...Theorist of Choice “W. E. B. Du Bois” Tyrone Thomason SOC 101 Introductions to Sociology Instructor: Emily Frydrych June 14, 2012 William Edward Burghardt DuBois, to his followers, was by strong-willed devotion and intellectual perseverance, an assailant of injustice and a guardian of freedom. A forerunner of Black Independence and Pan-Africanism, he died in chosen refugee in his home away from home with his ancestors of a famous past Africa. Branded as a "radical," he was overlooked by those who hoped that his substantial contributions would be buried alongside of him. But, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, "history cannot ignore W.E.B. The degree to which he thrived disclosed the great magnitudes of the man." He taught sociology at Atlanta University amongst 1898 and 1910. Du Bois had anticipated that social science could help abolish segregation, but he ultimately came to the decision that the only operative approach against racism was agitation. He dared the prevailing dogma of black accommodation as preached and practiced by Booker T. Washington, then the most significant black man in America. Washington advised blacks to accept discrimination for the time being and elevate themselves through hard work and economic gain to win the respect of whites. Du Bois's plentiful books include The Souls of Black Folk (1903), John Brown (1909), Quest of the Silver Fleece (1911), The Negro (1915), Dark water (1920) etc. It is his massive literary productivity on such...
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...as the founding fathers of modern Sociology. Though from different time periods, their ideas and contributions reflected one another and showed great progression in Social Science. Auguste Comte was born in 1798 in France and had a significant part in the formation of sociology. Comte was the founder of French positivism and Comte can also be given credit for inventing or coining the term sociology. Herbert Spencer was born in 1820 in England and known as the second founder of sociology. Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencer were two of sociology’s first great theorists. Both Comte and Spencer studied society and the many ways in which people in society interact. Both theorists agree on certain issues pertaining to society and social science, yet they completely differ on their views of the function of sociology. Spencer and Comte both realize that there is an order of co-existence in society. Society itself is made up of several components and parts which are subject to change and progress, thus altering society as a whole with these changes. With regards to the function of sociology, Comte believed that sociology was important due to the fact that it acted as a guide for people in order to make a better society. Comte saw evolution as very important and believed that every society went through three stages. These include; the theological stage, the abstract stage and the positive stage. Spencer on the other hand believed that sociology was necessary to demonstrate that people...
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...Combat Medic, Leader, Mother, Wife: Characteristics of ME 17 June 2012 Introduction to Sociology: Sociology 211 Dr. L. Susan Williams Introduction and Definition of Key Terms What is status? In modern society, status is how society decides what pedestal to place you on. Society can also determine your status on your profession. Celebrities, teachers, doctors and lawyers are placed on a high pedestal and held to a higher standard. Garbage men are looked down on and sometimes not even held to a standard because of their profession. According to Witt (2011:103), status “is the social positions we occupy relative to others.” Status isn’t just what your profession may be. Being a woman, man, Caucasian, Asian, student, or gardener is a status. There are different types of status. A person can have an ascribed status, which is basically a status that a person is born with such as male/female or race. A person can also have an achieved status, which is a status that a person can change such as student, wife, or occupation. With each status that we hold, we also have roles to play. “A role is a set of expectations for people who occupy a given social position or status” (Witt 2011:105). For example, we expect teachers to be great with students and lawyers to know the law. Unfortunately, this is not always the truth. For the duration of this paper, I would like to share important ascribed and achieved statuses that I myself hold in society. Status and Roles ...
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...The Politics of Sociology Video Group Member Diversity and Communication Style We can see in the video one of the local college’s sociology department trying to brainstorm what courses they should offer for the following semester. Their group consists of 5 members (3 male and 2 female) and they are locked in a discussion that shares the ideas they have. With its composition, we can say that it has great diversity and with their acquaintances, it promotes a much easier time communicating with each other. Their leader pushes for each member’s position to be recognized by the others in the group so that they can succeed in communicating with one another. Their leader would keep them within their procedure so that they won’t stray away from their goals when their members are talking out of the topic. With their efforts, such as being knowledgeable of the topic of discussion, being acquainted with other members, composition of the whole group, and implicit norms really helped them communicate effectively from within. With both genders represented it provided a variety in views, and it did not become a hindrance when they tried to communicate as one. Effective groups completely understand what their goal is and have the utmost belief that it has meaning and its achievement would be worth it. For this situation, progression would be hindered if they go into the topic of how relevant the course is and their enrollment. Asides from that, with their expression saying, “student will...
