...particular facts about the social world are related. The conclusions drawn from empirical observation and testing help individuals and society to be improved in the ways they lead their lives. This essay is going to explain three mostly commonly mentioned sociological theories of the family which are Functionalism, Marxism and Feminism. | Functionalists believe that each part of society has a function, and they are very positive about society so they always see the good in all things. By looking at society on a large scale they argue that society is based on consensus, meaning that we are socialised to agree on the norms and values in order to survive. Functionalists believe that the family should be seen to perform functions which benefit both its members and society in general. According to Murdock (1949), "the family is a universal institution with universal functions". | In other words, families are found in all societies regardless of for example culture differences. Functions performed universally are reproduction which keeps the human race, primary socialisation which teaches children the norms and values of society, economic where family provides for its members such as food and shelter, and educational where family socialises the young into society’s norms and values which are affected by culture and class. Functionalists believe that the following functions are important for the wellbeing of society. Murdock strongly believes that the nuclear family represents all the above...
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...(AGG) Selfishness has proven itself to change people and weaken a society. (BS-1) Due to the advanced technology in the society, people have put themselves before friends and family.(BS-2) People in the society think that their own priorities and enjoyment are more important than the safety of other citizens. (BS-3) Technology has caused people to have many problems and the people believe that the only way to deal with these problems is to take it out on others which is very selfish. (TS) In the book Fahrenheit 451 technology prevents people from being able to care for others and only being able to care about themselves. (MIP-1)The technology in the society has caused people to put themselves before their family and friends and not care about being selfish. (SIP-A) The...
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...approach to society (33 marks) Functionalism is seen as a macro-scale approach to society; it sees society as a whole rather than looking at parts of it. Due to this, functionalism sees society as a body (organic analogy), all the institutions work together to make society. This is particularly useful when observing society in order to understand the way in which it functions and the way in which all the institutions (organic analogy: organs within the body) work together to sustain society as a whole. Functionalism being a macro-scale approach is therefore seen as a strength as it allows functionalist sociologists to observe society, and its institutions, as a whole. Functionalism is also seen as a consensus theory, it sees society as fair and just, and it acknowledges that many societies, including the majority of western ones, have democracy and all individuals within a particular society share the same or similar norms and values. This could therefore be seen as a strength as it acknowledges that democracy does exist in many societies. However, as functionalism is a macro-scale approach and sees society as a whole, it could miss crucial factors/ groups which contribute to the functioning of society; these include small groups and tribes, such as gipsies. Not acknowledging these minority groups within society could lead to functionalist sociologists lacking crucial information about how society functions and how minority groups live within a large society. This could...
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...` Diversity is an important part of American society and our history. We must learn to get along and function together as a people in order to succeed as a society. Understanding the struggles and the obstacles different races have faced throughout our history has helped me to see how much we have evolved. Even fifty years ago, American society was much less integrated than it is now. Although racism still exists in contemporary America, it is to a much lesser degree than it was back then. We have certainly come a long way as a society in terms of diversification and acceptance. Ethnic groups are the patchwork of our society. Each and every one of us has descended from ancestors of various ethnicities. Learning about the history of discrimination among several ethnic groups, I have learned that my ancestors have faced forms of discrimination as well. I now can better understand and relate to experiencing forms of prejudice or discrimination. I have also learned a few other things about my ethnic and cultural history in this class. I have learned that my two major ethnic backgrounds, German and Irish, both often share a common religion. Catholicism, in which I was raised, is a very common religion of both Irish and German people. These ethnic groups like many others continue to shape and pave the way for our future. Our society is a melting pot of many different cultures and ethnicities. One of the largest groups of people who immigrate to the United States is those who are...
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...the functionalist approach to society (33 marks) Functionalism is seen as a macro-scale approach to society it sees society as a system of interrelated parts or social institutions such as religion, the family and the economy. Therefore functionalism sees society as the human body or organic analogy meaning society is like an organism with basic needs that it must meet in order to survive. This is particularly useful when observing society in order to understand the way in which it functions as well as the way in which all the institutions work together (organic analogy: organs within the body) to sustain society as a whole. Functionalism being a macro-scale approach is therefore seen as a strength, as it allows functionalist sociologists to observe society, and its institutions, as a whole. Functionalism is also seen as a consensus theory, it sees society as fair and just, and it acknowledges that many societies, including the majority of western ones, have democracy and all individuals within a particular society share the same or similar norms and values. This can therefore be seen as a strength, as it takes into account that democracy does exist in many societies. However, as functionalism is a macro-scale approach and sees society as a whole, it could miss crucial factors or groups which contribute to the functioning of society. These include small groups and tribes, such as gipsies. Not acknowledging these minority groups within society could lead to functionalist...
