Sociology 1100 - Wikified - Recently Updated Pages

Convergence Theory-aingle

aingle02 — Sat, 09 May 2009 05:46:23 CDT

References:
Sociology in Our Times, Kendall, Diana; Thomson Higher Education, Belmont, CA 94002
http://www.bookrags.com/research/convergence-theories-eos-01/sect2.html
http://hooligansfootball.homestead.com

Convergence Theory: focuses on the shared emotions, goals, and beliefs that many people may bring to crowd behavior; not only crowds but societies and communities. People with similar attributes find a collectivity of like-minded persons with whom they can express their underlying personal tendencies (Sociology in Our Times, 656).

Media 1- Article: Should gay Americans enjoy the same rights, including the right to marry?

1. Anonymity: an individual will gain a sense of invincibility through the influence and empowerment of the crowd. This theory does cover the different ways in which an individual becomes a part of a crowd due to a shared belief. The article presents on example of how this theory applies to the content. The men in women of this rally took place to give gays in America the encouragement and hope that American gays can also marry if they petition long enough. The gay rights movement started in the early 1960's as continuation of movements to gain equality like in earlier cases on right movements for minorities and women (source unknown). Gay men and women have since been holding rally's on the streets of California to express their rights to be married and be accepted as first class citizen's. Some of these men and women have prestigious jobs and still risk their reputation because they want to support their beliefs and the beliefs of their peers. This example of anonymity shows that individuals will protest despite the discrimination of co-workers, family members, or society because the crowd allows them to feel the support they need.

Media 2: Video

Theories of Social Organization

aingle02 — Sat, 09 May 2009 03:28:22 CDT

Select a theory from the textbook dealing with an aspect of this topic on a local, national or global level. Post the name of the theory as well as your user id in the table below. I will create a page underneath this one for you to use for posting!

THEORY	USER ID
Convergence Theory	aingle02

Labelling Theory - Knapp

jknapp — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:07:42 CDT

Summary

Summarize your theory here. Be sure to use at least 2 outside sources beyond your textbook. Remember we have encyclopedias online here on campus.

Labeling Theory in Deviance Research: A Critique and Reconsideration

Nanette J. Davis

The Sociological Quarterly, Vol. 13, No. 4 (Autumn, 1972), pp. 447-474

Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the Midwest Sociological Society

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4105518

Media

Apply your theory to each media here. To link, you highlight and click the tabby thing that says link, cut and paste the url from whatever page you are using. You can also insert (with the widget button) video etc from youtube and such.

Media 1

a movie, tv show or novel that you believe relates to the theory.

Tim Riggins from the television show Friday Night Lights is a high school football player from the "wrong" side of town and is being raised by his brother that is not much older than himself. Sociologists would relate Tim to the Roughnecks from William Chambliss' (1973) study that documented how labeling is applied in high schools. According to Chambliss' study, Roughnecks are usually viewed negatively, and the "Saints", who come from good families and generally do well in school, are viewed positively. Tim would be considered a Roughneck because he drinks every day, steps outside the law to get ahead, and parties a lot. Like the Roughnecks, Tim comes from a lower income family, is not a good student and is continually looked down upon as a deviant and bad-boy. The character is a decent person, with a kind heart and at the end of the shows third season has been accepted into a state college. The character is conflicted by how his fortunes are changing. He decides he would rather stay home and work with his brother at their car repair shop, but his brother convinces him that he is better than everyone thinks he is and that he needs to go to college. Tim has identified with the label he has been given. It is difficult for him to think of himself as anything other than a deviant. I believe the labeling theory applies in this context. Tim, “the deviant”, does not really believe that he has a choice, or will succeed in any other, more elevated pursuit. Therefore college is not an option. His brother is attempting to break that self identification by insisting that he go to college.

