Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Functionalism in the News. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 4 page research paper that, first of all, discusses functionalism and then applies this perspective to two newspaper articles on homelessness. This examination of functionalism looks at two newspaper articles and the manner in which they exemplify the functionalist approach to the modern world. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khfunnew.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
surveys and interviews. The following examination of functionalism looks at two newspaper articles and the manner in which they exemplify the functionalist approach to the modern world. In both
cases, the social institutions under scrutiny are the homeless shelters of two major cities, Atlanta and New York. Masseys article (2004) is a first-person account of what it is like
to be homeless. From the context of the article, the reader understands that Massy had written previously about her experiences and this follow-up article relates her experience since the previous
articles publication. For Massey, on a personal level, the publication of her experience resulted in an outpouring of kindness from the people of Atlanta, as numerous readers tracked her
down and offered aid. Massey (2004) says that people are understandably overwhelmed by the problem of homelessness, but are willing to offer aid when "given opportunities in bite-size chunks" (p.
1C). Functionalism is evident in Masseys critique of homeless shelters. She states that, in her experience, the "services available to the homeless are limited in their practicality" (p. 1C). This
is because they focus on helping cope with homelessness, while providing little or no services that help people to escape from being homeless. As this indicates, Massey (2004) feels
that the function of homeless shelters should be to provide an avenue out of homelessness. Instead of providing this, she argues that they simply tend to the needs of the
moment, a "warm sweater and a meal" (p. 1C). Massey does not disregard these efforts and is obviously grateful for all services offered to the homeless, but she indicates that
she believes the function of homeless shelters could include more. According to Massey, for homeless shelters to help people out of homelessness would not have to be complicated. She writes
...