...The main argument Mills made in the first chapter of “Sociological Imagination” is the connection between individual experiences in daily life and changes in social structure. The sociological imagination is a mental ability that enables us to see this connection. Mills also suggests that seeing the distinction “between ‘the personal troubles of milieu’ and ‘the public issues of social structure” is the essential tool of the sociological imagination. Only when we clearly distinguish personal troubles and public issues can we see the connection between individuals’ experiences and social structures. Personal troubles are private problems that can be explained by personal characteristics; public issues are problems of collective concern. Mills used unemployment as an example to illustrate the differences between the two. He said, “In a city of 100,000, only one is unemployed, that is his personal trouble…in a nation of 50 million employees, 15 million people are unemployed, that is an issue” (Mills, 1959). We may feel empathy when we read this example as we are experiencing an economic recession. Last Friday’s headline story of New York Times (“Jobless Rate Hits 7.2%, a 16-Year High”) reports the unemployment rate rapidly increased from 2007 to 2008, from 4.9% to 7.2%. The number of unemployed people increased to 11.1 million at the end of 2008. This news story interprets the recent unemployment crisis as a public issue, as do most other observers. Politicians, economists, and...
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...This sociological essay is a summary and analysis of ‘The Sociological Imagination’ written by C. Wright Mills. The Sociological Imagination is recognised as the concept of allowing individuals to understand their relationship with oneself and the larger processes in their lives such as economic, political and social changes. C. Wright Mills wrote, “The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals.” (Mills 1959: 3). The author puts forward his argument of the sociological imagination as looking outwardly rather than inside as individuals have both personal troubles and public issues. We often only take focus of the inner factors (personal troubles) and forget to take a sociological outlook on other factors, as to why it may occur (public issues). Fundamental to the concept of sociological imagination is the idea of ‘the personal trouble of milieu’ and ‘the public issues of social structure’. Personal troubles are the troubles and complications faced by an individual. It is the theory of social imagination that allows the individual to recongise that these troubles are caused by the structure and/or failure of society. Without this, an individual is unable to overcome their troubles. In accordance, Yaniv Belhassen states; “…understanding that personal troubles cannot be resolved simply on the individual level; they must also be connected...
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...Summary Sociological inquiry is a scientific activity to acquire valid and precise knowledge of our observable social world and to increase our understanding of our social groups and ourselves. Its main focus is to test or verify a hypothesis. It involves having a scientific and theoretical perspective about aspect of the social world the sociologist is studying. The sociologist follow basic procedures such as defining the research problem and reviewing related literature, formulating the hypothesis, planning the research design, gathering the data, analyzing the data, formulating the conclusion, checking and verifying the results and communicating the findings Social research entails either qualitative or quantitative methods. Qualitative methods of research include participant observation, field study, historical method, life history, and case study. Quantitative method, on the other hand, make use of statistics and mathematics in studying social behavior. Social surveys and experiments fall under this search. There is also the feminist research approach, which uses constructed and the product of social and cultural relations. Research also has ethical concerns; the researcher must assume responsibility for their research procedures and findings. Certain types of behavior patterns are required for sociological inquiry. Among these are a good grasp of the basic premises of their liberalism. A question that has nagged sociologists is whether or not to be directly involved...
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...Summary Assignment Terrill Ray DeVry University ENGL 135 Summary Prewriting Theme: Family Topic: Children of Divorce Title: Consequences of parental divorce for child development. Hyun Sik Kim is likely against too much government influence on schools and feels that government control is detrimental. Intended audience: The American Sociological Review (ASR) publishes original (not previously published) works of interest to the discipline in general, new theoretical developments, results of qualitative or quantitative research that advance our understanding of fundamental social processes, and important methodological innovations. All areas of sociology are welcome. Emphasis is on exceptional quality and general interest. Writer’s background: Hyun Sik Kim is a PhD candidate in sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is currently working on a dissertation titled ‘‘The Dynamic Development of Cognitive Skills and Non-cognitive Traits in Childhood.’’ His scholarly interests include child development, statistical methods, demography, and educational inequality. Writer’s angle: This article examined the effects of parental divorce on several childhood developmental domains within three analytically distinct divorce stages: pre-, in-, and post-divorce. Part 1: The one-sentence summary Hyun Sik Kim (2011) To summarize, I found setbacks among children of divorce in math test scores during and after the experience of parental divorce (i.e., significant combined effects of...