Media 2

a newspaper article, or an article from an online news source ABCNews online reported on May 5, 2009 that backers of Proposition 8 (a proposed law up for vote in California during the 2008 election, that If passed, would have changed the state's constitution, redefining marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman) are prepared to have to revisit the vote again in 2010. Many Christians believe that scripture prohibits homosexuality. Some Christians believe that if homosexual marriage is legal, it would force churches to marry gays, force schools to teach gay marriage, and would eventually lead to pedophilia and bestiality. These Christians, or social control agents, have labeled homosexuality as deviant behavior in their attempt to ban gay marriage. By doing so, the act of marrying homosexual couples would be considered a criminal act. They are continuing to attempt to stigmatize gay marriage by suggesting that it would eventually lead to pedophilia and bestiality. According symbolic interactionists, social control agents or social control agencies is a person or group of people that trying to designate a specific behavior as deviant, because they have labeled it as deviant. The proponents of gay marriage are engaging in tertiary deviance because they have normalized, or are attempting to normalize the behavior labeled as deviant, by relabeling it as non-deviant. California Gay Marriage Backers Poised to Try Again in 2010 'The Right Time Is Now,' Says San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom By TEDDY DAVIS May 5, 2009

Media 3

a song or piece of artwork

In the song Kiss Off by the Violent Femmes, the main character of the song needs someone with whom to connect and love. The lyrics “Its not enough, Its just a habit, And, kid, you're sick, Darling this is it, Well you can all just kiss off into to the air, Behind my back , I can see that stare, They'll hurt me bad but i won't mind, They'll hurt me bad they do it all the time” can be interpreted that the main character is a drug user and has been labeled as “sick” or deviant. His label as sick and as a drug addict causes him to engage in more deviant behavior, which will “go on his permanent record”. He knows he is being stared at and his response to the social control is to kill himself by overdosing on pills.

Violent Femmes: Kiss Off Songwriters: Gano, Gordon I need someone A person to talk to Someone who'd care to love Could it be you Could it be yo-ou The situation gets rough, And i start to panic Its not enough Its just a habit And, kid, you're sick Darling this is it Well you can all just kiss off into to the air Behind my back I can see that stare They'll hurt me bad but i won't mind They'll hurt me bad they do it all the time Yea yea Yea they do it all the time Yea yea They do it all the time Yea yea They do it all the time Do it all the time They do it all the time Do it all the time They do it all the time Do it all the time I hope you know that this will go down on your permanent record Oh yea Well don't get so distressed Did i happen to mention that i'm impressed I take one one one cause you left me and Two two two for my family and Three three three for my heartache and Four four four for my headaches and Five five five for my lonely and Six six six for my sorrow and Seven seven for no tomorrow and Eight eight i forget what eight was for and Nine nine nine for the lost gods Ten ten ten ten for everything everything everything Well you can all just kiss off into to the air Behind my back I can see that stare They'll hurt me bad but i won't mind They'll hurt me bad they do it all the time Yea yea Yea they do it all the time Yea yea Yea they do it all the time Do it all the time Do it all the time Do it all the time Do it all the time Do it all the time Time time time time Timetimetimetimetimetimetimetime Do it all the time

Merton's Strain Theory - Tureson

angela.tureson — Sat, 09 May 2009 02:05:10 CDT

Summarize your theory here. Be sure to use at least 2 outside sources beyond your textbook. Remember we have encyclopedias online here on campus.

Media

Media 1

a movie, tv show or novel that you believe relates to the theory.

Media 2 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30630652/

a newspaper article, or an article from an online news source

Media 3

a song or piece of artwork

Differential Association Theory

JonaThomallari — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:13:41 CDT

Summary

The Differential Association theory came from the symbolic interactionist perspective of Edwin Sutherland. Sutherland was influenced by Chicago school approach of human behavior as being in learned from physical and socio environmental factors rather than personal and genetic characteristics, meaning that criminal behavior is not inherited (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/sutherland.html). He was a great sociologist that tired sociology with crime meaning that he made sociological contributions to criminology and thus electing him to be the Sociological Research Association president in 1940 (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/sutherland.html). He published three books; Twenty Thousand Homeless Men (1936), The Professional Thief (1937), and the Principles of Criminology 3ed. (1939) (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/sutherland.html). Sutherland also believed that the theory doesn’t have to apply only to individuals but also to group environments (website). When he first wrote the theory, Sutherland had 9 postulates: 1. criminal behavior is learned and not from genetics; 2. learned through the communication process of gestures and most commonly verbal communication; 3. is most commonly learned within person groups such as friends and family, but by saying this he also depicts that media such as movies and newspapers plays an unimportant part; 4. when the behavior is learned it includes the techniques and the directions; 5. those directions and motives come from the individuals definition of the legal system and their codes; 6. an individual becomes a criminal because he is surrounded by criminal activity but also because he doesn’t see anti- criminal activity; 7. theory can vary when it comes to prestige of the source and/or pattern, how many times its committed and how duration; 8. one must be educated in the criminal mind and learn the mechanisms behind it; 9. Explaining criminal behavior when it comes to the values and drives behind the actions (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/sutherland.html).

