Soc 111—Introductory Sociology

Theory Application Assignment

Purpose There are three purposes for this assignment. The first is to give you practice applying the main macro theoretical perspectives in sociology -- functionalism and conflict theory -- to a current social issue. The second is to evaluate the ability of these theoretical perspectives to explain social issue. In other words, you must decide which perspective does a better job of helping us understand the issue. The third, closely linked with the second, is to discipline your evaluation based on available evidence in the article.

Context Theories attempt to explain complex social phenomenon in relatively simple statements. Sociologists routinely engage theoretical perspectives as they try to make sense of the social world. However, theories are only useful to the extent that they correspond with real life. Further, our understanding of real life, or the data we have about it, is frequently limited.

Audience Consider your audience for this brief paper to be a sociologist who understands both the functional and conflict perspectives. Consequently, you do not need to devote much time to explaining what the theories are.

Design Make sure that your name(s) is (are) on your assignment. Your paper should be one-page, single-spaced (typewritten) with a standard font and margins.

Content In the first paragraph, explain the immigration issue from a functional perspective. In the second, explain it from a conflict perspective. In other words, what does looking through the lens of functionalism (and conflict theory) tell us about immigration and its role in US society? Provide evidence for each of the theoretical perspectives using information or quotes from the article. In the last paragraph, indicate which perspective best explains US immigration and why. Make sure you limit your analysis on the evidence presented in the article.

Points 12.5

Deseret Morning News, Wednesday, September 27, 2006 Immigrants displacing young labor?

By Deborah Bulkeley Deseret Morning News

A new study suggests immigrants, especially the undocumented, are displacing the nation's teenage and young adult workers.

Paul Herrington, co-author of the report, says the findings refute other studies that have suggested as baby boomers retire, an influx of immigrants will be needed to fill the labor gaps.

However, critics of the study say it fails to look at the full picture of the nation's economy and labor needs.

The number of U.S.-born workers age 16 to 34 plummeted by more than 1.5 million between 2000 and 2005, according to the report released this past week by the Center for Immigration Studies, which supports lower levels of immigration.

The numbers were even more pronounced among teenagers. The percentage of 16- to 19- year-old males in the work force dropped from 46 percent to 36 percent over five years, while the percentage of working women in that age group dropped from 47 percent to 40 percent.

"Over that period of time the number of males in that age group actually rose," Herrington said. "Employment went down by a fifth. It's not because there's fewer of them out there, but there's fewer at work."

Herrington's study found that in 2005, the percentage of teenage males in the work force was the lowest in the 58-year history of the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey teen employment series.

"Overall, nearly 90 percent of the native-born teen and young adult job deficit that has emerged over the last five years would be eliminated if native-born teens and young adults worked in jobs now held by recent immigrants," the study said.

But Benjamin Johnson, director of the Immigration Policy Center, dedicated to research and analysis of immigrants' contributions, said the study was far from conclusive and targeted a small segment of the work force.

"This has been going on for 20 years," Johnson said of the declining number of young workers. "I don't think it can be explained away by immigration. It may be a sign these folks are pursuing more kinds of opportunities, educational and otherwise."

Johnson said there are "no consistent patterns" to show that immigrants are driving out U.S.-born workers, and immigrants tend to be concentrated in industries, such as agriculture, that have fewer U.S.-born workers. A recent Pew Hispanic Center study suggests that a region's economy has a greater influence on the U.S.-born work force than does an influx of immigrants.

That study found 25 percent of U.S.-born workers lived in states — including Utah — where rapid growth in the immigrant population between 1990 and 2000 was associated with favorable outcomes for U.S.-born workers. Meanwhile, 15 percent of U.S.-born workers resided in states where a rapid rise in immigrant population was associated with negative outcomes. An analysis of data for 2000 to 2004 yielded similar results.

Rakesh Kochhar, author of the Pew study, said the study suggests "economic forces trump other forces, like immigration or demographic changes."

The Pew study also looked at age and education, but only found a correlation when looking at the economic growth factor. Kochhar said the study found no evidence of U.S.-born workers being pushed out of the labor market by immigrants. However, he said it's extremely difficult to separate immigration from factors such as economic growth and business cycles.

"We are at a stage where this is a very tough issue," he said. "This is a huge labor market of 150 million people. If every year, roughly 1 million new workers come in, how does this affect the 150 million?"

That question, he said, is difficult to answer because comparing the current situation with a situation in which there are no immigrants at all is purely hypothetical.