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...was not easy. DuBois had a very different plan in the struggle for black equality and the struggle for the abolishment of racism. There were those individuals that wanted a "separate black nation" and others that just wanted the blacks to stay submissive. DuBois only wanted blacks to work hard to become active parts of American society. Through his writings, speaking, and political activism, W.E.B DuBois devoted his life to advancing black movement to a higher level. The questions that we can access from W.E.B Debois that contributes to sociology or society as we know it is: 1) How can one be a part of a society that excludes him or her? 2) How can one fight the oppression of being alienated? 3) In what 1 way in today’s society can people of color rise above the color line “racism” that W.E.B DeBois focus on? What strategy is used today did W.E.B DuBois focus on to sociology or society as we know it.that is studied through Sociology a strategy called the gradualist political strategy. The gradualist political strategy tells that Dubois was very focused on blacks being book smart to get anywhere in life. DuBois always practiced what he preached. His speeches influenced many, and always used the pen as his mightiest weapon. He used it to encourage blacks to be proud and have pride in everything they have accomplished. DuBois had used the pen to encourage blacks to fight for the rights that they have had been denied. It has not been our fault. Rather we have been...
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...Group Leadership and Conflict Summary SOC/110 July 27, 2015 Robert Holland Group Leadership and Conflict Summary In this week’s assignment we as a group, were to watch the two videos “Planning a Playground” and “Politics of Sociology”, discuss them as a group and write a summary. Being that this is my first online class that I have had to work with a group in I was very nervous about it. When doing discussions online, without prior physically meeting and getting to know one another, things can always take a turn that is not intended or needed. My team/group was great! Not only was the intent of our discussion clear but I also liked how we all posed questions within our discussions that made you really think. We challenged and discussed different views of these two videos which made the discussion that more intriguing. For the most part we viewed the videos in the same aspect but brought the creativity of thinking outside the box and it made the discussion even more productive. This by far has been a great experience with my team. Each discussion that has been transpired has come from and with a positive attitude and an open mind. We were able to take our time and really discuss things without being rushed. Upon some further reviewing, I just realized that we were missing two other team members. Not sure what happened but they never made it into the discussion. Although I haven’t mastered and I am still trying to learn my way into the different arenas of the online class...
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...ZSC 111 - 2ET Assignment: Give some proponents of sociology and their important contributions. Era/ Years | Proponent | Contribution | 1798 - 1857 | Comte, Auguste | August Comte is known as the founder of positivism and is credited with coininging the term sociology. Comte helped shape and expand the field of sociology and placed a great deal of emphasis in his work on systematic observation and social order. | 1818 – 1883 | Marx, Karl | Karl Marx is one of the most famous figures in the founding of sociology. He is known for his theory of historical materialism, which focuses on the way social order, like class structure and hierarchy, emerges out of the economic system of a society. He theorized this relationship as a dialectic between thebase and superstructure of society. Some of his notable works, like "The Manifesto of the Communist Party," were co-written with Friedrich Engels. Much of his theory is contained in the series of volumes titledCapital. Marx has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history, and in a 1999 BBC poll was voted the "thinker of the millennium" by people from around the world. | 1858 - 1917 | Durkheim, Émile | Social Fact, AnomieEmile Durkheim is knows as the "father of sociology" and is a founding figure in the field of sociology. He is credited with making sociology a science. One of his most famous pieces of work includes Suicide: A Study In Sociology, and another important work of his that focuses on how...
