Soc111 document w02Exploring Soc Exercise PDF

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SOCIOLOGY IN THE MEDIA
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SOCIOLOGY IN THE MEDIA "Kids' TV Time Linked to School Woes, Bad Habits." Amanda Gardner CNN.Com May 13, 2010 http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/03/kids.tv.school/index.html .  Children are shaped by their environment, including the mass media, according to symbolic interactionism. According to this article, watching television reduces children’s motor skills, and increases violent tendencies, weight gain, and aggression. The effects of the environment on children are an important focus of social psychology. 1. How important is your social environment for your understanding of violence? Understanding violance starts with a concrete understanding of Social environment. Symbolic interactions focuses on the way we are interacting with those around us as well as influences in our lives. Living in an area of constant violence, you may feel like violence is just a normal part of life. Living in an area where violence is rarely reported you might think violence in even the smallest forms is horrific and become scared. I grew up in a suburb of Detroit where violence is in almost every home and street. I have seen a lot of things my wife says is terrifying and to me is not so bad. She grew up much different than I did and never seen any physical violence, other than dramatic movies. According to social interactions, we all perceive things and react to them in different ways.

2. What social groups were the most important for your development? Looking back on my life I think the most important social groups for my development were friends, family, the church members and even those people who I did not personally know but showed me what I did not want to become. Family was important and taught me proper morals and loyalty as I grew up. My friends help me feel comfortable being away from my family and become more independent. The church members taught me how having good morals and making right choices will lead to rewards and blessings I can truly enjoy. 3. Using the symbolic interactionist and micro sociology perspectives, please explain to what extent society can use their findings and ideas to intervene in contemporary problems faced by children? Using symbolic interactions and micro sociology perspectives there are many ways that find problem situations faced with children. Through these types of sociology they focus on everyday behavior. According to the setting it can change things from their behavior and even body language. Being careful of toys provided for children to play with is important because you can trigger a bad memory with a sympolic toy.

APPLYING SOCIOLOGY TO YOUR LIFE

Choose a sociological theory listed in Chapter 1 and discuss its relevance to your experiences. 1. What are the main ideas of the theory? Functionalism. Functionalism is when society works together to ensure future survival. Society is a web that holds religion, economics, education, and family together; connecting them.

2. Why does this appeal to you? I really enjoy the idea of Functionalism because it truly goes side by side with my educational major of Public Health. Public Health has the same goals and idea of a society working together to improve today to ensure a better future. 3. How did you perceive these ideas before you read the chapter on the theories? Before reading these ideas I saw a lot of this in the activities of the church. I thought of the church because it functions in so many different ways and has so many different organizations that are all working toward one goal.

INTERNET ACTIVITY Search the W.E.B. Du Bois website at http://www.webdubois.org/. Then answer the following questions: 1. Choose one of the theories listed in chapter 1 and briefly describe it’s major tenets. One of the theories described in the chapter is the feminist theory. The feminist theory try to explain a position of a women. These positions may include social, political, economic, and etc. They also try to different roles and behaviors that women should have as well. Feminist theorists believe that women have been excluded so much throughout history that is the feminist movement is becoming bigger over the years. The women movement began in about the 1960s. There are so many different kinds of feminism. There is radical feminism (women see that men are more dominate. Global Feminism: interaction of gender has exploitated in the word. Liberal Feminism social and legal reform to help make gender equality. There is also a different view on feminist with those of different races. 2. Analyze Du Bois’ work through the lens of that theory. How would [chosen theory – conflict, functional, symbolic interactionism, or feminist] theorists respond to Du Bois’ work? Would they say he was correct in his analysis of African Americans in the U.S? Why or why not?

I think that the feminist theory would respond to Du Bois work by being very accepting. He was very accepting of African Americans .He wanted African Americans to work together and work as a community for their freedom, because they were of the same decent and of same interests. I think the feminist was much like this, because they are all of the same gender with many of the same views working together as a whole for their freedom. I think that feminist would really like this idea and would play it almost in the same role as feminist.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Often people think of Karl Marx as a communist who supported the downfall of capitalism. Because the communist revolutions have largely failed in many parts of the world, especially in Russia, many assume that Marx’s theories and their successors in sociology (i.e. conflict theory) are not useful for understanding the world. 1. Is this correct? Why or why not? [HINT: Be sure to carefully examine the section in chapter 1 about conflict theory before answering this question.] After researching into the ideas, theories and research of Karl Marx, I think this to be true. I think that if you bring so much of the world in failure it is not the most successful thing. That being said I do think that if a group was united as one and truly ruled by someone who did as everyone agreed on it would be successful. The issue is not every person in a general population can decide on one solution....