Sociology

1 A) Sociology has three main perspectives. The first perspective is the Conflict perspective. Conflict perspective is a sociological approach that assumes that behavior is based of tension between groups fight over power, resources, and money. The Functionalist perspective is the second perspective and it means that parts of a society are organized to maintain stability. Interactionist perspective is when you take small groups and social interaction and explain society as a whole. B) In the 2008 Election between Barrack Obama and John McCain was a clear example of the three sociological perspective. The best example for the Conflict perspective for the 2008 Election is when Barrack Obama and John McCain were debating about Health Care reform. In the United States there is definitely competitions over getting health care. President Barrack Obama wanted to have everyone that did not have healthcare get government Health insurance. The process on which this will work is that government would have to raise taxes and less tax cuts for the rich. Which would take money out of the wealthy citizens pocket, and the people that have the power. John McCain opposed the bill because he did not want the taxes to go up and taking money from the people with the power. The Functionalist perspective was shown in the post 2008 election by the economic situation that we are in. If you look at the united states as a living organism, each major part could not survive with out the other, unless there was a replacement. The example of the post 2008 election is when the government bailed out all the major bank and American Automobile companies. If those financial institution would fail our whole country might collapse with them, that how Functionalist perspective fits in with the post 2008 elections. The interacionist perspective is shown in the 2008 perspective just by having the diverse amount of candidates in the election. On the Republican primary there was and Italian, Hispanic man, and a white man all competing for the Republican primary. On the democratic side there was a women, African American man, and a white man competing of democratic nominee. By the 2008 election being more diverse than ever before it shows that our country has come along way when it comes to racism and sexism. By the small group of people that were running in the election it shows that society as a whole has came a long way. The Feminist theory applies 2008 elections just by having a woman Vice President candidate. Before this election the highest form of office that a woman held was the speaker of the house held by Nancy Pelosi. And Security of State held by Canalize Rice. Women have come along way to try and achieve equal treatment in government and everything else in society. This election was especially important because we had a woman that ran for the democratic primary. Even though Hilary Clinton did not win and probably never will, she still created a stepping stone for future women to take her step and win. C) American Values, norms, and beliefs were interjected in a couple of different ways in the 2008 election. Barrack Obama Slogan for “Hope” is one of the American Values that were interjected in the election. One of the many American Values are Hope and Barrack Obama to that American value and ran with it. The 2008 election also broke the norm and beliefs when it comes to government leadership. Before the 2008 election the only people that took high government positions were old white men, every once in awhile there are a couple acceptations like Collin Powell and Canalize Rice, but for the most part there is only old white men. This election totally changed that norm and beliefs of our society when it comes to government. I personally think that the norm might have been changed for good. From now on I’m willing to bet that election are going to be diverse more often then known, unless Barrack Obama does something horrible, which probably won’t happen. D) Wealth and race are two stratification that were interjected during the 2008 Campaigns. Wealth is a major stratification in the 2008 Campaigns One of the major debates between Barrack Obama and John McCain was raising taxes for the people in the higher tax brackets. Since the 1980’s the wealthy has gotten tax cuts because of Ronald Regain trickle down theory. The Trickle down theory basic is when wealthy people get tax cuts because of the assumption that they will spend the money and it will trickle down to the poor someway. This theory never worked so that’s why Barrack Obama wanted to raise taxes for the wealthy, instead of making middle class citizens pay more taxes, and decreasing the middle class. Race is the second Stratification that was introduce in the 2008 campaign. Before 2008 there was only a very few number of African Americans that attempted to run for President. Since the birth of the United States Minorities have been kept out of major government roles except for a handful, but in 2008 Barrack Obama broke the stratification. 2) A) Culture is the totality of a shared language, knowledge, material objects, and behavior. The way that Culture influence me as the student is first culture help me pick out my major. I want to be a college professor, what this means is that if our culture did not have a high prestige for professors I probably would not be one. Culture also decides where I would like to attend a four year University at. Some area the culture is different, so based off which culture fits my personality the best that how I will choose the University I will attend. B) it is important for us to understand culture because it helps you figure out why people do the thing that we do. Why we believe in certain things and why not believe in certain things. Culture also teaches us just about everything the we know, form a little kid right up until your elderly. C) Culture has many different elements to them. Technology is also one of them. Technology means using material resources of the environment that you live in to satisfy everyone needs and desires. Values is a Majority opinion on what good, proper, bad, desirable, undesirables in a culture. D) The way Technology is used with dating in the us is the online website that promise you that you will meet the man/woman of your dreams. Value is used in dating by picking a date period. According to the values that society puts in you means the type of mate that most people will go after. 3) A) Socialization is a lifelong process in which a person learns values, attitudes, and how to act. in the culture there in. Deviance is the behavior that goes against the values and the standard of conduct in a certain society. B) Durkheim Theory of Deviance is there is not such thing as deviant acts. The only way something is deviant is because society as a whole decides it is in fact deviant. Durkheim Theory of Deviance is related to socialization because since everything is learned in society and there is nothing Objective about Socialization, which is saying there is no right or wrong, then societies can switch up what’s deviant or not deviant.