Sociology has made me think more about
society. I never thought that society was so vast and complex.
Sociology also made me see how societies and people interact. I knew
people and societies interacted but I never thought they interacted
all the time and that there are many different processes of
interaction. Sociology is not very interesting, especially when
compared with psychology, but I learned things that I may have not
without this class. The articles helped me remember the subjects we
learned in class but I did not like how, when we made a presentation
about a chapter we still had to write an article. I would have liked
to watch more documentaries or take some sort of sociological test
like we did in psychology. In psychology we took fun
psychological/brain tests, I would have liked to take fun tests like
that but sociology based. Sociology is not a fun subject to learn but
if we had more activities like last semester, it could have been more
fun than it was. I felt I learned a bunch of cool facts, like the age
of the youngest mom is five. Sociology taught me to endure classes
that were boring because it did not interest me. I was glad to have
taken the class though, so I know what I like and what I don't.
Sociology
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Documentary Reflection
In 2011, “The Arab Spring” arose.
The Arab countries like Tunisia, Egypt, and others used to be
censored. But due to facebook and internet access, things have
started to unravel. It started in Tunisia with Sid Bouzid, a food
seller. Some corrupt government officials wanted him to pay money for
no reason, he was taken to town hall but nothing was done. He ended
up committing suicide by setting himself on fire. Some people took
videos of his suicide and word spread. People soon gathered to
protest against the corrupt government.
It started off as a peaceful
demonstration but soon turned into a confrontation. Policemen started
to arrest those with cell phones, for the videos were being posted on
facebook. And sent across the Arab countries and the globe.
Everywhere, on facebook and twitter, there were videos being posted
of the corruption in Tunisia. Soon it spread to Egypt and then to
Libya and later to the island country of Bahrain. Revolutions were
spreading like wildfire, people were taking a stand against the
corruption. A group of activists lead the protests throughout the
different countries. Police forces tried to stop the activists and
others from protesting. People were shot and killed and even still,
more videos were being posted about the corruption. People in Tunisia
wanted their leader out, they hated him. He eventually stepped down
and people were rejoicing. But in Libya a new leader came, and people
revolted against him just like in Tunisia. This has subsided, people
are still going against the government in order to win democracy for
their countries.
One theory of collective behavior is
seen during this Arab Spring. The theory that I think is shown is the
resource-mobilization theory
which states that even the most ill-treated group with the most just
cause will be able to bring about change without resources. If the
Arabs had no internet access or phones with the technology to video
what was going on, it wouldn't have succeeded. The Arabs needed the
internet and technology in order to carry out their plan of
revolution. One theory of social change is shown aw well. I think
that the theory that is shown is the conflict theory of
social change which states
that change results from conflicts between groups with opposing
interests. The Arabs wouldn't have revolted if it wasn't for the
conflict between the people and the government. Without that
difference in beliefs, the revolution wouldn't have happened and
change wouldn't have been made.
So
as we can see, collective behavior and social change occur all the
time. It is a repeating process. So many times people revolt because
of conflict, sometimes for the better sometimes not. People want
change, even though change is sometimes hard, we secretly crave it.
Social change occurs constantly, that is why society, in most cases,
gets better.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Chapter 18: Social Change and Modernization
Social change occurs in any society that is willing to develop and
grow. Social change is very important for a society to become the
best they can be. Modernization goes along with social change for a
society must change to become modernized. As modernization occurs, so
does social change.
Sociologists
define social
change
as alterations in various aspects of a society over time. A cyclical
theory of social change
views change from a historical perspective; societies arise, go
through various stages o development, and then decline. Oswald
Spengler suggested that all societies pass through four stages –
childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age. Pitirim Sorokin's view was
that all societies fluctuate between two extreme forms of culture. In
an ideational
culture,
truth and knowledge are sought through faith or religion. The other
extreme is a sensate
culture,
where people seek knowledge through science. Sometimes, societies
reach a middle point between those extremes, which he called the
idealistic
culture.
Sorokin referred to this natural tendency (of swinging back and forth
between ideational and sensate cultures) toward social change as the
principle
of immanent change.evolutionary
theory of social change
views change as a process that moves in one direction – toward
increasing complexity. Evolutionary theorists of the 1800s believed
that all societies progress through the same distinct stages of
social development. By the early 1920s, most social scientists had
rejected evolutionary theory. It did not remain out of favor for
long, however. Modern evolutionary theorists do not claim that all
societies pass through a single set of distinct stages of development
on their way toward some ideal of Western society, they hold that
societies have tendency to become more complex over time. Talcott
Parsons, a functionalist theorist, offered the equilibrium
theory of social change,
which argued that a change in one part of the system produces change
in all of the other parts of the system. According to the conflict
theory of social change,
change results from conflicts between groups groups with opposing
interests. Karl Marx saw violence as a necessary part of social
change. Ralf Dahrendorf believed, opposing Marx, that social conflict
can take many forms.
