...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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...reproductively from other populations, whose members share a greater degree of physical and genetic similarity with one another than with other humans. a group of tribes or peoples forming an ethnic stock: the Slavic race. any people united by common history, language, cultural traits, etc.: the Dutch race. the human race or family; humankind: Nuclear weapons pose a threat to the race. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/race?s=t) This is the definition given by the online dictionary I found, while the definition given by the sociological board for race is that although the essential characteristics of race are biological in origin, it is their transformation into a social variable by society that gives it its explanatory power during social situations. In this essay I shall be showing how these two different definitions of race contrast with one another in many different ways. First of all the dictionary definition of race and ethnicity defines them more on physical characteristics that certain groups of people would have in common when compared to others or are also of common descent. A prime example of this would be the physical differences between white and black people. While on the other hand, the sociological definition describes race and ethnicity as more of a thing we come...
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...Films mimic the human experience in a way that other visual mediums cannot. Cinema’s basis in fiction and fact is what makes for an excellent lens through which to view the human experience. Over the course of the semester, we were instructed to watch two films. “Food Inc.”, a harsh look inside America’s corporate controlled food Industry, while “The Vernon John’s Story: The Road to Freedom” is a film that portrays the inspirational story of Martin Luther King Jrs’ successor as he interminably campaigns for Civil Rights. While seemingly different themes, each film portrays two issues important in sociology. After all, sociology can be defined as the scientific study of human social behavior and its origins, development, and organizations. Sociologists use many ways to analyze subjects from a sociological perspective. These ways are known today as the symbolic interactionist perspective, the functionalist perspective, and the conflict perspective. Each perspective uniquely conceptualizes society, social forces, and human behavior. The purpose of this essay is not so much as to narrate each film but rather to illustrate a better understanding for three commonly misunderstood perspectives. Although a daily occurrence, the consumption of food can also be associated with important moments in our lives. In the context of society, our nation’s food system is at the core of numerous social movements, political issues, and economic debates. After watching “Food Inc.”, we see that any...
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...Why is the study of race and ethnic relations important in multi-cultural societies? Many people use the terms race and ethnicity interchangeably, however the distinction must be made. Wilkinson (1993) defines the term, race as “a category of persons who are related by a common heredity or ancestry and who are perceived and responded to in terms of external features or traits,” whereas ethnicity often refers to “a shared culture and lifestyle.” It must be noted that race is social construct rather than biological concept. The fact remains that different societies construct different systems of race classifications and these systems change over time. Ethnic group maybe distinguished on the basis of language, form of family, structure and role of the family members, religious beliefs and customs, forms of artistic expression such as music and dance and national origin. Two individuals with the same racial identity may have different ethnicity for example a black American and a black Jamaican have different culture or ethnic backgrounds. Equally, two individuals with the same ethnic background may identify with different race example Hispanic maybe black or white. In a multicultural society, when society is studied it may be discovered how races and ethnic groups are treated or how they should be treated. The disparity between the ideal and the normal occurrence will allow us to see how the society functions. It would then be impossible to study the society without emphasizing...
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...SO 141 - Introduction to Sociology SO 141 - Final Exam - Review Document [pic] Important Things to Keep In Mind! • You will have two (2) hours to complete the exam. This review includes all of the areas you need to study and review for the exam. • There are 100 multiple choice questions; each question is worth two (2) points, thus 200 points possible for the entire exam. • This is ALL you have to study for the Final Exam. The number of “bullet” points under each chapter is the number of questions for that chapter – and they are the topics for each question from that chapter. In essence this document IS the Final Exam – without specific answers and of course the answers ( • The exam will be "scaled" in the sense that your scores will be compared to others, so the normal “90% = A” will not be the hard fast rule at all. So don't be overwhelmed by the test, just do your best and let me worry about "the grade." • You will take the exam online, during Week 8, just like all of the quizzes you have taken. Below is the list of EACH chapter and the topics, theories, and theorists to study for the Final Exam. EVERYTHING that appears on this list WILL be on the exam and there will be NO surprises on the exam, study this and you should do just fine. |WEEK |CHAPTER |TOPICS TO STUDY | |Week 1 |Chapter. 1: The Sociological Perspective ...