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...In my opinion, the reason sociology is viewed as a bit warily by leaders in most societies is because there is yet to be an achievement of understanding mental distress. For example, in the case of woman's mental health, sociologists have not studied the effects of its worries. 4. The conflict theory in my opinion best explains the inequality in the United States. The reason of my choice is in viewing society as composed of groups that engage in fierce competition for scarce resources is the underlying foundation in the conflict theory. I see this lot in the United States every day. Conflict theory emphasizes the role of intimidation and power in producing social order. This perspective is resulting from the works of Karl Marx, who saw society as disjointed into groups that compete for social and economic resources. Social order is maintained by domination, with power in the hands of those with the greatest political, economic, and social resources. When agreement exists, it is attributable to people being united around common interests, often in opposition to other groups. Marx theorized that the work of producing consensus was done in the superstructure of society which is composed of social institutions, political structures, and culture and what it produced consensus for was the base, the economic relations of production. According to conflict theory, inequality exists because those in control of a disproportionate share of society’s resources actively defend their advantages...
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...Movie Review: Equilibrium 1 Movie Review: Equilibrium The movie Equilibrium is an excellent movie to relate to our Introduction to Sociology class. Equilibrium follows the life of John Preston, an elite member of a military team used to locate and destroy all things considered “sensory stimulating”. In this society all citizens are forced to take drugs that suppress all feeling and emotion. The reason for this is the leader “father” of this society believes emotion is the cause of all conflicts such as crime and war. Anyone not taking the drug is considered a “sense offender” and is killed on the spot. John Preston is a firm believer in his government and its cause, until he misses a dose of his drugs. After realizing how wonderful emotion can be, he seeks out the “Underground”, a large hidden society of “sense offenders”, and eventually becomes the one to lead the revolution against the government. I think that this movie is a great example to relate to our Introduction to Sociology class because it incorporates key ideas such as culture, society, norms, deviance, and group conformity. The first idea used in this movie relating to sociology is society. Society is defined in the dictionary as a structured community of people bound together by similar traditions, institutions, or nationality (source 1). The society in Equilibrium is known as Libria. The people of this society share this territory government and are all know as Librian’s. These common factors...
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...Behavior is an applied behavioral science built on concepts contributed by a number of related behavioral disciplines. The most influential members of the Organizational Behavior team are psychology, social psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Study of these four disciplines helps one understand the underlying principles that build the overall science of Organizational Behavior. A simple composite definition of Organizational Behavior could be a science that studies the behavior, influence, relationship, and activity within groups. The discipline of Organizational Behavior helps one apply the knowledge and understanding gained from the study of groups to manipulate the activities of the group to achieve specific goals. Organizational Behavior Disciplines It frequently requires a team to accomplish a task. Each member of a well-balanced team contributes a meaningful part of the entire effort to complete the task successfully. This team concept can be applied to the study of Organizational Behavior. Organizational Behavior is an applied behavioral science built on concepts contributed by a number of related behavioral disciplines (Robins & Judge, 2009). The most influential members of the Organizational Behavior team are psychology, social psychology, sociology, and anthropology (see Appendix). Study of these four disciplines helps one understand the underlying principles that build the overall science of Organizational Behavior. Psychology Psychology is a science that...
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...Sociology 100 | Exploration of a Journal Article in Sociology | By: Kenneth Hinchey | Professor Hartnett 4/29/2012 | The article I have chosen is titled “Race, Ethnicity, and Law Enforcement. This article explores the relationship between race, criminality and law enforcement and highlights some of the issues surrounding the intersection of race and criminal behavior. After reading this article I found a few things interesting, such as when the author writes about class subordination, which was identified by W.J. Wilson (1978). He explains how in the second half of the twentieth century, civil rights leaders made great strides to achieve equal rights for people of all racial groups. While this goal may have been legislatively achieved, racial privilege remains a significant issue with which we as a society must grapple. I found this interesting because today we are still faced with these same issues even though we elected our first African American president I feel class subordination still remains with people thinking they are better off just by sheer virtue of race. This is due to a need for people who are not well off to elevate their status, if only in their own minds. Macdonald (2000). Another interesting portion of the article touches on racial profiling. The author writes about a study conducted by Kowalski and Lundman (2007) in which they studied vehicle stop and vehicle search data as well as citizen observation reporting police...
