should be on demonstrating how the social and cultural variables/determinants you identified in previous milestones connect to, and help us better understand, the nature, origins, and persistence of the issue. That information should then logically lead into your proposed solutions, having been supported and justified by your research and exploration of previous attempts at addressing the issue. Methodology: Try to expand your research on the topic, refer back o and apply relevant course concepts, and include some additional sociological academic/scholarly sources that help you to support and strengthen your exploration and analysis of the issue. Social Theory: Try to be much more specific and detailed in your application of the theoretical perspective you selected. One good way to start would be doing some simple searches on Google, Google Scholar, and the JSTOR database at the SNHU library online, like "sociological perspectives drug use", "symbolic interactionist theory addiction", or whichever theoretical perspective you choose. If you have any questions, or would like to talk about how you might expand on these connections in your upcoming milestone assignment, please don't hesitate to contact me. https://learn.snhu.edu/d2l/lms/grades/my_grades/main.d2l?ou=56051 1/1 SOC 213 Final Project Part I Guidelines and Rubric Overview The first part (Part I) of the final project for this course is preparing for the letter of intent. The field of sociology presents a unique perspective to viewing the world’s social problems. Social problems tend to be viewed solely as individual constructs and responsibilities, but sociologists take a deeper dive into the complex set of variables driving the development of these problems using various theoretical perspectives. As these problems surface in individual lives, the workplace, and communities, a sociological perspective is valuable for providing a framework for deeper investigation of variables and limiting personal biases when analyzing problems. In this project, you will play the part of a sociologist who has been requested by your national community to craft a letter of intent to the potential funder, the Department of Health and Human Services. The project will be divided into two parts. In the first part, you will prepare to write the letter of intent by conducting research on the social problem and thinking about how to limit your personal biases when later analyzing the social issue. In the second part of the project, the letter of intent, you will analyze the problem from a sociological perspective, outlining the influential variables and the local and global impacts of the problem, and finally suggest a potential solution. This project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. The Part I milestones will be submitted in Modules Two and Three. The final submission for Part I is due in Module Five. In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:     Analyze contemporary social problems on local and global scales by applying key theoretical perspectives Analyze social variables and determinants for their influence in the development of contemporary social problems on a local and global scale Suggest potential solutions that are aligned with best practices for addressing the negative impacts of social issues Illustrate how the use of sociological theory limits personal and societal biases in analyzing social problems Part I Before you can write the letter of intent, you must first identify social variables influencing the problem and previously attempted solutions. Also, before you can analyze the problem, you must first think about your biases and how you can limit these biases using sociological theory when analyzing the social issue. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed: I. Introduction: Explain the contemporary social problem that you selected, and explain why you chose this specific social problem. II. Research: In order to further understand the social problem, you will conduct some research on its influences, impacts, and attempted solutions. A. Identify social variables and determinants that have influenced the development of the social problem and explain their influence. Support your explanations with resources. B. Explain how the social variables and determinants influencing the development of the social problem vary depending on whether the social problem is local or global. In other words, are the previously identified social variables and determinants influencing the social problem the same or different as the social variables and determinants influencing the social problem in another country? Provide specific examples. C. Describe attempted solutions to the identified social problem that failed, and explain why the attempted solutions might have been unsuccessful, supporting with resources. D. Describe the attempted solutions that were successful in addressing the identified social problem, or a similar social problem, and identify best practices based on these successful solutions. Be sure to support with resources. III. Approach: In this section, you will sift through your personal biases, with the aim of limiting such biases in your later analysis. A. Describe how people generally tend to talk about this social problem and how these approaches are problematic, supporting with resources. What stereotypes, biases, and assumptions are at play? B. Reflect on your own biases and assumptions around the issue and how these may affect your analysis of the issue. Everyone has certain preconceived notions about social issues. What are yours, and how might they influence your analysis? C. Explain how you will use sociological theory to limit your biases when you analyze the social problem. How can the theory help you limit your biases? Provide a specific example. Milestones Milestone One: Identify a Social Problem: Introduction In Module Two, you will submit a one- to two-paragraph draft of the Introduction, in which you will choose a social problem and explain why you chose this specific social problem. Your introduction should address all critical elements as listed in Section I above, and the following questions: How does your social problem relate to your local community? How