essay you may choose and answer one

You may choose and answer one

1. This course is about social problems. What is a social problem? How might a social scientist look at social problems differently than most other people? (Hint: one might take a more individualistic perspective, one might look for structural or situational causes). Pick an example of a social problem. How might a sociologist examine this problem differently than most other people?
2. Do you regard drug use as a social problem? (You might regard some drugs as problematic, but not others). If so, why? If not, why not? You can focus on just one drug or a small number of them if you wish? If drug use is a problem, what sort of problem is it? What solutions might you suggest for dealing with the problem? How would you evaluate current efforts to deal with the drug problem?
3. Do social problems usually have simple solutions? Why or why not? Are there some social problems that we will likely not be able to fully solve? Give an example of a social problem and some of the difficulties in solving or easing that problem.