...differences across the Functionalist, Conflict, and Symbolic Interaction perspectives. The Structural Functionalists Structural functionalist theory was formulated by Radcliffe-Brown, and expounded by Evans-Pritchard: The structural functionalist sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability and focuses on the relationships between the various social institutions like government or religions. This theory recognizes that there is an inherent drive within human societies to stick together and strive toward equilibrium, the cohesion issue. Social inequality refers to any scenario in which individuals in a society do not have equal social status. Social cohesion describes the bonds that bring people together in a society. Interdependence is a central theme referring to the parts of society sharing a common set of principles. (Vissing, 2011) The Conflict Theorists The conflict theory focuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever-changing nature of society by emphasizing the social, political, or material inequality of a social group with a ruling class and a subject class including classes, genders, races, religions, etc. Within society people have differing amounts of material and non-material resources (the wealthy vs. the poor) and that the more powerful groups use their power in order to exploit groups with less power. According to conflict theory, inequality exists because those in control of a disproportionate...
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...company in the United States (Fortune 2008a), and is by far one of the most successful companies worldwide. Wal-Mart offers a place to buy the majority of our goods under one roof like electronics, furniture, clothing, pharmacy, sports, food, books etc. Wal-Mart sells good at lower price than the others and this is even shown by its slogan “save money, live better”. It drives out smaller and sometimes even the expensive stores out of business due to its lower prices. Wal-Mart provides jobs for thousands of people in the society including the low-skilled people. It represents a trend of one stop shopping where we can get almost everything that we want. b. Are they the same or different from the functions of Wal-Mart in our individual lives? How do the two types of functions connect? One of Wal-Mart belief and function is the respect for the individual. They have given importance of respect for every individual and every member of the community. For individuals; Wal-Mart offers convenience, good pricing and multiple products under one roof. It reduced the overall cost to consumers as they don’t have to go from one place to another to buy different goods. c. Does Wal-Mart have both manifest and latent functions? Manifest functions are conscious and beneficial whereas, latent ones are the unconscious, and beneficial. Yes, Wal-Mart does have both manifest and latent functions as they are found in every social institution. Its manifest function is that it’s a place where goods and...
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...Sociology Of Race And Ethnicity Bottom of Form Race and ethnicity are important concepts in the field of sociology and are ones that are studied a great deal. Race plays a large role in everyday human interactions and sociologists want to study how, why, and what the outcomes are of these interactions. Sociologists look at many questions related to race and ethnicity, including: * What is race? * What is ethnicity? * Why does society treat racial and ethnic groups differently, and why is there social inequality between these groups? * How are these divisions and inequalities able to persist so stubbornly, and how extensive are they? What is the difference between race and ethnicity? Within sociology, the terms race, ethnicity, minority, and dominant group all have very specific and different meanings. To understand the sociological perspective on race and ethnicity, it is important to understand the meanings of these concepts. An ethnic group is a social category of people who share a common culture, such as a common language, a common religion, or common norms, customs, practices, and history. Ethnic groups have a consciousness of their common cultural bond. An ethnic group does not exist simply because of the common national or cultural origins of the group, however. They develop because of their unique historical and social experiences, which become the basis for the group’s ethnic identity. For example, prior to immigration to the United States...
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...AND WAGE INEQUALITY WINFRIED KOENIGER, MARCO LEONARDI, and LUCA NUNZIATA* The authors investigate how labor market institutions such as unemployment insurance, unions, firing regulations, and minimum wages have affected the evolution of wage inequality among male workers. Results of estimations using data on institutions in eleven OECD countries indicate that changes in labor market institutions can account for much of the change in wage inequality between 1973 and 1998. Factors found to have been negatively associated with male wage inequality are union density, the strictness of employment protection law, unemployment benefit duration, unemployment benefit generosity, and the size of the minimum wage. Over the 26-year period, institutional changes were associated with a 23% reduction in male wage inequality in France, where minimum wages increased and employment protection became stricter, but with an increase of up to 11% in the United States and United Kingdom, where unions became less powerful and (in the United States) minimum wages fell. W age inequality is substantially lower in continental European countries than in the United States and United Kingdom, and its evolution over time has differed greatly across countries. The same holds true for the skill (or education) wage premium. Changes in the supply of and demand for skills are unlikely to fully account for these marked differences (Acemoglu 2003). A substantial amount of research on wage inequality has examined...
