#HACCSOCIO201

[ank95481-blog]

Tattoos is something that many people have different views on. Some people who do not have them, believe that tattoos are horrendous, inappropriate, and unnecessary. Some argue that God would not want people to mark up their bodies with ink. People who have tattoos want to express themselves with the art on their bodies. With the people who judge these people for expressing themselves this way is symbolic interaction because people will make assumptions about a person with a tattoo and where it is. They interpret their tattoos in their own ways.

I myself have a rose on my shoulder that is blue and yellow, and I have my own story about it. My grandmother passed in March of 2017. I always knew I wanted to get a tattoo in honor of her but had not decided what to get. Then I realized her favorite flower was a rose, her favorite color was yellow, and the color of her eyes was blue. So, in turn, I decided to create a combination of the three and worked with a tattoo artist to figure out exactly what I wanted on my body for the rest of my life. To this day, I see my tattoo as a symbol of my grandmother and that she will be with me wherever I go. To other people, I may look like a typical girl with a rose tattoo and got it just because I wanted to. This is a prime example of symbolic interaction because my tattoo means something to me, that not everyone will understand when they look at the symbol I have for my grandmother. 

References

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking like a Sociologist. New York; W. W. Norton.

[abiafia-blog]

    Oh, this video breaks my heart every time I see it. If the subjects were adults, I would not be stunned, but these are little kids who are innocent and have little to no experience in life. What actually is racism? It is a belief that members of separate races possess different and unequal traits. (Conley, pg. 506). This leads to both the dominant and nondominant race looking down on the minority.

     Nowadays racism is not just looking at a set of physical characteristics but something that comes with social implications. Two terms related to this topic are one-drop rule and miscegenation. At one point in America was the "one-drop rule" which asserted that just "one drop" of black blood makes a person black. This rule was built upon and developed laws passed in many US states forbidding miscegenation which is interracial marriage. This made it clear that anyone of black lineage fell on the unfortunate side of the racial divide, so the rule made sure there were two societies: one black and other one white. With this history and what children see on the news about the mistreatment of black people, they are prone to think their own race is terrible and violent and the whites are much nicer and beautiful to be with. These children will grow up with insecurities that are hidden and will not be confident enough to show that they can be successful. They too are privileged. 

     This issue is not easy to solve as these children go to school and can be told the opposite of what you want them to know. But I think parents should do their best to encourage kids to talk to them about any little problems they face and teach them the right way to view themselves.

word count 298.

Conley, D. (2017). You may ask yourself: An introduction to thinking like a sociologist. Race New York: W.W. Norton.

[mzjessicavp-blog]

During the module we learned about different research methods.  Qualitive methods attempt to collect information about the social world that cannot be readily converted to numeric form (Conley, 2017, p. 47).  Charles Musselwhite interviewed 42 people for this article.  Interviewing people is a great form of collecting qualitive data. You must collect data if you want to be able to support your claim.  This article talks about why windows are so important for older people. Everyone that he interviewed was over the age of 65 and went outside less than once a week.  For them, windows are a way they connect with the outside world. There are plenty of older people who spend most of their time indoors for many reasons. Having big windows that they can sit in front of allow them to see their neighbors, nature, community workers, etc. Looking out windows are fascinating to them and they can make assumptions as to where people are headed, what they are doing, and back up stories they hear or see on television or on the radio. Looking out the window gives them the chance to create stories about other people and it keeps them entertained throughout the day. We learned about the labeling theory in another module and that is when individuals subconsciously notice how others see or label them (Conley, 2017, p.207).  Some of the people interviewed felt as though they would be considered nosey because they were always in the windows.  Windows are also important for them to let light and fresh air into their living space.

 Word Count-260

 Conley, D. (2017).  You may ask yourself:  An introduction to thinking like a sociologist.  (5th ed.).  New York:  W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

[erwhit57952-blog]

Theory

The below chart is an example of four different sociological theories. There are other theories and, depending on what context you are learning them in, some teachers explain more and some teachers explain less.

As with any subject matter, there are different theories that dictate how a person views a specific sociological event. For example, the way that the USA functions falls under a 'conflict' theory of sociology. There are haves and have nots. Resources are limited and power is unevenly distributed. There are many problems that arise in this scenario. A functionalist perspective might take notice to the way that a second grade class runs. All the students are on an equal playing field and all work together to achieve the goal of everyone reaching their full potential. A symbolic perspective notices things in cultures like hand shakes, waving hello, giving someone 'the finger', and so on. All around the world, there are examples of these perspectives anywhere you go. Even in watching one single movie, you can identify an example of almost any theory. Knowing these theories helps us to better categorize how society functions and why people do certain things. When you have an outline to look at, it becomes much easier to classify and talk about the social interactions that take place every second, from big events like international mergers to small interactions like blowing someone a kiss goodbye.

