...Assess the relationship between Social Policy and Sociology. (33 Marks) Sociology is a subject that wants to study and understand society. Social policy or otherwise known as the law comes from research completed by sociologists, which is then proposed to the government. Social policy can be seen to change social problems such as the economy. Peter Worsley describes a social problem as “some piece of social behaviour that causes public friction”. For example poverty, educational under-achievement, and divorce can be seen as social problems that the government may be forced to tackle with social policies. Worsley thinks that a sociological problem is “ any pattern of relationships that calls for explanation”, meaning any piece of behaviour that we want to make sense of. For example why some families are richer than others? , Why people commit crime? Or why couples remain happily married? George Simmel was intrigued about the characteristics present in all social relationships and their different settings, be it in an office, in the family home or on a busy street. However many sociologists are interested in solving social problems through their research. They will conduct their research so it is aimed at the social problem they are most interested about. Government departments such as home office employ many sociologists. They will often have a direct input into making social policies. However sometimes sociological research does not effect social polices, and there are a number...
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...Social policies are the actions of governments, such as legal laws. They have a direct impact on citizens, for e.g. may provide them with services or income. Social policies are created after Sociology research identifies social problems of society, for e.g. policies put in place to help vulnerable children (adopted/abused), as they are highly likely to end up in gangs, as drug addicts or prostitutes. These policies tackle social problems e.g. increasing payment for foster/ adoptive careers to reduce vulnerable children getting involved with crime. There are several factors which influence whether something will became a social policy. The type of political party in power effects social policies, as different parties have different agendas and concerns, for e.g. Labour wanted to help teenagers who weren’t going into further education by providing them with practical apprentices. The state of economy and how much social policy will cost taxpayers is another factor, for e.g. education monthly allowance for college students was abolished after the recession. Political parties also create policies due to an upcoming election to win over voters, for e.g. in the next general election the Conservative party who raised university fees up to £9000 per year, may lower the price. If the sociologist’s findings are in line with the Europe Union, that policy is likely to be implanted as the EU has a big influence over its members, for e.g. the EU ruled that British car insurance firms...
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...Government policies are an amendment that is close to what could be described as a suggestive law, known as a social policy which will be used to improve, impact, or change aspects of society. Sociological research and government policies work together in that when sociologists collect results and data on subjects in which there is a problem within society, it allows the government to place policies to counteract the problems found in society by the sociological research. sociologists solely research social problems, such as poverty and divorce etc. and therefore some of the studies conducted have had massive influence on both government perceptions of underclass society as well as in the lives and well being of the public within the society being studied. As a result many of the key elements of research conducted are taken into consideration when new government policies are taken into consideration. However although some sociological research such as Murray's research on 'the underclass dependency culture, directly linked to the government policy / social policy that was then passed to help the older generations to live without depending on the younger members of the family. Positivists and Functionalists believe that sociology is a science and therefore they believe they can discover solutions to many of the problems in society. A key idea that Functionalists believe is that they see society as a system (Parsons), they believe that there are different parts to it and together...
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...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 services are exchanged. Making profit is also one of its manifest functions. Its latent functions could be many like a place for entertainment or a place...
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...Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science (a term with which it is sometimes synonymous) which uses various methods of empirical investigation[1] and critical analysis[2] to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity. For many sociologists the goal is to conduct research which may be applied directly to social policy and welfare, while others focus primarily on refining the theoretical understanding of social processes. Subject matter ranges from the micro level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and the social structure.[3] The traditional focuses of sociology have included social stratification, social class, culture, social mobility, religion, secularisation, law, and deviance. As all spheres of human activity are affected by the interplay between social structure and individual agency, sociology has gradually expanded its focus to further subjects, such as health, medical, military and penal institutions, the Internet, and the role of social activity in the development of scientific knowledge. The range of social scientific methods has also expanded. Social researchers draw upon a variety of qualitative and quantitative techniques. The linguistic and cultural turns of the mid-twentieth century led to increasingly interpretative, hermeneutic, and philosophic approaches to the analysis of society. Conversely, recent decades have seen the rise of new analytically, mathematically and computationally rigorous techniques...
