...Social Inequality Unit 04 [pic] What are Marxist theories of inequality? Learning targets: • Marxism is concerned for the poor and powerless. • It claims that society is in conflict between the rich who control everything and the poor who must work for the rich and gain little in reward for their work. • The rich are able to maintain their position of power through control of the law, the police and other forms of authority. • The rich also control the manufacture of ideas about society through controlling the media and education so poor people are taught to believe that capitalism is a good thing. Key questions (AO1) What is the Marxist view of society? (AO1) What causes inequality according to Marxists? (AO2) What are the strengths of the Marxist view? (AO2) What are the weaknesses of the Marxist view of inequality? Summary of Key Points Karl Marx (1818 - 1883) was an economist, philosopher and journalist who was motivated by concern for workers who were experiencing terrible poverty while all around was great wealth and power. He was a revolutionary who believed in working for a classless society. Marxism was not a powerful force in sociology until the 1960s and 1970s when it formed the basis of a challenge to functionalism. It offered a better account of the divisions of society at that time than functional sociology did. Marxism also triggered many of the ideas that were...
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...Social Inequality essay plans for Part b) 30 mark question Evaluate the usefulness of sociological explanations of ethnic inequalities.(30) Evaluate the view that society is institutionally racist (30) Adapt according to question given Introduction Ethnic inequalities are still significant in the UK – give a few examples. Suggest some explanations e.g Racism, Institutional racism, social class of ethnic minorities (Marxism), welfare dependency (New Right). This essay will identify and assess these explanations. AO1 Define types of Racism e.g Barker and new racism, institutional racism – McPhearson report on murder of stephen lawrence – racism in met police. Jenkins suggests recruitment to jobs is more word of mouth and disadvantages ethnic minorities. Modood 1994 28% of african caribbean people surveyed said they felt they had been refused a job on grounds of race. AO2 There are many government acts such as Race relations acts which should prevent discrimination AO2 However because racism is implicit (hidden) now it can be difficult to prove in court. AO1 Marxists such as Westergaard and Resler argue that race is a distraction from the real issue which is social class. It is capitalism which disadvantages certain groups and ethnic minorities are more likely to be in lower classes. AO2 However this ignores the existence of racism in society e.g in education where black boys have the highest exclusion rates in school. AO1 Another marxist explanation by Castles...
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...other forms of media for being considered unsuitable for the general public, however over time the voice of protests have been overshadowed by the popularity of the content, thereby over time creating a social tolerance of media content. The material that floods through the media today is significantly more provocative compared to previous decades; if Kim Kardashian’s naked body was the face of the media anytime during the 20th century, the public response would be chaotic, however in 2014 this was not only tolerated but to some extent, it was glorified. Significantly influencing the morals and values obtained by society, the content that flows through the media appears to have a link with social issues such as gender stereotypes, which has shown to produce gender inequality. Throughout recent globalization, it is clear that the values within western culture has rapidly evolved along with technological advancements as well as the development of mass media and particularly, social media; throughout this process, pornography and sexual content in the media has become normalized as well as a social and cultural trend. It is important for sociologists to study and identify whether the values we adopt are moral, harmless and will not corrupt the large population of people exposed to the...
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...Sociology Health and Illness The medical definition of health is: the state of being whole and free from physical and mental disease or pain, so that all the parts of the body carry on their proper function". This is a negative definition where health is defined as to be free from pain and discomfort. (Critchley, 1978, p.784). The World Health Organisation (WHO) definition of health (1947), states that “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. This is a positive definition which defines health as being fit and able to undertake reasonable task. The criticisms are that the definition deals with “a state rather than a process” and puts no boundaries on what is considered as ‘health’. (Macionis J. et al 2012 p. 741) The conditions recognised as illnesses differ quite significantly from one society to another. Illness is thought to be any obvious departure from a sickness that is subject to medical treatment. There is difference of opinion in most people mind between who think they are ill or and those who are really ill. In modern society doctors have the role of deciding who is truly ill. If the doctor decides that a person is ill then a series of benefits will follow either formal or informal. Formal help is where the doctor will give medical help such as treatment or time off work or college. Whereas informal help is like giving sympathy or release the ill person from household duties...
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...Sociology is the study of human behavior that is in the society. Sociologist analyzes social phenomena from a different perspective and at the different levels. There are three different levels namely micro, middle, and macro levels. The micro level focuses on patterns of social interaction at the individual level (Kornblum & Smith, 2012). The middle level focuses on social phenomena that happens between small community or businesses. We can see that the middle level is small than the whole society but has more people compared to the micro level. Therefore, the Macro level is the study of sociology that focuses on the social phenomena in the whole society. Each sociologist deals and analyzes each scale differently (Kornblum & Smith, 2012)....
