Marriage: an institutional agreement between persons to publicly recognize social & intimate bonds. William Stevens Socially legitimate sexual union Begun with a public announcement Undertaken with some idea of permanence Assumed with a more or less explicit marriage contract that, spells out reciprocal obligations between spouses & their children. Functions across all cultures Regulation of Sexual Behavior Incest taboo Reproducing & Socializing Children Socialization: the process by which people learn the rules, expectations, & culture of the society. Property & inheritance Monogamy Economic cooperation
Social Placement, Status, & Roles Care, Warmth, Protection, & Intimacy Social Structure: stable framework of social relationships that guides our interactions with others. Micro-level: Focus on the individual & his or her interactions in specific settings. Personal choices Behaviors Feelings Communication Decisions Constraints Values Macro-level: focus on the interconnectedness of marriage, families, & intimate relationships with the rest of society. Social institution: major sphere of social life, with a set of beliefs & rules that is organized to meet basic human needs. Economy Political system
Dominant religion Culture History Power/inequality Social status Status: the social position that a person occupies. Sex Race Ethnicity social class Social movements & social change Master status: the major defining status or statuses that a person occupies. Human agency: the ability of human beings to create viable lives when they are constrained or limited by social forces. Marriage Patterns Monogamy: marriage between one man & one woman Polygamy: a system that allows for more than one spouse at a time. Gender unspecified Polygyny: the marriage pattern in which husbands can have more than one wife.
The Essay on Marriage Is Human Rights Regardless of Sex
Marriage is Human Rights Regardless of Sex Same-sex marriage is becoming a social phenomenon around the world. This kind of marriage first appeared in the twenty-first century when an increasing number of countries and states amended marriage law to allow same-sex couple getting married legally. Additionally, starting from the late twentieth century there has been a growing number of movements to ...
Most common Legal in some regions Polyandry: the marriage pattern in which wives are allowed to have more than one husband. Rare Harsh environmental conditions Patterns of Authority Patriarchy: a form of social organization in which the norm or expectation is that men have the natural right to be in positions of authority over women. Matriarchy: a form of social organization in which the norm or expectation is that the power & authority in society should be vested in women. Egalitarian: the expectation that power & authority are vested in both men & women, equally. Patterns of Descent
Bilateral: descent that can be traced through both male & female sides of the family. Patrilineal: a descent pattern where lineage is traced exclusively/primarily through the man’s family line. Matrilineal: a descent pattern where lineage is traced exclusively/primarily within women’s families. Residence Patterns Neolocal: the expectation that a newly married couple establishes a residence & lives there independently. Most common in the U. S. Patrilocal: the expectation that a newly married couple will live with the husbands family. Matrilocal: the expectation that a newly married couple will live with the family of the wife.
History of family life in the U. S. (Family trends) Family life in Colonial America: European Colonists Cornerstone of society: Family & Marriage Businesses Central focus of economic production Self-sufficient households Schools Formal schooling rare Parental education Churches Family prayed together Located far away Correctional institutions Jails rare Health & social Welfare institutions Nuclear families: family comprised of adults & their children Most common Extended families: family comprised of parents, children, & other relatives such as grandparents. Exception or more children servants & slaves Colonial America: African Americans & Slavery Industrialization, Urbanization, & Immigration Changed family life in the U. S. 19th-20th century Industrialization Transformed system From small family farms to large urban industries. Work Away from home Urbanization Moving from rural areas/farms to urban areas. In search of jobs Dispersed extended families Vast distances Couldn’t communicate every day Immigration People from Europe & Asia came to U. S. Hopes of better life Cheap labor Fueled industrialization 1830-1930: 30 million immigrants alf workers in industrial settings were immigrants The Poor & Working Class Middle & Upper Class The Rise of the “Modern” Family – The 20th Century Major Events Depression Hardships Unemployment Poverty Homelessness World Wars Separated families Men injured/killed WWII Women in labor market Technological innovation Automobile Suburban residential patterns Move into cities Kitchen appliances Companionate family: a marriage based on mutual affection, sexual attraction, compatibility, & personal happiness. Domesticity “MRS. Degree” Average marriage aged dropped Birth rate increased Families Today
The Research paper on Learning on the School Bus & Vygotsky’s Social Learning Theory
Brief Summary “Why are Students Not Learning on the School Bus?” provides alternative, non-traditional methods of teaching students. The author, Keshia L. Gaines, Ph.D. offers ground-breaking techniques to expand areas for learning opportunities. Research has shown that academic achievement is related to the amount of time a student is engaged in learning. Also, school schedules do not highlight ...