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...Proposal According to Henslin (2010) prejudice is not something adapted to at birth, but learned from the people around you as you grow. Children are all born with a clean slate which is why it is important to get them to accept the different races and ethnicities at a young age. As the new head of the U.S. Civil Right Commission, I would propose that all schools have a Multicultural Awareness course that would be mandatory for all students to take. Educating the young minds should go a long way to ease the strife between different races and ethnicities. The children in this course would learn how groups of people are given certain labels which then lead to people being prejudice against them. “Symbolic interactionists stress that the labels we learn affect the way we perceive people” (Henslin. 2010). Taking away those labels puts everyone into one group instead of several separate parties. As the children start to understand that the labels given to a set of people do not really define them they will begin to build their own opinions on them. The education and interaction provided should allow them to understand that while race and ethnicities should never be a factor in showing hostility towards others. Most hostile interactions take place because people unhappy with their own lives and are looking for someone to blame their frustrations on. “They unfairly blame their troubles on a scapegoat—often a racial–ethnic or religious minority— and this person or group becomes...
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...Hispanic groups contribute to the United States in several aspects of life: linguistics, politics, social interaction, the economy, religion, and familial structure. Hispanic groups include several, of those are four prominent races of which are Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, and Colombian Americans. Hispanic groups entail a diverse population apparent by various similarities and differences. Mexican Americans are the most significant Hispanic group in size within the United States, creating nine percent of the population. The majority of Mexicans reside within the South Western part of the U.S.. The Spanish speaking group often refer to their physical appearance as similar or close to that of the Caucasian race. Mexicans have contributed to the American economy by working low wage jobs as the result of illegal immigration. The increase in illegal immigration to the United States and possibility of deportation only allows Mexican workers employment in low paying jobs, lower class housing, and limited freedoms. Social interaction between Mexican Americans and other racial/ethnic groups is hindered by stereotyping and discrimination. Discrimination towards racial/ethnic groups is generally based on race, ethnicity, cultural practices, and social class. The segregation or separation of racial/ethnic groups is a present issue within Hispanic communities. An area exhibiting a large percentage of Hispanic individuals is referred to as a Barrio. Barrios are...
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...Hits Milestone with Gender Parity” issued on November 5th, 2015 in The Globe and Mail by Jane Taber, discusses gender, race/ethnicity. This article reminds me of sociological concepts in the textbook “Seeing Ourselves” of Gender in chapter 32 and Race and Ethnicity in chapter 34. Also, the theme I can relate to is groups and organization because it discusses the different gender and race/ethnicity in Justin Trudeau’s cabinet. In this article Justin Trudeau kept his promise for a gender parity parliament. Fifteen women were put in a position of Trudeau’s cabinet. Canada is now one of five nations to have gender parity in government at the federal level. The article identifies...
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...The results after taking the Race Implicit Attitudes Test (or “IAT”) showed I had a slight, automatic preference for African Americans over European Americans. The IAT models itself on the strengths of association between ideas and evaluations, so in the case of the Race IAT, I had to identify facial images of African Americans and European Americans with words relating to good and bad. I found the IAT to be incredibly biased since the test switched moral concepts between blacks and whites, and often I would get confused with associating words to either race. I later discovered that the IAT is designed to predict behavior and preference towards race, and also connects implicit preference to racial discrimination in the job field, healthcare,...
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...Diversity Education: An Essential Educational Opportunity Diversity education provides educational opportunities that nurture and maintain an inclusive and diverse community, promoting equality for people of all cultures, ethnicities, and religions. The Association of American Colleges and Universities supports higher education faculty and students to partake in programs that advance civic learning and democratic engagement, global learning, and engagement with diversity to prepare students for socially responsible action in today's interdependent but unequal world (AACU). Diversity courses, programs, or interactions in higher education are positively effective in improving students’ understanding and respect of our multicultural society, and are an essential component to educational institutions. Diversity education fosters a broad range of enlightenment and competency, including those of learning and democracy. Learning outcomes include active thinking skills, and intellectual engagement and motivation, while democracy outcomes were not limited to perspective taking, citizenship engagement, racial and cultural understanding, and judgment of the compatibility among different groups (Gurin, P., & Lopez, G.). It is said that personal and social identity develop best in situations during late adolescence and early adulthood, when one is able to experiment with different social roles before making commitments to groups, ideas, and a philosophy of life (Gurin, P.,...
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...OccupationHousehold CompositionAdjusted Household Income | OBJECTIVES | The objective of this study was to assess associations between socioeconomic status (SES) and adolescent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) stratified by race and gender. | TYPES OF STUDY | Cross-sectional study | SAMPLE SIZE | 4 family SES indicators and STD reports for black and white 7th through 12th graders were examined. | RESULT | STD reports were higher for adolescents not living in 2-parent homes, and lower income was only associated for black males. | MAJOR FINDINGS | Measures indicating lower SES were more consistently related to STD among blacks. Family structure, maternal occupation, and, to a lesser extent, maternal education were associated with STDs among black females and males. For black males, the association of STDs with maternal education and occupation were not statistically significant; however, the magnitudes of the point estimates were comparable to those of black females, suggesting important, but imprecise, effects. In contrast, only nontraditional family structure was associated with STD among white females. Income was generally a poor indicator of STD risk in all groups, as expected. | POLICY | | CONCLUSION | SES is only a weak to moderate marker for adolescent STD risks. The relationship of SES and STDs varies by the SES measure used and differs across race-gender groups. Other individual factors such as risk behaviors or community factors such as income inequality could play...