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...ICOM101 Major Essay Does Media Discourse Reproduce Social Inequality? Student Name : Pratama Robin Rachel Discourse denotes to the various forms of representation, codes, habits, conventions associated with language are responsible for producing specific culturally and historically located meanings. Media discourse can be described as an interaction through a media platform with the help of verbal or non-verbal communication. It has been found that media can potentially influence the public. The objective of this essay is to find out the role of media discourse in reproducing social inequality. In order to meet this objective, in the following sections the concept of discourse is explained vividly along with its style of operations. A relationship between media discourse and social inequality will be established in this essay. Discourse can be referred to the manner or way of communication between individuals or group. Discourse plays a major role in determining how an individual will understand and interpret a specific thing based upon ideas, thoughts and beliefs. According to Michel Focault, discourse is an entity of sequences, codes and signs in that they are enouncements. Media discourse includes various media outlets such as radio, television, newspaper, magazine, internet etc. The inevitable power of media has been discussed in discourse studies. Many research studies have shown that media plays an important role in influencing the thought process of individuals...
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...Higher Sociology Understanding Human Society 1 Acknowledgements SFEU (Scottish Further Education Unit) gratefully acknowledges the contribution made to this publication by Learning and Teaching Scotland who have granted permission to use material previously produced by Higher Still Development Unit. SFEU also thanks SQA for permission to reproduce parts of the Arrangement documents. Copyright statement Documents on NQ Online can be downloaded free. However, where the publications are the copyright of Learning and Teaching Scotland, educational establishments in Scotland may reproduce them in whole or in part provided that the source is acknowledged and that no profit accrues at any stage. Other users of these publications should contact Learning and Teaching Scotland before reproducing any of them. Please note all rights held by the former Higher Still Development Unit continue to be held by Learning and Teaching Scotland. Contents Statement of Standards 3 Guide to Learning and Teaching Pack 7 Introduction to the Unit and Learning and Teaching Approaches 8 Class stratification 9 Recommended reading and recommended websites for class stratification 10 Introduction to social stratification 11 Class stratification 15 Functionalist theory of class stratification 24 Summary of functionalism ...
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...Theories of Biomedicine Sociology is the study of human interaction and organisation of society; it is often areas which are problematized in need of provision. It can be explained that health and illness are simply biological descriptions of the state of our bodies. The structures of the body have been mapped out through genetics. This is ever closer inspection of the body or as Foucault 1977 would suggest through this ‘medical gaze’ which has brought considerable power to the medical profession. The sociology of health and illness is concerned with the social origins of and influence on disease rather than exploring its organic manifestation in individual bodies. The sociology of medicine is concerned with exploring the social, historical and cultural reasons for the rise of medicine particularly the bio-medicine model in the definition and treatment of illness. A more refined version of this common sense view underlies the long standing bio-medical model of disease based on the following assumptions. Firstly that disease is an organic condition and non-organic factors associated with the human mind are considered unimportant or are ignored altogether in the search for biological causes of pathological symptoms. Secondly that disease is a temporarily an organic state that can be eradicated and cured by medical intervention. Disease is experienced by a sick individual who then becomes the object of treatment. Disease is therefore treated after the symptoms appear and...
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...a logical explanation of how a given empirical phenomenon works. A set of concepts and a set of logical theoretical statements that link those concepts to each other, in order to explain a specific sociological phenomenon. Orienting theories entail what and how to study. (i.e. symbolic interactionism) They provide assumptions and central questions to be studied; conceptual schemes; guidelines to study raised questions A meta-theory is Two orienting strategies are order and actions. ------------------------------------------------- ii. What are the basic elements of theory? (Understand them and be able to explain their role in a theory) iii. What is causality? What are the main conditions for establishing a causal relationship? Causality: an invariable, temporal, and asymmetrical relationship between phenomena in which the existence of one phenomenon in a given for inevitably leads to the existence of a second phenomenon. 1. Covariation: both phenomena vary together (i.e education and income) 2. Nonspuriousness: the relationship between 2 phenomena cannot be explained by the third (ie ice cream and drownings, number of doctors and number of deaths in an area) 3. ------------------------------------------------- Time order: cause happens before the effect. Not always as obvious as it appears to be. (i.e. obvious- depression and suicide) (not obvious- achievement and motivation) iv. The two orienting questions in sociology: order and action. ORDER:...
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...Principles of Sociology // SOCI10143_SPR08 Portfolio Assignment April 11, 2008 The Four Perspectives There are four perspectives in the field of sociology. These four perspectives are symbolic interactionism, functionalism, conflict theory, and feminist theory. When evaluating a social problem, sociologists will typically use the theory which best relates to the problem. However, some sociologists may never favor a certain theory. Symbolic interactionism is a theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicates with one another. Symbolic interactionism can be traced back to the eighteenth century when individuals evaluated their own conduct by comparing themselves with others, and using symbols to understand their own experiences. Symbolic interactionism relates with just about every aspect of a society. Without these symbols, we would not know who parents, aunts, uncles, etc are because those are just symbols to show relationship. There would not be movies, bridges, instruments, anything that requires a plan, a symbol of how it will turn out. These symbols also affect the behaviors of a society and how people act. The society would not know who to respect, who to obey, who to love because people would not have any symbol to classify their status in society. Functionalism, also known as functional analysis and structural functionalism, is a theoretical...
