The book talked about subcultures and countercultures. And in this Unit, we are talking about deviance (and some sociologists call countercultures “deviant subcultures”). Find an example of a counterculture that is not listed in your book. Don’t just google “counterculture” because then you will all have the same example and it will be really obvious that you took the easy way out (yeah… this isn’t my first rodeo… please try to be creative, independent thinkers).
After you identify and summarize a little bit about your example of a counterculture, explain why it is a counterculture. This requires that you really think about what makes this subculture deviant? Then explain which sociological perspective (i.e. functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism) is most useful in examining that counterculture and why? Be sure to explain the strengths and weaknesses of your applied sociological perspective. Students tend to ignore this last part of the question… but it is arguably the most important part! For example, if you say that Functionalism helps provide insight into your counterculture, you need to say why… and then you need to explain how it falls short.
Something to keep in mind: individual deviance is different from collective deviance. This is important for you to consider when you are thinking critically about what constitutes a counterculture.
