Social Problems

Our first writing assignment centered upon the definition of the
sociological viewpoint toward social problems, and an identification
of a social problem that we felt was one of the most significant in
society. For this next paper, we will expand upon our understanding of
the social problem through analyzing the organizations that are
committed to addressing it. For example, with respect to the problems
of homelessness, we see a variety of local and national level
organizations that seek to enable people the opportunity to have
permanent housing. Habitat for Humanity would be an excellent example
of an organization that deals with such a concern. In the same sense,
we may look at the Salvation Army as a type of organization committed
to helping impoverished people, or people recently released from
prison or drug treatment, to find gainful employment and reclaim a
quality-of-life. Your job in this paper will be to do your own
independent research on two organizations that are committed to the
social problem chosen in the first writing assignment. This will
ultimately lead to our final paper in which we’ll examine the future
of the social problem.

Instructions

Construct a 2-4 page paper that fully satisfies these two areas:

Based upon your topic chosen in the first assignment, or based upon an
entirely new topic of your choice, describe two organizations (Feel
free to do your own independent research on these organizations) that
is seeking to address this social problem. (1-2 pages). Note: If you
do change topics please get prior approval from you instructor.

Analyze two major ways that each organization is addressing the social
problem you have mentioned. For example, are they helping to create
homeless shelters, are they helping people receive drug treatment, or
are they working with state and local authorities to curb suffering in
some area?

Social problems
Stage 1: Claims and Claimsmakers

Using the social problem that you identified in Paper Workshop #1 complete the following assignment. Information can be found in the newspaper articles you identified in Paper Workshop #1, activist or social movement websites, or from any other sources where you see claimsmaking occurring. Be sure to cite where you’re finding your information.

This assignment will help you write your final paper but can be written in an outline form.

DEFINE ALL ITALICIZED WORDS!

A printed copy of this assignment is due in class Friday February 12th.

Claimsmakers (See Figure 3.2 and 4.1)

1) Identify one activist claimsmaker group (i.e., a social movement organization)

a. How does this organization frame the issue?

i. Identify a claim that this SMO makes. What are the grounds, warrants, and conclusions used in this claim?

ii. What cultural resources does this claim draw on?

iii. Who is the intended audience?

1. Who are potential opponents to this claim? Identify one counterclaim made by an opponent.

b. How does this organization mobilize resources? What resources does it have access to?

c. Give an example of an opportunity structure that would benefit this organization

d. Does the social movement have ownership of the claim? Why or why not?

2) Identify an expert claimsmaker.

a. What makes them an expert? (specialized knowledge, training, etc.)

b. Has this claim become medicalized? Why or why not?

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Paper Workshop #1:

Child abuse is one of the contemporary issues of the 21st century. With statistics indicating a drastic and progressive increase in child abuse especially in the third world nations, there is need to address the issue with urgency so as to reduce the prospect of negative impacts of child abuse. Child abuse in the third world nations has taken various different forms among which include the increased cases that have been reported around the globe. Leaders around the globe have been making efforts towards seeking the most probable steps to take in the bid to ensure that there is amicable resolution on the matter (Morgan, 1979).

Child abuse has drastically increased the plight of many children around the globe. Some of the most inherent challenges that child abuse has caused on children around the globe include the fact that child abuse denies children the most basic of the human and child rights. These include the fact that the children fall short of the maternal and parental care. In addition, abused children are also often denied the right to education and knowledge in a free and fair manner. This not only denies the children a good life at the present moment but also deprives them of the prospect of a good future. Other forms of child abuse such as child labor are also life threatening as they expose the child to the risk of injury or death (Kleiman, 2016).

One of the most essential steps to take in order to ensure that the issue is amicably resolved includes developing ample international laws that ensure sufficient political accountability and responsibility. Backing any efforts with internationally binding regulations that would strongly criminalize the prospect of child abuse is seemingly the most likely resolution. In addition to this, there would be need to increasingly develop laws that would strongly condemn any reported cases of child abuse around the world. One of the factors that have led to the increased cases of child abuse around the globe is the fact that most of the criminals of child abuse normally go scot free. Therefore, developing stronger regulations would help contain the issue (Uhlig, 2016).

References

Kleiman, D. (2016). Stopping Child Abuse Before It Happens. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 30 January 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/08/us/stopping-child-abuse-before-it-happens.html?pagewanted=all

Morgan, K. (1979). The Challenge of Child Abuse. Journal Of The Royal Society Of Medicine, 72(1), 74. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1436733/

Uhlig, M. (2016). Preventing Child Abuse: When Early Hints Are Not Enough. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 30 January 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/09/nyregion/preventing-child-abuse-when-early-hints-are-not-enough.html