Social Theory, Social Structure And Change

Throughout the semester, we have discussed many different social justice issues. One issue that has stuck with me is gender and racial inequality. Gender inequality is very important to me because I was raised by a single mother and surrounded by women all the time. I do not believe that anyone should be payed or treated differently due to their gender. While growing up, I saw that women are capable for doing anything and often times have to work harder than men to prove themselves. Racial inequality is an issues that is important to me because I feel that all individuals should be equal. I think Dr. King’s idea of color blindness, not today’s definition, should be something that we as a society strive for. We need to move past the idea that

Social injustice is any form of hate, prejudice, or discrimination towards any group of people. Social Injustice can be towards any person regarding their race, religion, or gender. People often have prejudice against Black people as being poor or gang affiliated drug dealers. This is social injustice even though many African American are not what is stereotyped about them but they still face the consequences of discrimination and prejudices everyday. Unjust shootings, fatal chokings, beatings and rough treatment have all contributed to the present problem of social injustice against African Americans in the United States. In the past and recent history African Americans have experienced many social

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?”

Since attending IUPUI my mind has truly been opened to new ideas when it comes to social justice. I have learned new outlooks that I would never have thought about on my own. I’ve been pushed to challenge to pervious outlooks on many issues. I’ve also had to accept the fact that people come from very different backgrounds and will have very different outlooks from me.

"Social justice is what faces you in the morning. It is awakening in a house with adequate water supply, cooking facilities and sanitation. It is the ability to nourish your children and send them to school where their education not only equips them for employment but reinforces their knowledge and understanding of their cultural inheritance. It is the prospect of genuine employment and good health: a life of choices and opportunity, free from discrimination" (Dodson, 1993).

What is social and economic justice? Well, it is an intertwined set of social rules that isn’t spoken but is guided by the law. The definition states that it is a situation when some unfair practices are being carried through society and, the ultimate goal of which is to create an opportunity for each and every person. The film, Selma, the text, Black Boy, and the work, Stride Toward Freedom, all address issues of social and economic justice that are still present in the United States today. I will be synthesizing and analyzing these three sources to grapple with the complexities of the subject of social and economic justice.

In this course I have learned about different social problems in societies worldwide. Some of these include poverty, social inequality, discrimination of race and culture, urbanization, and more. After learning all these subjects and more, I have decided to do my final on social inequality and minorities in the United States. I chose this particular topic because I have seen this in almost every place have lived. I find it appalling that minorities are still not treated 100% equal. We as Americans know what inequality is and know how it is used in our everyday society. I want to explore this topic and show how real and big this

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.

The impact on minorities due to inequality
Introduction 
During the course of this class I have learned about social problems within the society in which we live and around the world. It is disturbing to learn that poverty, social inequality, race and cultural discrimination, gender stratification, environmental damage, population growth, and urbanization are among the social problems and controversial issues that still exist in the United States.

Out of the jaws of civil war, the new United States had emerged. Broken and burning and minus 620,000 men, a new challenge lay before the nation: social equality. How would we address the sickening grievances endured by these African American now-citizens? That question has hallmarked fiery debates from dinner tables all the way to the Supreme Court for more than a century. During the Civil Rights Movement, millions of American citizens demonstrated across the country in pursuit of fairness, and famously in his “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King championed the idea of a country that saw no color, but based judgement on the content of character. Through decades of policy, our government implemented social reform within institutions of education and employment. Collectively known as Affirmative Action, this social reform established racial preferences in favor of minority groups at the expense of whites and Asians. This social reform was unquestionably established in good faith, but into what has this festered now? The pursuit of fairness is perhaps the most American in spirit, and a goal toward which we all strive together. Unfortunately, the policies collectively known as Affirmative Action, however well-intended, have further widened the boundaries between us through some ideal of ‘righteous’ discrimination. The time has come, it seems, that our government and our nation rethink the policies

During my time as an undergraduate, I majored in philosophy but intentionally selected courses that would further my knowledge on my range of interests in social justice and law. As I started to engage and learn about theories of intersectionality, social and structural inequalities and constructs, I grew angry at the world we have created for ourselves to live in. I understood that the injustices imposed on people at the dangerous intersections of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, race, and ability are frequent and widespread. The oppressive forces that have allowed for the creation of such injustices have not only routinely excluded and silenced the voices of many groups of people, but have destroyed countless lives.

There are several theories created by many thinkers of our time that believes that societal, financial, and social arrangements and/or structures as the main cause of criminal behavior. In society, depending on where you are, there are usually some unwritten norms that are expected to be followed. It can be in a business corporation, out in the streets, at home. Usually there will be two sets of norms that is expected to be followed that causes an individual to feel torn. However, the feeling of being torn is the inner battle of doing the right thing, conscience or keeping yourself alive.

Despite having no mediation experience prior to this class, I immediately excelled in a few areas of mediation. Namely, I did well with the introduction, exuding confidence, and helping the disputants move toward a resolution. Each of these skills is extremely important for mediators as they help set the tone, maintain control of the conversation or accomplish the goal of mediation. Of course, I improved with I practice, but I performed admirably in each of these arenas from the outset.

A paradigm is a set of beliefs or assumptions that create the reality for a group. The values, moras, and habits, all of which are socially constructed, create the reality for the group. The theory of social construction is a theory that knowledge is constructed by humans for human use. We communicate using rhetoric, allowing others to see into those socially constructed ideas or paradigms. Rhetoric is the ability to ascertain and analyze, in any given context, the available means of persuasion. Persuasion is necessary to convince the audience of one’s paradigms. The play, Angels In America, by Tony Kushner, focuses on two relationships that interconnect throughout the entire play. Kushner informs the reader of a typical dismal life of someone with AIDS during the Reagan and Bush eras. During this desperate time, self-interest overtakes everything else, allowing the power dynamics to become even more clear and powerful. This hierarchy is socially constructed, but sets the reality for the unfortunate, marginalized lives of most of those contracted with AIDS. Through the writing technique, ASAAP, I will establish the act, scene, agent, agency, and purpose for each example. This fully explains each act literally and figuratively, so one is able to fully comprehend the meaning behind each act.

In this essay I will focus on what I think are the two important topics on deciding someone is deviant or not. While examining nation state legality I’m going to put emphasis on the way law changes between places such as countries and within time periods. This will then lead onto looking at how crime statistics are recorded and especially (particularly rather than especially) the dark figure of crime which links back to the ‘what other people do about it’ part of the question. Moving on to Social Construction Theory, particularly Becker’s Labelling Theory as well as other notable theorists. Key points like what it means to be labeled and it’s consequences such as deviance identity to cuffing. The media has a large role within this topic, which I will touch on through the themes of moral panics. Finally the essay will be concluded with a deduction from what I feel to be the Superior Theory.