You are required to write a short research report (double-spaced 4 pages minimum for the body, plus the title page, the abstract, and the reference—the total 7 pages minimum) connecting an example of contemporary American social problem with relevant readings using the perspective of social constructionism. You will analyze a problem by identifying its claims-making process, relevant strategies such as framing, and the legitimacy of the claim.
These are the major stopes to follow:
Select a topic.
Narrow it down to identify a specific example.
Find a news report that reports on the example.
Research the problem to connect all components.
Write a paper.
Submit your paper.
1. Select one area from the major topics we learned in this course. Review a topic that you are thinking about digging deeper for your paper. Pay attention to examples that you can think of that are different from the main examples discussed in the listed readings (In other words, you are not simply summarizing the reading). Be sure to review the book and lectures. If there is one topic that you feel you understand well or feel passionate about, I would suggest choosing the one.
Economy (Capitalism) as a Problem
Think about a specific social problem that is claimed to be linked to a larger problem of capitalism.
You must cite “Alienated Labour” by Marx (or a contemporary scholar article taking a similar stance) and use it in a significant manner in your paper
Poverty and Homelessness
Think about a specific social problem that is claimed to be linked to the issues involving poverty and homelessness.
You must cite “Why Poverty Persists in America” by Desmond and use it in a significant manner in your paper.
Race and Crime
Think about a specific social problem that is claimed to be linked to the issues involving race and the criminal justice system.
You must cite “How a Deadly Police Force Ruled a City” by Bauer and use it in a significant manner in your paper.
Anti Critical Race Theory Movement
Think about a specific example of anti Critical Race Theory movement.
You must cite “Critical Race Theory: Introduction” by Delgado and Stefancic and use it in a significant manner in your paper.
Gender from a Feminist Perspective
Think about a specific social problem that can be analyzed by a feminist theory of your choice (from the three main perspectives that we learned).
You must cite “The Problem that Has No Name” by Friedan and use it in a significant manner in your paper.
2. Narrow it down to identify a specific example.
Think about a specific aspect of a topic from above. Within the topic you selected, what kind of specific event might highlight and help explain the social problem effectively? You will need to narrow down your focus. For instance, if you only narrow down the topic of capitalism to the exploitation of American workers, that is not specific enough. It is still too big. You need to identify a very specific instance in which a claim is made and supported by a specific framing strategy to “construct” the problem as a “problem” that worthy of attention. In other words, how is the process in which a specific contemporary problem is being claimed as an example of the larger issue of capitalism involving American workers (this is just an example for the specific topic)? How do they make the case?
3. Find a news report that reports on the example.
Locate a news article on the internet that relates to the specific social problem that you identified above.
The news report must be dated between Jan. 2023 to May 2024. No other times are accepted. Please do not use a report that primarily discusses incidents prior to Jan. 2023. The report should describe a real event that you can use as a specific example of a social problem.
The news report must come from a major trustworthy journalistic source (e.g., The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Associated Press News, BBC, etc.). Be sure to assess its legitimacy and neutrality. If possible, find multiple reports on the same news to corroborate. The LPC library has several newspaper databases.
Be sure to avoid opinion pieces, blogs, or so-called fake news.
Avoid an article that introduces a research article.
If you find a news entry in a social media outlet, trace it to the original source.
You must provide the link to the report in your paper (in your reference section). The link to the article must be active. Without an active link, you will not receive full points.
The news report must be written in English.
Write a summary of the news report.
4. Research the issue to connect all components from above.
At this point, you have now selected a topic with a reading that you need to discuss (Step 1), a narrowly focused area to research (Step 2), and a news report of an event that exemplifies the social problem of your focus (Step 3). Now, research the background and context of the issue that is being reported. Gather more sources if necessary. Think about the concepts and theories we learned in this course that are effective in explaining the issue. What are the claims used to define the problem? What are the sources of legitimacy for the claim? What are their framing strategies? How is the problem being constructed and dealt with? What would be your thesis? What is your main point?
5. Write a paper
You must write your own paper using your own ideas. If you are borrowing someone else’s ideas, you must cite the source.
For your paper, DO NOT cite or use:
Paper writing websites
Essay sharing websites
Education resource websites (e.g., Course Hero, Thought Co, etc.)
Instructors
YouTube
Social media
Wikipedia
Blogs
Opinion pieces
And keep in mind that:
DO NOT plagiarize. I will check EVERY source.
DO NOT overuse direct quotes. Limit to two quotes maximum (fewer than 40 words each).
DO NOT use AI-assisted writing software.
DO paraphrase and cite the source.
DO use grammar assistance software such as Grammarly.
DO read the instructions very carefully.
DO use the APA style (7th edition student version)Links to an external site..
DO NOT wait until the last minute to submit your paper.
Your paper must contain the following components (Do follow this format):
Title page (1st page)
Your title is important. Be descriptive. What is this paper about?
