For this assignment, you will write a two-page paper explaining how you would apply the sociological perspectives to explain a social phenomenon. You can get a better idea about how to complete this assignment by looking at the area called, “Applying the Sociological Perspective,” in the first lesson. It gives an example by applying the perspectives to Education.

Use information from throughout the course to complete the following writing assignment:

Use one of the three sociological perspectives (functional, conflict, or symbolic interaction) to explain one of the following social phenomena.  
    •    Bureaucracies: Why do we have bureaucracies in the public or private sectors?  
    •    Education: Why do we have schools?  
    •    Illegal Drug Use: Who are more likely to use illegal drugs? What happens to various categories of users?  
    •    Poverty: Why does poverty exist?  
    •    Prejudice: Why are some people prejudiced against others?  
    •    Prisons: Who are more likely to end up in prison and why?  
    •    Teen Pregnancy: Which categories of the population are more likely to be involved in teen pregnancy and why?  
    •    Wage Gap: Why does the wage gap still exist?  
    •    War: Why has the United States been involved in so many wars around the world?

Instructions:

• Organize your paper in three separate paragraphs.
      ◦    The first includes a summary of the perspective, using the exact sociological terminology.
      ◦    The second includes the application of the perspective to the selected topic, providing specific examples.
      ◦    The third includes your own viewpoint, analysis, comments, or argument about how that perspective explains the discussed issue.
• Your paper should be two to three double-spaced pages in length, in Arial or Times New Roman, 12 point font size.
• Save your document as Lastname_lesson9paper.doc
• Attach and submit your paper to the Lesson 9 Writing Assignment – Social Structure assignment folder.
• Be sure to reference course materials and other resources correctly. You must cite your sources using APA to receive full credit for this assignment.