Week 16: Final Thoughts

I will be honest.  I signed up for this course as a prerequisite for a nursing program.  At first, I questioned why I would need to take such a class to go into nursing.  I am always interested in learning about new people and places but I could not see the connection between sociology and the practice of medicine.  However, after taking this course I now see how important knowing about societies is.  Working in medicine, you come across people from all types of backgrounds.  Especially in an area as diverse as Northern Virginia, you need to appreciate where people come from.  People have different cultures, religions, and customs.  Many Middle Eastern women cannot be touched by a male doctor and many minorities from poor neighborhoods cannot afford health insurance.  Through this course I have gained a better understanding about the different places that people come from.  Globalization will only continue to put us all on paths that intersect and cross with others from around the world.  It is important to keep in mind how everything interacts so you can understand why things happen the way they do.  This course is not just helpful for medicine, but all fields.  If more people took this course I think that we could help many understand and appreciate all societies.  Maybe we could end a few stereotypes or prejudices.  I am glad I got to take this course, even though I may have just barely scratched the surface of all the complexities that make up societies.  I think that learning about sociology will make me a better nurse and a better person.

Week 16: Shift Happens

I think this video shows that the world is in for some major changes. However, I don't like the scare tactics.  China and India may be growing at a larger rate than  America but that means more competition for goods and probably a bigger gap among the wealthy and the poor.  With increased population comes a lot more work to take care of those people.  It is hard to make predictions for 50 years down the road because we do not know if current trends will continue.  Who can say that a computer will actually be able to compute more than the human race?  Who can say we would actually let something like that happen?  There are plenty of videos out there that will throw numbers and predictions at you but that is not important to me.  I want to know what changes we can make to improve life.  There is clearly a problem with education.  Our textbook made it clear that American children are constantly outperformed on math and reading tests.  If we are expecting to keep up with the growing world of technology then we need to figure out a solution.  If Nintendo can spend lots of money on research for development then so can the American government.  If everyone would get their minds away from making money we could start to make a real difference in the quality of life. 

We cannot deny that the world is going to continue to grow and we are all going to continue to interact with each other.  We need to start teaching about globalization and how that will affect us as we grow up.  We cannot teach children like we live in an American bubble that has nothing to do with the outside world.  We need to remain competitive and knowledgeable.  I believe that technology does improve our lives but we need to be careful of the consequences.  If we do not think about the future then we will end up making ourselves obsolete. 

I think that the future holds a lot of exciting prospects to make the world a better place.  I also think that it holds a lot of scary possibilities.  I just hope that we can all work together to make the world better for everyone, not just the powerful and rich.  Not all change is for the better.  If this video can show us what might happen if we continue down this road then we cannot say we were never warned.  If we know now what might happen then we need to start making changes to make sure our world starts down a new road towards positive progress.

Week 15: Suburban Life

I have grown up in mostly suburban areas.  I have definitely seen changes take place over the years.  I think that many of the changes that have taken place are in reponse to the population growth.  When I was younger, land was easier to find and houses were spaced further apart.  These days, neighborhoods are built very close together.  Roads are being widened all the time to accomodate more traffic.  Schools are also getting more overcrowded.  My schools had to make use of trailers to fit extra classes.  Every year more trailers were added until finally new schools had to be built.  Thankfully I have lived in middle class areas that could afford these changes.  In poorer areas they cannot afford new schools and so children are forced to learn in overcrowded classes with not enough materials.  Most of America is rural and not developed, so it still surprises me that people will continue to move to crowded suburbs and cities to be closer to everything.  There is not as much movement out west as I thought there would have been.  I have grown up in suburbs but I have still been close to cities.  There are some areas that I have seen improve and others that have gone downhill.  There are still "bad areas" of the cities with poor neighborhoods and high crime.  I agree with the textbook that the world cannot continue to support everyone at the rate we are going.  Only the wealthy can afford to make changes to make their lives better and the poor suffer. 

Week 14: Social Movements

After reading about social movements, it made me think of a book I was given as a gift last Christmas that I just started reading.  The book is called Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.  The book looks at the controversial topics of violence against women through forced prostitution and genital mutilation.  The book tells the stories of women all over the world who have suffered through these terrible experiences.  Having been part of an organization in college that presented about rape, I know the devastation these things can have on women.  Any woman will tell you that men and women cannot truly be equal until violence against women stops.  Even with all the progress we have made, women are still not considered to be equal to men.  I think Half the Sky is a call for these problems to be dealt with and taken seriously.  This book is a must read for everyone, men and women alike.  Women need to be empowered to stand up for themselves and men need to learn how to treat women.  This book contains a long list of organizations that exist all over the world to help women.  This is one social movement I would be glad to join.