Never isolated from outside event & the social structure in which they live. Shifted to lower-paying jobs Service sector Difficult to support family on one income Women back into labor market Full time Social inequality increasing Rich/poor Middle/lower-income classes Stagnant/decline Temporary jobs Divorce rate increasing Purchasing power Declined Unaffordable housing costs The Importance of Social Science Theory & Research (Family Research) Empirical approach: an approach that answers questions through a systematic collection & analysis of data. Describe Examine factors that predict or are associated with
Explain the cause-and-effect relationships Examine the meanings & interpretations Example: because of research, we know that violence among intimates is a serious and pervasive social problem. Survey: a form of research that gathers information about attitudes or behaviors through the answers that people give to questions. Random Sample: A sample in which every “person of interest” has an equal chance of being selected into your research study. In-depth interview: a research method that allows an interviewer to obtain detailed responses to questions. Experiment: a controlled method for determining cause & effect.
The Term Paper on Is There One Right Way To Conduct Social Research?
When undertaking Social research there are two most commonly used methods: quantitative and qualitative; There is often a great divide between the users of qualitative and quantitative methods of research. Put simply, quantitative research uses mathematical principals and it is statistical, therefore it is often viewed as more reliable and valid. On the other hand there is qualitative research ...
Focus group: a small interview of people who are brought together to discuss a particular topic. Observational study: research method that goes into the natural setting & observes people in action. Secondary analysis: a research method in which the data were collected for some other purpose but still are useful to the researcher. Quantitative research: research that focuses on data that can be measured numerically. Qualitative research: narrative description with words rather than numbers to analyze patterns & their underlying meanings. Theory: a general framework, explanation, or tool used to understand & describe the real world.
Structural Functionalism Theory: attempts to determine the structure, systems, functions, & equilibrium of social situations. Conflict theory: emphasizes issues surrounding social inequality, power, conflict, & social change. Feminist theory: a theory which gender is seen as the central concept for explaining family structure & family dynamics. Social exchange theory: draws upon a model of human behavior used by many economists. It assumes that individuals are rational beings, & their behaviors reflects decisions evaluated on the basis of costs-both direct & opportunity costs-& benefits.
Symbolic interaction theory: emphasizes the symbols we use in everyday interaction-words, gestures, appearances-& how these are interpreted. Developmental theory: suggests families, & individual family members, go through distinct stages over time, with each stage having its own set of tasks, roles, & responsibilities. Systems theory: proposes that a family system-the family members & the roles that they play-is larger than the sum of its individual members. Chapter 2: Social Status: Sex, Gender, Race, Ethnicity, & Social Class Social Stratification: The hierarchal ranking of categories of people within society.
The Essay on Gender Class And Race Stereotypes In American Television
Gender, Class, and Race Stereotypes in American Television A Content Analysis Gender, class, and race stereotypes abound in contemporary society, much like they have done throughout human history. With the advent of television, however, stereotypical assumptions have become so pervasive, and so diffused, that some call for a serious and purposeful scrutiny of television's contents. On the ...
Sociological imagination: the recognition that our personal experiences are, in large part, shaped by forces within the larger society. Sex & Gender Differences Sex: biological differences between men & women, & their role in reproduction. Gender: culturally & socially constructed differences between males & females found in the meanings, beliefs, & practices associated with “femininity” & “masculinity”. Androgyny: processing both masculine & feminine traits in near equal proportion. Gender Learning Gender socialization: teaching the cultural norms associated with being male or female.
