​Sociology weekly assignment (Purpose in Life) is due by 2:00 pm on Friday, 5/8/20.
Attendance this week will be based on submission of assignment.
Seniors – Congratulations!  This is your last assignment in Sociology. Please submit by due date.
 
Assignment is attached in a word document.
Submit assignment through email to Marianne.romaine@polk-fl.net.

 
Any student who earned a “D” or “F” in Sociology for Quarter 3 has the opportunity for grade recovery. Requirements are to complete and submit assignment with a score of 75% or better by 2:00 pm on Friday, May 8, 2020. This is a hard deadline. If requirements are met, Quarter 3 grade will be adjusted to a “C” – 75%.  Click on button/box above titled Grade Recovery Quarter 3 to open  a word document with details of grade recovery.
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Attendance Period 2 and Period 7 – Please click link below for your class period to sign in / be counted present by 2:00 pm on Thursday, 4/16. 

Sociology assignment due by Friday, April 17 at 2:00 pm: Submit assignments to me through email – Marianne.romaine@polk-fl.net. You may type assignment and include in body of email or as an attachment.  You may also submit a picture of handwritten assignment (please make sure it is clear enough to read).

Click on the button at top middle of post for assignment in a word document.

Our distance learning lesson for this week will focus on the family and marriage.  The family has been the most important social institution in all societies.  Families produce new generations, serve as an agent of socialization for the young, provides care and affection, regulates sexual behavior, transmits social status, and provides economic support.  The assignment for this week is broken down into three parts.
Part A are questions for written reflection that are your opinion. 
Part B consists of watching a Crash Course Sociology video and responding to specific questions from the video. 
Part C involves critical thinking and prediction discussion questions.

Part A – Written reflection / opinion (respond in complete sentences, paragraph format):
1. Respond to this writing prompt:
If an alien from another planet landed in your backyard and asked you to describe the basic social unit (the family) how would you do this?
2. Discuss at least five factors that in your opinion are essential to a long-lasting relationship.  Think about qualities or characteristics of a partner (girlfriend / boyfriend / spouse) that you think are important for a successful long-term relationship.  Explain why you think that each factor is essential.
3. Why do you that marriage rates are declining in the United States?

Part B – Watch Stages of Family Life: Crash Course Sociology #38 (length 10:52) and respond to the following questions. Click on button at top of post for link to video or google in you search engine. 

1. The video discusses four stages of family life (courtship, marriage, childrearing, and launch stage).  Take basic notes on each stage.
2. What is an arranged marriage?
3. Define homogamy.
4. Define no fault divorce laws?
5. What was the outcome of the no fault divorce laws?
6. Prior to no fault divorce laws, list the reasons for which courts would grant divorce. 
7. Why are divorce rates in the U.S. in decline since the 1990’s?
8. Which groups of people have higher divorce rates?
9. What is the data on who has kids before marriage and after marriage?
10. What are three factors why large families were more common in preindustrial America?
11. What is the average birth rate for an American mom during the last thirty years?
12. What is the average age of a mother at the birth of her first born?
13. What are reasons that people are waiting later to have children?
14. How much will a typical middle-class family spend on a child born in 2015 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture?
15. Describe the sandwich generation.
16. What is a nuclear family and what are other types of families?

Part C – Respond to the following (use complete sentences in paragraph format):

1. The coronavirus pandemic has led to social distancing and safer at home orders.  Write a paragraph that discusses the challenges that families may be experiencing and any positive outcomes that may occur during this time. 
2. One of the characteristics of families is that family members spend time together.  Under ordinary circumstances, as people grow busier and busier, spending time together becomes more difficult.  Predict the future: twenty years down the road, what do you think will be the typical amount of family time?  Do you believe family time will disappear or do you think family members will always make time for each other, no matter what? Will technology help or hinder family time together?  Explain your views.

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Attendance - Please click on button at top of the page and enter your name by 2:00 pm on Tuesday 4/7 to be counted present. Make sure that you click on the button for your class period.  You only need to click on attendance once per week.
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Last week our lesson focused on the characteristics of capitalism and socialism. The lesson this week will look at the issue of price gouging.

Assignment is due by Thursday, 4/9/20 at 2:00 pm.

Assignment Part A:
Read the Opinion Letter by Ben Graffam, Lakeland, posted Apr 3, 2020 at 12:02 AM, Lakeland Ledger. Click on the box titled Opinion Letter at top center of post to access. 
Define the following two words used in the article:

1.  juxtaposition
2. panacea 
3. Write a paragraph with your opinion on whether you agree or disagree with Mr. Graffam. 

