view more assignments at https://portfolium.com/julesknox
Artifact 1: Social Structure & Interaction
Julia Knox
Dr. Price
Fal18 SOC 001
11/16/18
1. In Sociology, there are two general types of statuses, both statuses present people with indications of our roles in society. The ascribed status and the achieved status. While ascribed status is a combination of what makes one themselves when they are born, such as their sexual orientation, ethnicity, race. The ascribed characteristics are traits that the person cannot control, while achieved statuses are awarded commonly over a period of time. A professional on a field of study is an example of an achieved status given to one. Reference groups are those that communities and citizens look up to. We strive to be like these groups, they have a certain set of rules and regulations that they allow to maintain their status. There are two types of reference groups, normative and comparative. Comparative is people such as celebrities, while normative would be your family.
2. A social role is what people recognize as an acceptable way to behave when you have a certain status in society. An example would be police are expected to be justice and follow the law. A police officer can violate their social role by turning on emergency lights with the intent to weave through traffic quickly. I know this because I have law enforcement friends. Role exit is to move on from your current societal role for a new role resulting in a new chapter of life. Without role exit, everyone in society would have one expected career and we wouldn’t have milestones in our life. Role exit relates to the socialization process because socialization is the learning process of a new role. After you role exit, you go through the socialization process again casing a cycle. A primary group is our closest relationships that are small and personal, like our best friends. Secondary group interacts less personal and for a short amount of time, such as cashiers.
3. In-group is a close, typically small, group of people that share things in common such as interests and identity. Outgroups are the exact opposite, they are the type of people that believe they do not belong anywhere and are an outcast. in - group is connected to the primary group because primary groups are involved with each other lives, while out-group is connected to the secondary-group because the people are not as connected and formed together as others.
4. The similarity between mechanical solidarity and Gemeinschaft is that Gemeinschaft is stating that a community is generally full of rural life, while mechanical solidarily are members of a society who have the same interests as a collective, they are social and work together as a group. Gesellschaft is the modern day urban style of life, and an organic solidarity is people who depend on each other in society to accomplish a project as a whole. According to Gerhard Lenski, technology influenced Gesellschaft/Industrial Societies through sociocultural evolution which is the way changes in society helps gain new technology.
Reflection:
This assignment helped me to further understand the terms to help me describe types of people and their actions in society. My knowledge of sociology including the functions of people in different societies and cultures has improved immensely since the beginning of this class. This assignment along with others has opened my mind to not only voice my opinion but to be educated on human motives and development. This assignment has helped me complete assignments for my other classes discussing and understanding social roles, not just in group work but the people we research as well. The Social Structure and Interaction paper taught me about communities, groups, and people's positions. I mainly liked learning the differences for in-group and out-group, what I find the most interesting about Sociology, is that you learn terms for everyday occurrences that you did not know here as a name for before. Previously I would not have discovered what ascribed and achieved status is. Sociological terms help one explain a concept with a few words opposed to statements. I was able to again, gain sociological knowledge. This knowledge is important because it applies to life on a daily, not just for school work or classes. It is used in interaction short or long in everyone's lives. Beyond this course, studying these aspects that surround my life and being able to contribute greater meaning and having comfort in understanding is an acquired skill set, learned.
Artifact 2: On Gender: Witt Ch. 12
Julia Knox
Dr. Price
Fal18 SOC 001
12/6/18
Read Witt chapter 12 and answer the following questions. Use separate paragraphs for A, B, and C.
A) In Witt chapter 12, Alicia Keys discusses going without make-up. What does she say? Why does she refuse make-up? Do you agree or disagree with her position? Thoroughly explain & discuss why you agree or disagree…
B) Regarding men's gender roles: when men work in non-traditional jobs, they often lie about their occupation. Why?
C) In such cases, do you agree or disagree with men lying about their occupation? Are nontraditional occupations (for men) stigmatized? Explain your response.
