What evidence did Travers and Milgram put forward to support their claim that Americans are connected to one another by short social chains?
Choose three of the following questions and write a response of 3- to 4-pages to each question. Responses must be typed in double-spaced text using clearly legible 12-point format with one-inch margins. Please cite all materials referenced using one of the following standard citation styles: APA, MLA, or Chicago. Submit your answers in a single file in Word format (.doc or .docx) and please include your name at the top of the file. 1. What evidence did Travers and Milgram put forward to support their claim that Americans are connected to one another by short social chains? On what grounds did they argue that the large number of incomplete chains in their study were random and therefore did not affect their findings regarding the social distance between starters and target? What evidence did Kleinfeld uncover that casts doubt on the “six degrees of separation” argument and what conclusions did she draw on the basis of this evidence? Do you agree with Kleinfeld’s critique of Travers and Milgram’s work? Why or why not? 2. According to Radelet and Borg, how have debates on the death penalty changed in the U.S. over the past 25 years in each of the following areas: deterrence, incapacitation, caprice and bias, cost, innocence, and retribution? What are the findings of social science research in each of these areas? Of the arguments reviewed by Radelet and Borg to justify the death penalty, which do you believe remains the most persuasive and why? 3. According to Becker and Murphy, why has the income gap widened in the United States in recent decades and why do they believe that increasing income inequality is “beneficial and desirable?” Do any of the criticisms of Davis and Moore’s functionalist explanation of stratification which Giddens et al. (Chapter 8) address in the textbook apply to Becker and Murphy’s arguments ? Why or why not? 4. According to Wilson, what accounts for the much higher proportion of jobless adults in America’s inner cities since the mid-twentieth century and what are the consequences of high neighborhood joblessness of this sort? What kinds of policies does Wilson propose to address the problems associated with the disappearance of work in inner-city communities? Do you agree with Wilson’s policy prescriptions? Why or why not?
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