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...1. A major cause of economic inequality within modern market economies is the determination of wages by the market. Inequality is caused by the differences in the supply and demand for different types of work. In a purely capitalist mode of production the workers wages will not be controlled by these organizations, nor by the employer, but rather by the market. Wages work in the same way as prices for any other good. Thus, wages can be considered as a function of market price of skill. And therefore, inequality is driven by this price. Under the law of supply and demand, the price of skill is determined by a race between the demand for the skilled worker and the supply of the skilled worker. We would expect the price to rise when demand exceeds supply, and vice versa. Employers who offer a below market wage will find that their business is chronically understaffed. Their competitors will take advantage of the situation by offering a higher wage to snatch up the best of their labor. For a businessman who has the profit motive as the prime interest, it is a losing proposition to offer below or above market wages to workers.[13] A job where there are many workers willing to work a large amount of time (high supply) competing for a job that few require (low demand) will result in a low wage for that job. This is because competition between workers drives down the wage. An example of this would be jobs such as dish-washing or customer service. Competition amongst workers tends to...
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...Functionalism is “The theory that various social institutions serve some important function to keep society running.” (Conley, 2017, p.31) In the LGBTQ community gender plays an important role. The function of gender is to provide an identity and thus promote specific behaviors. Identity is important, a person must know who they are and how they can contribute to society. Therefore, transgender individuals have a sense of purpose when it comes to serving in the military because it adds on to their identity. The military has a purpose of protecting people, eliminating threats, and overall be a defense system for their country. Regardless of how an individual identifies, the military constantly needs voluntary individuals to be part of this country’s defense system. The government’s purpose in society is to protect its citizens’...
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...Q1. What is a social problem? What are the characteristics of social problems? A social problem (which is also called social conflict, or social illness) can be explained as an issue that influences a considerable number of individuals within a society. A social problem in other words, is a condition that at least some people in a community view as being undesirable. It is made up of general factors that affect and damage society. A social problem is normally a term used to describe problems with a particular area or group of people in the world. It also affects how people react to certain situations. The first characteristic of a social problem is that it changes the situation in such a way that a problem is created to the point where existing social order has to be changed. It can also be identified by the fact that it has injurious consequences for society. All social problems are deviations from the “ideal” situation, this being a general feeling among the masses involved. All social problems have some common basis of origin. Other characteristics will point out that social problems are social and political in origin, and that social problems are caused by pathological social conditions. All social problems are usually interconnected and are social in their results. Social problems call for united responsibility and they require a collective approach for their solution. That being said, as long as people are not aware of the problem, even though it exists, there is no...
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...killing of African-Americans teenage boys have been the trending topic lately. It is hard to distinguish why these events happen. Certainly, there is no one, or race, to blame for this happening, however, understanding the root cause may help. The high incarceration rates of minorities is an examples and the killings proves how the criminal justice system is extremely flawed to this day and has always been built off of the privilege whites inherited and that blacks do not have. It has been proven time and time again that black and whites are not equal within the criminal justice system. History even says that the early conception of the criminal justice system and punishments were formed under conditions of colonialism and slavery. An example is white police offers repeatedly killing African American Males and being found not guilty; from Emmitt Till to the Ferguson case. Which is history repeating itself, the more things change, and the more they remain the same. In each generation, new tactics have been used for achieving the same goals—goals shared by the Founding Fathers (Alexander). Which is also known as institutional racism, which is systematic domination of people of color, embedded and operating in universities, corporations, legal systems, political bodies and other collectivities. History has shape the way African Americans are treated, and how people perceive them still. Which conveys that skin color and physical characteristics explain the differences amongst...
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...are a few theories that can explain the institution of family and how it affects society. Family is viewed in many different ways; however family is where individuals initially develop their way into society. This paper will discuss how sociological theories like functionalism, conflict and interactionism impact the sociological institution of family. Many theories affect the dynamic of a family but they also go hand and hand with the continuous development of society. Families and society become more of one once they have a full understanding of each other. “One of the most important aspects of what happens to us over the life course is our relationship with our family. Everyone has a family of origin, and everyone creates a family, even if it is a family of one. Types of families vary in form and structure, and have significant implications for our lives” (Rothausen, 1999). No matter how a person views the institution of family, there is usually a strong sense of belonging and respect. Many of times when we think of family, the traditional view comes in mind which is, parents and children. However, the institution of family can be applied in so many ways; like unmarried couples with no kids, close friends, homosexual couples, or just individuals of the same bloodline. What makes conflict, functionalism and interactionism theories similar, is no matter what the dynamics of the family is, human interaction and relationship create these social events worth analyzing. Functionalist...
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...colors, but the one that I felt was the most prominent factor contributing to this social disorder had to do with interference from a young age. I believe that childhood upbringing is a major contributing factor in the roots of racism. When children are young, they are extremely moldable. While some parents choose to allow their children the freedom of learning and exploring to create their own opinions, others do not. They take advantage of the naivety of young kids and shape their minds into what they believe is right, which includes racist thoughts. By forcing their opinions onto a child, it leaves no room for personal interpretation, thus continuing the never-ending cycle of intolerance. There are several reasons why I believe this happens. First, familial beliefs have a lot to do with the promotion of racism, because if a parent is very opinionated they are less likely to allow their children to make their own judgments. I also believe this occurs because some adults cannot get their own points across to others in their lives and have to continuously state their beliefs to their children. Also, some parents believe in something so strongly that they are unwilling to let another make their own opinions on important cultural issues. By doing so, it allows a false sense of control. However prejudiced the former points seem, I believe that there are also people may not believe what they are doing is...
