Lesson 8 - Social Class and Inequality

Social reproduction is shown above in the two photos, one of my father in high school in his football uniform and one of my brother in his high school football picture.  They are in the same social class and my brother took after my dad and played football just like him and has followed in his athletic footsteps and his athletic and hard working abilities.

The social stratification seen in this car is that the owner of this car is higher class man who has money and has the wealth to be able to own nice, expensive things like this.  His rank has influenced the way he purchases his things.

This is a photo of college students trying to get a degree so they can at least maintain the middle status they were most likely born into.  They are trying to get this degree because that is how they have been brought up and to be successful later in life.

Lower class workers include those who are getting paid to clean up after anyone else.  They typically have lower levels of education and make up 20% of the US population.

Meritocracy is presented here because the harder I work and the longer I work the more I will get paid. I am rewarded for all the work I put in and get the money that I work for.

Lesson 2 - Theories and Theorists

The disenchantment that is happening among this world is coming quick.  Everything is being dehumanized to provide a more efficient way of getting the job done, and not having to pay as many people a reoccurring paycheck.

This is an example of positivism because if one can believe this is real and the depth of the image is real that their perception is the only valid thing they know by simply looking at the image.  

This picture of people paying at a Target cash register  is an example of organic solidarity because it is a type of social bond based on a division of labor.  The women at the register is allowing the customers to buy the merchandise they want and they are given the right to do so.

The means of production are heavily backed by money.  Money is the drive to get a lot of things done, the more things are to get the more money can be collected.  

There are different structures that have different social institutions that make up society.  This school, is its own structure that has its own small society within it.

Lesson 3 - Sociological Research Methods

This is a face-to-face interview that is being held is in a baseball dugout.  My boss (left) is talking to C.J. Wilson (right) and trying to get some baseball tips to tell all the baseball teams that he manages.  He wants to be able to give them the best bit of information that Wilson had to say.

Surveys gather the answers to questions unanimously.  It allows for a large number of people to answer the questions and also to get a majority answer from the large group.

Close ended questions, like asking someone to formal, only really allow for a short, quick, definite answer.  The person asking the question is not looking for a reason or an explanation and just wants their answer.

This independent variable is being used to see if studying helps when you are taking a test.  If going over the information helps the test taker.  The flashcards are the form of studying and the overall result of the experiment will give the researcher quantitative data.

There is usually existing data you can gather before starting any experiment.  You may want to just gather the information just to compare or to give you a guideline to how everything should go.  There are many important thing you can get from existing sources.

Lesson 1 - What is Sociology?

Society is a larger group of people who all share similar things in their lives which allows them to shape their own lives based off those around them. Within each society smaller groups can be formed once they figure out more things they may be compatible with.

Sociology is the study of human behavior and in this picture the behavior being shown is people driving cars, but they are both staying on the right side of the road, in the directions they are going so they do not crash.

One can use macrosociology to look at this image and notice that near the bottom of the image there is not as many big buildings and there are more open spaces.  Then you travel up the image and towards the middle there is the New York City skyline, where you can tell is a much different atmosphere than the bottom of the image because the air is clear and it is less crowded.

Social construction is shown by how parents choose their child's name.  They often think of names that they hear most often and will usually automatically take them off the list.  There thought is to give their child a unique name so they will go with something different, but they are not the only ones so they often then run into a child about the same age with the same name.

Quantitative research is shown in numbers.  This label shows the research that was done to find out the amount of each of these factors are in this food item.

Lesson 6 - Life in Groups

This triad, three person group of friends are all very close and are able to are friendships with each other are very strong.  If anything were to ever happen between two of us we would rely on the third to help out and clear everything up.

This strong dyad, is made by a pair of friends who are extremely close to one another.  The only downfall is sometimes miscommunications can happen or something can go wrong, and before the matter is able to be resolved it takes time to get to terms again to be able to talk about it.

This group is a reference group that is able to be compared to by others.  These four get along very well for not previously knowing each other and they are the best of friends and when the rare occasion comes where they have to solve and issue it is resolved in no time without any difficulties.

These four girls are simply a group.  They are great friends who all were captains of their high school soccer team.  They were all able to identify with each other because they were all placed in this role to be a leader of their team.

This is an in-group that I belong to.  These people are some of my best friends and I tell them everything they need to know.  They are always there for me so I do my best to do the same thing back to them.  

Lesson 11 - Family and Life at Home

Remembering and celebrating birthdays to someone who is a relative is a expressive task and is an emotional work necessary to support family members.  The family member will gain a lot of unannounced satisfaction that will allow for a happier mind.