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...Phil 101 Having knowledge is important in every society, whether it be a totalitarian society, or a democratic society. In Plato's Republic, Socrates and his interlocutors discuss how to educate children. Is it right to keep them censored, or should they be allowed to study all and every subject(s). The education of children is very important because they are the future of the society. They are the possible rulers, philosophers, guardians, and so on. So, it is important to shape them wisely. This concept is no different than what shapes our society today. It is well known that one of the many qualifications of a good leader is that who can improve the country's educational system. Why?, because the youth are our future leaders and teachers. A parent would rather pick a private school over a public school, and a job interviewer would look more highly on a private school graduate over a public school graduate. You can say that education is important in today's society, as well as Plato's society. The youth can be educated in many different ways, either by keeping them in the shadows, or exposing them to the light. this means that the future of the society can be either ruled by a person who is oblivious to the society's past, or by a person who has been fully exposed to the society's history. If a person is censored from education, then they love their life as a perfect world. this is best described when Socrates says that a Guardian should...
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...Aging in the Future The book “Brave New World” brought up many points about the future, and aging. The book is in the Utopia setting where everyone is the same, and robot-like, they take soma to stay happy and emotionally incapable. People do not age, they do not have emotions or feelings either, they are all the same. Comparing to the real world, we do age, we do have emotions, and we do care about others. In Brave New World everyone lives forever because of the medications they take. The question for today is, how long are we going to live in the future? It all depends on medical advances, and technological advances. Some people believe we are going to live longer as the years go on. Some believe that medicines or life styles may decrease our life expectancy. I believe that in the very far future we may end up like Brave New World, taking medications or other modifications to help our bodies live longer. I believe that we will advance medically in the near future, but we will not be advancing rapidly enough to be able to find a medication that everyone in society is going to take. It is far-fetched...
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...Final Exam: Sociology 1. What might a sociologist say about why an individual chooses a particular person to marry? A. B. C. D. In the case of love, opposites attract. There is no accounting for personal feelings like love This shows that peoples actions reflect human free will This shows that the social world guides human behavior 2. Which discipline defines itself as “the systematic study of human society”? A. B. C. D. Psychology Economics History Sociology 3. By saying that the sociological perspective shows us “the strange in the familiar,” the text argues that this point of view: A. Rejects the familiar idea that people simply decide how to act in favor of the initially strange idea that society shapes our lives. B. Shows that common sense is a good guide to understanding human behavior C. Shows that people often behave in strange ways D. Focuses on the bizarre elements of society 4. From a sociological perspective, patterns of childbearing around the world suggest that the number of children born to a woman reflects: A. B. C. D. Whether she lives in a poor or rich society How many children she can afford Her personal choice The desires of her husband 5. Three roommates are in their dorm room sharing a late-night discussion about why they are in college. A sociological point of view would point to the importance of: A. The desires of her husband B. Which country we live in, because going to college is far more common in...
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...be good or evil.” Society can shape and influence people just like the girl from the book “To Kill a Mockingbird” and the girls from the Scottsboro Boys trial. Mayella, Ruby, and Victoria were victims but they were also accusers. Mayella and Ruby were both victims of society but different kind of victims. They were both victims of society because they both wanted to tell the truth but society would not let them. Society makes Mayella a victim because she had lied while in court just to save her from any more trouble than what she has to deal with already. Tom Robinson was helping Mayella with things around her house because he felt sorry for her. While he...
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...people of color in American society. She uses poetry and pictures to weave a story about race in America today. Yet race problems are not something new in human history, in Shakespeare’s Othello named after the main character who is a black man, in an all white society. Othello married Desdemona, a white venetian women and around them the plot circles. Microaggression have been part of our society for awhile. These two text show race is two different societies and time periods. Yet the similarities between race relation in each text, begs the question how far we really come in race relations. Citizen and Othello shed light on...
