Question #1
Identify a sociologically relevant topic or problem of your choosing. For your final project, you must link that topic/problem to the wide range of tools of sociological thought you have learned this semester in a written review. Your project
must substantially
fulfill the following requirements:
Give a background of the topic or problem you have chosen and discuss why it would benefit from being understood through a sociological lens. What assumptions do people make about it that sociology can inform (or change)? What does sociology bring to the table that differs from people’s everyday social and cultural assumptions?
Discuss how
two
sociological theories can be applied. In doing so, you should make clear that you understand how the core perspectives of the theory can connect to and offer insight into the real-world example you have chosen. In other words, how would this theory interpret your topic?
It may be easiest to choose from the major theories (Structural-Functionalism, Symbolic Interactionism, and Conflict Theory*), but recall that there are some other theories presented in your readings.
Discuss how
two
sociological
concepts
can be applied. In doing so, you should show how these concepts can be seen at work inside the topic/problem you’ve identified. Use them to zero in on aspects of your example and interpret them. You may choose from the following list of concepts:
Social Structure
- Culture
- Socialization
Social inequality*
Social identity
- Including groups and categories
- Power and authority (counts as one)
Deviance
Social change
(*Important: note that if you choose
Conflict Theory
as one of your theories, you may
not
choose
social inequality
as one of your concepts.)
-
Question #2
- Please respond to the following prompt in no less than 400 words. In your response, you must fully answer all aspects of the question and support your answer with reference to course materials (textbook, supplementary readings, videos, etc).
- What has been the most interesting sociological topic or concept you’ve learned about so far? How does the sociological perspective on this topic or concept differ from common ways of thinking about it in everyday social life? How has the sociological perspective changed your way of thinking about it?
1
Topic Description
Homelessness is a social problem that has plagued the United States and numerous other
countries around the globe. Homelessness denotes the state where an individual or family finds
themselves without a home (Hastings, 2021). In the 1950s, homelessness was only seen as a
concept, considering close to 70% of the global population resided in rural areas. This situation
has dramatically changed, considering close to 150 million individuals around the homeless, with
a further 1.6 billion lacking appropriate housing (Hastings, 2021). According to HUD’s 2018
Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress, close to 553,000 Americans were
homeless for at least a single night in 2018 (Hastings, 2021). The COVID-19 pandemic has
significantly worsened this problem. Homelessness can adversely affect the physical and
psychological well-being of individuals.
Value of the Sociological Perspective in understanding this Issue
The sociological perspective can come in handy, especially when it comes to
understanding homelessness as a social problem. This perspective allows an individual to
observe society via a lens devoid of personal opinions and thus generalize the actions and causes
of these actions into behaviors and patterns (Parsell, 2018). The main goal of doing this is to
identify shared features, patterns, and attitudes of people’s Behavior and the impact of such
phenomena. Concerning homelessness, the sociological perspective will help me identify hidden
social factors and patterns that lead to homelessness (Parsell, 2018). Doing this will facilitate the
development of effective strategies to address this Issue.
Theories to be applied
2
To better understand the interplay of factors contributing to homelessness, I will use two
theoretical frameworks: conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. Conflict theory argues that
social issues emanate from fundamental flaws in a societal structure that reflect and reinforce
class, race, and gender inequalities. This theory will help me demonstrate that homelessness as a
social problem in the United States can be explained by social class and racial inequalities
(Parsell, 2018). Symbolic interactionism asserts that individuals engaging in socially problematic
conduct often learn such conduct from other individuals. Furthermore, people learn their
perceptions of social issues from other individuals. With respect to homelessness, this theory will
help explain how people’s attitudes towards homeless individuals’ get transmitted from
generation to generation and how such attitudes make it harder to address the problem (Parsell,
2018). For instance, the theory can help explain why society has for a long time considered
homelessness as a self-imposed problem rather than one caused by factors beyond a person’s
control.
Sociological Concepts
There are a couple of sociological concepts at play regarding the Issue of homelessness.
These concepts include social structure and social inequalities. For the social inequality, the
focus will be on how a person’s race and socioeconomic status impact their risk of becoming
homeless (Parsell, 2018). For the social structures, the focus will be on how structural factors
such as poverty and unemployment coupled with personal factors such as disability, substance
abuse, and broken familial relationships can lead to homelessness (Parsell, 2018).
References
3
Hastings, C. (2021). Homelessness and critical realism: a search for richer explanations. Housing
Studies, 36(5), 737-757.
Parsell, C. (2018). The homeless person in contemporary society. Routledge.
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