Week 14: Who Has the Power

I would have to agree with C. Wright Mill that there is a power elite.  Power in the areas of politics, the economy, and even the military has shifted to those who hold status through wealth.  Most of these people are white, wealthy, and from good family backgrounds.  They have become the heads of major corporations and politicians.  It is not uncommon for the president or other officials to hang out with CEOs of companies.  These powerful people have control over society from the money they have.  When a large contribution is made to a certain politician, that politician may feel that they owe something to that donator.  I remember hearing on the news a few times over the years about shady dealing with campaign contributions.  They could easily be called a bribe if they didn't follow legal channels.  Politicians needs money to run for office.  If a corporation or other such wealthy person wants a particular agenda taken care of, they can donate lots of money to that politician.  If the politician does not follow along, that money can be taken away or they no longer have support.  Money is a very powerful tool these days, and if you have money you have a lot of power.

When it comes to areas other than politics, those who are wealthy still have the power.  And those with the power tend to come from similar backgrounds.  Like the textbook mentioned, those in positions of power come from backgrounds that are not representative of the general population.  They come from family money, are white, are men, and attended prestigious universities.  That type of person will most likely be the head of a major company and hold high positions in the government and military.  Power is very disproportionately distributed among a small group of people.

The majority of the population does not hold the power.  We have very little say over everything that happens with our government and even in the places we work.  We are not offen consulted by the head of our companies when big decisions are being made.  We do not get a vote when major bills are being passed through congress.  We elect people who we think would best represent our interests in the government but chances are they are in the power elite or they know people in the power elite and they can be influenced by them.  Interest groups can make their opinions known more than the general population but even they hold only so much influence.  Groups can lobby all they want, but when it comes down to it, if money is at stake the wealthy elite will usually have the last say.

Week 13: Is Wal-Mart Good for America?

I think there are pluses and minuses to Wal-Mart.  The pluses include creating jobs for Americans at the stores that they open and having low prices that most people can afford.  The minuses include hurting manufacturers by telling them how and what to sell and taking away factory jobs for many Americans in order to get cheaper goods overseas. 

I do not think that we can only blame Wal-Mart for these problems of leaving Americans without jobs because many other companies do the exact same thing.  I do not understand a lot about economics but I do understand that America is about producing goods that consumers want at competitive prices.  America has a higher minimum wage than other places.  Companies have to pay American workers more money.  That means that they have to charge consumers more for a product in order to make a profit.  That ultimately leads to giving those factory jobs to workers in other countries that take much lower wages.  For the standpoint of the company it makes more sense because they save on production, get to sell their products for less, sell more, and make a bigger profit.  However, we seem to forget who that really ends up hurting.  It ends up hurting Americans.  I would like to see a bigger push for things to be made in America.  Yes, that would mean paying a little more for a product but I know it would be quality and it would mean that someone in America has a job. 

It would be nice to see an American company get back its values to help Americans.  Everyone is so driven by profit that we forget to take care of our own first.  I do not think that we can place all the blame on Wal-Mart but it is the biggest retailer in America.  I think about all those jobs that Americans would have if they would bring factory jobs back here and it makes me sad that they are only concerned with making money.  There are plenty of companies out there that could hire American workers instead of foreign ones.  I think the good that Wal-Mart brings to America is outweighed by the negatives that it brings. 

Week 12: Domestic Division of Labor

I was not very surprised by this activity.  My mother was a stay at home mom for most of my life so she took on the tasks that are traditional female roles.  She cooked and cleaned, got us kids to school and sports, and mostly raised us.  My dad worked every day and since he commuted we did not see too much of him.  He was the breadwinner for the family and would do things around the house like fixing things and doing the yard work.  My family fits into the traditional type of family.  My mom did go back to work part time when I got older and some of the tasks could be given to us children.  We helped with meals and laundry when she went back to work but she still took on the majority of the house work.  My dad helped when needed but was content to leave certain things to my mom.  I don't think that my mom ever resented the work she did but it may have been different had she worked full time since I was young.  I think it would be different for families with two working parents.  In that case work should be split evenly with everyone helping in areas that need help.  I think if one parent works less, whether it be the man or woman, they may be expected to do more at home to balance out.  I think each family works differently and they need to find a system that works for them.  If a woman is happy being a homemaker then no one should tell her she needs to work.  If both parents work and divide tasks up a certain way then no one should tell them to change those roles.  I don't think it should be expected of a man or woman to fill a certain role or to perform certain duties.  I support equality in the home in the sense that everyone plays a part and everyone is content with the role they have.