A) In chapter 12 of our Witt book, singer Alicia Keys explains going without make-up. Alicia Keys felt as if she was hiding behind her makeup. Being a singer always judged by the public and society many judgemental opinionative people's thoughts. Her insecurities were caused by trying to conceal how she truly looked under l the makeup. If she couldn't come out into public without makeup she was lowering her self-esteem and thoughts of as if she wasn't good enough. I believe that she wanted to spread a positive message. She sticks with her view on makeup as a symbol for others that she doesn't want to hide, she wants to empower others. She's not choosing to be makeup free because she dislikes makeup or the fact that other people wear it, she is spreading a greater message to others that society has the ability to judge and make people want to hide their “flaws” or standards that are not seen as glamorous. Alicia is bold and wants to inspire others in this movement. I agree that makeup is worn to be treated better because the more put together and more attractive you look the better you'll be treated better because people in society are vain. If more people wore less makeup or felt comfortable in their skin and felt beautiful without makeup then I believe that the " no makeup look" would begin to be perceived as beautiful by society as well.
B) Regarding specifically on men's gender roles, when men work in non-traditional jobs some may lie to others about their position. They often lie about their occupation because they would be compared to others in society. When men have unconventional jobs they can be perceived with a negative connotation. Men are “supposed” to have been instrumental leaders, not emotional leaders that focus on creativity, peace, and harmony in families. Men are supposed to bring answers and leadership as their responsibility. Thy focus on managing the future goals and stability of the family. They may be viewed as dumb for not having a corporate or doctoral job. They can be seen as lazy because others are not educated on how much work is put into an individuals job because they do not have those jobs. They may be artistically or musically talented but those jobs don’t have societies stereotypical definition of a man. Men’s gender roles are to have high positions and to be a breadwinner, otherwise, you can be perceived as a failure to closeminded people. Men have multiple masculinities, which include the caring nurturing role to provide for others, along with the traditional view of men. The fear of being negatively judged by others in one's immediate life and by people they newly meet can cause them to lie.
C) To be blunt, I don’t really care what the reasoning is, I don’t think people should lie in general. If someone negatively judges you based on your interests or occupation which is a part of how you are and here you may be in life, along with here you want to go, you don’t need them. You shouldn’t have to lie to make yourself look better or more preferable. Nontraditional occupations (for men) are stigmatized, a lot of things have distaste or controversy, but it all depends on an individuals point of view. Noon should live their life lying and hiding, therefore no I don't think men or anyone for that matter should lie about their occupation. If people don't like it for whatever reason, fine let hem hate let them, judge. That's, not your problem that people are closeminded or have hatred in them. You may be discriminated, but by lying you will not attract those that prefer the truth and consistent honesty over your job, how manly you’re seen as, and how well you fit into your gender roles.
Reflection:
This past week we had an assignment based on our Witt Sociology book. The topic of Chapter 12 was gender, we learned about feminism in society along with masculinity. This assignment not only helped me express women’s expectations and judgment from other people, but we also learned a lot about the undeniable struggles that men face as well when it comes to stereotypes. I learned that at times there isn't a win and there's only a lose-lose situation. Women can be perceived as prude if they don’t show off their assets and can be seen as slutty if they do. This is because unfortunately the world is truthfully not filled with openminded and respectful people. Many if not most people are judgemental in a negative way whether that is caused by nature/ nurture. I gained a better perspective on understanding that you can not live your life to please everyone around you because some people will just find something they want to change or dislike and disagree with. Men, Women, or whatever else, we all have to deal with someone not liking who you are as a person, what we wear, what we are interested in, etc. Men have to act tough and “ like a man” because that is how our society has introduced the concept of what a male is supposed to emulate. To be clear, we have come a very long way as a society, we are much more accepting of different races, genders, interests, and more. Sociology speaks a lot on societies old ways and the stereotypical perspectives on human development and action. That is something I learned a lot on while reading other peoples replies to their classmates' opinions on sociology assignments. Although there is always going to be those haters and negativity, while typing out this assignment I had thought a lot about how people in society band together to help those that go through tragedies, such as raising money and raising awareness. These days, many in the United States don’t want people who do wrong on others to get away with the harm they have caused, more and more people are voicing their opinions. Sociology has helped me gain empathy and sympathy for others, I enjoy this subject because I believe it is a special category of its own. People are helping each other gain confidence and love the them they want to be, the them that is proud of their foreign accent, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, and more. This assignment has inspired my sociologically to understand others mindsets a lot better. You must understand that in life you will not always get a resolution, you will not always get justice. The world is truly cruel, you can not let every opinion, every perspective, every person’s negativity get to you. You must know your worth on your own, at the same time, one must understand their toxic traits and remove them. That is what I’ve truly learned from this assignment along with others in this class. Don’t let homophobia, racism, or other indirect or direct discriminations get to you. I believe living life honestly, peacefully, and realistically, are ways to help gain the courage to go through the trials that this world has for us all.
