Sociologists study social trends to understand what they are, what their origins may be and, if
necessary, how to deal with them. For example, if a social trend, say gang violence, poses social
threat then sociologists want to know exactly what is happening, why it is occurring and how
they can help to eradicate it. The purpose of this exercise is to allow you to identify a social
issue, chose an appropriate article on the topic and to use a sociological theory to understand
the issue.
Find 1article in an academic journal on a sociological topic that relates to race, racialization or
ethnicity. Make sure that it interests you (for example, wage gaps, domestic abuse or the “Black
Lives Matter’ movement). Complete the following 3 tasks using the academic journal article:
- Summarize the article.
- Talk about why it is important to study the topic sociologically. For example, how does
the issue affect society and how will studying it aid society and sociological research? - Pick a theory or two that help you understand the issue. Use your text to determine what
sociological perspective is suitable to understand the article topic. For example, if your
article deals with class look at conflict theory.
Sample Solution