The theory states that deviant behavior is learned in interactions with others (Kendall. 173). The textbook states that “a person becomes delinquent when exposure to law-breaking attitudes is more extensive than exposure to law- abiding attitudes” (173). The theory says that people learn deviant through interactions with others and their environment (169). Individuals learn things like motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes of deviant behavior from the people they associate with (169). Most of the time the people associated with comes from intimate groups like from peer groups and family (Sutherland, 74). Factors that determine an individual’s social organization includes things like family income, because that result in the family’s residency and delinquency usually determines the retail value of homes (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/sutherland.html). The main point of the theory is about how deviant techniques reflect learned techniques (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/sutherland.html). The textbook states that the theory “calls attention to the fact that criminal activity is more likely to occur when a person has frequent, intense, and long –lasting interactions with others who violate the law” (Kendall, 169). Some parts that are unexplainable is how people who are exposed to individuals who heavily break the law still engage in conventional behavior most of the time (169).

An example the author uses to discuss the theory states that, “a person can become a professional thief only if he is trained by those who are already professionals” (Sutherland, 3). I think its relevant, because it pretty much describes the main concept of the theory in its simplest way.

There are some criticisms of the theory. Some critics say that it’s not possible for someone to come in contact with a criminal and thus themselves become one, but then supporters of the theory argue back that the theory doesn’t stipulate that it has to come from a onetime contact but through criminal and noncriminal activities (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/sutherland.html). Sutherland himself had some criticism about the theory in which he stipulated in his 1974 Criminology book saying it’s, “defective because it omits consideration of free will, is based on a psychology assuming rational deliberation, ignores the role of the victim, does not explain the origin of crime, does not define terms such as ‘systematic’ and ‘excess’, does not take ‘biological factors’ into account, is of little or no value to "practical men", is not comprehensive enough because it is not interdisciplinary, is not allied closely enough with more general sociological theory and research, is too comprehensive because it applies to noncriminal, and assumes that all persons have equal access to criminal and ant- criminal behavior patterns." (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/sutherland.html).

Media

1 (a movie, tv show or novel that you believe relates to the theory)

The movie Girl Interrupted is a movie in which the actress Angelina Jolie was a character in a mental institution and becomes friends with Wynona Rider, who just entered the institution, but at first didn’t believe she belonged there. After sometime, Wynona Riders character began to associate herself with Angelina Jolie’s character and started committing deviant acts with her. At one event, they snuck into the therapist office to look at their file, even though Wynona’s character knew it was wrong, she still followed and committed the criminal act because in a way she wanted to more like Angelina’s character.

2 (a newspaper article, or an article from an online news source)

An article that exemplifies the concept of the differential association theory is from The Practical Skeptic book. The articles name is Hernando Washington. The article is the true story of a man born south side of Chicago and lived his whole life there. He was raised in an environment which taught him that the world is a jungle which has the rule that one needs to kill or be killed; survival of the fittest. He was taught that human life doesn’t count for too much and that its ok, thus leading in his ideology that his rape and murder wasn’t bad, he didn’t even feel any remorse, but more sorry that he had been caught.

3 (a song or piece of artwork)

An extreme form would be that of the followers of Charles Manson who were so accustomed to that environment of deviance that they committed themselves to a life of crime.

Sources

Kendall, Diana. Sociology In Our Times: The Essentials. California: Thomson Wadsworth Corporation,
2007. 169, 173.

McIntyre, Lisa J. The Practical Skeptic: Readings in Sociology. New York: McGraw- Hill, 2009. 18-27.

Sutherland, Edwin. Principles of Criminology. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1939. 3, 74-82.

Theories of Deviance

JonaThomallari — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:39:41 CDT

THEORY	USER ID
Labeling Theory (Cooley & Mead)	jknapp
Merton's Strain Theory of Deviance	angela.tureson
Differential Association Theory	jonathomallari

Diaz - Elements of Stratification (Weber)

BethDougherty — Sat, 02 May 2009 06:07:59 CDT

Summary

Summarize your theory here. Be sure to use at least 2 outside sources beyond your textbook. Remember we have encyclopedias online here on campus.