Week 11: Religion

I do not believe that the world as a whole is secularizing.  If you look at the bigger picture most of the world still identifies with a religion even if they may not be active participants.  There are still governments that are greatly influenced by religious groups, mostly in the Middle East.  Even in countries like the United States where there is supposed to be a separation of church and state you see religion pop into society through things like the Pledge of Allegiance.  Prayers are still said at various meetings and events.  I do think that there are plenty of people who wish to not have any religious references in any part of daily life.  Those are the kind of people who fight the word 'God' in the Pledge of Allegiance or who do not want their children to have to be exposed to religion.  I do not see the harm in talking about God or saying a prayer.  When you look at someone's individual life people may think that the world is secularizing.  There tends to be a decline in church-going when one reaches their early twenties.  I admit I am a part of that group.  I am Catholic and attended church every week with my family when I was younger.  However, when I went away to college I found that I did not have my mother telling me to go and I was very busy with school work and activities and such.  Young people are still trying to find themselves and figure out their lives so I think that religion takes a backseat until they have their own children and then they return to church to instill the faith in their children.  Just because people may not actively participate in a faith does not mean that they do not believe or that the values of that faith are not practiced in their daily lives.  I do think that we should try and keep religion and government separate.  I feel that religious governments isolate people of other faiths too easily.  Religion is still a huge part of the world and I do not see it going anywhere anytime soon.

Week 10: Race and Ethnicity

There have been a few dark times in America's history, including slavery.  The interment of Japanese Americans during World War 2 is another time.  With no credible intelligence to suggest that the Japanese in America had anything to do with the attacks on Pearl Harbor they were taken away from their lives and placed in camps.  I don't think that something like this could happen again.  I do not think the government could get away with taking a whole group of people and putting them into camps.  However, after 9/11 people from the Middle East were targeted during airport searches.  I think when attacks happen there is an air of panic and people do not know what to do.  I think that the government made a poor choice by taking out their fear on other Japanese Americans but I understand the situation they were in.  People wanted justice and the government did not know what to do.  The government took too much time to apologize to those they imprisoned and they made too little effort to help them replace the lives they had to leave.  Reading the website taught me that there are still lingering effects on the Japanese people that were imprisoned.  Hopefully we never have to deal with something like this again.

Week 9: Gender Inequality

I think that gender identity is more socially constructed than biological.  If biology played a major role than we would expect to find men and women's roles similar everywhere.  However, that is not the case.  In different cultures all over the world we see that some societies have similar roles for men and women and some, like America, have very different roles.  Based on how males and females are perceived in a society, the society socially constructs gender roles.  We see every day how babies are introduced to social roles in America.  Girls wear pink and play with dolls, boys wear blue and play with trucks.  Parents reinforce children who follow what is expected of them and are punished when they do not follow those roles. 

What is harder to explain would be homosexuals.  I believe that homosexuality is biology based and many homosexuals go against social norms for gender.  They have a hard time being who they are and dealing with the problems that society has with them.  I think that gays and lesbians go through a different gender construction.  They cannot follow the majority of society and so I think that they turn to each other to learn roles. 

Week 8: Global Inequality

Like the podcast asked, why should we care about global inequality?  It may be easy to say that global inequality does not matter so much to us in the United States because we are so high on the income scale and most of us enjoy comfortable lifestyles.  However, to someone in a low income country like most of Africa, global inequality would be a big deal.  Low income countries strive to build their economies and may strive to be like the United States or western Europe.  They face a lot of challenges though.  Global inequality is something those countries struggle with every day.  We may not see the impact of the inequality in our lives in obvious ways, but it does affect us.

Many of our jobs here in America are outsourced to other countries because those countries will work for far less wages.  That has an impact on unemployment rates and therefore poverty rates in the United States.  America gets many products from other countries because they may be cheaper.  Because we depend so much on these exports, the prices can change a lot.  These other countries that control the production of things we want can change their prices, which in turn makes us pay more.  Global inequality also affects what we are able to sell.  The low income countries cannot afford our products and we lose business because of that.  If global inequality were to diminish and those low income countries were to see an increase in their economy we could start new business with them.

Not only should we care about global inequality because of business reasons, but also moral reasons.  Global inequality means that low income countries do not have access to health care or education.  They cannot afford the means to live a minimally necessary lifestyle.  Children starve and die of diseases they should not die from.  If these countries had a chance to learn from schooling they could make something of themselves and help their countries to improve.  Children would not have to die and quality of life would improve.  These sorts of problems may not affect us directly here in America but I feel that we as a high income and privileged country should aid those other countries in some way so that we can all benefit from less global inequality.