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...Sociology: Nature and Scope Sociology Defined. — Definitions of sociology are many. While it would be hardly correct to say that there are as many as there are sociologists, it is safe to say that they are as numerous as the various points of view of the respective groups of sociologists. The term 'Sociology' was coined by Auguste Comte, a French philosopher in 1839. It is the youngest of all social sciences. Sociology is the outcome of man's search for a more valid, and precise knowledge about the nature of man and the society. The word 'Sociology' is derived from the Latin word 'Societus' meaning 'society and the Greek word 'logos' meaning 'study or science'. Thus, the etymological meaning of 'Sociology' is the 'science of society'. In other words, we can say Sociology is the study of man's behaviour in groups or of interaction among human beings of social relationships and the processes by which human group activity takes place. Definitions: To make the study more clear, it is wise on our part to discuss some of the definitions given by famous sociologists. Unfortunately, there is no short-cut definition of Sociology so far. It has been defined in a number of ways by different sociologists, but no single definition of Sociology has yet been accepted as completely satisfactory. Auguste Comte, the founding father of Sociology, defines Sociology "as the science of social phenomena subject to natural and invariable laws, the discovery of which is the object of investigation...
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...Sciences are not superior over Social Sciences. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract. 3 Introduction 4 Recommendations 22 REFERENCES 25 Abstract. Science in general is a great and highly developed human enterprise. Its intricacies are clearly not limited to the scientists alone, but it is essential for the entire human race. If we think of science as a space within the larger space of society then it is at the interfaces between these two spaces that human beings are involved with science. To see this interface clearly from the space of science is not the same as seeing it as a mere collection of facts that should be construed to be true and nothing but the truth. Science is beyond facts, ideals and thoughts. It is a process and a model that has undergone tests, been tried, reviewed and accepted as a true representation of the processes and occurrences in the natural world However, due to the broad nature of science, and the work, time and resources involved in pursuit of knowledge in different science fields which entails different interests, and thereby different values too; and the different possibilities of knowledge about different subjects, has lead to a myopic misconception by the science practitioners that Physical and Natural applied sciences are more superior and of more importance than social sciences. These differences...
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...Sociology of Health Author’s Name Institution’s Affiliation Sociology of Health The social perspective in sociology of health explains the society's view concerning health. It is a discipline that describes an illness using social factors present in daily activities of life. Sociologists show how wellness and disease, the treatment and explanation of illness production in a social organization can be understood differently from a medical perspective of nature, biology, and lifestyle in an attempt of explaining sickness (Bahar, 2013). It is a significant facet of interpreting biological information that shows the creation of health and disease in a political, social, and cultural environment. In describing various social phenomena, sociologists examine how social life impacts morbidity and mortality rates and how it alternatively influences the society. Medical sociology uses sociological theory to explain the relationship between social factors and health to define this issue and its systems (Amzat & Razum, 2014). Amzat and Razum (2014) demonstrate that it tends to separate nature from the community. It means that it illustrates how scientific knowledge mediates social relations. Moreover, medical sociology shows how the technical realm of medical practice is inconsistent with social processes in nature. It is a claim of understanding constructivism through an objective in natural science. Various studies identify the inconsistencies between current medical practice...
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...Politics is always grouped and said to be part of the social sciences, but should it really be classified as a social science or even a science? Politics is a controversial field itself; it also seems to have a flaw in it. From the way it’s been run by the people elected into power, to other different aspects of it. Political Science is a science but also a very different kind of science Politics is the activity that influences the policies and actions of a government, and also keeping and getting power in a government. Politics is widely regarded as part of science, or as a science itself. Politics is usually referred to as “Political Science”, which is still the same idea, Political Science is also the study of people, and why people act the way do, it’s the study of how a person’s deep philosophical beliefs affects his/her political beliefs and actions. It is a science because it observes, and experiments the government systems, it also measures the political life of the people occupying a certain country or nation. The methods applied in science e.g. observation, measurement, explanation etc. these methods are also applied in political science, that is mainly why political science is considered a science. Social science is part of a series of science; it is the study of humans, their society, and their social status and relationships. It consists of various methods; areas and disciplines, political science is a big part of social sciences...
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...|1 | | |Politics and political science | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Political science is the study of politics in all its aspects. Occasionally politics is used as a synonym for political science: sometimes| | | | | |as the title of university departments of political science. This may be confusing. Although a few political scientists have become | | | | | |politicians, and even more rarely politicians have become political scientists, the activities of the two, despite impinging on each | | | | | |other, are quite different. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |1.1 What is politics? |...
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...Approaches of the public administration in: (a) The contemporary era Introduction The approaches to the study of Public administration in the contemporary era can be categorized from different angles such as normative approach and empirical approach. The main focus of these approaches is how public administration should be, and also to describe and to analyze the actual administrative situations. There different forms of public administration which are divide as follows; Philosophical approach Legal approach Historical approach Scientific approach Case Method Approach Institutional and Structural Approach Behavioral Approach Philosophical Approach The Philosophical approach takes within its purview all aspects of administrative activities. The main goal of this approach is to find out and enunciate the principles or ‘ideals’ underlying these activities. This is perhaps the oldest approach to public administration as of all other social sciences. Legal Approach This is a systematic approach which is formulated and it traces its ancestry to the European tradition of rooting Public administration in law. Public administration was considered to be a part of law, concentrating on legally prescribed structure and organization of Public authorities. Legal approach came into place at a time when the functions of the state were narrowly limited and simple in nature. The administrative law is an important branch of Public law which is conceived in quite broad terms to enable it...
