Paradigm Paper #1

How would a Conflict Theorist understand university student organizations and clubs? Think about the various scales and aspects of Clemson student organizations and clubs (becoming a member, personal, professional, and social benefits of membership, roles/expectations, funding, relationship to the university, etc.). You can focus on one organization/club or multiple. Be creative and think of an aspect of Clemson organizations or clubs that may directly affect you or that you are interested in.

In your own words:

(1) Explain Conflict Theory. You should provide an overview of the paradigm and address some pros/cons of the paradigm.

(2) Formulate a research question on the topic of university student organizations/clubs through a Conflict Theorist lens. Be sure to clearly state your research question as a question.

(3) Explain how one sociological method may help answer the question and how. Be sure to provide an explanation of the research method, how you would implement the proposed study, and any ethical considerations. (You are welcome to use a combination of methods; however, only one method is required.)

(4) Include in-text citations of course materials (e.g. Sociological Research, Slide 13) or (Course Book, Section 2.2 Research Methods) or (Pocratsky, Sociological Research Lecture, [time stamp]) to support summaries, claims, quotes, etc. You do not need to use a combination of class materials (books, slides, and lecture) but you are welcome to do so.

Your response should answer all of the aforementioned questions and be at least 800 words long (it’s okay if you go over) and doubled-spaced. Your response should be written in essay format (e.g. not bullet points), include an introduction/conclusion, and free from major grammatical errors. Think of this as a mini essay.