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...What Makes a Society Great – The Roman Empire as Example It is important to study the characteristics of a great society. Throughout history, there have been many societies that were great and many that were failures. In order to advance mankind and countries today, lessons can be learned from the past. There are many characteristics that are present in great societies. However, some of these qualities are more important than others. The three main characteristics that make a society great are a high quality of life, economic prosperity, and democracy. This essay explains why these three characteristics can make a society great and illustrates these qualities using the example of the Roman Empire. Quality of Life and Basic Needs It is extremely important for a society to meet the essential needs of all citizens and to provide a good quality of life. According to Randy Schutt in Inciting Democracy, in a good society, every person would have their basic human needs met (14). Basic human needs include: air, water, food, clothing, shelter, and safety from harm. A good quality of life includes meeting all basic human needs and also involves living an enjoyable life. According to Panos Mourdoukoutas and Abraham Stefanidis, “quality of life allows people to enjoy their wealth, advancing their personal and public lives.” Roman Empire Example For citizens in the Roman Empire, the quality of life was high and all basic human needs were met. Rome offered various entertainments for...
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...presentation of non-patriarchal societies of past and present. Even today there are enclaves of societies with matriarchal patterns in Asia, Africa, America and Oceania. None of these is a mere reversal of patriarchy where women rule -as it is often commonly believed -instead, they are all egalitarian societies, without exception. This means they do not know hierarchies, classes and the domination of one gender by the other. They are societies free of domination, but they still have their regulations. And this is the fact that makes them so attractive in any search for a new philosophy, to create a just society. Equality does not merely mean a levelling of differences. The natural differences between the genders and the generations are respected and honoured, but they never serve to create hierarchies, as is common in patriarchy. The different genders and generations have their own honour and through complimentary areas of activity, they are geared towards each other. This can be observed on all levels of society: the economic level, the social level, the political level and the areas of their worldviews and faiths. More precisely matriarchies are societies with complementary equality, where great care is taken to provide a balance. This applies to the balance between genders, among generations, and between humans and nature. The differentiated rules of matriarchal societies have been meticulously researched regarding existing societies of this type. Merely historical...
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...Society has made many great influences, one being my health. Our society has many idols or a person that many people look up to. One of those people is Michelle Obama. Mrs. Obama has made a great deal of society want to become healthier, mostly focusing on children and teenagers. Mrs. Obama and many other people feel that it is essential to make sure kids are getting the right nutrition. School lunches have become healthier, having a greater variety of fruits and vegetables available, rather than cookies and other sweets. School lunches have helped my health now and will be helpful in the future. From school lunches I have tried so many new things I would never think of trying like humus, brussels sprouts, and squash. All of these things are...
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...evaluation. In this paper there will be many things that will be talked about. Some of the things that will be talked about are the past, present and future trends components of criminal justice. The changes from the past to present have had a big change just like the future will have a bigger change than the present. Another thing that will be talked about is the connections between the criminal justice system and society. Throughout the years, the connections between the criminal justice system and society have changed and there is a continuing change. It is important that the criminal justice system, any and all parts, and society to have a connection or a relationship. There will be a couple more things that will be discussed. These things are the recent and future trends and contemporary issues that affect the criminal justice system. The value of the criminal justice system in a changing society is another important topic that will be talked about. So, there will be many things talked about. In society today, we rely on our police to protect us in any and all ways that they can. Citizens want to be able to walk the streets and feel safe doing this. Society wants to feel safe in their homes or where ever they are. Years ago, people did feel safe on the street and in their homes. They felt so safe that they could leave their houses unlocked any time, or even their cars and did not have to worry about getting broken into or their cars being stolen. So, in this paper...
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...Being global is not just about where you do business.Robert J. House, The Wharton School GLOBE Principal Investigator | GLOBE is the acronym for “Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness,” a 62-nation, 11-year study involving 170 researchers worldwide. The GLOBE Project was introduced in my first article (click here). In this third article, I will overview GLOBE’s findings about how business values and practices vary across nations and cultures. Cultural Dimensions, the Measuring Rods of Cross-Cultural ResearchAs I explained in my first article, the first major question addressed by the GLOBE researchers was which measurement standards to use so that they could be precise about the similarities and differences among numerous societal and organizational cultures. After a thoroughgoing literature review as well as two pilot studies, the team identified nine "cultural dimensions" that would serve as their units of measurement, or (in research language) "independent variables."Cultural dimensions have been around as long as the field of intercultural research (i.e., since the early 1960s). They provide concepts and terminology that enable all of us to become aware of, to measure, and to talk knowledgeably about the values and practices found in a human culture – and about the similarities and differences among human cultures. What exactly is a cultural dimension? It’s a concept that is depicted graphically as a continuum. In most cases, only the...
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