Week 7: Social Class in the US

I think that social class still very much matters today.  It may not be something that we express very often or are obvious about it these days but class still plays a role in our behavior.  A few decades ago class was very important.  The rich looked down at the poor people and had no problem expressing their disdain for them.  Today it would be seen as more rude to outwardly talk about not liking people of a lower class.  People may see you as stuck up or snobby.  Also, today we have a lot more classes than existed years ago.  People who are not in the upper class can still enjoy a comfortable lifestyle and there are those in the upper class who use their money for good causes to help those less fortunate.

I think that class shapes society, although not as much as before.  We have a lot more opportunities for upward mobility.  However, as shown on the website People Like Us, each person stuggles individually with their class.  Some people have a harder time moving up classes when they began in a lower one.  When people move down classes by choice or not they are looked down upon by the class they once belonged to.  I think the way people treat different classes can be blatant (especially from the upper class to the lower class) but a lot of the interaction that takes place on a daily level is more subtle.  Think about the movie Pretty Woman.  When Julia Roberts goes into that pricey store in her revealing dress she is asked to look elsewhere for clothes.  I have seen the looks that poorer looking people get when they walk into nice stores.  They are followed by the sales associates because they may steal something.  How many of us avoid homeless people when we walk through cities?  We may not say anything outloud, but we cannot help but think about these class differences.

I think that class still matters a lot in today's society.  We may not be as vocal about it and we may have more opportunities for upward movement, but we can't deny that class separates us from other people.

Week 6: Social Connections

With all the advances in technology we are able to do some pretty amazing things.  We can learn about anything from Google, we have the internet on our phones, and we can video chat with someone on the other side of the planet.  According to our textbook Americans use the most internet.  I assume that this is why some people are worried that Americans are becoming more isolated.  I do not understand why they say that only Americans are becoming isolated.  Almost everywhere you go there is internet access.  America does not have some amazing technology that no one else has.  I do believe that we are becoming more isolated because of all this new technology but I do not believe that it is only America, it is everywhere.

I have to agree a little bit with George Ritzer that life is becoming less personal.  We no longer talk to bank tellers when we can get cash and make deposits with an ATM.  We no longer have to go to the mall to shop because we can do it online.  And unfortunately when we want some customer service on the phone we have to wait an hour on hold and press ten different options just to speak to a human being.  Some of us don't even have to go into work because we can do it from home.  I think that face to face interaction is becoming more and more obsolete.  In this sense I do believe that we as a society, not just Americans, are becoming isolated because of technology.

On the other hand, technology has given us some opportunities that we otherwise would not have.  If a group of young school children cannot afford to take a field trip to China they have the internet to learn all about it.  They can see pictures, movies, learn the language, culture, and cuisine of a place they would not be able to visit in person.  Technology has allowed us to be in contact with people all over the world without having to take the time and money to go there ourselves. 

I believe that technology has given us some great opportunities to be connected to people all over the world.  It offers us covenience and speed.  However, with all this great technology we cannot forget the importance of human interaction.

Week 5: Criminal Justice System

I think there are many ways in which the criminal justice system could be improved.  I believe that we just put criminals into prison hoping that if they spend enough time in there they will mend their ways and become productive members of society.  That is just not the case.  Many prisoners leave prison only to come right back. When it comes to serious and violent crimes I definitely feel we should give harsh sentences to prisoners to keep them off the streets because they pose a danger to others around them.  Because of prison over crowding it is hard and expensive to keep people in prison.  If tax payers are going to pay for these prisoners then I think we should all have an interest in actually working with these criminals to help them become better people.  Unfortunately I think the prison system is so concerned with keeping order in prisons and getting prisoners out so they have more room is taking precedent.

For criminals that are involved in less serious and non-violent crimes I do not know if long prisons sentences are necessary.  These people need help.  We should use the time we have while they are in prison to focus on helping them see their errors and becoming better people.  This would involve drug treatment for drug users, therapy for prisoners with troubles pasts, and treatment programs for people who have problems like sex addiction.  If we are doing nothing to help these prisoners then we are just wasting out money because when they get out they will have learned nothing and they will commit crimes again.  Prison should be a time of reflection and rehabilitation.  We could help criminals get educated like the female prison in the film we watched.  We could also help these criminals get jobs once they leave prison instead of sending them straight back to the streets.  There is room for much improvement in the criminal justice system.