Word Count: 233

References:

Hubbard, R. (Artist). (2016). What is meant by the 'order theory' in sociology? USA; Quora.

[ank95481-blog]

ConlIn this episode of Grey’s Anatomy, this young resident, Dr. Casey Parker, is transgender. You would not have thought he was initially at girl, but he outs himself with Dr. Bailey is asking him why he hacked into the DMV. He explained that is sex is female, but proudly identifies as a man. So, in turn he changed his sex on his driver’s license to male.  When he says he is a proud trans man, he gave inspiration to people to be comfortable with who they are. This is a social issue that people are being educated on and we as human are to accept people for who they are. 

Sex is the biological differences that distinguish males from females (Conley, 2017, p. 281). Gender is a social position; the set of social arrangements that are built around normative sex categories (Conley, 2017, p. 281). This is where many people will confuse the term gender by believing gender is the same as a person’s sex. A person’s sex determines their body being male or female. The person may decide their gender and how they identified. Dr. Casey Parker was born a woman, but decided to be a man cause that is how he feels. 

References

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking like a Sociologist. New York; W. W. Norton.

“And that’s how you introduce a trans character on TV”

- @itzzkait 

[bns0080-blog]

People become especially excited during the Christmas season.  In an interesting study of the southern hemisphere, shows that the major cultural and religious celebrations really got people “in the mood”.  This study was done by the University of Indiana and the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência in Portugal.  They used quantitative methods to achieve the results of this project.  Quantitative methods are “methods that seek to obtain information about the social world that is already in or can be converted to numeric form” (Conley, 2017, p. 47).  The researches of this experiment looked at the number of sex related searches on the internet compared to the time of year, specifically around Christmas time. They used numbers and statistics to prove that the increased birth rate nine months after Christmas has a correlation with increased sex interest during Christmas. This held true when comparing the results of the Christian, southern hemisphere countries and the Christian, northern hemisphere countries.  Which allowed the researchers to come to the conclusion that there was no correlation to the winter solstice that may have biologically influenced people’s libido, due to the fact the southern hemisphere countries celebrate Christmas in the winter and when the northern hemisphere countries celebrate Christmas it is considered summer in the southern countries.  To prove their research further, there was no increased sex searches during December and, in turn, increased birth rate nine months later, in Northern countries that did not celebrate Christmas.  They also took into consideration the major holidays of other countries such as Eid-al-Fitr.  This again proved that it was not the solstice that promoted increased searches, it was the corresponding cultural holiday spirit (Wood, Varela, Bollen, Rocha & Gonçalves-Sá, 2017).

The researchers used the correlational experimental method.  Correlation means “simultaneous variation in two variables” (Conley, 2017, p. 48).  We cannot prove whether it is the increased sex searches that promote sexual relations or whether increased sexual relations increase sex searchers.  However, we can definitively say that the increased sexual relations that apparently take place during the holiday season, which is related to increased sex searches, does produce an increased birth rate nine month after each of the holidays.  This study is also an example of a deductive approach.  A deductive approach starts with a theory or hypothesis, makes observations and analyzes the data collected to confirm or reject that theory (Conley, 2017, p. 48).  The scientists started with the theory that biological or cultural aspects contribute to fluctuating birth rates.  They then hypothesized that cultural aspects affected feelings during cultural holidays which lead to increased birth rates nine months later.  They made a second hypothesis that biological aspects, in this case the winter solstice, increased the birth rate nine months later.  They observed patterns during different cultural celebrations to come to the conclusion that it is culture that contributes to birth rates, not so much biology (Wood, Varela, Bollen, Rocha, & Gonçalves-Sá, 2017).

Word Count - 484

Conley, D. (2017). You may ask yourself: An introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Wood, I., Varela, P., Bollen, J., Rocha, L., & Gonçalves-Sá, J. (2017). Human sexual cycles are driven by culture and match collective moods. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 1-11, doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-18262-5

[hvseeley8452-blog]

     There are three main perspective theories in the study of sociology. Those theories are: symbolic interactionism perspective, functionalist perspective, and conflict perspective. The purpose of these perspectives is to help sociologists explain the influence society has on individuals, the influence individuals have on society, and how society functions. Symbolic interactionism is “a micro-level theory in which shared meanings, orientations, and assumptions form the basic motivation behind people’s actions” (Conley). A sociologist studying a group of individuals using the symbolic interactionism theory will pay attention to how individuals interact with one another and what things have significant meaning to them because of that things symbol in society. Conflict theory is “the idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic, animating force of social change and society in general” (Conley). Meaning that a sociologist studying a group using the conflict theory will pay more attention to differences in that group like race, social class, and gender. But the perspective theory that captivates me most is the functionalist perspective. A functionalist perspective is “the theory that various social institutions and processes in society exist to serve some important (or necessary) function to keep society running” (Conley). A sociologist viewing a group in a functionalist perspective is focused on the purpose of what that group is doing, or the purpose of different social classes, races, genders, and events.