Artifact 3: Project 1: Video/DVD Analysis
Julia Knox
Dr. Price
Fal18 SOC 001
11/15/18
The Short Film A Second Chance starts off with a teenage boy presumably nicknamed “Peanut” with a negative intent. Peanut is commonly given to people to say they are smaller or as an insult to the boy by making him feel small and lesser than a man, instead of using his birth name. A scene later, the Stepfather chokes and assaults Peanut for sleeping in and not accomplishing a chore. The first father uses violence, crude language, and anger which as a result results in the sons increased aggression and frustration. The concept that violence does not solve problems is a paradigm. When it seems as if violence has solved a problem, it is only temporary, and the harm that follows rises. The child's stepfather is physically and emotionally abusive, the son is surrounded by negative behavior patterns, it shows that he is living in a less fortunate neighborhood where violence is nothing out of the ordinary. (time of scene: 0:41-4:26). This economic Superstructure includes the beliefs and ideas in this society which although are policies this community lives by, is far from similar to another. The second set of family members includes the son ( later revealed as Diego), his younger brother, and single-parent father. Diego’s father is disappointed in his son for not receiving all A’s in school but shows concern and optimism in his tone of voice. The father speaks sincerely on wanting to help get his son to stay on track regarding not only grades but in the world. (time of scene:2:10-3:32) The two boys from different financial upbringings are best friends. They meet up later that day just like any kids, smiling and playful, yet the next scene shows a different view of the two. They meet at 8:23 PM in Peanut’s neighborhood where Diego gets jumped by gang members as a part of the initiation. Away from the initiation while fixating to go to a kickback, Diego gets shot by a rival gang and is pronounced dead at the hospital at 9:36 that night. In this emotional scene, Peanut profoundly mourns the pain and loss of his best friend that he claimed wouldn't let harm come upon. (time of scene: 9:10-10:10) The short film ends at 13:06 where Peanut is given a pass to leave and never show up around the Gang again, or to stay and join.
Unfortunately, gang violence and the lifestyle is one that many youths going through developmental stages are surrounded by. Gang initiations and culture appeal to those dealing with anger, possibly neglection, or even those that just end up around the wrong people. This film based on a true story and the death of Gerardo Rivas. The two boys not only lost their childhood innocence but by being surrounded by crime and hatred were roped up into hanging out with older deviant people. The gang is a violation of cultural norms yet, in this minorities culture, when a boy grows up in this race and poverty level they typically and unfortunately find trouble. French Philosopher Auguste Comte believed in positivism, the truth is scientific truth and social phenomenon are to be backed up by natural sciences. To Comte, statistics are what proves how society operates, statistics on peer pressure show that nearly all kids are influenced by their surroundings and friends actions, such as how Diego even though brought up in a different neighborhood, starts to act as if he's a member of Peanuts community. Along with Comte, Sociologist Durkheim believed in Functionalism which has to do a lot with equilibrium. If society’s system is disturbed, society must fix back to stability. In the last scene where the first boy after the death of his friend has the opportunity to leave the gang or join, we hope that he takes the opportunity to change his life and make something out of himself and away from the violence. This young man confining to this way of life would be adding to the dysfunction of society with crime.
