Better Together By Robert Putnam Analysis

Robert D. Putnam, a political scientist and professor, contends in his essay titled “Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital” that there has been a decline in the social capital over the last several decades. He names that are different factors to explain this, including changes in the workforce, mobility, demographics, and technology. However, mostly it is a change in the

The conversations and interactions people have with each other is a key necessity in becoming an active member in any society. The bonds and relationships that people make is what forms a community. In Robert D. Putnam’s (2000), Bowling Alone, there are three forms of capital; physical which as physical objects, human so properties of an individual like education, and social which are the connections between individuals. Social capital is what makes us branch out into the world and interact with the ones around us, this is both good for ourselves and for the community. Social capital in America has dramatically decreased throughout each generation of population. With the expansion of technology and social reform, the youngest generation has become the most antisocial generation. This antisocial movement has become noticeable in many of groups interactions that use to have high amounts of interaction like political involvement, civic participation, religious participation, and workplace connections.

In this regard, the most important part of service to me personally is giving back to the community. Volunteering is my way of providing service to others, it is not only effective, but it’s a good way to meet people, to learn, and to develop social skills. By helping or supporting others, I learned and used new skills in communicating with people and I have gained confidence in myself through different interactions. Providing aid to a family in need or helping out an elementary teacher is necessary, because as people it should be our natural tendencies to support one another, and bring aid when aid is due. For example, at Seven Lakes High school I created the Girls for Krause Club. It was given the name the Girls for Krause club after the Krause Center; a center in Katy that fosters girls who have been taken out of their homes due to sexual harassment, parental mistreatment or mental issues. My first visit to the Krause Center was with my youth group at church. I was so touched by all the girls at the center, and how open they were about their situation. I remember one of the girls telling me thank you, for treating her like “a regular person.” This interaction gave me the incentive to create the Krause club, because I wanted to allow other girls my age to interact with these girls and bring attention to a center that wasn’t well known in my community. Moreover, creating the Krause club has been rewarding and a way to showcase

Social network and social connectedness are important to the health of not only individual human beings but also the community and even the entire society. However, the connection among people had been declining for years. As Robert Putnam analyzes in his “Bowling Alone: America’s Declining Social Capital,” America’s national election turnout declines, possibly implying the decline in civic engagement and even the democracy. He stresses the importance of the traditional, face-to-face interactions among people as the fundamental means to build up social connectedness. Besides the reasons he gives in his article, I think the decline in social networking also ties to the city constructions (idea inspired by the video “The Social Life of Small

I want to be able to take away and learn from these children. I think It is crucial to be able to make the best out of every situation and be there to help and serve others. The service learning experience is very relatable to shalom in the sense that one should apply the qualities of shalom while helping and serving others. Knowing and applying some qualities of shalom at the service learning project will allow for one to truly see growth in themselves at the service learning

He states that although more Americans than ever are being involved individually, our membership in community groups still lessens. These are due to the potential factors of "The movement of women into the labor force…Mobility…Demographic transformations…and the Technological transformation of leisure (the only potential factor that I do not agree with)." (page 393-394). He states that social capital is also declining because Americans have grown less trusting over time as "The proportion of Americans saying most people can be trusted fell by more than a third between 1960, when fifty eight percent chose that alternative, and 1993, when only thirty seven percent did." (page

The best thing that came out of this learning experience is my appreciation for the younger grades. I always thought that I wanted to a third grade teacher, but I do not think I need to limit myself. I had so much fun just watching the kids all interact with one another and have so many different thoughts. They truly liked learning and thought of their teacher as almost a mom like figure. I hope to instill this in my future classroom and to be in a school system that is ready to help

During my sophomore year, the community service focus was helping to serve a marginalized community, so I chose to volunteer at an organization called Hope Services. They provide jobs for differently abled adults and an after-school program for differently abled kids, mostly adolescents. Each Friday, I assisted the program directors in making the kids feel comfortable and happy and like they had a friend. Whether it was helping get snacks, play basketball outside, make art projects, or play Just Dance, there were always laughs involved and it just felt like I was hanging out with my friends. However, when I first started volunteering, it was not this relaxed and did not come very easily. Many of the kids either had autism or Down’s syndrome along with some other disorders. It would be difficult to try and understand what they were saying at times, or they would be very clingy and have no sense of personal space. I did not mind this, but it took some getting used to. I learned that the best way to just be their friend was to truly listen to them, because they had so many great stories and ideas to tell,

