Deviance: Gangs and Social Problems

Know: The geography of gang activity

Understand: The problems of studying gang activity

Be able to do: Analyze the bias involved with interpreting gangs

Step1 :

Go to the gang activity website.

Step 2:

Do you agree or disagree that gangs are national problem? Why is this deviant behavior so widespread?

What are the problems with this map? Explain

Step 3: View Homicide in Hollenbeck

Step 4: Respond in this blog:

What are the problems in studying gangs? Is there any bias when studying gangs? Who gets to define deviance? Refer to the film and the map.

Understanding Deviance: Gangs and Social Factors

Big Idea: Deviance and Social Control

Understand: Why do young people join gangs?

Know: What social factors contribute to gang activity?

Be able to do:

Explain three concepts why deviant behavior exists

Analyze one country's social factors

Argue why gangs form in one country

Step 1:

Read Helen Ubinas' article on gangs.

Step 2:

Discuss the following questions:

Are gangs a problem in the Hartford area?

Why do youth get involved with gangs?

Why is Helen Ubinas concerned about gangs?

Step 3: Brainstorm

Why do gangs form from three perspectives?

Step 4:

Research one country's social factors at the CIA World Factbook. Indicate on your chart which social factors MIGHT contribute to increased gang activity.

The country options are:

El Salvador

Brazil

The United States

China

South Africa

You might want to begin with "People" and "Economy"

Step 5: Discuss

What factors in the country contribute to gang activity? Why? What is your evidence?

Step 6: Read a brief description of each country's gang problems.

Was your analysis justified? Why or why not?

Step 7: Final Word

Step 8: Homework

Find a news article and explain on this blog what that article says is the REASON that gangs form or why has that gang formed. Write whether you agree or disagree with their conclusions. Post the link as well here.

School and Social Structure

Watch one of the success stories on the website CONNCAN

http://www.conncan.org/matriarch/MultiPiecePage.asp_Q_PageID_E_15_A_PageName_E_GreatSchoolsSucess

Write a 100 word reaction to the video. Consider the questions

How can schools effectively teach new recruits to society? What makes a good school? Are schools good at organizing behavior and changing beliefs?

Chapter 20: Communities and Urbanization

2. Imagine that you have been asked to study the issue of segregation in the largest city in your state. How might you draw on surveys, observation research, experiments, and existing sources to study this issue?

. Observe different schools in different areas
. For example, compare a school in Avon to a school in Hartford to see how the atmosphere is in the classrooms.

. Observe one school to see the kind of cliques or groups that are there
. Observe the kids at a diverse school and see which kids hang out with you

. Do surveys on how many minorities hang out with each other to the minorities that hang out with white people
. At MLC, compare the amount of minorities that hang out with white people to the ones that don’t.

. The existing sources

. http://www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/aboutus.php

The mission of the Civil Rights Project / Proyecto Derechos Civiles is to help renew the civil rights movement by bridging the worlds of ideas and action, to be a preeminent source of intellectual capital within that movement, and to deepen the understanding of the issues that must be resolved to achieve racial and ethnic equity as society moves through the great transformation of the 21st century. We believe that either the country will learn to deal effectively with the richness of its astonishing diversity or it will lose pace in a globalizing world and decline and divide. Focused research and the best ideas of scholars and leaders from all parts of the country can make a decisive contribution to a renewal of the promise of the civil rights movement.

Outline Chapter 8

David Mejia
Nick McGregor

Violence has been traced back to urban life. There is more crime being created and found in urban areas, where large cities are located. The US consists of many large scattered cities. In each large city there are high crime rates. Countries like Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, their rates are much lower. Large portions of these countries are not habited by people; the cold north of Canada and the rugged out back of Australia.

Reasons
- Capitalism (Conflict perpective)
- Greed for more. (functionalist perspective) Is it ok to be greedy to the point of violence?
- More money. (Conflict)
- Bills are too expensive. (Conflict)
- Lower class constantly put down. (Conflict perspective)

Added by Mr. Cotto from Chapter 8

cultural transmission theory(people learn violent behavior)
labeling theory(people are viewed as deviant and violent, then play out that role)
routine activities theory(there are a large number of perpetrators and victims that view violence as a part of society)

Chapter 1: Question 1

B-Block
01/20/09


1. What aspects of social and work environment in a fast-food restaurant would be of particular interest to a sociologist because of his or her “sociological imagination?”

· Customer service
o Good or bad, depending on how the people feel going to work.
· Attitude at work
o The way that people act at work are in direct correlation to how they feel about there job.
· Age of workers
o There are low age workers, ranging to higher ages. (16 to ??)
· Reason for employment
o Need for money
· Living on minimum wage
o Hard life, with not many luxuries

Sociological Imagination: awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society.

Chapter 16: Education

What are the effects of the “No Child Left behind Act” on school institutions? How must communities respond to the changes? Cite Boston public schools data to make your case (No Child Left behind Simulation).
The no child left behind act, hinders the real growth of student progress.
More time and money is dedicated to the programs and prep classes in order for the students to pass a standardized test.
Due to this extensive devotion to test scores, there are budget cuts when running classes, and some classes are even cut from the curriculum. Other negative factors are the lack of school supplies