Blog

All social institutions are made up of people, so it is important to figure humans into the equation.

Imagine that there is a massive protest against some restrictive government policies. The protest gets out of hand and some looting and fighting results. The day of the protest was cold and rainy, and experts imagine that more people would have attended the protests if the weather had been better. Is this an example of natural v. social issues?

The number of those killed by drunk drivers has dropped from about 25,000 a year in the 1970s to closer to 10,000 a year today. This is definitely a significant improvement, so why is drunk driving still considered a social problem?

There are often not great solutions for natural disasters, like floods or tornados. Which BEST explains why they are still considered social problems?

Katia has noticed that she is frequently not selected for business trips, which can often create opportunities to find new clients, while her male colleagues are. When she asks her manager why she is never chosen to go, the manager replies that she knows that Katia has children and probably does not want to leave them. Katia explains that she has traveled for work often in the past, so this is not a problem. However, her manager still does not assign her to travel. What are the damages in this situation?

Kelvin has an idea for a study on how poverty impacts academic performance. He suggests that children from median-income homes spend a few months without some of their basic needs met and see if their academic performance declines. What is wrong with Kelvin’s idea?

Which of the statements BEST explains the role of a sociological perspective?

Social conditions that cause harm are not always thought of as social problems.

A young man who is the son of a famous actor takes a wrong turn and ends up in a rough part of town. He is then killed when someone tries to steal his car. His father is a socially powerful person, and the murder makes national news. Is this incident enough to make carjacking a social issue?

Which is the BEST example of a social issue?