What should be my sociology topic?

Question

i have to write a 3 page term paper on a sociological phenomena and discuss it through the functionalist and conflict perspectives. please hellpppp (:

Answer 1

Two parts to this answer -

a)which phenomena most clearly demonstrate a difference between the two approaches?

b)how to go about answering the topic? In other words what should you include in your comparisons?

I'll set out the details of  (b) first then indicate why this is important in relation to one of (a)



(b)Sections to cover:

When you are writing this paper point out that different approaches to any question affect

(i) the concepts (key words) that are used,

(ii)the focus of the analysis (what specific aspect of the topic is seen a important)

(iii) what the key research question is

(iv) then the different answers or interpretations of the topic



there are lots of areas but two very clearly demonstrate the difference between these two approaches

1. the field of crime and punishment

2. the reasons for social inequality

Crime and Punishment:

Functionalism

remember this sequence

concepts/focus/questions/answers:

concepts:

'functional'/dysfunctional/deviance

EITHER:why is crime and punishment a feature of all societies?  ie why is crime functional for ANY society?

OR: 'dysfunctional'

Example:

if the term 'dysfunctional' is the key concept guiding the analysis, this leads to research questions like -

what are the dysfunctional aspects of our contemporary times i.e 'are single parent families/childrens violent TV cartoons/high levels of immigration or unemployment dysfunctional  and likely to lead to deviance?

So the concept 'dysfunctional' focuses our attention on the people who commit the crime. So the answer or interpretation is likely to make us agree that some sub groups in society are responsible for most of the the crime

Conflict perspective: concepts->focus->questions->answers

Concept of Power ->focus on different levels of policing and punishing according to the social group(high or low power) ->questions about whether  young people in the poorer areas of the city are more likely to be imprisoned than those in the richer areas? ->likely results - it is the  inequalities in our systems of justice that influence the crime rates.

ps go back too to your own course notes

Answer 2

Use Consumer Culture as your topic.  This is an easy one.  Functionally, consumerism is good for our society because it feeds the capitalist mode of production and also defines cultural boundaries.  Conflict, it produces social problems because consumerism is used to visually separate economic and social classes, pits individuals against each other, and creates social problems such as high credit card debt.

Answer 3

Here are a few topics

- illegal immigration

- Single Parenthood

- Economy- raising gas, food prices

- Gap between the rich and the poor

- obesity

- Ignorance; how our kids are getting dumber

Answer 4

the governments fear given to us about marijuana  

its criminalized for political reasons

Answer 5

Money, wealth and the right of passage of those endowed with. Example: Joe Commons the nightshift janitor is running for President of the US his opponent is the chief shareholder in his or hers families billion dollar corporation. Who is more apt to become President? Why?

Answer 6

Heroin Addiction: a communicable disease or a sociological phenomena?

OR-

Homelessness, welfare, lack of education, etc

Answer 7

how the technology that is supposed to make our lives easier has just pulled the entire human race of touch with their fellow humans.

the internet makes it so you don't have to ask your classmates or friends about your paper, people in stores with their phones to their ears, students at campus passing other students with their ipods on, cars that have taken people off of the streets and into their own environments away from everyone else, etc....