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...Strike as a social problem can first be traced to the disfunctioning of the society when looking at it from the functionalist perspective. Functionalism which is one of the perspectives of studying the society was developed in the 19th century, it’s a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. This approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structures that shape society as a whole, and believes that society has evolved like organisms. This approach looks at both social structure and social functions. Functionalism addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its constituent elements; namely norms, custom, tradition and institution. A common analogy, popularized by Herbert Spencer presents these parts of society as "organs" that work toward the proper functioning of the "body" as a whole. In the most basic terms, it simply emphasizes "the effort to impute, as rigorously as possible, to each feature, custom, or practice, its effect on the functioning of a supposedly stable, cohesive system". For Talcott Parson "structural-functionalism" came to describe a particular stage in the methodological development of Social Science, rather than a specific school of thought. The structural functionalism approach is a macro sociological analysis, with a broad focus on social structures that shape society as a whole. In summary Functionalism...
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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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...Select ONE (1) of the following issues which relates to the social organisation of health care: The rise of nurse practitioners Using a sociological perspective, write a paper which explains what health sociology can contribute to an understanding of your selected issue. The paper must use the following headings: Issue Description Provide a minimum 200-word detailed description of the health issue you have chosen. Theoretical Perspective Provide a minimum 500-word sociological analysis of the issue you have chosen. Use your textbook as well as other sociological sources (e.g., textbooks, journal articles) in this section. You will need to select one sociological theory which is relevant to your chosen issue, state the main ideas of this theory, and explain how effective the theory is in helping to understand the chosen issue. Conclusion Provide a minimum 200-word summary which explains how health sociology theory provides a different way of making sense of the organisation of health care. ISSUE DESCRIPTION The rise of nurse practitioners concerns the extension of some aspects of nursing practise to incorporate tasks once only performed by doctors. The issue here is whether the rise of the nurse practitioner role improves the agency and professional status of nursing, and the extent to which it is resisted by doctors as a challenge to their clinical autonomy. Nurse practitioners fall under the category of advanced practise nurses. The Australian nursing...
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...Active and Cooperative Learning Active learning is the process of involving students in the learning process through reading, writing, acting, moving, problem solving, discussing, etc. Involving students in the process gives them a deeper understanding of the material and leads to higher order thinking about class materials. After having incorporated active learning in my classes, I have become a strong advocate for active learningActive learning requires that students be active in the classroom. This can include doing problems, working with groups, participating in discussions, answering questions that require more than just facts, writing essays, or any other activity that is not just listening to a lecture. The basis for active learning is that students learn more and better when they are participants in thelearning process. It has also been found that student attention span starts to dramatically decrease about 12-15 minutes after the start of a lecture. By breaking up the lecture, students are able to keep their attention up, and therefore learn more.Cooperative learning puts student together to solve problems or discuss concepts that leads to greater understanding. Group activities also give students better social skills. Group work can be out of class projects, but this site concentrates on activities that can be done in the classroom. Groups can be informal (those students who happen to be sitting together) or formal (assigned by the instructor). Groups can be short-term...
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...What is Sociology of Education? Posted on December 27, 2010 by Sitwe This essay will firstly define education and sociology then it will define what sociology of education is and come up with a suitable definition on sociology of education from various definitions. This suitable definition will be discussed further because it speaks much of what goes on in education system. Peter Snelson (1974) defines education as a condition of human Survival. It is the means where by one generation Transmits the wisdom, knowledge and experience Which prepares the next generation for life duties And pleasure. This definition on education helps us to act with more insight and more intelligence in molding the youth in an acceptable manner. We can give a sound academic mission to the youth by teaching them survival skills such as carpentry, pottery, basketry and other survival skills which can better their lives. Human beings not only acquire new skills but also form the society. To this effect parents and teachers should work hand in hand in order to help the youths themselves have knowledge and in coming up with relevant ways it’s a matter of assisting them. By teaching the young ones, knowledge is transmitted from one generation to the next. This simply enlightens us that education is a continuous process. The statement “sky is the limit” helps us to have a wide knowledge about all aspects of education. Education prepares individuals to do things it is their responsibility to do them. For instance...
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...later, or on the threat of punishments to deter current criminals. Instead, it makes specific changes aimed at influencing the decision or ability of offenders to commit particular crimes in particular situations. Like rational choice theory, SCP sees criminals as acting rationally. By making certain crimes less rewarding, more risky or needing greater effort, SCP makes criminals less likely to choose to commit them. 02 Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the usefulness of conflict theories for an understanding of crime and deviance in contemporary society. (21 marks) Jan 2010 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. 02 Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess the view that ethnic differences in crime rates are the result of the ways in which the criminal justice system operates. (21 marks) June 2010 Read Item A below and answer the question that follows. 02 Using material from Item A and elsewhere, assess sociological views of the relationship between crime and the mass media....