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...simply, the leader is the inspiration and director of the action. The Leader is the person in the group that possesses the personal skills that inspire others to follow in a specific direction. In business, leadership is largely attributed to performance. The main aim objective of leaders is to increase the company’s sales or market share. Many people tend to confuse the definitions of leadership and management. Kotter (1990:103) argues that management and leadership are “two distinctive and complementary systems of action”. Whilst leadership involves coping with complexity, management involves coping with change. In order to better understand the complexities of leadership one should compare and analyse the various leadership theories. In this essay we will further investigate four of the relative leadership theories, namely; Great Man Theory, Trait Theory, Behavioural Theory and Participative Theory. The Great Man Theory assumes that the qualities needed for leadership is inherent – that great leaders are born, not made. These theories often portray great leaders as heroic, mythic and destined to rise to leadership when needed. The term "Great Man" was used because, at the time, leadership was thought of primarily as a male quality, especially in terms of military leadership. Historian Thomas Carlyle had a major influence on this theory of leadership, "The history of the world is but the biography of great men." Sociologist Herbert Spencer suggested that the leaders were products...
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...defines Culture as a “the values, beliefs, behavior, practices and material objects that constitute a peoples’ way of life”, and Sociology as “the systematic study of human society” (Macionis and Plummer 2012, p.964). In light of this, Cultural sociology demands that culture and social structural forces, especially economic forces to be dissociated in order to allow a form of cultural self-governance, rather than these cultural structures to be seen as external to individuals. The following essay will discuss the frame work of cultural sociology developed by Jeffery Alexander. In order to discuss how important cultural sociology for the development of South Africa is, I will assess to what extent contemporary South Africa embodies the characteristics of a cultural society in comparison to surviving practices and traditional beliefs. Theoretical framework of cultural sociology is best described as the importance of culture being seen an independent variable. Alexander (2003), emphasizes the importance of culture shaping society instead of culture being a product of society. He puts culture first and highlights that, “To believe in the possibility of a cultural sociology is to subscribe to the idea that every action, no matter how instrumental, reflexive or coerced vis-a-vis its external environments” (Alexander 2003:12). Comparatively, “Sociology of culture” implies that institutions, irrespective of how impersonal and technocratic have an ideal substructure that essentially...
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...Abstract The Enlightenment era is made up of on rational thought, ideas and reason. Many men contributed to this, but a few amongst them are Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. Their wisdom and ideas make up the Enlightenment era to which is the backbone of today’s society. The Enlightenment Starting in the mid 1700’s to 1800’s a movement had set in based on rational thought and reason, it was known as the Enlightenment era also known as the Age of Reason. This era created ideas that shaped the political, economic and social institutions in the United States. Men in this era such as Thomas Paine, who was a politician and philosopher, Thomas Jefferson our third president as well as an apostle of agrarian, and Benjamin Franklin, author, scientist, philosopher, and statesman. All these men emphasize the importance of using reason and logic instead of superstition or ignorance. They focus on creating and writing, science, politics and other subjects in this era which influence decades to come (Age of Enlightenment, 2011). In today’s society these ideas have become relevant. Thomas Paine influences the Enlightenment politically and socially, because of his beliefs he was damned by many people in both America and England. Thomas Paine was born in England; he was a corset maker and excise officer in England, although showed interested in philosophy and science. He later in life then met up with Benjamin Franklin in London and soon after he sailed to Philadelphia...
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...Born and raised as a Canadian Half-Breed or Métis women, author Maria Campbell shares the “joys, the sorrows, the love and the tragedies of her childhood” in a Canadian society facing the cruel realities of poverty and suffering. Additionally, Cambpell’s autobiography is a story of struggling while overcoming social oppression and violence. The Half-Breed memoir can be related to Sociology: A Canadian Perspective and some course content because many of her experiences can be viewed in sociological ways. Engaging in both texts, four main sociological concepts are discussed in relation to my understanding of the course: Meritocracy, social stratification, intersectionality, and systematic discrimination. These key concepts are significant because they heavily contribute to the Sociology course and defined the hardships Maria Campbell faced as a Half-breed women. Meritocracy can be seen as being a social system in which an individual's achievement is primarily rewarded to people with the most abilities. The Sociology textbook defines this term as a form of social stratification that relies on differences in effort and ability rather than ascribed statuses such as gender, age or race. (Tepperman, Albanese and Curtis 2008). In chapter two of Half-breed, meritocracy is present through Campbell’s words regarding the Métis people and the government system. Land act policies created by the government play a major role in Maria’s human rights and dignity, as corruption is a central theme...
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