The Main Theoretical Paradigms in Sociology Paper

You have learned about a few of the main theoretical paradigms in Sociology from our text and in our discussions/handouts. Select a social problem such as illegal immigration, health care (or lack of), education etc. Try and be creative in your choice of problem.

Remember if the majority of the class is discussing immigration, then this is an average answer which will give you an average grade. Try and think of the social problems your peers are not thinking of and this will be a stronger paper, assuming you are on target with your analysis. Summarise the issue and then using one or two of the theories as a framework, explain that problem.

A good approach is to describe your topic in detail, then describe the theory of choice and why you think it works well. Here I highly suggest that you refer to and cite the textbook for the definition of your theory and detailed information regarding the theory of choice. Then at that point apply to your topic. Remember, all work in class must be APA citations and include a reference page.

Make sure you are asking the critical questions associated with your theory of choice. Here you will find the types of questions that you should be thinking about. These questions are not an exhaustive list and these questions may or may not be applicable to your topic, but these questions should give you an idea of the types of questions you should consider:

Structural Functionalism:

• What keeps society functioning smoothly?
• Does this social problem cause dysfunctions in society? If so, in what ways?
• What the parts of society and how do they relate to your social problem of choice?
• What are the intended and unintended outcomes of an event? Are the unintended outcomes causing a particular social problem?

Conflict Theory:

• How are wealth and power distributed in society?
• How do people with wealth and power keep them?
• Are there groups that are ahead and why?
• How are society’s resources and opportunities controlled?
• How does wealth and power relate to your social problem?
• Is capitalism influencing this social problem?

Symbolic Interaction-ism:

• How do people co-create society?
• How do social interactions influence, create, and sustain human relationships?
• Do people change behaviour from one setting to another? If so, why?
• How are social definitions of a social problem constructed?
• How does one’s subjective understanding differ than the social construct?
• How are meanings and definitions of a social problem created through interactions?

Feminist Perspective:

• How is society set up in a way that creates privileges for men and disadvantages women?
• How is an inequitable system of male domination maintained?
• In what ways are our institutions designed to favour male dominance and perpetuate gender stratification?
• How is race, social class, sexual orientation, interwoven together and what is the impact on our lives?

A quick work about APA formatting. For paper 1 you do not need to complete an abstract, cover page, nor do you need a running header. You will be expected to cite definitions and other information you pull from textbook and/or other sources. In addition, you will need to provide a reference page at the end of your paper.

You should make use of outside research materials and/or additional readings aside from the textbook. There are other resources in our class page so please make use of them. In addition, please make sure you are using proper citations and that you include a reference page. APA is the preferred format and your grade will be affected by lack of citations and references.

Analysis is due on Friday, January 17th, and is worth 25 points.

3-4 pages double-spaced; APA citations and reference page. Assignments will only be accepted through Canvas. No Emailed papers will be accepted.

This paper is design to improve your critical thinking ability; help you understand and apply sociology to society, and to improve writing skills. The paper will be scholarly in tone and will be organised in a coherent manner.

Contractions and colloquialism are to be avoided. The past tense should be used throughout. The writer will not refer to him or herself in the first person and should stick to the 3rd person. Make sure you edit for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting issues.

Academic Support

Students who need academic support should contact the professor for assistance. It’s also a good idea to have other students, friends, or family members read over your papers. Remember, if they can’t understand what you wrote, I won’t either.

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