Paper details:
1) The Uniform Crime Report (UCR)- Chapter 7 (Deviance, Crime, and Social Control) describes several ways in which the Uniform Crime Report may present
an inaccurate picture of the demographics of crime- Describe the sources of bias that lead to these inaccuracies- Are these biases better explained by
conflict theory or functionalism? Justify your answer. Be sure to also consult the Uniform Crime Report (UCR) website, as well as the National Crime
Victimization Report (NCVR) website during this process- Then, consider how this connects to Robert Merton’s idea that labeling can bring about self-fulfilling
prophecies; that inaccurate beliefs, if repeated loudly and frequently enough, can become true-
OR-
2) Social Status and Cultural Capital- According to Max Weber, the traditional source of wealth-owning the means of production-isn’t the only factor in
determining social status (Chapter 9: Social Stratification in the US). How does Weber conceptualize power and prestige? Why does he argue that power
and prestige, in addition to material wealth, are important factors in determining a person’s social status? Then, consider that half of all children grow up to
have the same socioeconomic class as their parents- Discuss the ways in which Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital influences this phenomenon,
and see this video for a depiction of how this works: httpszllwww-youtube-com/watch?v=5DBEWBkgp8
OR-
3) Implicit Attitudes on Race and Ethnicity. Go to httpszllimplicit-harvard-edulimplicitftakeatest-html, read the “Preliminary Information” box, and once you’ve
clicked on “I wish to proceed,” please take the “Race lAT.” What do you think this lAT is trying to measure? Share your results if you are willing- Otherwise,
please be sure to share your reactions to your results- Be sure to also synthesize the following into your paper- How do sociologists define race and
ethnicity? Describe the differences between racism, prejudice, and discrimination, and highlight the difference between individual and institutional types of
discrimination- Lastly, dicsuss the meaning of minority groups, and discuss how assimilation has worked in the United States- Be sure to mention the idea of
racial passing and describe why someone would try to pass (Chapter 11: Race and Ethnicity)-