Media

Media 1

a movie, tv show or novel that you believe relates to the theory.

Media 2

a newspaper article, or an article from an online news source

Media 3

a song or piece of artwork

Theories of Stratification

adiaz1825 — Sat, 02 May 2009 02:23:31 CDT

THEORY	USER ID
Weber:Wealth,power,prestige	adiaz1825

Looking Glass Self

BethDougherty — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:12:54 CDT

Summary

Summarize your theory here. Be sure to use at least 2 outside sources beyond your textbook. Remember we have encyclopedias online here on campus.

Media

Media 1

a movie, tv show or novel that you believe relates to the theory.

Media 2

a newspaper article, or an article from an online news source

Media 3

a song or piece of artwork

Feminist Theory of Gender

BethDougherty — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:12:22 CDT

Summary

Summarize your theory here. Be sure to use at least 2 outside sources beyond your textbook. Remember we have encyclopedias online here on campus.

(Copied from posted thread by Hilda)

Feminism is the belief that women and men are equal and should be valued equally and have equal rights. Both men and women agree that we have more in common when reason and understanding are used to determine the causes and consequences of gender inequality. Marriage is believed to enforce male dominance according to Friedrich Engles and Karl Marx. Men of the capitalist class instituted monogamous marriage (a gendered institution) so that they could be certain of the paternity of their offspring, especially sons, whom they wanted to inherit their wealth.

Media

Media 1

a movie, tv show or novel that you believe relates to the theory.

Media 2

a newspaper article, or an article from an online news source

Media 3

a song or piece of artwork

Race, Gender and Ethnicity Theories

BethDougherty — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:11:35 CDT

THEORY	USER ID
Feminist Theory of Gender	Hilda Gonzalez

Theories of Socialization

ddoughlin — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:26:23 CDT

THEORY	USER ID
looking-glass self [cooley]	ddoughlin

Online Reading Responses

BethDougherty — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:25:58 CDT

Week	Reading	Assignment
1	Articles 1,3	1. Introduce yourself to the class in 1-2 paragraphs by applying Mills' approach to history and biography to a snapshot example from your life. Post it to the appropriate thread at the bottom of the page. (Thread started by me, says week 1)
2	Articles 5,10	For 'Absenteeism' - answer the following in 1-2 paragraphs : The study included several factors that could affect student attendance. Can you think of other factors that would affect your attendance? How would they be studied (keeping in mind reality of 'ideal' response vs 'real' behavior?) For 'Age' answer the following in 1-2 paragraphs - Why does the author argue that age is not chronological but social? Do you agree or disagree? Why? Post it to the appropriate thread at the bottom of the page. (Thread started by me, says week 2/Age or week 2/Absentee)
3	Articles 14, 16	For 'Presenting' - In 1-2 paragraphs, how did this article help you understand presentation and social roles? Use concrete examples and key terms to explain how this article related to your own life. For 'Imprisonment' - what did you learn about power, leadership and authority? What's your gut reaction to this article? How, then could you use sociological ideas from the textbook to better understand it. Answer in 1-2 paragraphs. Post it to the appropriate thread at the bottom of the page. (Thread started by me, says week 3/Presenting or week 3/Imprisonment)
4
5
6		.
7	Articles 4, 8,39	In the 'Sex Objects' article, what was your initial response to the article? After further thought, do you agree with the author? Why or why not? Answer in 1-2 Paragraphs. After reading the article about medical training and gender inequality, can you think of ways in which gender difference was neglected? How might the male bias of medical training cause difficulties for medical practitioners of the female gender? How might the male bias of medical research and study cause difficulties for female patients? Do things like this still happen, or affect our everyday lives? Answer in 1-2 paragraphs. Post it to the appropriate thread at the bottom of the page. (Thread started by me, says week 7/Sex or week 7/Medical)
8	Articles 2,25	Article 2 discusses the relevance of sociology to the study of the family, and it's application to real-world situations. What was your reaction to the article? Was there an insight you found relevant or offensive? How well did the article tie into the chapter for class? Article 25 discusses the desexualization of patients. Why might that be difficult, and how do gender roles make a medical professional's job more difficult? What criticism of the health care system did this play into? Post it to the appropriate thread at the bottom of the page. (Thread started by me, says week 8/Familyor week 8/Medical)
9
10
11
12

Religion and Politics Theories

BethDougherty — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:16:25 CDT

THEORY	USER ID

Education and Family Theories

BethDougherty — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:16:07 CDT

THEORY	USER ID

Theory Project

BethDougherty — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:08:25 CDT

Theory Project
Soc 1100 - Spring 2009

The media is one of our primary translators of culture. For this project, you are going to figure out just how popular images of culture compare to sociological theory.

