I was trying to liven up a class on functionalism and conflict theory this week and so I asked the students to examine how these two perspectives would make sense of the upcoming winter olympics. It turned out to be great discussion with lots of stories about kickbacks to officials in order to become the host city, figure skating judging scandals, the inspirational story of the Jamaican bobsled team and opportunities to create affordable housing out of former athlete villages. I recommend the exercise.
Erin Steuter Mount Allison University
