GUIDELINES FOR PAPER ONE

Paper One will consist of two parts.  PART I should be a contrast/comparison of each of the three major sociological perspectives discussed in class.  Please compare/contrast each of the three on the basis of the image of society offered by each, the image of social change, the fundamental elements and questions asked by sociologists within each perspective.  Also mention the major classic theorists and some of their contributions.  Please discuss how each of the perspectives reflects the time and place in which the theorists were writing, putting their ideas into a social and historical context.

PART II will consist of the APPLICATION part of the paper.  Choose some social phenomena (marriage, homelessness, crime , video games–could be ANYTHING that relates to human behavior) and then describe how a sociologist from each of the three perspectives would go about studying the phenomena from that particular perspective.  What sorts of questions might he or she ask?  How would the phenomena be viewed, what aspects would the sociologist be interested in?

.  You should refer to portions of the text, readings, and/or class notes when describing concepts (and be sure to include a reference page).

Sociology

Focusing on the concept of cultural relativism, do we as Americans have the right to morally judge another culture?  While noting the merits of cultural relativism, do you feel there are any limits to these merits?  Are all cultural values and practices equally valid?  Can you imagine any acts that a group of people can do to its own members that cross the line of human decency?  If so, who gets to draw the line and what should the response be?  Be sure to substantiate your answer with facts and examples.

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Sociology

Focusing on the concept of cultural relativism, do we as Americans have the right to morally judge another culture?  While noting the merits of cultural relativism, do you feel there are any limits to these merits?  Are all cultural values and practices equally valid?  Can you imagine any acts that a group of people can do to its own members that cross the line of human decency?  If so, who gets to draw the line and what should the response be?  Be sure to substantiate your answer with facts and examples.

Project does not have any attached files