Just like food production and consumption, every society has a legal system in place to regulate human behavior. Examine the legal and justice system (policing, course, fines, jails, prisons etc.) and consider how each theoretical perspective might think about these things:
How would a conflict theorist examine the criminal justice system in the U.S. and around the world?
How would a functionalist examine the criminal justice system in the U.S. and around the world?
How would an interactionist examine the criminal justice system in the U.S. and around the world?
What other topics interest you and how can you begin to think about them using the theoretical paradigms? Which theories do you find yourself gravitating toward and why?
TRY IT
A sociologist conducts research into the ways that Latino students have unequal experiences in the U.S. education system. She studies the quality of public schools in Hispanic-serving neighborhoods and notices a lack of culturally relevant curriculum as well as disparities in detention, school suspensions, and expulsions for Latino students. What theoretical approach is the sociologist using?
Symbolic interactionist theory
Feminist theory
Functionalist theory
Conflict theory
A sociologist examines the likelihood of a female PhD candidate in sociology getting a job offer and finds that females who wear wedding rings are less likely to be offered a job, regardless of their qualifications. Which sociological perspective is most closely aligned with this research project?
Feminist theory
