I became interested in Sociology because I am a Psychology Major. A number of the Social Sciences interest me, but I chose Psychology because of the opportunities I believed it held and my interest in the human brain. Learning about Sociology has shown me the connections that it has to Psychology. I love the idea of looking at society and being able to categorize it and look at how we form the different cultures, classes, and other aspects of society.
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Psychology and Sociology
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"Whatever sociology may be, it is the result of constantly asking the question, what is the meaning of this?" - C. Wright Mills
I chose Chapter Nine because in high school I took a social justice class and a lot of the elements about that class were present in Global Stratification. The article that I provided talks a lot how oil companies exploit third world countries. The image that I presented is one that is similar to that in the book. It gives an insight about war and terrorism that is due to the consequences of global stratification.In the video I used it is very powerful. The video looks at how different people are affected by some of the consequences of global stratification and mostly the aspect of poverty.
The links that I used were guided outlines to many of the theories of global stratification. The first one focuses on dependency and modernization theories. The next link provides information on the modernization and dependency theories. The poem I found is one by Matthew Timmons who describes the exploitation of other countries, and how we remain in the society that exploits other countries that are below us in global stratification.
This link is from a textbook on the chapter of deviance and crime. It outlines the nature and theories of deviance and crime and the criminal justice system.
Chapter Seven deals with deviance and crime. I chose this chapter because I think that the way our corporate system is now that we have a lot of elite crime. There is also much crime in the other classes, and it affects everyone. I start out with looking at elite crime, with an article about the battle against white-collar crime. The image I used says deviance, a way to make daddy mad. The picture depicts someone who is far from what society would deem normal, due to his many piercings.
The video I used provides helpful information about organized crime, which was a component of Chapter Seven. The links I used provide insight from criminologists and how they deviance and its connection with crime. The second link I used talks about the criminal justice system, which was a component of the chapter. I used the song “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi because he describes participating in several deviant behaviors, such as drinking and driving, and smoking marijuana.
This link provides a helpful outline about social stratification. It also gives good definitions about class systems and the theories associated with social stratification. http://wps.prenhall.com/ca_ph_macionis_sociology_5/23/6031/1544046.cw/index.html
This link provides a pluthera of information about poverty in America. The site homepage provides several reasons as to why America remains in poverty currently. http://povertyinamerica.mit.edu/
Chapter Eight discusses Social Class and Social Stratification and I chose it because I like to apply it to my own life and determine what class I am in. The article that I used looks at achievement in relation to the cultural dimensions of social stratification. It relates to the chapter because it focuses on status achievement. The image I used reminds me of social mobility, and how the middle class is slowly depleting. There is a wider gap between the lower and elite class. The video I used describes the American dream, which is a major component of social mobility.
The links I provided give outlines on social stratification. It gives helpful definitions about the theories that are associated with social stratification. It also gives helpful examples of class systems that exist in the world. The second link I used describes a lot of the poverty that occurs in America. The lyrics I used are the "Grind Date" by De La Soul. He talks about the class system and the working class, by referencing blue collar and white collar dreams. He talks about beating the streets, and leaving the lower working class and ascending to a higher class through music. Despite his sometimes vulgar lyrics, to me he is an example of an exception to social mobility theory.
De La Soul-"The Grind Date"
if the meek shall inherit the earth
and not the weak
let me inherit the street, it
you know what I mean?
I mean I love life man, you know what I mean
life is beautiful, it's just the shit in it that's messed up
it's rough but it's fair
people gotta go out there and bust they, bust they ass for a job
I mean, my dad's got five kids, man and I mean yo
he hates drivin' a bus but he loves five kids
you feel me?
I'm a rhyme artist
out here tryin' to grind my hardest
up early so to milk the cow
keep my john deere out here plowin' the fields
to keep my john hancock's worth up in the now
went from hangin' on blocks to hangin' on charts
positions is parta my mission to hangin' on top
gotta get your polly cracker or with them crackers
and them if you like it or not
I've been rewired to work more efficiently in the dirt
I'm hands on with it all up in my cuticles
some try to get off the farm but fell into harm
of gettin in the game of those street pharmaceuticals
but, I was raised in those blue collar themes
havin' white collar dreams cause I see what it means
and though the meek shall inherit the earth but don't forget
the poor are the ones who inherit the debt
you can bet I got better things to do than that
I was a guy who got jerked by Tom and his boys
came on my land, seized my cattle, and catalog
as if it wouldn't leave me less than coy
but I'm far from bitter even farther from quittin'
got a grind date to make, no time for sittin'
and playin' xbox, stand up and exercise my rights
as of by seen of through Bob Nestor's eyes
it's the grind date
know what I'm sayin? I'm sick of askin' that
I mean, the street philosophy is that
I'm gonna milk the cow and cook the meat
at least I'm gonna have some kind of food and drink
because sometimes you can't come back
like momma said that if you need 5 cents don't ask for 3
ask for 10, that's for sure
Yo a rhyme artist, I ain't here for that
I was born with the boom bap, respect the name
my hands on experience was hands on my first contract
taught me quick how to respect the game
introduced to the block, got used to the block
but your neighbors be the ones who throw shit on your lawnf
it's like every single time we pop, they got annoyed
but we got ahead, and we got along
and puttin' work on the calendars, worse on them calendars
that broke the camel's back
the grind'll make today look gray
and paint a tainted picture of tomorrows in enamel black
meet the rhyme, street grind, son whatever the beast
I'm a take it at the horns till the pinky toe torn
and show you why we here this long
cause when it comes to puttin' in work
once again it's on
I'm just like everybody else man
an average guy with above average potential
you know what I mean? I'm not sayin' that I'm a gentleman
I'm sayin that I know how to act like a gentleman
in order to get the things that I need
and if I gotta pull out my nickle bag, I'm gonna do that
I chose Chapter Four: Socialization and the Life Course because I feel it has a lot more psychology involved in some of the theories. Things such as nature vs. nurture, and outside influences or social agents. The article that I chose discusses games being an agent of socialization in children's lives. The image I provided relates to the chapter because it shows the life course, through vehicles. The YouTube clip that I presented talks about symbolic interaction and presents it in an act.
The links I used provide helpful information about how socialization occurs. The theories it discussed were looking glass theory, and it also talked about examples of agents of socialization. The second link is a series of lecture notes that outline the topics in chapter four. The lyrics that I chose were "100 years" by Five for Fighting. They beautifully sing a song about the life course of someone.