Abstract (on the second page)
It is a short summary of your paper (a small paragraph). This is NOT your introduction.
Introduction (starts on the third page. No page break until the end of conclusion)
This is where you introduce your topic and thesis. Be sure to introduce your thesis fully. What is the issue you are analyzing?
Describe the social problem of your choice
Provide a summary of the news report.
Identify and explain an issue/problem that was reported.
Discuss how the event in the news report is related to a larger social problem of your choice.
You should use the reading of the topic (Step 1) to help you explain the social problem you are describing.
Discussion
Discuss how the problem is being constructed. What is the claim? Who makes the claim?
Discuss how the legitimacy of the claim is attained. What are the resources?
Discuss framing strategies that are used.
Conclusion (briefly conclude your paper)
References (the last page)
List all references in alphabetical order using the last name of the author (see the APA style guide)
6. Submit your paper
Submit your paper by Wednesday, May 15, 9:00 pm
No late papers are accepted.
You must submit your paper using Canvas.
Only papers in doc, docx, or pdf file formats are accepted.
Text Submission is NOT allowed. Please upload a file.
Please check the similarity report score. If the similarity score is higher than 20%, please check your paper again to make sure that you cited sources properly.
Did you use your own words to form each sentence AND cite the source?
Please do not use AI.
If you borrow someone else’s idea, did you cite the source like this (Hirose, 2023)? And did you paraphrase enough?
If you use a direct quote, did you “provide an in-text citation” like this (Hirose, 2023, p. 23)?
Did you use too many direct quotes (two short sentences maximum)? Paraphrase instead.
FORMAT:
Please follow legitimate guidelines for style (APA). Please see the APA Style Guide.
The paper must be typed, double-spaced, and use a 12-point font in Times New Roman.
Please make sure that your paper is free of spelling and grammatical errors.
‘Corrupt’ file papers will not be accepted
Category: Social Problems
Essay #4: Continue to use your developing sociological imagination as you respond to
the questions as your final essay. Although this essay is essentially reflective
commentary, as a scholar, you will need to offer support for the position you take.
What do you see as the most serious social problem facing the U.S. today?
What is the most serious global social problem that needs attention?
Can either problem be solved? If yes, suggest how. If no, explain why not.
Preparation and writing guidelines
Required reading preparation: Leon-Guerrero (2023) chapter 16.
Additional peer-reviewed/scholarly sources as needed to support your points.
Required Format: Typewritten, double-spaced, checked for grammar and spelling. APA format for title page, in-text citations, and resources on final page titled References. Headings are optional. No subheadings, no abstract.
References required: Textbook, scholarly information sources.
Length: 2½ -3 pages. Note pagination does not include the title page and References page.
1) In this assignment, you are to choose a fictional movie
(not a documentary) for a written review. Whereas film critics tend to
review a movie for its entertainment value, your job in this assignment is to
review the sociological content of the film. In your review, you should address
at least several of the following questions:
•What social problem(s) is/are the focus of the
film?
•What social factors are attributed as causing the
problem(s)? What individuals, groups, organizations, institutions are
involved?
•What other social problems are linked with the
particular social problem depicted?
•What are the consequences or effects of this problem/
these problems?
•What values, beliefs, and norms are presented? Who
holds these values/beliefs? How do these values contribute to the problem(s)?
•What solutions are proposed in the movie and by
whom?
•What additional problems do the (proposed) solutions
raise?
•What conclusions can you draw about the problem(s),
based on watching this film?
I expect you to incorporate theories and concepts introduced
in class lectures and/or from your textbook in your analysis of the
movie. Sociological theories may include functionalism, conflict theory,
and/or symbolic interactionism. Political orientations include
conservative, liberal, libertarian, and radical left.
You will probably want to begin organizing your review by
spending a portion of the paper summarizing or laying out the major
plot/premise/ storyline of the movie. Then, move on from there and
address several of the questions I posed above. You can incorporate
the answers to those questions within the body of your work– each question’s
answers do not have to be separate paragraphs per se. It is up to
you how to organize your thoughts/critiques accordingly and that make sense
given the movie you have chosen.
SUGGESTED PAGE LENGTH: 5-7 pages
2) Additionally, you will prepare a SECOND Social Problems
Movie Review that you DID NOT WRITE BUT THAT IS GENERATED BY CHAT-GPT (SEE
BELOW).
SUGGESTED PAGE LENGTH: 5-7 pages
3) Finally, you will then prepare a THIRD short paper that
compares the two versions and critique what artificial intelligence
generated. What were the strengths and weaknesses of the A.I.
generated paper? Of your human-generated paper? What do
you think Chat GPT did well? What were its limitations? In what
ways was your writing/ your review better than Chat GPT’s writing/
review? In what ways was your writing/ review worse? How would you
describe your experience in using this technology to write? What are some
things you would change about Chat GPT from the end user’s experience?