The
Modernization
is the process by which a society's social institutions become
increasingly complex as the society moves toward industrialization.
According to sociologists' view of modernization
theory,
the more-developed nations modernized because they were the first to
industrialize. Immanuel Wallerstein proposed the world-system
theory,
which views modernization in terms of the world economy. Core
nations
are the most powerful developed nations – the United States,
Canada, Japan, and the countries of Western Europe – that form the
center, or core, of the world economy. Peripheral
nations
are the poor countries in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Semiperipheral
nations
are somewhere in between core and peripheral nations. A country's
external
debt
is the amount it owes to foreign individuals, organizations,
companies, and governments. Modernization has both negative and
positive consequences for social life and the natural environment.
Modernization offers many benefits to developing countries.
Modernization is often accompanied by the arrival of electricity and
communication technology such as telephones. The very same
technological innovations that improve the standard of living and
prolong life in modern societies also give rise to problems. The
family and religion lose some of their traditional authority in
modern society. Modernization has brought with it the problems of
soil, water, and air pollution. Modern technology also gives rise to
moral and ethical questions.
As we can see social change is inevitable and important to a
developing society. Modernization plays a big role in the development
of nations from peripheral to core nations possibly in the future.
Modernization is great for a society to grow but sometimes the
growing of a society can cause damage to other societies or to the
environment around them.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Chapter 17: Collective Behavior and Social Movements
Collective
behavior includes all different types of groups interacting with each
other. This is important in sociology for sociology is all about the
interactions of people. So collective behavior and all that is
associated with it is very important to sociology as well as to a
society.
Collective
behavior is the relativity
spontaneous social behavior that occurs when people try to develop
common solutions to unclear situations. A collectivity
is a gathering of people who have limited interaction with one
another and do not share clearly defined, conventional norms or a
sense of group unity. A crowd
is a temporary gathering of people who are in close enough proximity
to interact. A mob
is an emotionally charged collectivity whose members are united by a
specific destructive or violent goal. A riot
is a collection of people who erupt into generalized destructive
behavior, the result of which is social disorder. A panic
is a spomoral panic
occurs when people become fearful about behavior that appears to
threaten society's core values. Mass hysteria
is an unfounded anxiety shared by people who can be scattered over a
wide geographic area. Fashions
refer to enthusiastic attachments among large numbers of people for
particular styles of appearance or behavior. A fad
is an unconventional object, action, or idea that a large number of
people are attached to for a very short period of time. A rumor
is an unverified piece of information that is spread rapidly from one
person to another. Urban legends
are stories that teach a lesson and seem realistic but are untrue.
The term public
refers to a group of geographically scattered people who are
concerned with or engaged in a particular issue. Public
opinion refers to the
collection of differing attitudes that members of a public have about
a particular issue. Propaganda
is an organized and deliberate attempt to shape public opinion.
According to the contagion theory,
the hypnotic power of a crowd encourages people to give up their
individuality to the stronger pull of the group. According to
emergent-norm theory,
the people in a crowd are often faced with a situation in which
traditional norms of behavior do not apply. According to the
value-added theory,
collective behavior had six basic preconditions: structural
conduciveness, structural strain, growth and spread of generalized
belief, precipitating factors, mobilization for action, and social
control.
Social
movements are much more
deliberate and long-lasting forms of collective behavior. The main
goal of reactionary movements
is to reverse current social trends. Most conservative
movements try to protect what
they see as society's prevailing values from change that they
consider to be a threat to those values. The goal of revisionary
movements is to improve some
part of society through social change. The main goal of revolutionary
movements is a total and
radical change of the existing social structure. There is a life
cycle of social movements, starting with agitation, then comes
legitimation, then bureaucratization, it then ends with
institutionalization. Relative-deprivation theory,
people join social movements because they feel deprived relative to
other people or groups with whom they identify. Resource
mobilization is the
organization and effective use of resources. According to
resource-mobilization theory,
not even the most ill-treated group with the most just cause will be
able to bring about change without resources.
As we saw,
collective behavior is very important. We also saw that social
movements are important as well. Social movements are important for
they add to a growing society and even promote already grown
societies. In some cases, social movements can create damage to the
government but may be beneficial to the people.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Chapter 16: Population and Urbanization
Population is a very
important part of a society. Population can show whether a society is
increasing, decreasing or neutral. This is important because when a
society has more people, I is considered more powerful. Urbanization
is important also for it shows how developed a country or society is
based on their cities and their populations.
