Chapter 15 - Population, Urbanization, and Environment. Demography is the study of human population. Fertility is the incidence of childbearing in a country’s population. Demographers measure fertility using the crude birth rate or the number of live births in a given year for every thousand people in a population. Mortality is the incidence of death in a society’s population. Demographers measure mortality using the crude death rate or the number of deaths in a given year for every thousand people in a population. The infant mortality rate is the number of deaths among infants under one year of age for every thousand live births in a given year. Life expectancy is the average lifespan of a society’s population. Migration is the movement of people into and out of a specified territory. It may be voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary migration may be explained by “push” or “pull” factors. Movement into a territory is termed immigration and is measured by the in-migration rate. Movement out of a territory is termed emigration and is measured by the out-migration rate. The net-migration rate is the difference between the in-migration rate and the out-migration rate.
Demographic transition theory is a thesis linking population patterns to a society’s level of technological development. There are four stages involved with this development:
1. Stage 1, preindustrial; high birth rates, high death rates
2. Stage 2, onset of industrialization; high birth rates, lower death rates
3. Stage 3, industrial economy; declining birth rates, low death rates
4. Stage 4, postindustrial economy; low birth rates, steady death rates
1. Critical EvaluationThis approach suggests that technology holds the key to population control. It is compatible to modernization theory but not to dependency.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Extra Credit - Up to 5 points
Define the concepts of ecology, the natural environment, the ecosystems, and the environmental deficit and explain the general approach to urban analysis favored by urban ecologists.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Week 12 - November 1, 2007
Chapter 13 - Family and Religion. The family section of the chapter focuses on the family as a social institution, found in all societies, that unites individuals into cooperative groups that oversee the bearing and raising of children. Family ties are also called kinship, a social bond based on blood, marriage, or adoption. In the United States, most people regard a family unit as a social group of two or more people, related by blood, marriage, or adoption, who usually live together. Families form around marriage, a legally sanctioned relationship, usually involving economic cooperation, as well as sexual activity and childbearing, that people expect to be enduring. In preindustrial societies people take a broad view of family ties, recognizing the extended family, a family unit that includes parents and children as well as other kin. With industrialization, increasing social mobility and geographic migration give rise to the nuclear family, a family unit composed of one or two parents and their children.
Sociologist Emile Durkheim pointed out that, as human beings, we define most objects, events, and experiences as profane, that which is an ordinary element of everyday life. At the same time, we define some things as sacred, that which people set apart as extraordinary, inspiring a sense of awe and reverence. Religion is a social institution involving beliefs and practices based upon a conception of the sacred. The sacred is embodied in ritual, or formal ceremonial behavior. Religion is a matter of faith, belief anchored in conviction rather than scientific evidence. Sociology can investigate the social consequences of religious activity but can never assess the validity of any religious doctrine, precisely because religion is based on faith.
Sociologist Emile Durkheim pointed out that, as human beings, we define most objects, events, and experiences as profane, that which is an ordinary element of everyday life. At the same time, we define some things as sacred, that which people set apart as extraordinary, inspiring a sense of awe and reverence. Religion is a social institution involving beliefs and practices based upon a conception of the sacred. The sacred is embodied in ritual, or formal ceremonial behavior. Religion is a matter of faith, belief anchored in conviction rather than scientific evidence. Sociology can investigate the social consequences of religious activity but can never assess the validity of any religious doctrine, precisely because religion is based on faith.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Week 11 - November 05, 2007
Chapter 12 - Economics and Politics focuses on these two entities are both major social institutions, or organized spheres of social life or societal subsystem, designated to meet human needs. The economy is the social institution that organizes a society’s production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The agricultural, industrial, and information revolutions all led to led to a dramatic expansion of the economy. The Information Revolution has caused tremendous changes in the economy. Our society must face the challenge of providing millions of men and women with the language and computer skills needed in the new economy. The global economy will continue to expand. Analysts around the world are rethinking conventional economic models.
Politics is the social institution that distributes power, sets a society’s agenda, and makes decisions. Power is the ability to achieve desired ends despite resistance from others. To a large degree, the exercise of power is the business of government, a formal organization that directs the political life of a society. Social organization depends on creating agreement about goals and how to attain them. This brings us to the concept of authority, power that people perceive as legitimate rather than coercive. Traditional authority is power legitimized by respect for long-established cultural patterns. Its importance declines as societies industrialize. Rational-legal authority is power legitimized by legally enacted rules and regulations. Charismatic authority is power legitimized through extraordinary personal abilities that inspire devotion and obedience. Because it is inherently unstable, charismatic authority must undergo a process of routinization of charisma in which it is transformed into a combination of traditional and rational-legal authority.
