Social Problems Group Project

Each group will select a social problem to research and analyze. You will work collaboratively to understand the problem and then give a 20 minute (approximately) presentation for the class. Below are some major themes and sub-themes for the project. You should look at them and select your first, second, and third choice. We will break up into basic groups at the next class meeting.

Themes
Environment - pollution, resources depletion, habitat destruction (forests, wetlands, marshes)
Corporate Power - politics, media, protection (changes to bankruptcy laws, damage limits)
Social Inequality - race, sex, social class, sexual orientation, age (or combination of them); "welfare" TANF
Globalization - Biopiracy, cultural issues, inequality, outsourcing and offshoring
Terrorism and Counterterrorism - democracy, Constitutional rights, consequences of generational war, biological - chemical - nuclear attacks, military deployment in the U.S., impacts of security measures
Economy - debt and the deficit, unequal distribution of wealth, consumerism, capitalism
Health Care - costs and access, power of big medicine and pharmaceutical companies, preparedness - plagues and pandemics, public health, medicating behavior (ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation)
Education - funding, replacement of public education by private
Social Control - prison and privatization of prisons and jails, data collection and datamining.
Politics and Ideology - politics and religion; rhetoric and using "cultural" appeals; constructung issues

    
Social Problems Group Project
Each group will select a social problem to research and analyze. You will work collaboratively to understand the problem and then give a 20 minute (approximately) presentation for the class. Below are some major themes and sub-themes for the project. You should look at them and select your first, second, and third choice. We will break up into basic groups at the next class meeting.

The presentations should include the following components:

1. Define the social context of the problem. If you are presenting a program or policy, the problem it purportedly addresses should be defined, and the social impacts it causes addressed.

2. Discuss the cultural and social structural underpinnings of the problem.

3. Identify differential impacts of the problem or the solution - what demographic groups within the society are impacted most directly.

4. Identify what groups (or agencies) are invested in, or benefit from, the problem or the program/policy.

5. The group's recommendation for addressing the problem, and possible impacts of those recommendations.

6. Each group will provide a paper of the project to the teacher, and all group members names should be listed.

Evaluation of the Projects

1. People within the groups will grade group members (including themselves) on their participation.

2. The class a a whole will evaluate each group's presentation based upon the criteria for the projects given above.

3. The teacher will evaluate by that same criteria, based upon maintaining a sociological framework and a societal/social focus on the problem, program, or policy.

Working Collaboratively

It is recommended that everyone acquire a google account and add the "Docs" application. You can use this feature to work collaboratively on documents and presentations.

You must add the google email address of each person in your group, and you should add me to each group project document. My google address is rowanwolf@gmail.com

Once you create a group document and add the accounts it is to be shared with, it will show up in each person's google "Docs" account.

As you make individual contributions to the project, you should preface each comment with your name.

I strongly recommend that you create at least one document that is for ongoing discussion and dialog. When you enter anything into this document, you should include your name and the date of your entry as writely does not provide this functionality.

I will provide some time in class for group work, but that is primarily for coordination purposes - not as a time for you to complete the full work on the project.