To do this, you will be looking for media examples that specifically relate to a theory of your choice from the book. This could be a theory of human development, deviance, education, race, gender, age, family, politics, social organization, or any other topic we cover this semester.

Needless to say, you will need to become a mini-expert on the particular theory you are choosing. Before scouring the tabloids, films and tv shows, you will need to complete step 1 of this project.

STEP 1 – Theory Summary – 40 points

In 1-3 pages, provide a clear summary of the theory you are choosing to utilize. Who came up with it? When and where did they come up with it? What does it say? Give an example the scholar used when discussing this theory. Why do you think it’s relevant? Are there any critics of this theory? How might it be inadequate?

Remember to cite your sources, and to take advantage of the resources in the library to do a little further research beyond your textbook. I would like to see 2 or more outside sources, only one of which may be an encyclopedia.

STEP 2 – Media Application – 60 points

You will find examples to evaluate using this theory in three types of media.
1. a movie, tv show or novel that you believe relates to the theory.
2. a newspaper article, or an article from an online news source
3. a song or piece of artwork

Find one of each type of media you think the theory applies to. Now, apply the theory. In 1-2 paragraphs per source, introduce the media you identified and provide a BRIEF description. Then in 2-5 paragraphs per source, apply the theory. What would the theory say about the interactions or events represented in this media? Use concrete examples and detail your thought process. What about this event does applying the theory change? How does it alter your perception? Do you agree with how this theory would help you interpret these events our outcomes? Why or why not? Again, remember to back up any argument with examples and facts.

Announcements

BethDougherty — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:48:48 CDT

News

First test is Saturday 21 March, followed by work on the next segments of the projects. A student has put together an excel spreadsheet that helps cross-reference terms and ideas from the book. I'll link it under study guides. Thanks, Janna!

There is a study session scheduled for Tuesday at noon, in the cafe at the local Borders (Danada Center) for which I will also show up, to answer questions. However, you will be responsible for coming with questions and helping provide answers!

First day of clas is here. I'm sure there are some confusing things going on with all of this. I'm here to help, but there is also a handy FAQ sheet that explains some of this clearly. I look forward to getting to know you all, and hope that this will be a productive learning endeavor.

lalalala.

WikiSoc

BethDougherty — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:42:54 CDT

Welcome to the Sociology 1100 wiki!

Sociology: the systematic study of humans in contact with humans

Wiki: software that allows for collaborative website creation and information sharing.

This wiki presents us with a unique opportunity to participate in and form a new form of electronically mediated course-based social group. As an accelerated course, this is an especially important way to experience social learning while learning about society!

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Food for Thought Video

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Each film week, I'll link a video that has relevance to the class and our lives. If there's something you've found whilst browsing the web that you think should be here, let me know and I'll more than happily post it for the appropriate week. Earn online activity points by entering into the discussion of the video clip on the thread below!

Video 2 - Mary Patillo

Video 1 - Jonathan Harris

Study Guides

BethDougherty — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:26:02 CDT

This is a spot to generate unit outlines of chapters, identify and clarify definitions of key words.

Some work has already been done by previous semesters students. However, there will be terms you will want to add/remove and address differently. Please make sure you edit these pages, as it should help you with memory and retention.

Student Generated Study Aids!

Chapters 1-3 Key Terms Excel Sheet

Unit 1: The Study of Society
In this unit you will read about

The discipline of sociology
Major theoretical approaches
The essential items that make up human culture

Unit 2: Socialization and Social Structure
In this unit you will read about

How socialization occurs
The factors that affect social structure
Agents that determine social membership

Unit 3: Deviance and Organization
In this unit, you will read about
- Group Characteristics and dynamics
- Formal Organizations
- Understanding Deviance
- The Different Perspectives on Deviance
- The relationship between crime and deviance
- The impact of the criminal justice system

Unit 4 Stratification
- Social Stratification
- Social Class
- Inequality and poverty
- Global Inequality
- Global wealth and Poverty
- Human Development issues
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Unit 5 Social Divisions

Unit 6 Families and Health

Unit 7 Education, Religion and Politics

Unit 8 Urbanization and Change

Helpful Study Links!

