1.
The controversial news story I picked is What to Know About Starvation in Gaza and
Deadly Violence Near Aid Sites (NYT, 2025). This crisis is described by the U.N as “a
moral crisis that challenges the global conscience,” and, in this way, it’s a largely
complex issue that can be viewed through the three main sociological theories. A conflict
theorist (drawing on Karl Marx’s theory of class and resource struggles from video 4),
would look at how power is exercised through the control of food and aid. A sociologist
researching this issue through a conflict theory lens might also ask why Israeli authorities
and private contractors hold control over life-saving resources and how this reinforces
power imbalances between dominant and oppressed groups. A functionalist (based on
Durkheim’s framework from video 3), would focus on how the breakdown of aid
institutions (like the U.N distribution system) causes social dysfunction. Since society
depends on institutions working with one another to maintain order, the shift to
privatized/militarized aid can be seen as disrupting equilibrium and contributing to chaos
and violence. A Symbolic interactionist (using Blumer and Mead’s idea from Video 2),
would focus on how people interpret and give meaning to food, survival, and/or
resistance. For example, a Palestinian may see their act of walking miles through
dangerous zones as a symbol of their resistance, but an Israeli soldier may take that
same act as a threat, which can result in disastrous outcomes. All three approaches ask
different questions about power, structure, and meaning, but all together, they allow for a
better and deeper sociological understanding of how this crisis in Gaza is shaped by
political, institutional, and even personal forces.
2. As a prospective first-generation college student, one personal problem I’m currently
facing is the high cost of college tuition. If I viewed this only as a personal problem, I
might blame myself for not applying to enough scholarships, not working enough hours,
or not budgeting better. Using C. Wright Mills’ concept of the sociological imagination,
however, I can see that my situation is also shaped by larger public issues like rising
tuition costs, equal access to financial aid, and underfunded public education (Video 1,
00:00:24–00:00:41). Mills mentions that understanding “the relationship between self
and society” helps us understand how our own individual struggles are often tied to
larger, more structural problems (Video 1). Just like the example in the video where
unemployment becomes a public issue when it affects millions (00:00:48–00:00:59),
student debt and college affordability affect entire generations. If society begins to see
this problem as public, the solutions shift from individual responsibility to collective
actions (like advocating for tuition reform, increasing government aid, or expanding
community college programs). The sociological imagination helps us shift the blame off
of individuals, and push a more systemic approach to change.
3. If I were studying the high dropout rate in the U.S., my explanation would be different
based on whether I used the micro, meso, or macro approach/analysis. At the micro
level, I would look at individual student experiences (like mental health issues, finance
issues, or even lack of motivation). This can connect to symbolic interactionism’s focus
on how personal meanings and daily interactions influence behavior (Video 2,
00:00:02–00:00:40). At the meso level, I’d see how students are affected by their own
institutions, like whether their college offers enough/effective academic advising, mental
health support, or even whether their camps has an inclusive culture (since functionalist
theory shows how institutions contribute to social stability [Video 3, 00:00:11–00:00:41]).
At the macro level, I would look at how larger systemic issues like rising tuition costs or
underfunded schools in low-income areas might play a part. These approaches agree
with conflict theory’s view that “society is composed of groups competing for scarce
resources” (Video 4, 00:00:02). This theory states that students face more barriers due
to their race, class, or location. For my own study, I would focus on all three levels,
because dropout is influenced by personal struggle, institutional failures, and larger
systemic inequalities. Looking at all three levels gives a fuller picture of why it is that
students actually leave college.