SUGGESTED PAGE LENGTH: 2-3 pages
To Begin Writing with ChatGPT
1) Go to the Chat GPT website: (https://chat.openai.com/auth/login)
2) Create an account (instructions on the website are
clearly stated and straightforward)
3) Once logged in/granted access, begin. Where the
screen says “Send a Message”, type in a prompt to help the Chat GPT program
start to write your movie review. Begin with one prompt and then keep on
refining or adding prompts to your initial prompt.
For example, maybe you start with something like “Write a
movie review of (whatever you have chosen as a movie for this
assignment).”
See what the Chat GPT program comes up with. Once the
initial paper is generated, perhaps refine it further by typing another prompt
in the “Send a Message” box and send it. I will leave it up to you to
develop several more prompts to refine the paper each time.
4) Make sure you keep track of the prompts you type in the
“Send a Message” box. You are required to send me the list IN THE EXACT
ORDER that you typed and sent them to the program to generate the paper.
You will most likely have several additional prompts from your initial prompt.
5) When you are satisfied with the paper that Chat GPT
wrote, save a copy. You will submit that Chat GPT paper along with the
paper YOU wrote for this movie review assignment.
6) You will then prepare and submit a 2-3 page paper in
which you assess the strengths and weaknesses of using Chat GPT to write this
movie review. What do you think Chat GPT did well? What were its
limitations? In what ways was your writing/ your review better than Chat
GPT’s writing/ review? In what ways was your writing/ review worse?
How would you describe your experience in using this technology to write?
What are some things you would change about Chat GPT from the end user’s
experience?
The text book we used throughout class is Macionis,
J. J. (2018). Social problems. New York: Pearson.
Chapters 14/15 – Going back to “authorized” use of ChatGPT https://chat.openai.com/, enter this prompt: How does the varied geography of war affect local ecosystems differently?
This will yield several suggestions (5 or 6 depending on wording).
Compare two of choices ALONG with considering the affect that warfare in different ecosystems has on the people who live in those regions.
For example, how does warfare in mountainous regions compare to warfare in deserts and how does that affect both the people indigenous (native) to that area AND their ecosystem?
The answer post should be 200+ words. 12 points
As always, APA citations and references should be (correctly) used if you are referring to ANY source outside of common knowledge, TV shows, the textbook, online articles, etc…
Chapters 12/13 – Think about your own family, or a family you know (you don’t have to name names or specify if it is your family) and consider how health care problems, or the lack of health care, has affected their family dynamic (consider the issues mentioned in the Ch 12 reading). For example, financial, divorce, moving, arguments about norms and roles, deviant behavior, mental health issues, etc… What would have helped these issues?
The answer post should be 200+ words. 12 points
As always, APA citations and references should be (correctly) used if you are referring to ANY source outside of common knowledge, TV shows, the textbook, online articles, etc…
INSTRUCTIONS AND BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
Review the relevant chapter (s) from the textbook and also watch the respective lecture videos and documentaries.
Select relevantscholarly literature (at least two) and review them. The literature you choose can be peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters written by social scientists. Videos, websites, news and magazine articles may also be useful but they will not be counted among the 2 scholarly resources required.
Your essay must be a minimum of 1,500 words and a maximum of 2,000 words in length. Type your paper in 12 point font, double-spaced and include your name, student number and the course number, and date submitted at the top of the first page.
The bulk of your essay should be in your own words. Sentences copied directly from your sources must be enclosed in quotation marks. Use direct quotations sparingly and wisely (i.e. do not over use quotes) and incorporate them smoothly into your writing.
Sources used must be indicated with proper citations and a bibliography list using APA style. Use citation any time you refer to ideas or facts from outside sources, both when quoting directly and when summarizing the material into your own words. Include only the sources you read, used and cited in your paper in your bibliography list. Failure to include citations and a bibliography list is considered plagiarism, and listing sources in your reference list that you did not actually read or use to write your paper constitutes a form of cheating (because you would be pretending you did more research than you actually conducted).
Use the following readings to answer the attached questions
https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_social-problems-continuity-and-change/s18-population-and-the-environment.html
file:///C:/Users/bnl88/Downloads/Gender,%20Ethnic%20Identity,%20and%20Enrionmental%20Concern.pdf
All comments must be supported by a Footnote cited reference to the textbook or to some other legitimate source [.edu, .gov, .mil, .org, etc.] by indicating the appropriate source name, page number(s), paragraph number (s), and sentence number(s), or a direct link to the URL Internet page where the information can be found
Q1) Access the Chapter # 12 Learning Content item in Blackboard [Bb] titled “US & World Population Clock [2023].” What is the U.S. population projection? What is the World Population Projection? What is the United States Population Growth by Region? What is the United States Population by Age and Sex? Which State, County & City was the most populous? Which State, County, & City had the highest density? Organize data in bulleted point format. Use your own words!
https://www.census.gov/popclock/