A Clickable Map of Sociological Theories

See also: Assignments | The Syllabus | Announcements

Chapter 7

jknapp — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 01:58:25 CDT

What is Social Stratification?

Social Stratification: The hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on their control over basic resources.
Life Chances (Max Weber's term): refers to the extent to which individuals have access to important societal resources such as food, clothing, shelter, education, and health care.
resources- anything valued in a society, ranging from money and property to medical care and education

Systems of Stratification

open system- the boundaries between levels in the hierarchies are more flexible and may be influenced (positively or negatively) by people's achieved statuses
Social Mobility: the movement of individuals or groups from one level in a stratification system to another. This movement can be either upward ordownward.
Intergenerational mobility: The social movement experienced by family members from one generation to the next.
- e.g.) child growing up in struggling working class family, that grows up, goes to school and gets a job as a doctor and joins the upper-middle class.
Intragenerational mobility: the social movement of individuals within their own lifetime.
- e.g.) high-tech factory worker and through increased experience and taking specialized courses in her field became an entrepreneur, starting her own dot-com business.
Closed System- A system in which the boundaries between levels in the hierarchies of social stratification are rigid, and people's positions are set by ascribed status.

Slavery: An extreme form of stratification in which some peopel are owned by others. Treated as property and have little or no control over their lives.
The Caste System: A system of social inequality in which people's status is permanently determined at birth based on their parents ascribed characteristics.
apartheid-the separation of the races
The Class System: A type of stratification based on the ownership and control of resources and on the type of work that people do.
horizontal mobility- occurs when people experience a gain or loss in position and/or income that does not produce a change in their place in the class structure
verticle mobility-movement up or down the class structure

Classical Perspectives on Social Class

Karl Marx: Relationsip to the Means of Production: According to Marx, class position and the extent of our income and wealth are determined by our work situation, or our relationship to the means of production. He stated that capitalistic societies constist of two class:
- The capitalist class (bourgeoise) consist of those who own the means of production (the land and capital necessary for factories and mines)
- The working class (proletariant) consist of those who must sell their labor to the owners in order to earn enough money to survive.
- Alienation: a feeling of powerlessness and estrangement from other people and from oneself.
- superstructure-composed of the government, schools, churches, and other social institutions that produce and dissminate ideas perpetuating the existing system of explitation
- Class Conflict: Karl Marx's term for the struggle between the capitalist class and the working class.
Max Weber: Wealth, Prestige, and Power: Weber belived that the access that people have to important societal resources (economic, social , and political) is crucial in determining people's life chances. He developed a multidimensional approch to social stratification that reflects the interplay among wealth, prestige and power
- Wealth: Is the value of all of a person's or family's economic assets, including income, personal property, and income-producing property.
- entrepreneurs- wealthy bankers, ship owners, professional, and merchants who possess similar financial resources
- rentiers-wealthy individuals who live off their investments and do not have to work
- Prestige: The repect or regard with which a person or status position is regarded by others.
- Power: The ability of people or groups to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.
- Socioeconomic Status (SES): a combined measure that, in order to determine class location, attempts to classify individuals, families, or households in terms of factors such as income, occupation, and education.

Contemporary Sociological Models of the U.S. Class Structure

The Weberian Model of the U.S. Class Structure-Based on three elements: education, ocupation of family head, and family income.
The Marxian Model of the U.S. Class Structure-from this perspective, classes are social groups organized around property ownership and social stratification is created and maintained by one group in order to protect and enhance its own economic interests.
Upper (capitalist class)- the wealthiest and most powerful class in the United States
Upper-Middle class- often highly educated professionals who have built careers as physicians, attorneys, stockbrokers, or corporate managers
middle class- in the past high school diploma, now two-year or four-year college degrees have replaced the high school diploma as an entry-level requirement for employment in many middle class occupations, including medical technicians, nurces, legal and medical assistants, lower-level managers, semiprofessionals, and nonretail sales
Four factors that have eroded the American Dream for the middle class

1.) escalation housing prices

2.) occupational insecurity
3.) blocked mobility on the job
4.) the cost-of-living squeeze