Politics is the social institution that distributes power, sets a society’s agenda, and makes decisions. Power is the ability to achieve desired ends despite resistance from others. To a large degree, the exercise of power is the business of government, a formal organization that directs the political life of a society. Social organization depends on creating agreement about goals and how to attain them. This brings us to the concept of authority, power that people perceive as legitimate rather than coercive. Traditional authority is power legitimized by respect for long-established cultural patterns. Its importance declines as societies industrialize. Rational-legal authority is power legitimized by legally enacted rules and regulations. Charismatic authority is power legitimized through extraordinary personal abilities that inspire devotion and obedience. Because it is inherently unstable, charismatic authority must undergo a process of routinization of charisma in which it is transformed into a combination of traditional and rational-legal authority.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Week 10 - October 29, 2007
Chapter 11 - Race and Ethnicity are terms people frequently confused. A race is a socially constructed category composed of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important. Race is a significant concept because most people regard it as very important. Ethnicity is a shared cultural heritage. Ethnicity involves even more variability and mixture than race because most people identify with more than one ethnic background. A minority is a category of people, distinguished by physical or cultural traits, who are socially disadvantaged. They have two important characteristics: a distinct identity and subordination. Not all members of a minority category are disadvantaged.
Prejudice is a rigid and irrational generalization about an entire category of people. Prejudices are prejudgments and they can be positive or negative. Prejudice often takes the form of stereotypes, which are exaggerated descriptions applied to every person in some category. A powerful and destructive form of prejudice, racism refers to the belief that one racial category is innately superior or inferior to another. Closely related to prejudice is discrimination, treating various categories of people unequally. While prejudice refers to attitudes, discrimination is a matter of actions. Like prejudice, it may be positive or negative. According to Robert Merton, prejudice and discrimination may combine in four different ways: active bigotry, timid bigotry, fair-weather liberalism, and all-weather liberalism.
Prejudice is a rigid and irrational generalization about an entire category of people. Prejudices are prejudgments and they can be positive or negative. Prejudice often takes the form of stereotypes, which are exaggerated descriptions applied to every person in some category. A powerful and destructive form of prejudice, racism refers to the belief that one racial category is innately superior or inferior to another. Closely related to prejudice is discrimination, treating various categories of people unequally. While prejudice refers to attitudes, discrimination is a matter of actions. Like prejudice, it may be positive or negative. According to Robert Merton, prejudice and discrimination may combine in four different ways: active bigotry, timid bigotry, fair-weather liberalism, and all-weather liberalism.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Week 8- October 15, 2007
Chapter 9 - Global Stratification speaks to the patterns of social inequality in the world as a whole. Worldwide the 20% of all people earn roughly 80% of the world's income. The United States and Japan are considered high income countries, while many Latin, Asian, and African countries are considered low income countries, despite the fact that many resources are derived from these countries. In poor countries there is far more absolute poverty (life threatening ) than in the high and middle income countries. Walt Rostow contended that the final stage of economic development is high mass consumption. The Dependency theory holds that global stratification results from the exploitation of poor countries by rich countries.
Chapter 10 - Gender Stratification is the process by which gender becomes a part of an individual's personality. Gender is the cultural meaning attached to being female or male. Societies give more power and resources to males, which causes sexism a component built into the operation of social institutions. The Intersection theory investigates the intersection of race, class, and gender and found that women of color encounter greater social disadvantages than white women and earn much less than white men. Women are more likely to be sexual harassed and objectified in pornographic material. They also more likely to be domestically victimized.
Chapter 10 - Gender Stratification is the process by which gender becomes a part of an individual's personality. Gender is the cultural meaning attached to being female or male. Societies give more power and resources to males, which causes sexism a component built into the operation of social institutions. The Intersection theory investigates the intersection of race, class, and gender and found that women of color encounter greater social disadvantages than white women and earn much less than white men. Women are more likely to be sexual harassed and objectified in pornographic material. They also more likely to be domestically victimized.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Week 6 - October 01, 2007
Chapter 6 - Sexuality and Society explores the sexual revolution and how it changed society, along with why society tries to control sexual behavior and how sexuality plays a part in social inequality. Sexuality in the biological sense refers to bodily differences between males and females, while gender is a cultural construct that points out the behavior, power, and privileges that society attaches to being male or female. The sexual revolution of the 1970's brought sexuality out into the open, with baby boomers being the the first group of individuals who grew up with the understanding that sex was a normal part of social life. Conversely, the sexual counterrevolution of the 1980's stressed a return to family values, criticizing sexual promiscuity.
Sexual orientation is an individual's romantic attraction to others. Four sexual orientations are: heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and asexuality. Most research supports the notion that sexual orientation is biologically predisposed, much like being right-handed or left-handed. Currently about 9% of adult males and 4% of adult women report engaging in some form of homosexuality activities, but only 2.8% of men and 1.4% of women actually consider themselves homosexual.