Agents of socialization: the primary groups responsible for gender socialization. Hidden curriculum: gender socialization which is taught informally in school. Gender’s Influence on Our family & close relationships: Division of Household labor Women’s work Household labor Do 2 to 3 times the amount than men Childcare Society “essential nature” Race & Ethnicity Race: a category describing people who share real or perceived physical traits that society deems socially significant, such as skin color. Ethnicity: shared cultural characteristics, such as language, place of origin, dress, food, religion, & other values.
Ethnic group: a group of people who share specific cultural features. Minority groups: a category of people who have less power than the dominant group, & who are subject to unequal treatment. Prejudice & Discrimination: Pervasive Problems Social capital: Social networking connections, which can be a valuable source of information, such as a resource for job leads. Prejudice: a negative attitude about members of selected recial & ethnic groups. Stereotypes: oversimplified sets of beliefs about a group of people. Discrimination: Behaviors, actions, or practices based on racial or ethnic preferences that have harmful impacts. Individual
The Essay on Social And Cultural Theories Of Poverty: Community Practices And Social Change
The major theme of the readings was postcolonial culture in different part of the world. The readings depict the struggle of the minority people and women in the society. From all the readings, it is evident that oppression and discrimination of the minority groups and women is prevalent even in the current society. Hence, the readings are present reflection of the past. The different readings use ...
Institutional Social Class Social Class: a social position based primarily on income & wealth, but occupational prestige & educational level may be relevant as well. Boundaries are theoretically open SES: Some combination of education, occupation, & income. The Upper Class Most powerful Influence on Economy Tremendous Average income $1,200,000 per year “old money”/”blue bloods” Social register “New money” Not a lot of mixing in social classes The Upper Middle Class 15-20% of population physicians, dentists, lawyers, etc. $100,000-$200,000 per year local political affairs Value education The Middle Class $40,000-$100,000 per year 0% of population distinct set of values prioritize security at home & at work white collar jobs highly skilled blue collar The Working Class $20,000-$40,000 factory/custodial plan carefully to pay monthly bills insecure The Working Poor 15% of population minimum wage jobs $20,000 No health insurance The Underclass 3-5% of population Social Mobility: Movement from one social class to another. Poverty Poverty guidelines: guidelines established in 1964 as a way to measure the number of people living in poverty; based on a thrifty food budget, multiplied by three. “poverty line” Who is poor? 43. 6 million people/14. 3 % 2009 1% of children 1 in 5 Children, blacks, Hispanics, & female-headed households are most vulnerable. Age Children under 18: 20. 7% Race Black: 25. 8% Hispanic: 25. 3% Family type Female-Headed: 29. 9% Consequences of poverty Inadequate health/nutrition Quality of the home environment Parental stress/mental health Fewer resources for learning Housing problems Poor-quality neighborhoods Chapter 3: Building Relationships Singlehood Voluntary temporary singles: unmarried adults who may be delaying marriage while pursuing education or establishing a career. Voluntary stable singles: unmarried adults desiring a single/unmarried lifestyle.
Involuntary temporary singles: singles actively searching for a mate but unable to find a suitable one. Involuntary stable singles: Unmarried adults who can expect to be single for life though they may not want to be. Differentiate Urbanization from Industrialization Immigration – coming to America Chapter 1: page 17-18 * Acc. to U. S. Department of Justice making unwanted phone calls, following a person – stalking Chapter 4: page 116 Know 8 discussion questions A lot of questions on attachment Attachment: Chapter 4: Page 97 What group is most likely to live in poverty Chapter 2: Poverty, page 61 “Who is Poor? ” Men vs.
The Essay on Class Rigidity and Social Mobility
In late eighteenth and early nineteenth century England there was a sort of moral ‘code’ of behavior and standards that are to be maintained by the middle and upper classes of society. Austen realistically mirrors this ‘code’ through the characters and plots of her novels while showing that social flexibility was narrow and class boundaries were strict. The topics of class stringency and social ...