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...Introduction In analysis of diversity in my community, the race relations are moderate and tolerable in my neighborhood with exceptions. In recent years diversity has expanded to increase the importance and acceptability in non-controlled environments that allows personal growth in race relations within communities. The fundamentals of exposing oneself to the particulars of race challenges provide an interesting investigation to how current experiences are now different than ten years ago. The review of my neighborhood proves the notion on how promising diversity has changed the local community. Perspectives in Race in the Community Currently living in the suburbs, the neighborhood has a 2 to 1 ratio, in which, the majority is the minority race in the community. In my immediate neighborhood, the experience with my fellow neighbors are a welcoming aspect due to the flexibility of tolerance. The diversified demographics within my community are races from different ethnicity not just black and white but Latinos, Mexicans, Jamaicans, and Japanese. The perspective in my community provides an understanding how diversity enriches the awareness of other cultural lifestyles within the context of interaction with different ethnic groups. Do members of your community look like you? In what ways do they look the same or different? The members in my community are welcoming and thoughtful by projecting respectfulness in sharing the same amenities in the neighborhood without conflict...
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...The piece presented on intercultural relations tries to find the correlation between our ethnic background and interaction we have among other ethnic groups. While their findings are compelling, they are not surprising to find. While this article aims place some light on the issue of diversity and its function, it shows us a whole new different reality on ethnicity and race. Let us tackle diversity first. Diversity is merely a positive way to interact with other cultures; it is a form in which explores cultures at a surface level, while the predominant society places their own way of life on a pedestal. Multiculturalism it is called and it is greatly applauded by universities and many grassroots organizations. When this practice is looked at closely, it is the most racist practice out there. In a subtle manner, the predominant society celebrates an ethnic culture but treats it in an exotic manner. The predominant society treats the ethnic group no different than the hunter who captures a rare breed of tiger. The hunter will celebrate the strength and rarity of the tiger, but it will assure the crowd and the tiger that he is in control, by keeping him in a cage. The predominant society creates holidays which celebrates different ethnic groups, but while this is done a cultural hegemony is at hand. A system in which the current system places politics, religion, and economics to justify everything they do. The predominant society uses these components to create a cage in which...
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...deeply rooted psychological and social need to belong or identify with a community or group that provides interaction with fellow humans, protection from external dangers and gives each member a sense of belonging. Ethnicity can be defined as a group of people who see themselves as unique or distinct from others due to imagined or real mutual history, values and traditions. These things set them apart or distinguish them from their neighbouring ethnicities. Ethnicity also entails the sharing of specific ethnic traits, backgrounds, associations, allegiances or affiliations. There are therefore innumerable ethnicities all over the world which are composed of groups of people bound together by a common factor among them all, which could be racial, cultural, religion, tribal, national, ideological or linguistic. With so many differences between the various ethnicities in their cultures, values, traditions and beliefs, conflict between them is ultimately inevitable. Ethnic groups are almost always never socially homogenous nor are they ever united politically. (Cornell, 39) Several divisive factors are always present within such groups e.g. differences in ideology, social status, class, and religion. When differences between ethnicities fail to spark conflict among them, a particularly dominant ethnicity may attempt to establish hegemony in an area. When the minority ethnicities get the sense they are being oppressed politically, economically or even physically, they promptly summon...
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...Race and Your Community Andre Walton ETH 125 Heather Bickley Axia College During my 33 years on this earth I’ve lived in many different communities that have there own success and challenges. The challenges mainly presented themselves as racial inequality or stereotyping. This has been evident as a resident of both communities in New York and Florida. The ways to bridge the racial and cultural gaps are through patience, education and understanding of each others backgrounds and core values. I’m from the island of Barbados where race, color or creed was not an issue; regardless of your geographic location on the island we all ate the same foods, enjoyed the same things and spoke the same language. Those in my neighborhood looked like me but in many different shades, even Caucasians were dark because of the 365 days of sun that lathered the island. Two of my closest friend were white but I didn’t realize this until my first two weeks in America. In Barbados there is no separation of races within the community and there is absolute unity as we all consider ourselves Barbadians. When I moved to New York City in 1983 my community was very different form what I was accustom too. There was a mix of different races and cultures and the neighborhoods were segregated by cultures. For example, I lived in a community that had neighborhoods named after the ethnicity of the group. Little Italy, China Town, Little Russia, etc. In many cases if you were not apart of this culture you...
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