American DilemmasSection 32

6 Weeks of Fun

From The Syllabus

• Textbooks

• Class attendance

• Expectations about Student Work

Clearly Communicated Learning Objectives: Part I

• Through the analysis of material presented and the writing of a critical paper on a current social problem, each student will demonstrate the ability to:

• Accurately describe the social, economic, and political dimension of major problems and dilemmas facing contemporary American society;

Clearly Communicated Learning Objectives: Part II

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

• Use knowledge and analyses of social problems to evaluate public policy, and to suggest policy alternatives, with special reference to questions of social justice, the common good, and public and individual responsibility.

Opportunities to Discuss Course Content

• Office Hours– 12:00- 2:00 Tuesday and Thursday– And by appointment– Doyle 206

• Email– brianws@stedwards.edu

• Phone– 512-428-1294

I am usually around M-F

What American Dilemmas should Not Be

• This should not be a course where you are made to feel guilty about who you are.

• A course where the instructor preaches about why the United States is the worst nation in recorded history.

What American Dilemmas is

• A course that understands that no nation/policy/government is perfect

• A course that understands that there are serious social/political/economic problems facing the United States

• A course that examines SOCIAL PROBLEMS and their solutions objectively and in the context of reality. This means looking at things analytically and critically.

• We do this by using methods from sociology, political science and economics.

What is a Social Problem

• It must harm a significant number of people or an influential segment of the population

• It must occur frequently

• It must be able to be remedied by collective human action (this means Government).

What is Not a Social problem

• Something that is produced by natural or biological conditions (hair loss, earthquakes)

• Something that is purely a private issue (outside of the direct control of government)

• Something that is a pure ethical or moral argument (should cloning be legal?)

Social Problems need to be solved by Social Policy

• What is social Policy?

• Types of Social Policy– Preventive Measures– Intervention– Broad Social Reform

Should We Solve the Problem?

• Can We afford the Direct Costs?• Does it create spillover effects?• Is it Feasible?

Policy makers find that doing nothing is often the best solution!

The American Dilemmas Paper

The Biggest Challenge

You want to pick a topic that has a solution and decision makers are

actively trying to solve it

Vetoed Topics• Abortion – court issue• Juvenile Court System- state issue, too many policies • Adolescent Drug Use – high school issue• Lowering the Drinking Age • Affirmative Action- high school issue, not on the agenda• Medical Marijuana/War on Drugs/legalization- too normative• Animal Rights/medical use of animals- not on agenda, already strict laws, ask Ron Mexico• Pornography Capital Punishment/Death Penalty- high school topic, 50 state policies • Same-sex marriage/Civil Unions/same-sex adoption- states have resolved this• Cloning/Stem Cell/Eugenics- ethical issue• School Prayer- Engal v. Vitale, court issue• Euthanasia- ethical issue• Obesity- no two sides, lifestyle choice, local-state policies• TV/Media/Internet Regulation- court issue• Gun Regulation – effectively dead for now (DC vs Heller)

Good Topics are Open ended

• The thesis is stated in the form of a question because your Capstone paper explores both sides of a controversy without bias.

• Check your topic question for neutral language. Avoid words like “wrong,” “prevent,” “avoid” that indicate you hold a position on the topic.

Good Topics are Normative• The Opposite of Empirical

• Based on what we think should be

• Usually involves the words “should” or “ought to”

“Should the Federal Government close tax loopholes on oil companies”

Good Topics are controversial

• They do not involve symbolic politics

• There are real people (interest groups, legislators, political parties) who care about your topic

• The above groups will answer yes or no to your question

Good Topics Have A Real Policy Solution

• A political controversy without a solution, is just Drunk Talk– Who is/was the best president?

– A lion vs. a bear in a cage match

• Real Solutions take the form of policy outputs (laws)

Good Topics have a clear level of analysis

• A good topic has some level of government actively working on it

• A theoretical “government” solution is not a good topic

What is a unit of analysis?

• 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?

A Good Topic has Two Clear Sides

• You need to pick a topic that has legitimate decision makers on both sides.

• You need to pick a topic that has disagreement

– No legitimate decision makers are in favor of human trafficking

What is a good Topic? Can you answer yes to these?

• Is it being actively being discussed by legitimate policy-makers?

• Does it have a clear unit of analysis? • Is it not primarily an ethical dilemma?• Does it have at least two well-articulated sides?• Is there a legitimate policy solution to your

problem

Can you write 12-15 pages on it?

Topics That Tend Not To Work

• High School Topics

• Dilemmas from other nations

• Lopsided Topics and Culture War issues

• Conspiracy theories (short on evidence)

• Issues not subject to government regulation in some way

• Sports Issues: i.e. BCS policies, playoffs, drug testing of athletes

THE AMERICAN DILEMMAS PAPER

The Paper

This is what American Dilemmas is all about1. Identify and discuss the history of a social problem

(Paper I)2. Identify a normative solution to that problem

(Paper II)3. Identify arguments for and against the solution

and discuss whether it is a moral solution (Paper II and III)

4. Determine whether it is worth doing and how it could be done (Paper III)

Social Problem: Paper 1Controversy: Paper 2

1st research the social problem

2nd researchthe controversial issue (aka the controversial solution)

Examples:Social Problem

Immigration

Global Warming

Failing Public Schools

Discrimination based on sexual orientation

Controversial Solution

DREAM ACT

CAP and TRADE

Race to the Top

Enact tougher federal hate crime laws.

What is a Normative Solution

• The Opposite of Empirical

• Based on what we think should be

• Usually involves the words “should” or “ought to”

“Should the Federal Government enact a windfall profits tax on oil companies”

THESIS QUESTION:The controversy

• A “normative” or “should” question about a specific solution to your social problem.

• Should be narrow and specific (this will develop)– Unit of Analysis– Controversial Solution

Examples:

• Should the Texas legislature prohibit Sanctuary Cities?

• Should the city of Austin construct an Urban Rail System?

Why The Paper?

• Practical Reasons– Employers value writing skills

• Academic Reasons– It prepares you for Capstone

• Personal Reasons– a sense of accomplishment

• University Reasons– The mission of the university

Paper Proposal

• Due in class on 7/12

• 5% of your final Grade

• Involves submitting 2 Parts– Worksheet– 2 page paper

The Role of The Constitution in Topic Selection

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

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.”

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!

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

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.

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 a 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 the right to a state provided

health care system• 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

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 Interactionist:– Violence is learned behavior– Solution: change societal values which encourage violence

Copyright © Allyn & Bacon 2010