On May 19, 1971, Norbert Putnam and David Briggs purchased 1802 Grand Ave to open a publishing company and rehearsal space. Both Putnam and Briggs were members of the first Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section assembled by Rick Hall, Billy Sherrill, and Tom Stafford at FAME Studio in Alabama. Bassist Norbert Putnam and keyboardist David Briggs appeared on such legendary Muscle Shoals recordings as Arthur Alexander’s “You Better Move On,” Jimmy Hughes's "Steal Away," and Tommy Roe's “Everybody." Tommy Roe with Putnam and Briggs opened for the Beatles on their first US gig at the Washington (DC) Coliseum in February 1964. However, the lure of better paying and consistent work on higher profile records persuaded Putnam and Briggs to move to Nashville,

I participated in service learning at Fraser school in Richfield. Starting in September I helped out in a toddler age classroom every Thursday. Fraser school is a preschool setting for infants and toddlers. Besides getting the children kindergarten ready and offering a somewhat typical day of daycare/school, Fraser offers occupational, physical, and speech therapy. Some of the children have disabilities and some do not, Fraser is not discriminatory and they provide care for anyone. Some of the things I did in the classroom were prepare snack and lunch for the children, play games, participate in art projects, music, and reading, and play games with the children. The two teachers really appreciated my help, as I was provided an extra hand for them while they prepared daily activities. Playtime was usually hectic for the group and it needed to be closely monitored. I was also able to keep the children safe and keep a close eye on the total of twelve toddlers during playtime. My experiences at Fraser helped me understand many topics we talked about in our Intro to Sociology class. A few topics that stood out to me the most were the idea of social integration and many of the functions of the education system, the three stages in the development of self, institutional discrimination with minority and group divisions.

The America society has many aspects in life since 1950 through 2000s, many up and down due to be economy changing over time. In the book, bowling alone by Robert d. Putnam believes that are society are influence by things that are leaders does and the effects on our people judgment. Putnam reveals that each chapter has clear message that highlights his points about people interest in American society. Putnam reveals his points about American society; social capital, religious participation, social network, and trust.

Social Capital is defined as the networks of relationships among people, enabling that society to function effectively. James Coleman’s “Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital” examines the many benefits of social capital in a society. However, most forms of social capital are public goods and do not primarily profit the person who has to bring it about. Therefore, it’s not in his interest to bring it leading to a shortage. Coleman wants to apply economics’s principle of rational action to the social perspective to increase people’s willingness to socialize. On the other hand, Alejandro Portes’s “The Two Meanings of Social Capital” challenges Coleman’s concept by arguing that people shouldn’t

10) This book is about the inevitable conflict between American Individualism and the fact that humans are by nature social. We hunger for relationship yet we want it only on our terms. Bellah and his team of reseachers take on the enormous task of interviewing people from all over the country and the results of these interviews are presented factually and then analyzed. Whether one agrees with the book's conclusions or not, the interviewees speak for themselves, and they speak for a majority of Americans today who are often torn by conflicting authoritative messages and motives from without and within. This book is a marvelous and sometimes unsettling mirror into contemporary American society.

From this experience volunteering I will hopefully be able to continue tutoring or helping students who are struggling in school. I am going to remember this experience when I am a teacher and be able to pay more attention to the students who are struggling and try my hardest to make sure that no one falls too far behind. I will also make sure that all my students get the help that they need in order to succeed. Overall this experience has taught me a lot and enlightened me with new perspectives from where people come from and their home

Putnam defined social capital as the features of social organizations such as networks, norms, and social trust that facilitate the coordination as well as cooperation for mutual benefit. He emphasizes the many dimensions of the concept of social capital, and the importance of “horizontal” ties, which are networks of individual citizens and groups that enhance community productivity and cohesion bringing about positive social capital, rather than vertical ones of self-serving groups and hierarchical systems.(Putnam 9) However, Putnam has found that over time the social capital is declining in the United States, making America far less ‘connected’, which he presents in “Bowling Alone”, in that people spend drastically less time meeting with others and socializing with