A population
is the number of people living in an area at a particular time.
Demography is the
are of sociology devoted to the study of human populations. The
measure most often used by demographers to describe the births within
a population is the birthrate.
Fertility refers to
the actual number of births occurring to women of childbearing age.
Demographers distinguish fertility from fecundity,
the biological capability to bear children. Mortality
is the number of deaths within a a society. The measure most often
used by demodeath rate. The
infant mortality rate
is the annual number of deaths among infants under one year of age
per 1000 live births in a population. Life expectancy
refers to the average number of years that a person born in a
particular year can expect to live. Migration
is the movement of people from one specified area to another.
Migration rate is
calculated as the annual difference between in-migration and
out-migration. Growth rate
is the rate at which a country's population is increasing. Doubling
time is a period of time that
is the number of years necessary for a population to double in size,
given its current rate of growth. Demographers also study population
composition. A population composition is shown in a pyramid, of the
age and sex distribution of the population. The Malthusian
theory predicted that the
population would soon reach astronomical numbers. The demographic
transition theory holds that
the population patterns are tied to society's level of technological
development. Zero population growth
is the point as which nearly equal birthrates and death rates produce
a growth rate of zero. Family planning
is the conscious decision by couples to have a certain number of
children. Some critics of family planning policies believe that
economic development must proceed before people in less-developed
nations will voluntarily limit their family size.
graphers to describe the deaths in a population is the
Urbanization
involves the concentration of the population to move towards cities.
A city is a
permanent concentration of a relatively large number of people who
are engaged mainly in non-farming activities. Most preindustrial
cities contained a few thousand people while some were considerably
larger. The industrial city covered a greater area and had a much
larger population. Overurbanization
is a situation in which more people live in a city than can be
supported in terms of jobs and facilities. Urban ecology
examines the relationship between people and the urban environment.
According to a concentric zone model
a typical industrial city spreads outward from the center, resulting
in a series of circles, or zones. In the sector model
growth occurs in wedge-shaped sectors outward from the center to the
edge of the city. In the multiple nuclei model
a city does not develop around one central core but around several
centers of activity, or “nuclei.” Urban sprawl
is characterized by poorly planned development on the edge of cities
and towns. According to the urban anomie theory
the city is an anonymous and unfriendly place, and living there
carries serious negative consequences for residents. Compositional
theory examined the ways in
which the composition of a city's population influences life in the
city. Subculture theory
was used to explain the nature of city life, the characteristics of
the city encourage rather than discourage the formation of primary
group relationships.
As
we can see population is very important for society. We saw that
three factors influence population. We also saw that urbanization can
bring about positive and negative effects. It is very important that
we understand these two major concepts in order to further understand
sociology.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Chapter 13: The Economy and Politics
The economy is what shows
neighboring countries what kind of country it is. Economy is what
shows people how developed and how powerful a nation is. Politics are
what all countries have in order to keep peace and to have authority
over the people. Politics are anything that has to do with the
government that contain power.
To satisfy people's needs
and wants, every society develops a system of roles and norms that
governs the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and
services. This is called the economic institution.
The factors of production
are resources needed to produce goods and services which include the
land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship. The primary
sector deals wsecondary
sector concentrates on the
use of raw materials to manufacture goods. The tertiary
sector shifts to providing
services. In Preindustrial societies, there is very little
technological development. In Industrial societies, the main emphasis
in the economy shifts from the primary sector to secondary.
Postindustrial societies, the tertiary sector is the most important.
In capitalism the
factors of production are owned by the individuals rather than by the
government. Law of supply
states that producers will supply more products when they can charge
higher prices and fewer products when they must charge lower prices.
Law of demand
states that consumers will demand more of a product as the price of
the product decreases. If government interference is kept to a
minimum and if competition is restricted, the invisible hand of
market forces will keep the economy in balance, sometimes known as
laissez-faire capitalism.
The commitment to limited government control of business operations
has resulted in the labeling of capitalist economies as
free-enterprise systems.
In socialism, the
factors of production are owned by the government, which regulates
economic activity. Communism
is a political and economic system in which property is communally
owned. Totalitarianism:
those in power exercise complete authority over the lives of
individual citizens. Both have changed over time; capitalism has
changed for the USA is capitalist but it uses programs that are
socialist in nature and socialism collapsed. Corporation
is a business organization that is owned by stockholders and is
treated by law as if it were an individual person. Oligopoly
is the market situation in which a few large companies control an
industry. Protectionism
is the use of trade barriers to protect domestic manufacturers from
foreign competition. Free-trade
is trade that is not restricted by trade barriers between countries.