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...accept commands and orders and carry out the wishes of another individual. There are three formal bases for obedience to authority that are identified by Max Weber: 1- Legal Rational 2- Traditional 3- Charismatic There are also processes, events, interactions, symbols, and arrangements, too that insure the authority and increases the odds that people will accept and obey those who happen to occupy offices of authority. Authority and Social Order. In our human history, it states that when there is a functioning society, that means that there are larger numbers of people obeying a smaller number of people and the larger number obeys commands from a smaller number. A functioning society requires that people are socialized to obey. We should be able to see the possible processes and reinforcing to obedience to some abstract idea or ideal in all organized societal activities. In general, I think that the feelings and thinking of people in a society will tend toward a belief that their ruling system and society is good, desirable, and its serving is virtuous. Culture. Culture is the way you define everything that we do in and to the world. In our society and in our culture, we learn how to adjust to the patterns and the rules that exist...
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...|Racial profiling |The use of an individual’s race or ethnicity by law enforcement personnel as a key factor in deciding| | |whether to engage in enforcement. | |Racism | | | |Actions or beliefs that reflect the racial worldview. | |Reverse discrimination |Discrimination against members of a dominant or majority group including city or state. | Part II Complete the following using the MySocLab Social Explorer Map: Income Inequality by Race located on your student website: • Select 1 racial group from the list below: o African American o Asian American o Arab American o Hispanic American/Latino o White/Caucasian • Write a 250- to 350-word summary of the economic, social, and political standings of that group. Use additional resources if necessary, from the University Library or your textbooks. African American’s have always been known as the lower class, either economically, socially or politically. They have been fighting to find a place in society since the beginning. Socially, they have been kept at the bottom and also were led...
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...Vocabulary: Sociology: The systematic study of human societies. It is the scientific study of human social life, behavior, groups, culture and societies. Culture: A way of life including widespread values (about what is good and bad), beliefs (about what is true), and behavior (what people do every day). Social Problems: A condition that undermines the well-being of some or all members of a society and that are usually a matter of public controversy. Sociological Imagination: Is the quality of mind that enables one to see the connection between personal troubles and social structures. Theory: A statement of how and why specific facts are related. Structural-Functional: A theoretical framework that sees society as a system of many interrelated parts. Social-Conflict: A theoretical framework that sees society as divided by inequality and conflict. Symbolic-Interaction: A theoretical framework that sees society as the product of individuals interacting with one another. Technology: the practical use of knowledge Science: Knowledge accumulated as statements of facts and theories or explanations for events and phenomena Lecture: Now that we have a basic concept of the vocabulary, we can get started with the lecture. The vocabulary will help us move more efficiently through this topic. The first topic that we need to discuss before we can get started defining science and technology is;...
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...According to Kendall (2012), sociology is “the systematic study of human society and social interaction.” (p.5). It is the study of societies with emphasis on modern and complex societies. Sociology is also the study of the development and structure of the human society. It is concerned with group activities such as how people interact with each other and their behavior during the interaction. Sociology includes four major sociological perspectives: functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and post-modernism. All of these theories in sociology equip us with different perspectives with which to view the social world. Each of the four major theoretical perspectives offer a range of explanations about the human behavior and social...
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...Problems Presentation Review Racial and Ethnic Inequality Chapter 3 Summary: Racial and ethnic inequality is a social problem because it affects such a large number of people around the world. One way this can be seen is through prejudice which categories people based on age, sex, and social class. These can be good and bad. Institutional racism is a big deal today. Some companies will not hire a person simply because of their color or their sex. Another way to say this is racial discrimination which lets race or color impact a person’s ability to get a job. People like to think this doesn’t really happen when the harsh reality is that it happens all the time. Laws have been made to try and prevent this from happening but companies still practice it. Groups like the EEOC (equal employment opportunity commission) were created to enforce laws against discrimination in the work place. Some things we can do to change this is to look at person for their work ethic and quality and ignore the color of their skin or whether they are male or female. Through history we have tried to make everyone have the same standing in society which is called pluralism. We would take groups and “Americanize” them; you can see this in what we did to the Native Americans. Also we have segregated groups some by force, like the Jim Crow laws in the south, but others are by choice like the groups of the Amish. Reaction: In my life I have seen this happen on the news and in newspapers multiple times....
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