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...Collins is the theorist I am choosing to analyze; she is currently a Distinguished University Professor of Sociology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Collins is also the former head of the Department of African American Studies at the University of Cincinnati, and the past President of the American Sociological Association Council. Collins was the 100th president of the ASA and the first African American woman to hold this position. Throughout this paper I will discuss several ideas Patricia Hill Collins focuses on throughout her career. This paper will cover topics such as Intersectionality, The Matrix of Domination, Oppression, The Hegemonic Domain of Power, Resisting Power, and Subjugated Knowledge. I will also...
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...criteria. The most important of these is the distinction between Structural and Social action theories. Structural or macro perspectives analyses the way society as a whole fits together. Structural theory sees society as a system of relationships that creates the structure of the society in which we live. It is this structure that determines our lives and characters. Structured sets of social relationships are the 'reality' that lie below the appearance of 'the free individual' of western individualism. Structuralism focuses on the particular set of 'structural laws' that apply in any one society. Despite their differences, both functionalism and Marxism use a model of how society as a whole works. Many functionalists base their model of society around the assumption of basic needs and go to explain how different parts of society help to meet those needs. Marxists, on the other hand, see society as resting upon an economic base or infrastructure, with a superstructure above it. They see society as divided into social classes which have the potential to be in conflict with each other. However, the main differences between functionalist and Marxist perspectives then, is the way they characterize the social structure. Functionalists stress the extent to which the different elements of the social structure fit together harmoniously. Marxists stress the lack of fit between the different parts, particularly social classes, and so emphasize the potential for social conflict...
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...Megan Kelly Sociology Week 4 assignment 9/6/12 Western female thought through the centuries has identified the relationship between patriarchy and gender as crucial to the women¡¦s subordinate position. For two hundred years, patriarchy precluded women from having a legal or political identity and the legislation and attitudes supporting this provided the model for slavery. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries suffrage campaigners succeeded in securing some legal and political rights for women in the UK. By the middle of the 20th century, the emphasis had shifted from suffrage to social and economic equality in the public and private sphere and the women¡¦s movement that sprung up during the 1960s began to argue that women were oppressed by patriarchal structures. Equal status for women of all races, classes, sexualities and abilities - in the 21st century these feminist claims for equality are generally accepted as reasonable principles in western society; yet the contradiction between this principle of equality and the demonstrable inequalities between the sexes that still exist exposes the continuing dominance of male privilege and values throughout society (patriarchy). This essay seeks to move beyond the irrepressible evidence for gender inequality and the division of labour. Rather, it poses the question of gender inequality as it manifests itself as an effect of patriarchy drawing from a theoretical body of work which has been developed so recently that it...
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...Exploring Concepts of Domestic Violence in the Film, Black and Blue Stephanie Levine Rowan University Sociology of the Family Professor Callaway November 2, 2015 The film, Black and Blue, realistically depicts what it is like to be in an abusive relationship. The main character, Frances Flynn Benedetto, a nurse undergoes extreme domestic violence by her husband, Bobby. Bobby and Frannie’s relationship in the movie clearly demonstrate concepts explained in the textbook, Marriages and Families: Diversity and Change by Mary Ann Schwartz and BarBara Marliene Scott. In the text, Schwartz and Scott explain how women and girls are usually the victims in violent situations and the United Nations defined violence against women...
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...of Social Inequality Julie McElwain Park University Abstract Social inequality is how different categories of individuals are prescribed by the society. The society uses basic characteristics such as gender, sex, education, and ethnicity among other factors in order to categorize an individual. The social inequalities determine the access to limited goods such as market labor force, education, health care facilities, and other forms of participation in the society. Different forms of social inequalities are constructs of geographical distribution, and status within the country, however, cultural aspects, mostly integrated with cultural identities, of society are perceived to be the major contributor of social inequality. Discourses have, therefore, been raised on whether the poor deserve to be poor or not and whether the rich deserve to be rich or not. In order to address this question, I examined different dimensions of social inequalities in my life such as social class, educational level, and race among other factors. In this paper, I will also try to bring out understanding of different theories in attempt to explain social stratification. A comparison will be done between different perspectives through interviews and my own perspective of social inequalities. In essence all factors discussed in this paper show a link between social inequalities and different factors such as economic and political system. Trends such as widening inequalities among the...
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