Multinational is
any corporation that has factories and offices in several countries.
The nature of work has shifted from an industrial base to a service
base. E-commerce is
business conducted over the internet. Recently in the USA the economy
has gone down considerably, the national debt is worse than it has
ever been in the past and this is because of the current president.
$16,805,913,562,515.19 is the debt now in the USA.
ith the
extraction of raw materials from the environment. The
Power is the
ability to control the behavior of others with or without their
consent. State is
the primarily political authority in society. Political
Institution is the system of
roles and norms that govern the distribution and exercise the power
of society. Functionalist view is to analyze political institutions
in terms of functions of the state, creation of laws, settling
conflicts with individuals and relations with other countries.
Conflict theorist view is how the political institution brings social
change. Different groups in society compete for power. Legitimacy
is whether those in power have the right to govern others. Max Weber
referred to legitimate power as authority. Coercion
is power that is considered illegitimate by the people governed.
Traditional authority
is power based on a long standing custom. Rational legal
authorities are rules and
regulations that outline the rights and obligations of those in
power. Charismatic authority
is based on the personal characteristics of the individual in power.
Political Parties
are organizations that seek to gain power through legitimate means.
Proportional representation
ensures that minority parties receive a voice in the government.
Interest Group is
an organization that attempts to influence the political decision
making process. Voter participation
is the heart of the democratic process. Voter Participation varies
among different groups of Americans. Race, education, employment and
age are factors that affect voting. The
Power-elite model was
first presented by C. Wright Mills and states that political power is
exercised by and for the privileged few in society. The
Pluralist model states that
the political process is controlled by interest groups that compete
one another for power.
As
we can see economy is a huge factor for societies. If the economy is
down, this shows that the country is not well, if it is high the
country appears high. Politics can range from well behaved people to
lesser behaved people. Some politics are good and others are bad. But
a society needs politics in order to thrive.
Chapter 15: Science and Mass Media
Science
and mass media are two major things that influence society today.
Science keeps getting better and smarter. And because science gets
better so does the mass media. The mass media grows based off of the
growth of scientific discovery.
Birth
of science in Europe started in 300BC in Greece. Started with
math, physics, astronomy, and biology/medicine.
After the fall of Rome the Catholic Church and the economy
silenced the scientific search. The Re-birth started with the
renaissance. It was the start of the scientific method.
The re-birth gained power after the 1800s with the
industrialization. Modern science is composed of
multiple branches and specialties. Norms are expected to be followed.
It has a scientific community to ensure norms were followed during
experiment before being accepted Scientific research norms are the
judgments based on creating equality. Organized skepticism is
when all scientist discoveries can be questioned and re-test.
Communalism is the
discovery belongs to the scientist society and will be shared in the
scientist society. Disinterestedness is when a scientist must
look for the truth not individual gain. Counter norms, if the
research has a controversial or not well defined the research will be
judged by mental state Realities of research include fraud,
when researchers fake or tamper their results. Competition is
the desire to obtain fame and money causes scientists to block their
information that way no one can copy their experiment. This causes
rushed research. Matthew effect
is when the credit of the experiment goes to the most famous
member instead of the group. Conflictive views include
different theories on reality are used in some experiments that alter
the method and ideas.
Mass
media is the method to communicate that reaches multiple
individuals. Writing and paper was used as mass media by the
Sumerians with writing, Egyptians with papyrus. The printing press
in Europe was invented in 1400AD. The industrial age
multiplied the speed of the printing press and soon after the news
paper, radios, and movies. Computer and information society,
the invention of the internet caused the creation of digital
society that exchanges information and social economic activities.
Mass media in USA includes the print media
which are news papers books and magazines Audio
includes sound records, and radio. Visual media
like movies, television, CD’s, and videocassettes. Online
media is anything that is found online. Convergence is
when areas with “media convergence” that is where to areas of
media collide and combine. Functionalist perspective is that
society runs smoother because individuals know what is happening.
Conflict perspective is that the mass media distracts
individuals with merchandise reducing the possibility that
individuals notice and do something about the inequality.
Knowledge-gap is caused by the economic difference this is
know known as digital divide. Children have access to violence now.
They also have less contact with others. And there is a decrease in
social capital. The power of the media includes brain washing, and it
can create spiral of silence, were a group silences those with
different opinions. Gatekeepers that select only a part of the
information to be released.
As we
can see both science and mass media have changed over the past
centuries. Mass media is very important in developed countries, as
well as in some developing countries. Science keeps discovering knew
things and improving. And because of this the media can grow too.
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