SOCIOLOGY PAPER

The goals of the assignment are to connect the contents of the relevant units of this course to external sources, broad “enduring questions,” your learning from other courses, and your own personal experiences and judgments. A mere summary of the course reading will not do. The assignment should demonstrate serious engagement with and application of course content. The “enduring questions” from the general education curriculum addressed by this course include: • What does it mean to be a person, and how do we live as members of society? • What does it mean to know? What and how much can we know (through socialscientific methods)? • What does it mean to be free, and what is freedom for? How are freedom and responsibility related? • What is justice? Can it be achieved in this world, and if so, how? • What makes a life good? How can we live a good life or best pursue it? What is opposed to it? Your essay should be 5 pages double-spaced, standard margins and Times New Roman 12 font). See the rubric for further details on what I’m looking for. Below are some possible prompts, to give you topic ideas. These are just suggestions; feel free to deviate. • Drawing on the case of transnational gangs (Brenneman), international antitrafficking policies (Mahdavi), as well as any other relevant examples, discuss how well-intentioned foreign policy decisions can produce unintended consequences. • How does the human need to belong in society produce both benefits and harms for individuals? (Here you might compare gangs to other kinds of social problems, including identity politics, consumerism, etc.) • Brenneman argues that pride and shame are central motivators in human action. Discuss the mechanism he proposes, and draw on other examples besides gangs that either support or challenge his argument. • Compare and contrast contemporary slavery in the Indian subcontinent with slavery in the US during the 18th and 19th centuries. • Several social movements, advocacy groups, non-profits, and government agencies have dedicated themselves to abolishing bonded labor and human trafficking in places like India. Discuss their successes as well as the challenges and obstacles they face, and assess their prospects of success. • Using the example of HIV/AIDS and any other examples, discuss how social structures contribute to the perpetuation of illness • How do cultural meanings and mindsets contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS in Kenya? Research examples from other cases to suggest how such beliefs might be effectively changed. • “They know, but they ignore,” says one of Mojola’s respondents, summarizing the gap between awareness and behavior related to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Consider other examples of such an awareness-behavior gap, and discuss whether awareness campaigns are worthwhile, or what it takes for them to succeed. • How do toxic cultures emerge in organizations (not just businesses, but across all sectors, including educational, religious, and political institutions)? What would it take to transform a toxic organization into one that is flourishing? • Drawing on the texts we have examined in this course as well as additional external sources, discuss whether consumerism should be seen as a social problem or not. Discuss the social and psychological causes of consumerism. You can draw from cases we have examined (e.g., Central America, Dubai, Bangalore, Kenya) as well as any other examples, to discuss how such factors shape consumerism across different cultural contexts. • What does it mean to pursue a good life? What is the role of material goods and consumption in living a good life? Does respect for individual freedom mean that individuals should be free to consume as much as they wish? What role should considerations of responsibility and justice play in one’s vision of the good life? • To what extent have your views on work and careers been shaped by what Newport calls the “passion mindset”? How does this view relate to consumerism? What is your reaction to the criticisms of this view offered by Newport? How might you approach your future jobs and careers differently using his approach? How do the other topics we have examined in this course in any way shape your vision for your future?