Quiz Instructions 

(no word count required)

Can you identify the problem of gun violence?  Use what you learned about social problems and wicked problems to help you recognize the characteristics presented in this social issue.  

The purpose of this quiz is to introduce a conscious consideration of the definition and complexity of social problems.  Just like your reading suggests, there may not be a consistent definition of what a problem is.  There is a lot of ambiguity in the consideration of “social problem”. Questions about the measureability of harm or the definition of harm are important considerations.  At the same time, social problems are not always measurable and many interpretations of “problem” are subjective.  So how can we understand a “problem” around the phenomenon of gun violence. Try to identify subjective and objective aspects of this social issue using what you learned about how to define a “social problem” from Social Problems and What Is a Social Problem_ _ Social Problems_ Continuity and Change.pdf

Further, in the article by Newman and Head (2017)

the researchers discuss several characteristics that make gun violence potentially a wicked problem in the U.S. What are those characteristics and how are they uniquely related to the American context?

You will need to complete the reading and the lectures on Social Problems and the article on gun violence by Newman and Head (2017).

Criteria for Success:

A successful response to this quiz question will show that you have taken in the course material.  Use the materials we have studied so far to help you conceptualize the meaning of “social problem”. 

Show that you have immersed yourself in the course materials so far.  In other words, use this exercise to show that you are able to understand and apply what you have learned so far.  It will be clear that you are attempting to use and apply course material through a few obvious tricks:

• Try out the terminology so that you can build the vocabulary. 
• Prioritize the use of concepts that are explained in the material.  You can speculate and describe how you would identify problems.  But first, be sure to use the concepts or definitions in the course materials to explain the complexity and subjectivity of “social problems”.   Use the course materials to help you align what you conceptualize as a “problem” with a definition of “social problem”. 
• Use quotations or paraphrase the course materials in your assignment.  Using appropriate portions of the course materials to help you explain yourself is a good idea.  Be sure to cite any borrowed or quoted ideas from original texts. 

Question 1

10 pts

An explanation of why gun violence can be identified as a “social problem”.  (Use support from course materials to show your reasoning and be sure to also define social problem.) (10 pts.)

Question 2

10 pts

Identify and explain two characteristics that make gun violence a wicked problem using support from Newman and Head (2017)