Assignment Part B:
Watch and take notes on the following two short videos:

1. Econominute: Price Gouging (length 2:51)
2. Is Price Gouging Bad? (length 3:34)

Access the two videos by clicking on box at top of post titled Price Gouging Videos, or copy and paste the following into your browser
https://stosselintheclassroom.org/2017/08/22/both-sides-is-price-gouging-immoral/

Art Carden and Richard Wolff, both economists, disagree as to whether, in the midst of crisis, sellers will hold back supply in order to keep prices high or ship in more supply in order to take advantage of higher prices. Both agree that increasing supply will drive prices down.

     3. Is a selfish seller likely to hold back supply if his competitors are working hard to increase supply?
      4. If all competitors were holding back supply, could a selfish store owner make more money by holding back his supply or by shipping in more needed items?
         5.  How could an agreement between store owners affect the results of price gouging?

Assignment Part C:
Florida has laws against price gouging.  Read the information below from Attorney General Ashley Moody at http://www.myfloridalegal.com/#.

What is Price Gouging?
Florida Statute 501.160 states that during a state of emergency, it is unlawful to sell, lease, offer to sell, or offer for lease essential commodities, dwelling units, or self-storage facilities for an amount that grossly exceeds the average price for that commodity during the 30 days before the declaration of the state of emergency, unless the seller can justify the price by showing increases in its prices or market trends. Examples of necessary commodities are food, ice, gas, and lumber.
How do I know if I’m being price gouged?
The law compares the reported price of the commodity or service during the state of emergency to the average price charged over the 30-day period prior to the declared state of emergency. If there is a “gross disparity” between the prior price and the current charge, it is considered price gouging.

1. Define the term commodity.

The videos that you watched in Assignment Part B mentioned essential commodities or items such as water, gas, flashlights, generators, and plywood that have the potential for price gouging during/after a hurricane.
Imagine that you are a small business owner who normally sells a case of bottled water (24 x 16.9 oz) for the price of $4.79. 

       2.  At what price do you think that you could legally sell the case of water after a hurricane?
          3.  What price do you think would be a “gross disparity” and thus price gouging based on Florida Statute 501.160?
          4.  Make a list of 7-10 commodities or items that are scarce and have the potential for price gouging in our current coronavirus pandemic.

Sociology lesson and assignment for Thursday, 4/2 (Period 7) and Friday, 4/3 (Period 2).

Attendance Period 7– Please click on button at top of the page by 2:00 pm on Thursday 4/2 to  sign in / be counted present.

Attendance Period 2 – Please click on button at top of the page by 2:00 pm on Friday 4/3 to sign in / be counted present. 

Learning Target:  Discuss characteristics of capitalism and socialism.

You have probably heard the terms capitalism and socialism in your history classes, current news, discussions with family members, or in political debates.  Capitalism and socialism are economic systems.  An economic system is the organized way a country produces and distributes goods and services for a society. In class we have discussed sociological perspectives. The functionalist perspective would view capitalism as a means of maintaining the order and stability of society.  The conflict perspective follows the views of Karl Marx in the belief that capitalists exploit their workers for their own economic gain. 

Assignment due by Saturday, April 4 at 2:00 pm: Submit assignments to me through email – Marianne.romaine@polk-fl.net. You may type assignment and include in body of email or as an attachment.  You may also submit a picture of handwritten assignment (please make sure it is clear enough to read).

1.  Make a T-Chart labeled Capitalism and Socialism. List 3 characteristics of each economic system.  List 2 countries that are mostly capitalist and two countries that are mostly socialist. 

​2.  Most countries fall somewhere between capitalism and socialism and have a mixed economic system. A mixed economic system includes elements of both capitalism and socialism.  Two countries that have a mixed economic system are Sweden and France.  Choose either Sweden or France and describe how the mixed economic system works in relation to the production and distribution of goods and services.  
    
Go to the website Stossel in the Classroom, www. stosselintheclassroom.org.  In the top ribbon click on the Both Sides of the Issue tab.  Find the Both Sides: Debating Capitalism videos.

Watch the first video titled Richard Wolff: Three Flaws of Capitalism (4:23 in length).  In addition to going to the Stossel in the Classroom website, you can type the title of the video in your search engine to access. Respond to the following question. 

3.  Richard Wolff discusses three flaws of capitalism.  He discusses the arguments of the Marxists on each of these three fundamentally intolerable conditions.  List and explain these three flaws / intolerable conditions of capitalism.   

Watch the second video titled John Stossel: In Defense of Capitalism (7:10 length).  In addition to going to the Stossel in the Classroom website, you can type the title of the video in your search engine to access. Respond to the following three questions. 

4. Yaron Brook and John Stossel discuss the statement that rich people (capitalists) improved the standards of living for everyone.  Explain this statement using examples from the video.  

5.  John Stossel states that capitalism is voluntary.  What does he mean by this statement?

6.  Yaron Brook argues that capitalism is moral because it allows individuals to pursue their own happiness. Do you agree or disagree with this statement?  Explain why?

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