University of California Poverty Essay Dear Intro to Sociology People: The past two weeks we talked about different classical sociological theorists and s
University of California Poverty Essay Dear Intro to Sociology People:
The past two weeks we talked about different classical sociological theorists and sociological frameworks.
Based on course readings and material covered during lecture, you will have a choice of two essay topics. Choose only one of the following options (and clearly indicate which option, #1 or #2, you are writing about):
Option 1 (700-900 words): Whose Table do you Join?
I want you to consider the following scenario: Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Georg Simmel walk into a cafeteria. They each sit at separate tables.
Whose table do you join? Why?
After you briefly justify (50-100 words) why you selected that particular theorist, please write up an imaginary conversation between you and them. What kinds of questions would you want to ask? How would they respond to your questions? The goal here is to pretend you are having a real back-and-forth conversation (at the lunch table) with one of the classical sociological theorists. Throughout your dialogue with Simmel, Durkheim, Weber, or Marx, you must demonstrate a thorough understanding of their key ideas. Your creativity will be rewarded.
This essay must be between 700-900 words. Submit your finished essays to our Canvas site before 9am, Friday, November 1st.
Option 2 (700-900 words): Applying Theory to Social Problems
Pick a current social problem (student loan debt, poverty, drug and substance abuse, environmental pollution, etc). In your view, which of the classical sociological theorists’ ideas that we covered in lecture is most useful toward understanding the persistence of the social problem you identified? Apply and discuss at least one of the theorists’ concepts to
illustrate your argument.
This essay must be between 700-900 words. Submit your finished essays to our Canvas site before 9am, Friday, November 1st.