Week 4: Nature vs. Nurture

When it comes to the nature vs. nurture debate I tend to adopt a combination theory.  I know that some aspects of people can be determined mostly by nature while others can be mostly by nurture.  However, I believe that most behaviors and the whole socialization process children go through is a combination of nature and nurture.

Certain conditions, such as nearsightedness have been found to be mostly genetic (Berger, 2008).  Twin studies are very often utilized to show whether something is genetic or not.  In the case of nearsightedness, if one twin has it the other twin almost certainly has it as well.  This shows strong evidence that nearsightedness is nature based.

However, when it comes to the issue of socialization, one cannot help but conceed to the fact that the process is very nurture based.  The word socialization is based on society, which nurtures people to be certain things.  I believe that people are born with dispositions to behave in certain ways and society can either encourage this or change this.  A child's temperament is their inclination to be a certain way, such as an introvert or extrovert.  With socialization, or nurture, this child's temperament can be shaped into their personality.  A child whose temperament includes being an introvert can change into being more of an extrovert if their parents put them into new situations and help them become engaged in various activities to meet many new people. 

When it comes to gender my same ideas apply.  I believe that males and females are born with dispositions to behave a certain way and society encourages those behaviors so that girls act like girls and boys act like boys.  I do not agree with Freud's focus on the penis.  Young children are barely aware of who they are, let alone worried about having a penis or not.  During socialization I feel that parents, other children, and the media all shape children to either continue their inclinations to be a certain way or change them.

Berger, K. (2008).  The developing person through the life span (7^th ed.).  New York: Worth Publishers.

Week 3: BBC Sketch

I couldn't help but laugh when I watched this sketch.  This sketch definitely embodies what other countries think about America.  The fact that the song only consisted of the words 'America' and 'the states' says it all.  Other countries see us as self-absorbed and conceited.  The song is making fun of America and that is why the audience found it so funny.  The American singer is portrayed as grungy.  The British see America as unproper.  The ending was representative of other countries wanting to shut us up because we like to sing our own praises all the time.

I did not take offense to this video.  Plently of countries make fun of America for being full of themselves.  America makes fun of other countries too.  I think we just need to take this video for what it's worth-a good laugh.

Week 2: Stanford Prison Experiment

I feel that the Stanford Prison experiment began ethically.  Each participant signed a consent form before entering the experiment.  Unfortunately we do not know if the participants were informed of all possible physical and emotional stress that could occur.  I do not believe that the experiment controllers had any idea how intense things would get when they started this experiment.  As the experiment progressed it became clear quickly that the participants were taking their roles very seriously.  In one interview I watched, Philip Zimbardo had to step in and remove one prisoner because he was becoming very emotionally disturbed.  When the controllers tried to remove him the participant did not want to leave, thinking he had to finish what he started.  These prisoners actually began to believe that they were in jail.  Once the controllers began to notice that the participants were having real emotional stress from the experiment it should have stopped.  I feel that the experiment quickly became unethical because it was not stopped sooner.  I feel that the controllers let the experiment go on too long.  I saw some interviews of the participants after the experiment and they still seemed to be having some effects.  I do not know if those participants were followed for some time after the experiment ended but I would be interested to know if they suffered any lasting effects.

Week 1: Introduction

Hello all, my name is Shawn and I am a 25 year old female living in Northern Virginia.  I graduated from UVA in 2008 with a BS in biology and a BA in psychology.  The year after graduation I worked as a kindergarten teacher at a private child care center teaching math and science.  I definitely learned a lot about kids.  For the past couple years I have been working as a medical assistant in various specialties.  I have worked in ophthalmology, dermatology, and currently internal medicine.  My goal is to attend medical school.  I am also looking into doing an accelerated nursing program and I am taking this course as a prerequisite. 

I took a sociology course in college about popular culture which was very interesting so I am looking forward to getting a broader knowledge base about various aspects of sociology.

In between working and taking courses at NOVA I do not have a lot of spare time but I love to read.  I also like to hang out with friends as often as possible.  I like finding new activities to do (like the wine festival I will be attending this weekend!).  I am currently training for the Disney World marathon next January so don't be surprised if you hear me complaining in future posts about how tired I am and how much my legs hurt.

Some of my random favorite things: my favorite color is green, my favorite candy bar is Twix, one of my favorite smells is freshly cut grass, one of my favorite sounds is stepping on crunchy leaves in the fall, and my favorite artist is Van Gogh.  I feel like I'm filling out a Match.com profile :-)

I am excited to get to know everyone else in the class and to read everyone's thoughts on issues.  I am sure we will have a lot of interesting opinions on topics.  Good luck to everyone in the course!