Basic Sociology (Assignment 3)

Complete all four parts.  Parts 1, 2, and 3 are worth 25 points each. Part 4 is worth 50 points.

1. Read https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/09/opinion/two-parent-family.html (the article is also listed in the applicable learning module as a .pdf)

Answer each of the following questions:

a) What is this sociologist attempting to debunk? State what she finds to be conventional wisdom/common knowledge. 50 words

Answer here:

b) What is family structure? Just a few words or one sentence

Answer here:

c)True or false? Living in a single-mother family decreases the chances of black youths to graduate more than it does for white youths. T/F:  __________

d)True or False? Blacks benefit more from living in a two-parent family when it comes to finishing high school than whites do in two-parent families. T/F ________

e)What reasons are given why family structure (varying types, repeated changes) matters less for black youths? About 75-100 words

Response:

f) If you were in charge of creating policy that would improve black youths’ high school graduation rates, college participation rates, and/or lower the poverty rates of black children; what would you recommend? Think like a sociologist. Use the article. 100-125 words (You might come up with policies that your own personal politics wouldn’t support – that’s okay. You can opt to talk about that too after addressing the question.)

Response:

2. Read https://www.brookings.edu/research/cohabiting-parents-differ-from-married-ones-in-three-big-ways/

Imagine your friend who is a single mom with two children. The biological father of her children is not in the picture.  Your friend is concerned about her own family’s stability. What pieces of advice and information would you provide her?  Use the article. 150 words.

Response:

3. Who rules? Compare and contrast the theories of democracy and power as presented in Part 2 of Chapter 13 titled ‘Who Rules? Theories of Democracy.’

In addition, which one of these three theories appeals to you as scientific explanation?  Which one of these appeals to you because it is most compatible with your own political values?  Explain.

Write 150 words in a paragraph or two.

Response:

4. Think of the documentary Struggle in the Fields that you viewed earlier. Chooseone of the four frameworks specifically addressing social movements that in your estimation best explains the actions and events in the video. Again, make sure you choose one of the four social movements frameworks discussed in Chapter 13.

Your essay must contain the following:

1) Why did you choose this framework? Defend your choice.

2) Analyze the actions and events in the video using the theory you’ve chosen. Tie specific aspects of the theoretical framework you chose to the video.

3) Is there something missing in the framework you chose (that is found in one of the other frameworks) that would help explain some aspect of the social movement presented in                      the video?  Explain.

Your response to this question should be elaborative. Write 300 – 400 words.

Response: