Topic Selection

1/19/2012

Learning Objectives

• Critically analyze social problems by identifying value perspectives and applying concepts of sociology, political science, and economics

Opportunities to Discuss Course Content

• Today 12-2 (In a meeting from 11-12)

• Monday 10-12

Free Constitutions for anyone who stops by

TOPICSGood and Bad

Paper Proposal

• Due in class on 2/7

• 5% of your final Grade

• Involves submitting 2 Parts– Worksheet– 2 page paper

A Good Topic addresses a social Problem and has a controversial

solution

A Good Topic is one that is being discussed by real people

• Theoretical discussions on policy are no better than Drunk Talk!

• For Example• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rMjvemLxLc&feature=related

Where to find good topics• Google News

• Newspapers

• The White House Page

• Congress-

• The Library

Good or Bad?• What are the effects of Embryonic stem cell

research?

• Should the US lift the trade embargo on Cuba?

• Should the use of cell phones be prohibiting while driving?

• Why is the war in Afghanistan wrong?

Good or Bad• Is global warming detrimental to human existence?

• Should the Federal Government pass a cap-and-trade bill to combat global warming

• Should Botswana charge fees for state education?

Good Macro Topic Areas• State and Federal Income programs (Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps)• Economic Policies • Immigration• Energy and the Environment• Foreign Policy with troublesome nations• Social Security• Budgets and deficits• Education • Campaign finance/electoral reform• Transportation (federal, state and local)• Health Care Repeal/Reform

CAN WE SOLVE A PROBLEM?Legal and Constitutional Barriers

How the Federal Government does things

• The Federal Government rules by enumerated powers

• The Federal Government rules by implied powers

• “necessary and proper clause,” also establishes Congress’ implied powers—powers that Congress needs to execute its enumerated powers.

• This gives the Federal Government tremendous power….if the choose to exercise it

The Supremacy Clause

• Article VI- Asserts that when they conflict with state or local laws, the Constitution, national laws and treaties take precedence

• Federal law is the supreme law of the land!

• The Federal Government also has more Money than the states– Income Tax– Borrow on Full Faith and Credit

Your paper must have a clear Unit of analysis

But what is that• The Level of Government that has jurisdiction

over the social problem

• Not all governments are powerful in all areas

• Which means that saying the “government” simply isn’t enough?

So How many governments are there?

The Federal Government

Ok, That’s one

What Else?

50 State

Governments

What Else are there?

• 3,034 County Governments• 36,000 Local Governments• 13,000 School Districts• 37,000 Special Districts– Utility Districts- PEC– Hospital Districts– Transit Districts- e.g. CAP Metro– Park Districts– Water Districts- e.g. LCRA– And more!

So who is in Charge?

• There are roughly 89,500 governments that have legal authority over policymaking.

• Some governments are impotent in certain policy areas, while extremely powerful in others.

• When selecting a topic, you must choose it in the context of the proper unit of analysis.

So Who is More Powerful?

National Government

National Defense

Regulating Commerce

Environmental Policy

Macro-level regulation

Immigration

State Governments

Education

Law Enforcement

Mass Transit

Social Services

The 10th Amendment

“Those powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by it to the States are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

What does all this mean?

• Stuff Not in the Constitution, belongs to the states. Stuff the states don’t want to do belongs to us. So…– You do not have a federal right to a guaranteed

income, or even an equal income– You do not have a federal right to an equal public

education– At the federal level, marriage is 1 man and 1 woman.– Depending on where you live, you can have as many

strip clubs as you want in your neighborhood

But, Depending on the state

• You have a right to a free and equal education• You may have a right to marry whomever you

want

• You may have a right to an income higher than the federal minimum wage

• You can ban strip clubs

WAYS OF LOOKING AT PROBLEMSSociological Perspectives

What are Perspectives/Models

• Methods that each discipline uses to understand social problems

• Simplified representations of some aspect of the real world– Simplify and clarify difficult problems– Help understand what is important and

unimportant

Sociological Theories

• Sociological theories– Functionalism– Conflict Theory– Symbolic Interactionism

Functionalist Perspective

• Society is a system that is made up of a number of interrelated elements, each performing a function that contributes to the operation of the whole.

Conflict Perspective

• Society consists of different groups who struggle with one another to attain the scarce societal resources that are considered valuable, be they money, power, prestige, or the authority to impose one’s values on society.

Symbolic Interactionism

• Interactionism focuses on everyday social interaction among individuals rather than on large scale societal structures.

Sociological Explanations of Violence• Functionalist:– Violence increases when social institutions are

weakened– Solution: Strengthen social institutions (family, schools)

• Conflict:– Violence is a response to inequalities in society– Solution: Reform political and economic institutions to

change inequality.

• Symbolic Interactionism:– Violence is learned behavior– Solution: change societal values which encourage

violence