Required Textbook Information:
Title: Society: The Basics
Author: Macionis, John J.
Year: 2015
Edition: 13th
ISBN: 13: 978-0-205-98251-6
Directions: Pick ONE of the following questions to answer and meet the criteria below.
• Your answer needs to be at least 300 words in length.
• It must include at least one page number from our book, showing me where you found your information.
• You must also have at least one source in your answer that is NOT from the textbook. Your new source should add additional information, not found in the textbook, to the answer. You need to explain the information your found in your new source in your answer.
1. Healthy older Americans often encounter discriminatory treatment when younger people assume that they are feeble-minded and thus overlook them for jobs they are fully capable of doing. How would each of the popular theoretical perspectives (functionalism, conflict, and symbolic interactionism) explain the dynamics of prejudice against the elderly?
2. Let's suppose the dropout rate in your local high school increased dramatically. Faced with such a serious problem, the school board offers you a $500,000 grant to do a study to explain the sudden increase. Following the recommended study procedures outlined in your book, explain how you would go about doing your research. What might be some of the hypotheses to test in your study? How would you prove or disprove them?
3. As this chapter in your book has explained, the time in human history when we are born, the society in which we are born, as well as our class position, race, and gender all shape the personal experiences we have throughout our lives. Does this mean that we have no power over our own destiny?