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...perspectives and the approaches of sociology in the health and social sector. I will also include the concepts of sociology within health and social care while exploring the elements of health and illness. Sociology is the study of how society is organised and how people experience life, it is based on global issues that can affect the living beings. Sociology helps us to understand the structure and the dynamics of society and the connections between how people behave and individual life changes. It helps examine ways in which the forms of social structure, groups, communities, organisations and other social interactions with how they affect attitude, opportunities and actions. In sociology there are six principal perspectives they are Functionalism, Marxism, Feminism, Interactionism, Postmodernism, Collectivism and New Right. Functionalism In 1951, Talcott Parsons introduced the Functionalist view which studies the social structure fully of how it functions and how each social structure is crucial in the interests of society. Functionalism believes that humans and society have basic needs, institutions. Governments may be responsible to meet the required needs also Functionalist may consider that the different kinds of sources may limit the individual’s behaviour within the chosen society, which may mean that society will behave appropriately based on their behaviour while having the same values. However the Functionalists view does recognise that there may be errors or...
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...Tuesdays 11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course is designed to help you learn about the Sociology of Religion, with special attention paid to contemporary issues in religion and society in the United States. This course will set out to explore the various rituals, values, and customs that a society embraces, and through this, find the hidden meaning behind the cultural knowledge that these values, rituals and customs provide. While people use these values, rituals, and customs to interpret the world around them, it will be our job to discuss the implications and unconscious assumptions that these interpretations provide using a number of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. TEXTS AND READINGS REQUIRED • Sociology of Religion: Contemporary Developments (2nd edition) by Kevin J. Christiano, William H. Swatos Jr., and Peter Kivisto, ISBN 978-0-7425-6111-3 • Additional readings to be posted to Blackboard SUGGESTED • Durkheim, Emile. 1965. Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. New York: Free Press. • Marx, Karl and Frederich Engels. 1978. "The Communist Manifesto" and “the German Ideology,” in The Marx-Engels Reader. Ed. Robert Tucker. New York: W.W. Norton. • Weber, Max. 1958. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. New York: Charles Scribner. • Weber, Max. 1978. "Religious Groups (The Sociology of Religion)". Economy and Society. Berkeley: University of California Press. • Geertz, Clifford. 1973. "Religion...
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...SOCIOLOGY 1A06 – DECEMBER EXAM REVIEW 1. The Sociological approach: a. is not scientific b. suggests that relations we have with other people create opportunities for us to think and act c. suggests that relations we have with other people set limits on our thoughts and actions d. leaves the study of personal issues to psychologists e. b and c * EXPLANATION: Although sociology contains both objective and subjective elements it is a science. Sociologists observe reality in a systematic and controlled manner and evaluate the validity of their ideas based on observations. Objectivity plays the role of a reality check while subjectivity makes us set our priorities for research. The sociological approach to improving human welfare is based on the idea that the relations we have with other people create opportunities for us to think and act but also set limits on our thoughts and actions. Accordingly, we can better understand that what we are and what we can become by studying the social relations that help shape us. FOR EXAMPLE: even the most personal issues can be studied using a sociological approach Suicide could have been seen as an anti-social act caused by psychological distress but Durkheim studied it from a sociological perspective correlating it to “social solidarity”, how frequently people interact with others and share their beliefs, values and morals. Social forces then determine the likelihood to commit suicide. Sociologists use...
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...GRADUATE DIPLOMA IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND DIPLOMACY STUDENT GUIDELINE NOTES GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY MODULE Paste the notes here… Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government. Political economy originated in moral philosophy (e.g. Adam Smith was Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow), it developed in the 18th century as the study of the economies of states — polities, hence political economy. In late nineteenth century, the term "political economy" was generally replaced by the term economics, used by those seeking to place the study of economy upon mathematical and axiomatic bases, rather than the structural relationships of production and consumption (cf. marginalism, Alfred Marshall). History of the term Originally, political economy meant the study of the conditions under which production was organized in the nation-states. The phrase économie politique (translated in English as political economy) first appeared in France in 1615 with the well known book by Antoyne de Montchrétien: Traicté de l’oeconomie politique. French physiocrats, Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Karl Marx were some of the exponents of political economy. In 1805, Thomas Malthus became England's first professor of political economy, at the East India Company College, Haileybury, Hertfordshire. The world's first professorship in political economy was established...
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