Here are your prompts for Week 4. As a reminder, you only need to respond to one prompt (or make up your own); posts should be 300-500 words in length and present your original ideas and analysis; and your post can be in response to another student’s thread.

1. Mertons theory operates within an American context (i.e., it focuses on the American Dream and socio-economic status attainment in the U.S.). Think about a different society and set of cultural expectations either in a subgroup of the U.S. or outside the U.S. Explain what Merton meant by a cultural goal and provide an example in this different society. Explain what he meant by an institutionalized means and provide an example in this different society.
2. Similar to this Disney YouTube explainer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA9Pv_HMsUk , provide examples of fictional or non-fictional individuals who fit into each of Merton’s categories (typology of deviance). Explain with specifics how they might experience culturally determined goals and institutionalized means in certain situations.
3. Merton’s theory was one of the first comprehensive structural understandings of ‘deviance.’ Critique Mertons theory. (Hint: Do you think it applies well to all types of deviance?)
4. Marxist criminology also offers a structural understanding of crime. Think about the ideas presented in the class lecture on Thursday. How might a Marxist criminologist critique Mertons structural theory? (Hint: Incorporate Marxs ideas of class-based conflict and his view of historyhistorical materialismin your analysis. If you are a sociology major, think back to your social theory courses.)