Chapter 6 will also look at sexual controversies, such as, teen pregnancy, pornography, prostitution, abortion, and sexual violence. As in every chapter these issues will be investigated through the use of the Structural - Functional Approach, the Social Conflict Approach, and the Symbolic - Interaction Approach.
Sexual orientation is an individual's romantic attraction to others. Four sexual orientations are: heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and asexuality. Most research supports the notion that sexual orientation is biologically predisposed, much like being right-handed or left-handed. Currently about 9% of adult males and 4% of adult women report engaging in some form of homosexuality activities, but only 2.8% of men and 1.4% of women actually consider themselves homosexual.
Chapter 6 will also look at sexual controversies, such as, teen pregnancy, pornography, prostitution, abortion, and sexual violence. As in every chapter these issues will be investigated through the use of the Structural - Functional Approach, the Social Conflict Approach, and the Symbolic - Interaction Approach.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Week 4 - September 16, 2007
Chapter 5: "Groups and Organization" are the vessels through which social interaction is transmitted. Social groups are the small clusters of people with whom we interact with in our daily lives, while organizations are corporations and bureacracies. Primary groups are small social groups who share personal relationships and secondary groups are ones formed to pursue a specific goal. There are two types of leadership, instrumental (focuses of task completion) and expressive (more interested in the group's well being) and three types of leadership styles, authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire. America faces many challenges in terms of organizations, 1) race and gender; 2) the Japanese work organization; and 3) the changing nature of the work. As we move from an industrialized to a post industrialized society we have created two types of work, highly skilled crative work and low-skilled service work.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Week 3 - September 09. 2007
Chapter 3: "Socialization: From infancy to old age" stresses the ways in which society shapes how we think, feel, and act. Society manipulates our lives according to race, class, and gender. During our lifecourse, if we are fortunate, we pass through infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age. All of these stages have both biological and enviromental ramification. During this chapter we will explore how we acquire a self and reasoning skills, evaluate Freud's psychoanalytical theory of the development of personality, and determine how socialization affects emotions.
Chapter 4: "Social interactions in everyday life" discusses how we as human create reality in our face-to-face encounters with others. Status is a social position that a person hold and a status set is the various positions held by an individual, which is subject to change over time. Ascribed status's are present at birth and involuntary, while achieved status's are those that a person voluntarily takes on due to ability or effort. A role is the behavior expected from one who holds a certain status. Three major dimensions of everyday life and social interaction are emotions, anger, and humor.
Chapter 4: "Social interactions in everyday life" discusses how we as human create reality in our face-to-face encounters with others. Status is a social position that a person hold and a status set is the various positions held by an individual, which is subject to change over time. Ascribed status's are present at birth and involuntary, while achieved status's are those that a person voluntarily takes on due to ability or effort. A role is the behavior expected from one who holds a certain status. Three major dimensions of everyday life and social interaction are emotions, anger, and humor.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Week 2 - September 02
Chapter 2: "Culture" is a universal concept that can be described as a design for living that includes both "material" and "nonmaterial" culture. Individuals have an innate tendency to perceive and evaluate the world through the lens of their own culture, this concept is referred to as ethnocentricity. Cultural relativism attempts to understand the culture of other societies within their own cultural framework.Nonmaterial culture consists of symbols (language, values, norms, folkways, sanctions, and mores).
Language is a key element of culture as it allows us to move beyond the present and share our past experience and future plans. All groups have values and norms. Values give rise to our preferences, guide our choices, and indicate what is important in our lives, while norms are the expectations that develop to reflect and enforce values. The United States is considered a pluralistic society made up of many different group, each with its own set of values, however certain core values dominate.
Language is a key element of culture as it allows us to move beyond the present and share our past experience and future plans. All groups have values and norms. Values give rise to our preferences, guide our choices, and indicate what is important in our lives, while norms are the expectations that develop to reflect and enforce values. The United States is considered a pluralistic society made up of many different group, each with its own set of values, however certain core values dominate.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Week 1 - August 27
Chapter 1: "The Sociological Perspective" explains the origins of sociology and the theorists that laid the foundation for sociological inquiry. We will also explore the major theoretical perspectives and compare basic and applied sociology. Please understand that this is your class and you are all welcome to share your views during discussions. Although our views will invariable differ from topic to topic over the course of the semester please be mindful that we must respect and be kind to one another.Each week I will be posting relevant information to help you to better negotiate the course. Items posted will include links to criminology based websites, information on articles, and various other elements to augment your learning. This week I have posted a website for APA (American Psychological Association) citation and referencing guidelines. We will discuss this resource further during class.
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