Working class-30%of the U.S. population, the core of this is made up of semiskilled machine operators who work in factories and elsewhere

Pink-collar occupations: relatively low-paying, non-manual, semiskilled positions primarily held by women such as day-care workers, checkout clerks, cashiers, and waitpersons.
Working Poor- about 20%, members live from just about to just below the poverty line; they typically hold unskilled jobs, seasonal migrant jobs in agriculture, lower-paid factory jobs, and service jobs (restaurants)

Underclass: those who are poor, seldom employed, and caught in long-term deprivation that results from low levels of eduation and income and high rates of unemployment.
Erik Olin Wright- one of the leading stratification theorists to examine social class from a Marxian perspective (opposed Marx's definition of "workers")

He argues that class in modern capitalism cannot be defined simply in terms of different levels of wealth, power, and prestige, as in the Weberian model.
Wright's four criteria for placement in the class structure:

1.) ownership of the means of production
2.) purchase of the labor of others (employing others)
3.) control of the labor of others (supervising others on the job)
4.) sale of one's own labor (being employed by someone else)

Wright's four classes:

1.) the capitalist class- holds most of the wealth and power in society through owndership of capital ( banks, corporations)
2.) managerial class- control over the means of production and over workers)
3.) the small-business class- small-business ownders and craftspeople who may hire a small number of employees but largely do their own work
4.) the working class- made up of a number of subgroups, one of which is blue-collar workers, some of whome are highly skilled and well paid and others of whom are unskilled and poorly paid

Inequality in the United States

Distribution of Income and Wealth-Money-in the form of both income and wealth=is very unevenly distributed in the U.S.
income: the economic gain derived from wages, salaries, income transfers (governmental aid), and ownership of property.
income is only one aspect of wealth, wealth includes property such as buildings, land, farms, houses, factories, and cars, as well as other assests such as bank accounts, corporate stocks, bonds, and insurance policies
Consequences of Inequality-People with a high income and wealth have more control over their lives and have greater access to goods, services, better housing, more education, and wide range of medical services. People with less income spend their limited resources to acquire the basic necessities of life.

Poverty in the United States

Official Poverty Line: based on what is considered to be the minimum amount of money required for living at a subsistence level.
Absolute Poverty: exists when people do not have the means to secure the most basic necessities of life.
Relative Poverty: exists when people may be able to afford basic necessities but are still unable to maintain an average standard of living.

Who are the Poor? Age, gender and race tend to be factors in poverty. Children have greater risk of being poor than do the elgerly, and women have a higher rate of poverty than do men. Older women are twice as likely than older men to be poor. One out of every three persons below the poverty line is under 18 years old & a large number of children are just above the poverty line.
Economic and Structural Sources of Poverty-deindustrialization-corporations displacing millions of people from their jobs. Job deskilling-reduction in the proficiency needed to perform a specific job that leads to a reduction in the wages for that job.
Solving the Poverty Problem-Social welfare.
Feminization of Poverty: refers to the trend in which women are disproportionately represented among individuals living in poverty.
Job deskilling: a reduction in the proficiency needed to perform a specific job that leads to a corresponding reduction in the wages for that job.

Side note: TANF- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and AFDC- Aid to Families with Dependent Children

Sociological Explainations of Social Inequality in the United States

Functionalist Perspectives
- Davis-Moore thesis - believes that stratification exists in all societies, and some inequality is not only inevitable but also necessary for the ongoing functioning of society.
  - the definitive functionalist explanation for social inequality
- Meritocracy: a hierarchy in which all positons are rewarded based on people's ability and credentials.
Conflict Perspectives- people with economic and political power are able to shape and distribute the rewards, resources, privileges, and opportunities in society for their own benefit (do not believe that inequality serves as a motivation force for people, they argue that powerful individuals and groups use ideaology to maintain their favored positions at the expense of others)
Symbolic Interactionist Perspectives- focus on microlevel concerns and usually do not analyze larger structural factors that contribute to inequality and poverty (deference- is a type of ceremonial activity that functions as a symbolic means whereby appreiciation is regulary conveyed to a recipient)

U.S. Stratification in the Future

-Many social scientists believe that social inequality in the U.S. will increase

Why?
1) Power of dollar has declined

2) Wealth becomes more concentrated at the top of U.S. class structure

3)Federal tax laws in recent years have benefited corporations and wealthy families