Karl Marx’s theory of Marxism points out how class struggles correspond to human potential. Power and needs go hand in hand, humans crave hat they do not have, by joining a group such as a gang, the boy has a sense of power and an outlet to take out his frustrations and hatred in. To understand society, Marx’s theory explores the relationship between the proletariat/ laborers who do the work in society and the upper-class also known as the bourgeoisie, which profit and live more comfortable lives. The short film depicts the hard work the male heads of the families have to deal with to support their children, which leaves them stressed and as a result, aggregated or worried. The fathers are workers that although work often as expressed in the film, are not relieved of tension and hardships in their lives, which as a domino effect affects the sons.
The sociological perspective that sociologist Emile Durkheim believed in is shown, society has components that must work together in harmony in order to function. The functionalist paradigm is most represented in the video, dysfunction is shown in the video in both of the boys' families. The first boy does not have his birth father around and does not get along with his stepfather, while the second boy's mother is o longer with them and the father expresses the amount of work he has to do for the family without her. The children do not have parental guidance and that connection that they should in order to stay out of trouble, they are neglected in their own ways. The manifest function of a gang is to allow the boys to have a sense of family and belonging, on the other hand, although they would be better alone than in bad company. The latent function is that there are consequences in the boys' decision to make friends because they have chosen bad influences to be around.
A Second Chance is a very insightful and emotional short film that realistically exposes the lifestyles and exposes the emotions that the youth in the troubled communities face. Durkheim’s Functionalism paradigm is most represented throughout this short film. The society around the boys' lives are not in harmony and therefore cause dysfunction in a society that needs balance and functionalism. Although the viewers do not know the outcome of Peanut’s decision. I believe that the harsh awakening and seeing a glimpse into his future will be a turning point for his life. I truly believe that he has endured enough trauma from the death of his friend, that he will no longer wish to live life how he had been. He will have to overcome and love his life more than he hates the pain.
Manny Jimenez Jr., A Second Chance (Anti-Gang Short FiIm) Published on Aug 27, 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0gtcJaU_rg
Reflection:
This unexpectedly became one of my favorite assignments not only because I enjoyed watching this youtube short film over and over repeatedly, I genuinely enjoyed analyzing the video in the different characters perspectives. I had even ended up watching other short films, especially those that depicted gang violence and how it affected friendships along with families and a community as a whole. With my new sociological mindset I was able to gain a better understanding of the individuals, some I could relate to on a personal level with sympathy and other I could empathize. I realized that forms of art such as film contain symbolism that s relevant to the specific culture or society that it was made for. For example plan on words or jokes may not make sense or even translate the same or well to people of different cultures. For that fact, sociology is important in determining a greater understanding and being openminded on what one does not understand.
Artifact 4: Thoughts on Consumer Culture
Julia K. S. Knox
10/7/18
Consumerism promotes spending to us, the consumers. We are a society of consumers, we evolve and grow with inventions, we always are looking towards what's new and what can be bettered. For example, names change and grow, names such as Betsy and Margaret are less popular while “advanced” names such as Kulture and Blue Ivy exist. We are constantly progressing, if you just look back at history, one can easily notice that items are repeatedly being replaced with what's more efficient. Items of mass production are created to break and become less sufficient, s that we the consumers want what’s better. For example, the iPhone is constantly evolving and adding new technology and advancements yearly so that people will want to buy the best trending iPhone. iPhones also mysteriously start glitching when a new one is introduced, which makes people crave the best technology. A good amount of people are consumers, that’s how companies make profits and money because there are people willing to pay for their products repeatedly.
