Reference no: EM133099450

Scenario 

Terry has a hard time getting to an 8 am class on time. She consistently oversleeps, waking late and rushing to make it to campus. Often Terry doesn't have enough time to shower or eat breakfast and sometimes doesn't have her homework done on time. Terry's instructor, Dr. Jameson, is getting tired of Terry's shabby appearance and inconsistent performance in class. Dr. Jameson assumes Terry is just unmotivated and too lazy to set an alarm in the morning.

There is more to Terry's story though. In recent years, the economy has really fallen apart. Terry comes from a working-class background. The jobs she thought she'd be able to get after high school just aren't around anymore, so Terry decided to go to college. Unfortunately, it seems that everybody else is going to college these days too so it's getting harder and harder to find open classes when it's time to register. As a result, Terry's class schedule changes every term and it's hard to consistently find enough hours during the day to go to school and to work. Terry's parents are unable to help pay for college, so she definitely has to work while attending classes. In order to keep her days open to accommodate a school schedule, Terry chose to work nights at a convenience store to pay bills. 

Terry is the first person in their family to go to college. She and her family are completely unfamiliar with norms of college life, especially the norms of individual self-motivation and self-promotion. Terry is much more comfortable sitting in the back, keeping quiet, and just doing what the teachers say. When it comes to navigating the "business" of college, Terry is completely overwhelmed. Between financial aid, registration, parking, drop deadlines and all the rest, Terry isn't sure what she's doing. At the same time, most of Terry's friends aren't in college. They managed to find good enough jobs and spend their free time hanging out, watching TV, or playing sports. Terry's friends really want her to hang with them more.

Personal Trouble Questions

1. Describe a personal trouble depicted in the provided scenario.
2. Describe one personal cause of the trouble you identified. What has Terry done to bring this problem on herself? How is she personally responsible?
3. Describe one personal solution that aligns with the personal cause you described. What can Terry do to help herself? What can she do to take responsibility for the problem?
4. What social issue (or social force) do you plan to focus on for Part 3 - Social Issue Analysis? The social force should be evident in the scenario.