Description
PART I - THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
CLEARLY identify a current social problem/issue (with research support) that affects you personally.Use the "sociological perspective" to discuss the problem/issue and include these elements in your answer:
- Discuss IN DETAIL which of the major theoretical perspectives in Sociology that best "explains" the social problem/issue, and be sure to demonstrate your thorough understanding of the theoretical perspective based upon the text AND supporting research.
- Explain the "cultural" components/elements that contribute to the causes, effects, and/or solutions of the problem/issue.
- Identify and discuss the relationship of the "socialization" process to the issue/problem, causes and solutions, make sure and talk about what "agents of socialization" are important in your discussion.
PART II - SOCIAL INEQUALITY
The focus of this section of the paper is on several key concepts; social class, gender, and race/ethnicity, and the how these relate to the overall concept of social inequality. Here are the questions/issues to address in this part of the paper:
- Identify as clearly as possible your social class as it relates to your personal (family) wealth, income, and occupational status and the relationship of your social class to your educational journey, past, present and future.
- Identify your gender and discuss the consequences of your gender on current and potential occupational status, wealth, and income.
- Identify your race/ethnicity and discuss the positive and/or negative consequences related to access to educational and occupational opportunities AND whether or not individual and/or institutional discrimination has affected your life chances.
PART III - SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
The focus of this part of the Core Assessment is on several of the dominant social institutions in society as presented in the text as “chapters”:
- Chapter 8: Social Class in the United States
- Chapter 11: Politics and the Economy
- Chapter 12: Marriage and the Family
- Chapter 13: Education and Religion
Here is what you need to do:
- Select two (2) of the chapters identified above and then focus on EACH of the institutions covered in the chapter and discuss sociologically how they affect you and others.
- Use information from the text, other resources, and your personal experiences to critically evaluate the relationship between the institutions and the social trends and their effects on you and others.
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Running head: CORE ASSESSMENT
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Core Assessment
Institutional Affiliation
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CORE ASSESSMENT
Part I – The Sociological Perspective
We do live in a world full of social problems. These social problems refer to conditions
or behaviors that have negative consequences for large numbers of individuals and that ought to
be addressed. An example of a current social problem that affects me personally is
unemployment (Allmendinger, & Ludwig‐Mayerhofer, 2007). In our modern times,
unemployment has turned out to be a public issue rather than a personal problem as it was
perceived before because millions of people are out of work today. The very structure of
opportunities seems to have collapsed, and this makes most of us undoubtedly unemployed not
because we are lazy or lacking good work habits.
As far as theoretical perspectives which guide sociological thinking on social problems
are concerned, the functionalist theory is the one that best explains the social problem of
unemployment. The functionalist theory also recognized as functionalism is of today based on
Durkheim’s work as well as of other conservative intellectuals and highly uses the human body
as the perfect model when it comes to an understanding the society (Crane, 1994). Our various
body organs and other parts play a significant role in the ongoing health and stability of our
body. For instance, our ears help us hear, our heart help with blood circulation, our eyes aid in
our vision and so forth. According to the functionalist theory, the way we can understand the
body by describing the functions that its part serves for its stability and health is the same way
we can understand the society by defining the function of the social institutions of a society for
its ongoing health and stability. Therefore, based on functionalism, social institutions such as
education, family and religion are of great significance. Rapid social change and other major
upheaval are of concern when addressing functionalism. Taking the body as the model, when
there is any sudden, rapid change, for example, breaking a bone in one of our legs, this turns out
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to be a sign of danger to our health. In the same manner, when there is a rapid change in the
society, it becomes troublesome based on functionalist perspective. In the United State,
unemployment rate stemming from the severe economic downturn since the year 2008 has
intensified the social problem of unemployment making it one of the major concerns the
government and the citizens have to address. The functionalist theory even creates the suggestion
that social problems ought to be functional in some ways for the general society. Fo...