Prompt
Your PowerPoint presentation should answer the following prompt: Illustrate an understanding of the context of social problems by creating a PowerPoint
presentation outlining a specific social problem, incorporating personal biography and narrative (or that of another individual such as a family member, friend,
or movie character), and applying a relevant sociological theory analysis.
Specifically the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Choose a particular social problem (divorce, ageism, workplace violence, racial discrimination, sex trafficking, child abuse, texting and driving,
pollution, childhood obesity, etc.) of interest and locate it within a specific time and place.
a) Identify the social problem that will be studied and describe it from a local and global perspective.
b) Narrow down the problem to a particular time and location.
II. Explain false information around the social problem and use research to identify variables that contribute to the problem.
a) Outline false information that serves to stereotype the social problem and diminish the possibility of viewing the problem objectively.
b) Conduct research to identify two to three structural and cultural variables that contribute to the existence of this social problem.
III. Personalize this social problem by identifying a particular individual story or biography within this social problem.
This story can be from social media, a movie, a personal experience, an experience of a family member or friend, a news cycle, or any other medium that
encourages the student to locate an individual acting as a result of or contributor to the social problem. This element of the presentation will help the
student to take “the role of the other.”
a) First, share why this is an important issue to you personally. Your experiences can give rise to significant problems for investigation. Think
critically about your own frustrations and/or opinions with a problem facing your country, your community, or your neighborhood. What is it
about this topic that is compelling?
b) Introduce the biography of an individual who was or is impacted by this situation. This narrative can be derived from a student’s own
experience, media, or a fictional character.
c) Why is it important to grasp the personal impact of this social problem on individuals?
d) What is missing from a sociologist’s analysis if he or she understands only the societal narrative about this social problem and not an individual’s
experience?
IV. Apply one of the three theoretical perspectives. A sociological theory is a tool for helping to understand human behavior. One of the three core
theories in this course will help you best explain why your selected social problem exists and persists.
a) Identify which sociological theory—conflict, functionalism, or symbolic interactionism—will serve as a “lens” for thinking more deeply about the
social problem. Present your understanding of the theoretical perspective you chose. Then use this theory to analyze your chosen social
problem.
b) Explain how your selected issue fits into the four stages of social problems (Henslin, p. 9).
c) Highlight the key thinking of two to three sociologists who have contributed to this particular theory.
d) Explain the advantage of using your selected theory to analyze the social problem. How does your selected theory help you better understand
the reasons for the social problem’s existence?
e) Why are the other two theories not ideal for understanding the problem?
V. Conclusion: Solving the social problem
a) Highlight any solutions you have discovered in your research.
b) What are the potential limitations of solving this social problem?
c) Using your imagination and considering the context of the social problem, explain what social solution could be designed to solve it.
Needs to be 10 minutes long
