SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY PAPER

You will be required to complete an 8-10 page paper for this class. In the paper, you will
be asked to analyze how a current event could be studied using any three of the
following five theoretical approaches: functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic
interactionism, phenomenology, rational choice theory.
In the paper, you will be asked to do several things:
1) Briefly summarize the main focus of each theoretical approach you use. Discuss
the perspective generally as well as mention a specific theory that comes out of
this approach.
2) Describe some of the unique insights that you might discover about the event by
using each approach.
3) Discuss the disadvantages of using each approach. In other words, what things
do you miss by using this particular approach? How is your understanding of the
event diminished?
4) Overall, which approach do you think provides you with the best understanding of
the event? (You need to pick one and not answer, “I couldn’t decide” or “I couldn’t
pick just one.”)
5) Finally, what is the value in using multiple perspectives to understand it? (This
discussion should be more than one sentence!!)
Be sure your paper has an INTRODUCTION, MAIN IDEA (which will then be supported
as you discuss 1-5 above), and a CONCLUSION.
To explain the theoretical concepts, you should not use sources other than your notes or
textbook, but to gain details regarding the current event, you should consult newspaper or
magazine articles or Internet sites. You should use specific, concrete examples in your
analysis. You should also cite (both within the paper and at the end in your reference
sheet) your use of the text and any outside sources following APA format (use the
handout posted on Blackboard as a guide). You should also indicate where you have
referred to class notes by using the APA format for citing personal communications.
The paper is due on April 21st. The paper should be typed and double-spaced and be
free of incorrect spellings and significant errors in grammar.

Wallace, R. & Wolf, A. (2006). Contemporary sociological theory: Continuing the classical tradition. 6th ed.

Farganis, J. (2010). Readings in social theory: The classic tradition to post-modernism. 6th ed.
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