Humans believe material success is worth pursuing, because of this people can overwork themselves and cause unhealthy competition an stress in their lives, instead of being happy with what they already do have. Financial accomplishments and showing off what one owns, better known as “flexing” is a common daily activity for many Americans. People like to show off their cars, electronics, clothing, and accessories. Less and fewer people are considerably down to earth. People are ignorant and not appreciative to their belongings. Americans always want more more more. Products become phased out, company creations aren’t every lasting. American idealization does not want to stop and have restraints, Americans want freedom, and advancements, not to slow down and enjoy the view.
Reflection: Reflecting on what I have learned, I chose my paper on my thoughts on Consumer Culture as an example of the skills I have improved during this semester. The assignment helped me gain a better understanding of what’s important to many in society. I wrote on my reasoning why I believe Americans have become conceited, vain, and greedy in the process of wanting freedom and advancements. During this writing assignment, I learned to correlate my perspective and observations on humans as a society to social issues and our economy. This assignment mainly helped contribute the most on gaining a better understanding and explanation to humans interactions based on those around them, which is society, and the media which spreads messages and fills one's thoughts. I do enjoy writing projects that make me think, especially those that I have to watch a video on first, and can rewatch to learn more. I am a visual learner and feel as if in doing this assignment my academic skills have improved. Because I had to rewatch part of the video over and over, I planned out my essay and organized more effectively. I took notes down as I watched and summarized, then as I planned out what to write I learned skills in critical thinking and tying my personal thoughts in with what I was told in the video. My, “my thoughts on Consumer Culture” helped me practice writing as well. I used my knowledge gained through the years of living as a part of society in order to have examples that tied back in with the video and assignment.
Artifact 5: Delancey Street Video Opinion
11/15/18
Delancey Street is not just any other foundation or organization, It is a self-help community that started off in San Francisco and branched out too much more. The government does not fund this program, that aims to help people get their wellness and life back together. The foundation includes a limousine service, restaurant, moving service, transit bus for elderly, and more. All these jobs are semester based so that the residents can learn and see what they're good at. Other skill set based jobs include finances and automotive. This program is non-profit and also expanded to now other countries. The members of the program are citizens once considered criminals, troubled, or less fortunate. They are given another chance ad apart of the Delaney Street Foundation for a much better life, that gives them a sense of safety and purpose. Those who hit rock bottom in their lives can be helped by the workers of Delaney Street who truly care about other humans. The new people who are brought into the Delane Street recruitments first needed to go through behavioral changes in their lives. In the adolescence of most of the required lives, they are in the pre-contemplation stage and don’t seek help from their troubled actions, eventually, they are in the contemplation process where they don’t like their actions and how they behave. The Delaney program helps those who are in preparation and are ready to work for the better. I would improve Delaney Street by making it more aware, I didn’t know about this program and didn’t know it was an option for people with troubled pasts. I had never heard of it, but am glad to see that it has grown all over California, but other states as well. programs such as Delancey Street and Homeboy Industries are created by selfless people who care about others and want to better their county along with spreading awareness and self-help.
MY GOALS AND OUTCOMES
General Goal: Improve college-level writing skills
(Specific Goals) - Make sure not to use abbreviations
- don't type as if I was having a conversation with someone in person
General Goal: Achieve an A or B grade in all classes
(Specific Goals) - I will do so by balancing my workload in every class and setting aside time for projects
- finish what's due first, then accomplish what's left.
General Goal: Become better at writing and spelling, along with grammar
(Specific Goals) - Using spell check and remembering how to spell words I don't know
- challenging myself by using new words as well
Final Semester Reflection
I have for the most part been able to make a not only mental note, but being able to check my ord for when the next assignment is due. Upcoming assignments where looked at after I finished my weeks worth of assignments, I peered into what would have to be done in the future. I learned new or newly discovered words that I used throughout the discussions and essays. I make sure to double check my spelling and not rely on spell check because sometimes it changed what I actually do mean to say. I typically made a rough draft of writing assignments with outlines so that I made sure to write on every topic and get every point across without leaving some part out.