As requested during Weeks 4 and 6 and on the homepage, students were to register for and attend a virtual or in-person community learning event outside of class (for example: a TED Talk, podcast, seminar, workshop, Global Class, live stream, etc.) that connected to the sociological imagination and presented a social problem.

What is a social problem?

Social problems are matters or situations that reduces quality of life.

Examples of social problems are:

Addiction - substance abuse and alcohol

Access to education

Consumer debt

Bullying

Cost of Living

Crime

Food security

Gambling

Homelessness

Racism

Student Debt

Water pollution

War and conflict

Unemployment

Purpose:

"We emphasize that sociology can be a liberating practical activity, not just an abstract intellectual exercise. By revealing the opportunities and constraints you face, sociology can help teach you who you are and what you can become in today's social and historical context. We cannot know what the future will bring, but we can at least know the choices we confront and the likely consequences of our actions. From this point of view, sociology can help us create the best possible future. That has always been sociology's principal justification, and so it must be today" (Brym, Roberts, & Strohschein, 2016).

Examples of Community Learning Events	NOT a Community Event
Your local campus events (i.e. outreach event, Health and Wellness Centre, public events by clubs, etc.) and off-campus public community events (i.e. public library, live-stream, open houses, community center, or other post-secondary institutions).	Informal student gatherings, private discussions with instructors/peers, paid employment, private club meetings etc.) **Speak with your professor if you are unclear about the eligibility of an event for this assignment**

Apply the sociological imagination and two other sociological concepts or theories from the community event you attended to the community activity #1 assignment.

Instructions:

1. Give specifics about the event you intend to attend. Consider: who/what/when/where/why. Provide the date of the event (which must occur prior to Week 8 in the course) and attach any information that you have (i.e., a website, a flyer, a recording link, etc.). Include a thesis statement in the introductory paragraph.
2. Use the community event and explain how it relates to the social problem. Explain how the social problem was connected to the sociological imagination and two other sociological concepts.
3. In the conclusion, include: a) why the topic was of interest on a personal level; b) what was learned from this experience?c) Restate the thesis statement. Summarize the key points and sociology concepts presented.

500 WORDS