University at Albany Sociological Theories Discussion Paper

PART I

This discussion is designed to introduce you to the field of Sociology. After you have read the textbook and lectures assigned for this week, please respond to the following questions:

• What are the four major sociological theories?
• Which theory do you think is most relevant to your life and the lives of those in your community? Why?
• Identify a social phenomenon in your community. How would the theory you chose approach the exploration of this phenomenon? Explain the pros and cons of that research method and describe how it might influence the conclusions of your imaginary study.
• How would one of the other 3 sociological theories approach this same phenomenon?

PART II

Current Events Analysis

PURPOSE

The purpose of this assignment is to analyze current events through key sociological concepts (e.g., social class, family systems, gender roles, race, ethnicity, religion).

DIRECTIONS

To complete this assignment, you will: (a) find an online article related to a social problem involving social class, family systems, gender roles, race, ethnicity, and/or religion. (b) read the article and fill out the statements or answer the questions in the worksheet template here; and (c) include a link to the article or attach a copy.

Since this is a current events assignment, you are to choose an article that is no more than a week old.

You may only use articles from credible newspapers, magazines, or broadcast news media sources. Acceptable sources include the following:

• http://www.nytimes.com (New York Times – newspaper)
• http://www.washingtontimes.com (Washington Times – newspaper)
• http://www.washingtonpost.com (Washington Post – newspaper)
• http://www.latimes.com (Los Angeles Times – newspaper)
• http://www.chicagotribune.com (Chicago Tribune – newspaper)
• http://www.msnbc.com (NBC – broadcast T.V. news)
• http://www.cnn.com (CNN – cable T.V. news)
• http://www.usnews.com (U.S. News & World Report – magazine)
• http://www.foxnews.com (Fox – cable T.V. news)
• http://www.abcnews.go.com (ABC – broadcast T.V. news)
• http://www.cbsnews.com (CBS – broadcast T.V. news)
• http://online.wsj.com/home-page (Wall Street Journal-newspaper)
• http://www.time.com/time/ (Time Magazine)
• http://www.reuters.com/ (Reuters News Service)
• http://www.ap.org/ (Associated Press News Service)
• http://www.bloomberg.com/ (Bloomberg News Report)
• http://www.bbc.com (BBC – broadcast T.V. news)

You may not use Social Media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter), Blogs, Entertainment, Gossip, or Sports-focused outlets. If you identify articles of interest posted in these outlets, you must go to the original sources to verify they meet the information literacy requirements detailed above.