Applying Sociology Purpose: The paper is designed to encourage you to use your s
Applying Sociology
Purpose: The paper is designed to encourage you to use your sociological imagination and examine a current social issue through conducting an analysis of news and empirical research on this problem.
Tasks: For this paper, you will read two news articles and two empirical reports provided to you that focus on a particular social issue.
Read Mills’s “The Promise,” Chapter 1, and Unit 1.1 lesson to understand the sociological imagination, the difference between a personal trouble and a social issue, and the intersection of biography and history.
Choose one social issue below and read all of the listed articles and reports for that issue.
Identify the chapters in the textbook and other course material that relates to the social issue you choose
Write a paper that contains the following sections:
Sociological Imagination
Explain what the sociological imagination is, according to Mills
Discuss the difference between a personal trouble and a social issue
Discuss the importance of considering the historical context and biography of individuals to understand a social issue
Social Issue
Explain what the social issue is and why it is considered a social issue (and not simply a personal trouble)
Explain the historical context of the social issue and how biography of individuals shapes their experience with the issue
Identify the social factors that “caused” or contribute to the persistence of the social issue
NOTE: to adequately address this summary, in addition to the readings for this assignment, you should also incorporate information from the textbook and other course material that is relevant to the discussion
Evaluation of Possible Solutions for Issue
Discuss what larger social organization/institutional change may be desirable and why
Discuss the drawbacks of social organization/institutional change or responsibility of individuals for change
Discuss which solutions you believe would address the problem most fully for the most stakeholders
Social Issue
Articles and Reports
Undocumented Immigration
Radford, Jynnah. 2019. “Key Findings about U.S. Immigrants.” Pew Research Center.
Krogstad, Jens Manuel, Jeffrey S. Passel and D’Vera Cohn. 2019. “5 Facts about Illegal Immigration in the U.S.” Pew Research Center.
Jordan, Miriam. 2019. “Letters from Washington: Your Employees Could be Undocumented.” The New York Times.
Zarroli, Jim. 2019. “With Workers Hard to Find, Immigration Crackdown Leaves Iowa Town in a Bind.” All Things Considered; NPR.
Gun Fatalities
Gramlich, John. 2019. “What the Data Says about Gun Deaths in the U.S.” Pew Research Center.
Doherty,Carroll, Jocelyn Kiley, Alec Tyson et al. 2018. “Gun Policy Remains Divisive, But Several Proposals Still Draw Bipartisan Support.” Pew Research Center.
Blanton, Dana. 2019. “Fox News Poll: Most Back Gun Restrictions After Shootings, Trump Ratings Down.” Fox News Channel.
Witte, Griff. 2019. “Calls to Restrict Firearm Capacity.” The Washington Post.
Income and Unemployment amid COVID-19
Parker, Kim, Juliana Menasce Horowitz, and Anna Brown. 2020. “About Half of Lower-Income Americans Report Household Job or Wage Loss Due to COVID-19.” Pew Research Center.
Desilver, Drew. 2020. “Not All Unemployed People Get Unemployment Benefits; in Some States, Very Few Do.” Pew Research Center.
Olson, Tyler. 2020. “Out-of-Work Americans Still Waiting for Jobless Aid as States Struggle to Process Claims. Fox News Channel.
Lozano, Alicia Victoria. 2020. “A Curse for Most, a ‘Blessing’ for Some. How Unemployed Americans are Getting by During Pandemic.” NBC News.
Racial Health Disparities amid COVID-19
Center for Disease Control. 2017. “African American Health.” Vital Signs.
Doherty,Carroll, Jocelyn Kiley, Alec Tyson et al. 2020. “Health Concerns from COVID-19 Much Higher Among Hispanics and Blacks than Whites.” Pew Research Center.
Tartak, Jossie Carreras and Hazar Khidir. 2020. “Opinion: U.S. Must Avoid Building Racial Bias into COVID-19 Emergency Guidance.” NPR.
Gray, Katti. 2020. “How Will My Black Community Resist Pandemic?” The Washington Post.
Criteria: The following criteria will be used in grading your paper:
Format:
Word document (if you have a Mac, please use the conversion to Word)
900-1500 words (3-5 pages)
Double spaced; 12 point Times New Roman or 11 point Arial; 1 inch margins
Place full name and date in the upper right hand header (use the Insert tab)
Include page numbers in the lower right hand corner (use the Insert tab)
Grammar and syntax: The document should read smoothly with good transitions and free of grammatical and spelling errors.
Organization: Your paper should be organized logically to effectively communicate your message to the reader
Content: How well did you cover everything that was asked
Effectively explain the sociological imagination
Clearly articulate the social issue and its causes
Develop logical and creative solutions to the social issues
Citations: Must use ASA style formatting and citations (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/583/01/) OR APA style formatting and citations (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/)