Only marrying one person at a time is considered monogamy.  It is the only form of marriage in modern western culture and is practiced by many.

A nuclear family is a common form of family.  This form of family consists of a father, a mother, and their biological children.

As viewed by structural functionalism, family is one of the basic institutions keeping society constantly running smoothly.  Families produce and socialize children.

Extended family includes the lest few generations of a family, and in this case its two generations.  This includes a generation, who are all parents, with children who are surrounded by brother, sister, and cousins.

Lesson 12 - Popular Culture

Taste can be one's preference to anything from food to thoughts and ideas.  In this case it is about his thoughts on music.  He likes to listen to music by A Day To Remember (ADTR).  His shirt is how he is able to express his taste to society.

Coffee is coffee, no matter where one gets coffee it is still coffee. Similar to many other products around the world.  Although it is all pretty much the same brand names are what create great success for some companies and some products.  For example, Starbucks just has a great variety of coffee and a large name for themselves so they continue to do well.

Authenticity exists here within the design on the pillow.  It is not everyday one will see a pillow with multiple cute animals on it surrounded by Christmas decor.  This idea and design were both original, giving it its authenticity. 

iPhones and other apple products are examples of popular culture created by companies on markets worldwide to make a large profit.  They serve as entertainment to many and are very useful to the consumer.

Consumerism gives one the believes that they need what they do not have.  It may or may not actually be needed but it is definitely wanted and desired.  This car for example may not be needed but at that moment I have felt like I need to at least drive a nice old car.

Lesson 5 - Socialization

The two phases of self can be very different.  The "me" (left) is the self that is seen by everyone because it is thought about before being shown.  On the other hand, the "I" (right) is not thought about as much, if at all, and the action is done.

Family is one of the most important agent of socialization.  Family allows for the basic, yet extremely significant norms and values to be taught.  These norms and values are necessary to know for the rest of one's life.

Emotion work is being displayed here by Lindsay (far right) because she was very sad that this night may have been her last night to see many of her peers.  Graduation is a time of celebration, and it is thought as a great success, where many pictures will be taken to capture the moment.  Meanwhile she was very depressed and was crying most of the night but because she was still asked to be in pictures she put a smile on her face and looked excited.

Peers allow for an individual to learn many different social skills quickly and easily.  While placed in a group, the peers will expose the individual to many different social skills and they will be remembered and used much more than other social skills that may also have been taught to them.

Mass media plays a large role in socialization.  It has the capability of winning over all the viewers.  There could be very few viewers or many, many viewers.  Mass media is able to influence the lives of those within a society very easily.  For example this Starbucks ad presented as an email to many Starbucks customers.

Lesson 10 - Sex and Gender

Gender role socialization is learning how to either be masculine or feminine.  In this case the gender roles are being played out perfectly.  The male is showing the women clinging to his arm the way and leading her.  She is nicely following his lead and is depending on him to lead her in the right direction.

This sign refers to sex as of the two biological categories.  The categories are male and female, and the signs are to depict the different sexes easily by a simple look at the sign.

Gender role socialization is shown in media stereotypically and most often time show a male and a female together.  The two opposite sexes are generally showed together because the majority of society views that one sex should be with the opposite sex.

Sexual orientation deals with whatever sex one sex may be attracted to.  Here, the sexual orientation being shown by both individuals is heterosexual.  They are both attracted to the opposite sex and they each of them are opposite sexes.

Gender is the behavioral personality traits that a group considers normal for males and females.  A male being boyish and loving a female is considered normal because it is boyish, or manly to do.

Lesson 9 - Race and Ethnicity

Race is shown here by two males who both have black skin so they would be classified in a specific group based of the color of their skin.  Nothing else will put them in this defined category other than the biological difference than the majority population.

Cultural assimilation is being shown here while a non-Asian has adopted a material cultural object.  Chopsticks are thought to be only used by Asians but are adopted by the rest of the population.

These boys are not from Hawaii, they are from California, but when take to Hawaii they act as if the are Hawaiian for the few days they are over there.  They put on flower leis and make Hawaiian gestures.  These guys are an example of how some people use symbolic ethnicity to have a good time.

Racism is displayed here because stereotypically society believes that all Asians are super smart.  If it is true or not, the stereotype looks as if to be true by this Asian's Halloween costume and may be seen as racist to people.

My friend Krishan and I are very good friends, and in being such close friends we are showing pluralism.  Together we are encouraging ethnic variation within a society.