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Investigating a Social Issue

In: Social Issues

Submitted By sherardm
Words 767
Pages 4
Assignment 2: Investigate a Social Issue
Sherard Mitchell
Professor Gortney
SOC100
Strayer University
September 10, 13

Social issues we come across them everyday in our every day lives at work, on T.V. and even in Church. However before I get to a particular issue we have to know what a social issues is first. Social issues are political debates involving moral judgments about how people should live. The social issue that interests me is “Racism”. Racism have always been a social problem that has been around throughout different parts of history. Even dating back to biblical times racism has been relevant. My personal definition of Racism would be. The dislike of a person, by another because of their skin color; language customs. Racism exists in different ways. It can be individual, institutional, cultural, religion racism and so forth. In Merriam Webster its says Racism can be defined as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race”. Now that you know what racism is let me tell you a little something about its. Today overt racism in this country has decreased because more people believe in evaluating other by the content of their character (Macionis, 2010).
Describe how your issue fits into the field of sociology. Which sociological theories and terminology from the text apply to your social issue? There are several sociological theories about why prejudice, discrimination, and racism exist. These sociological theories focus mainly on explaining the existence of racism, particular institutional racism. Audrey Smedley (1993) The three major sociological perspectives (functionalist theory, symbolic interaction theory, and conflict theory) each have their own explanations to the existence of racism. Functionalist Theorist

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