does this social problem impact the global community? This milestone is graded with the Part I Milestone One Rubric. Milestone Two: Draft of Research Approach In Module Three, you will submit a one- to two-page draft of the Research and Approach sections, addressing all critical elements from Sections II and III above. You will use your research to help determine the social variables that have come together to create and sustain your social problem. You should use these variables to brainstorm some potential solutions. As a social researcher, you must also investigate your own biases. Think about why this social problem matters to you or how it impacts you. What stereotypes or assumptions do you have regarding this social problem? How did you learn about these stereotypes or biases? After investigating how your own biases may impact your research, you will select a sociological theory to help you analyze the problem from a theoretical, structured, and unbiased point of view. Use this theoretical lens to help explain your problem. This milestone is graded with the Part I Milestone Two Rubric. Final Submission: Preparing for the Letter of Intent In Module Five, you will submit your preparation for the letter of intent. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded using the Final Product Part I Rubric. Final Product Part I Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your preparation for the letter of intent must be 2 to 3 pages in length (plus a cover page and references) and must be written in APA format in Microsoft Word. Use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Include at least three scholarly references in APA format. Critical Elements Introduction Exemplary (100%) Meets “Proficient” criteria, and explanation is especially detailed Proficient (85%) Explains the contemporary social problem selected and why the problem was chosen Research: Variables and Determinants Meets “Proficient” criteria, and identification demonstrates keen insight into the influence of social variables and determinants on creating social problems Identifies social variables and determinants that influenced the development of the problem and explains their influence, supporting with resources Research: Variables and Determinants Global Meets “Proficient” criteria, and explanation demonstrates keen insight into the global impact of social variables on determinants Explains how the social variables and determinants influencing the development of the social problem vary, depending on if the problem is local or global, providing specific examples Needs Improvement (55%) Explains the contemporary social problem selected and why the problem was chosen, but explanation has gaps in detail or accuracy Identifies social variables and determinants that influenced the development of the problem and explains their influence, but response has gaps in detail or accuracy, or lacks support Explains how the social variables and determinants influencing the development of the social problem vary depending on if the problem is local or global, but explanation has gaps in detail, accuracy, or lacks examples Not Evident (0%) Does not explain the contemporary social problem selected and why the problem was chosen Value 5 Does not identify social variables and determinants that influenced the development of the problem 15 Does not explain how the social variables and determinants influencing the development of the social problem vary locally and globally 15 Research: Attempted Solutions Meets “Proficient” criteria, and explanation demonstrates keen insight into failed attempts at solutions Describes attempted solutions to the problem that failed and explains why the solutions were unsuccessful, supporting with resources Research: Best Practices Meets “Proficient” criteria, and identified best practices demonstrate keen insight into creating successful solutions Describes attempted solutions to the social problem that were successful and identifies best practices, supporting with resources Approach: Stereotypes Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen insight into why stereotypes are problematic Describes how people generally talk about the social problem and how these approaches are problematic, supporting with resources Approach: Your Analysis Meets “Proficient” criteria, and reflection demonstrates keen insight into the impact of personal bias on analysis Reflects on personal biases and assumptions around the issue and how these may affect the analysis of the issue Approach: Limit Biases Meets “Proficient” criteria, and explanation demonstrates keen insight into the use of sociological theory to limit personal biases Explains how to use sociological theory to limit bias when analyzing the social problem, providing a specific example Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Describes attempted solutions to the problem that failed and why the solutions were unsuccessful, but description has gaps in detail or accuracy or lacks support Describes attempted solutions to the social problem that were successful and identifies best practices, but response has gaps in detail or accuracy or lacks support Describes how people generally talk about the social problem and how these approaches are problematic, but response has gaps in detail or accuracy or lacks support Reflects on personal biases and assumptions around the issue and how these may affect the analysis of the issue, but response is cursory or illogical Explains how to use sociological theory to limit bias when analyzing the social problem, but does not provide an example, or explanation has gaps in detail or accuracy Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Does not describe attempted solutions to the problem that failed 15 Does not describe attempted solutions to the social problem that were successful 15 Does not describe how people generally talk about the social problem and how these approaches are problematic 10 Does not reflect on personal biases and assumptions around the issue 10 Does not explain how to use sociological theory to limit bias when analyzing the social problem 10 Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas 5 Total 100%
Purchase answer to see full attachment