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...“rough” notes. They were devised initially for my own use. They are not polished and stand open to correction. But I think you want them, so here they are. Dr V What is culture? A complex system of meaning and behavior that defines the way of life of a given group or society. Material and non-material Characteristics of culture: Shared Learned Taken for granted Symbolic (meaningful) Defining idea: transmission by non-biological means Distinctions(?) between human and animal cultures (language & tools). Elements of culture: Language: symbol systems. Does language shape culture? Norms: cultural expectations for how to behave in a given situation. Implicit vs. explicit; ideal vs. real. Folkways/mores/laws/taboos Social sanctions Ethnomethodology and the study of norms. Beliefs. Values: Value-orientations Institutions. Cultural diversity: Dominant culture. Most support from major institutions. Function of power. Subcultures. Often develop as a result of exclusion from mainstream society and culture. Counter-cultures Rejection of dominant cultural values, often for moral and political reasons. Cultural diversity issues: Ethnocentrism Seeing things only from the point of view of one’s own group. The judging of a culture by the standards of another. Multiculturalism. Do cultures have the right of self-determination? Conflict between cultures and the values of rationality and humanism....
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...Date: February 27, 2014 Subject: Marketing TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary The Groupon Case Study is generally about a man named Mason and the success of his Groupon company. Mason first started out with a website called ThePoint.org, which was designed to organize campaigns, protests, boycotts, and fundraising drives for important social issues. That idea let to the creation of Groupon launched on 2008. Groupon started out in Chicago and was later expanded to other U.S cities, and then into other countries. Today Groupon is available in 375 American cities and 40 countries. Their subscriber base has grown from 400 in 2008 to 60 million today. According to Forbes magazine, Groupon is the fastest growing company in history. Groupon is a service where subscribers are offered at least one deal in their city each day but a certain amount of people need to buy into the offer before the coupon discount is valid. Once the minimum number is met, Groupon and the merchant split the revenue. An example of how it works is that a yoga studio might offer a $100 membership for $50 if 200 people participate in the offer. Once 200 consumers have indicated interest, the deal “tips” and Groupon and the yoga studio each receive 50% of the revenue. Groupon has a policy called “The Groupon Promise” that any customer can return a Groupon, no questions asked, even if they used it. Groupon also has other services such as...
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...Major Theoretical Sociological Perspectives: Similarities and Differences Sociology: the scientific study of the development, structure and functioning of human society (Oxford). When the topic of discussion is sociology, Auguste Comte, the “father of positivism” would come to mind, as it was he who first coined the term “sociology” (Kreis, 2009). Comte also emphasized that the study of society must be scientific and he pushed sociologists to employ the use of qualitative methods such as observation, historical comparative analysis and experimentation. Sociological Perspective is the way in which we view sociological phenomena (Long, 2011). Among the many perspectives that exist there are three theoretical perspectives that are widely acknowledged by sociologists, these are the symbolic-interactionist perspective, conflict perspective and functionalist perspective. The analysis of social phenomenon occurs at varying levels by one of the three main theoretical perspectives or paradigms which provide sociologists with an orienting position or rather a philosophical position used to guide their questions about a society and its inhabitants. These phenomena range from evident interpretations to sweeping generalizations of society and its social behavior. Everything is studied from specific events straight up to the “big picture”, this would include the micro levels and macro levels of a society’s social patterns. The origin of the symbolic-interactionist theory traces back to...
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...churches grudgingly instituted the youth ministry because they feared that Para church organization would take the youth away from the churches. GAINING A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE Youth ministry in the 1950s was a calculated attempt of countering the influence of secular entertainment on Christian youth and they introduced 1. Christian film in the hopes that to be a possible alternative to movies in secular theaters. 2. High powered recreational and social programs were developed as an alternative to school dances 3. Large rallies were organized in major cities with famous Christian entertainer as a way to convince youth that they could be Christians and still be popular and well liked In the 1950s entertainment was used to retain youth within the church .The 1960s was a landmark decade in the country. The church’s approach to youth ministry was greatly affected by the sociological and cultural times. Youth in the country began to demonstrate that they cared greatly about the issues related to the world they lived. Those involved in youth ministry realized that young people cared for their leaders than mere entertainment .Some even rejected entertainment as worthy activity for youth ministry. They looked to their church leader to provide biblical responses to major issues such as war, racial discrimination, and social injustice e.tc. This turbulence in the 1960s taught youth ministry professionals that young people needed wise advisors and models who...
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