Concept Applications Paper : Social Structure, Groups, And Class

Last class we watched an informative documentary named “People like Us, Social Class in America”. America is known to be a country defined by class. Throughout the movie it showed different opinions on what class was based on by different people and the answers varied from looks, house size, career choice, race, manners, upbringing, and education. As we move through life, most times we remove ourselves from different people not in our class to then live amongst those who share similar backgrounds and who we are most comfortable with. As stated, “if there is class, there is an inequality one cannot explain and it perpetuates itself”. Revealing class can expose hope, fears, prejudice and a myriad of different emotions that we may not all be comfortable speaking about. I feel as if part two and part three were most applicable to myself because they are something that I have experienced both directly and indirectly.

Learning how to work effectively in a group situation is key to success in many professions as well as in social situations. Groups vary from each other based on the individuals that make up each group, all of us belong to various groups at one time or another. The roles that we fulfill vary from group to

Social class is socially constructed through the use of two demonstrations, which is the reading from our text called Media Magic: Making

A key part of engaging in sociology is to adopt a sociological viewpoint or 'think sociologically'. Etymologically, sociology is the 'study of society' but this doesn't differentiate sociology from other forms of social study. Hence, many begin to describe thinking sociologically by what it is not - it is not thinking politically, thinking anthropologically, thinking historically or thinking psychologically, for example (Berger 1966: 11-36; Reiss 1968: 2-3). Others try to determine the nature of sociological thinking by detailing practical phenomena which can be thought about such as social systems and their subsystems, social institutions and social structure, and social aggregates, relationships, groups and organisations (Reiss 1968: 1),

On December 6th, 2012, the state of Washington legalized the use and possession of marijuana by adults over the age of 21. There were already laws in place to provide for the medical use of marijuana before this date, therefore this new initiative (Initiative 502) pertained mainly to recreational marijuana users. According to a statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office the day prior to the law going into effect, “The Department of Justice is reviewing the legalization initiatives recently passed in Colorado and Washington State. The Department's responsibility to enforce the Controlled Substances Act remains unchanged.

Within the walls of Nobles there are many social norms that seem to be implied, and are things that students are expected to follow. Following these norms has become a way of life for students here, and if you decide you aren’t going to follow, you get left behind. Nobles breeds competition, and just like in the natural world, survival of the fittest determines who leads and who falls. For example, the way students dress determines parts of their social status. There are concrete expectations that students are held to when it comes to what they chose to wear, but there are also social expectations. Many students who attend Nobles are of a high economic status, allowing them to purchase very nice clothes and other accessories such as iphones and computers. I have always felt that clothing is a way to express one’s personal style, but walking up and down the hallway proves that Nobles students may not be expressing how they are different from each other, but rather doing their best to fit in. I think this is a subconscious pressure that not many realize they are susceptible to. In high school adolescents are in a time of their lives that is insecure. There is so much stress and anxiety about school, and family, and friends, so it is understandable that kids do not want the stress of someone making fun of them for being different. This is where all the unease ties back in. By joining the masses in wearing name brands, buying apple products, and more, kids further adjust

In this paper I will examine the social structure theory, along with its definition and how the different types of theories make up the social structure theory. I will also attempt to discuss the strain, culture conflict, and social disorganization theory all of which make up the social conflict theory. I also wish to discuss the video “Tent City, Arizona” and answer the following questions, “How does the video you selected support a social structure theory? What is the primary subject or content of the video? What social issues are raised in the video? What major principles of sociological theory are addressed in the video? What might be some possible ramifications for social policy change?”

The students at Potomac Senior High School were very involved in the fashion world, specifically related to shoes. They used this and the importance of entertainment as a status figure. A nice pair of

Society as a whole has established its own set of norms, group membership, and status’ that individuals have to adapt to in order to fit in. Throughout the years, these norms have changed thus causing individuals to conform so they can be accepted and not labeled deviant. The quote “The individual…is not born a member of society” (Berger & Luckman, 1996:18) means that society is constantly shifting causing individuals to relearn what is normative and deviant so they can be accepted by society.

Culture is very important to your interaction with others. In the second paragraph, the author says, “If the culture we learn influences our beliefs and behaviors, then culture is a key concept to the sociological perspective”

As long as it has been in existence, society has always been fractured into social classes, the very rich and the very poor. I see within our society the chasm growing by the year. The proletariat, boxed into cramped houses, while the bourgeoisie reside in mansions that jut up towards the sky touching the clouds. The rich, who control mostly everything in todays age, capitalize on those less fortunate than themselves and bask in the ignorance of the lower class. It is painful for myself to see the common worker, the average person, being taken advantage of and not even knowing his rights against such things.

This essay will be discussing the extent to which social class and poverty affects health and illness. Firstly, what is social class? Each person’s perception of social class can be different; is social class defined by a person’s accent, the area they live in, or something as simple as their income? Project Britain describes social class as “The grouping of people by occupations and lifestyle”. (Cress, 2014). To find social class Sociologists group people according to common factors, they compare people and various criteria can be conveniently used to place people in social groups or classes. Next we ask the question what determines a person’s health, the NHS defines health as “Physical and mental, it is the absence of disease”. (NHS 2017).

Thus, when all students are required to dress the same in school, from tops to shoes, they won’t be able to show off their wealth. There shouldn’t be any great distances in economic matters between students because they are sensitive subjects to most people.

In sociology many ideas have formed the basis of sociological thought and perspective including power, gender, class and ethnicity. These concepts are well known as the social facts of sociology and are crucial for forming the basis of many macro sociological ideas. By looking at the big picture of interactions between individuals and groups and how these are constructed by these social facts. However do these social facts, the big ideas of sociology, have any place in micro sociology and specifically the sociology of everyday life? Currently it is widely believed that these concepts have little place in a school of thought that purely focuses on the interaction that takes place between individuals and groups, whether this involves navigating the side walk or saying a greeting to someone a person may know. Everyday life is focused on the situation its self rather than the economy or class differences between interactions. However others argue that social themes of power, gender, class, ethnicity and others are crucial in understanding how social interactions are formed and are carried out in everyday life.

Distinction reminds me of my school days in Korea. There were always popular kid groups from wealthy families and whenever they worn new and fancy brand shoes and bags, the fashion became an epidemic among peers in schools. Many kids tried to buy the same clothing and to be looked like the popular kids groups. Even a lot of parents wanted to be close to parents of those kids and to share private education lessens that the popular kids took out side of class. In Distinction, Pierre Bourdieu explains the dominant class determines what higher or lower culture is then; the lower class accepts the choice. Also, the aesthetic choice shows class distinction and presents people’s social position in our society. Even if his theories were established in France during the 1960’s, Bourdieu’s argument is still effective and useful in contemporary society.