I am most interested in the functionalist perspective because it focuses on the purpose of everything. Many people have a problem viewing society through this perspective because they have a hard time seeing the social purpose of the more negative aspects of society. To me, it reminds me of cognitive therapy, which is turning personal negatives into positives. The image above illustrates this by stating that “Everything happens for a reason… Even the bad things”. Everything that happens has a purpose, a function in society. Whether the things are good or bad, everything has a purpose for the betterment of individuals or the betterment of society. It all just depends on the outlook of the individual analyzing the topic. For example, a man stealing a woman’s purse on the street can be viewed differently with each of these perspectives. A conflict theorist may look at the difference in social classes of the individuals as to what motivated the theft. A symbolic interactionism theorist might pay attention to what being a thief symbolizes in society and what status that man might trying to be obtaining. But a functionalist theorist could look at how that individual act, even though it is viewed as negative, serves a purpose in our society. They may say that that act benefits awareness for how women carrying purses are more susceptible to being victims of theft because women are encouraged by advertising and clothing companies to carry their belongings in purses instead of in their pockets.

 Word Count: 474

 References:

Conley, D. (20170601). You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking like a Sociologist (Core Fifth Edition), 5th Edition. [VitalSource]. Retrieved from https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/#/books/9780393616279/

[sammhthings-blog]

My parents named me Samantha even though my mom has a difficult time pronouncing it correctly. So, everyone calls me Sam because it is short and simple. I have created this Tumblr blog because this is my final #HACCSOCIO201 project before I end the semester! This project will be fun because I get to think like a sociologist by gathering everything I have learned and applying it to our society. Here, you can expect to read about gender, race, social movements, social class, and many more. Sociology is one of the required classes for me to take before I could apply for the dental hygiene program. Nonetheless, I am grateful that I took this class because it has opened my eyes to see the world differently. I am sure you will feel the same way and find an interest in sociology after taking this course. Don’t worry, Dr. Jacobson will build you to start thinking like a sociologist before you end the semester!  

[word count: 163]

[maw1012]

Advice as far as for future students please dont procrastinate. I advice you to do your chapter readings a week or two before the due date that way you can retain the information better, and you can always come back to reading the chapters if you don’t think you will be able to read it all in one setting. I say this just because some chapters in the book tend to be long. Also, keep checking back on D2L to know when assignments are due, and to also view feedback that Professor Jacobson gives. What worked for me was starting modeules ahead of time so I would be able to hand things in in a timely fashion. I would advice you not to try and do any of the modules at the last minute.

Procrastination In A Nutshell

[ajg96811-blog]

Advice for future students

I will try my best to give advice for future students regarding this project/class and what I have gleaned from it. I took this course because it is required for my major of nursing.  I can say though, that I have learned so much in this class, and that it has opened my eyes to things that I never knew before or things that I didn’t understand.  This is the second time for me to be taking “Intro to Sociology” and I must say that the professor you choose has everything to do with passing or not.  The first professor I had wasn’t as helpful and tended to have his “pets”.  The professor I had this time has been absolutely amazing. Dr. J, I want to say a special “Thank-you” for all you have done for me! Dr. J is willing to go above and beyond to help anyone pass this course. If you decide, or if you need to take an “Intro to Sociology” course with HACC, I highly recommend that you take it with Dr. Sarah Jacobson. During this final Tumblr project, Dr. J was very patient with me as I tried to understand all the requirements. This Tumblr project is actually not as hard as the instructions make it sound and if you need help, Dr. J is ready to assist. Because I haven’t done the photo essay project, I can’t give you a comparison, but I personally think the Tumblr project was easier. For example, instead of taking all those photos like the photo essay project students had to, one could simply browse the internet and share that particular photo with the class instead.  We had to find an article or photo that pertained to our particular subject, I had deviance, social class, and globalization and the economy, and then reblog or add our research to it. I hope this helps you with your decision making.

-Steph Z.

[ank95481-blog]

Hello everyone, my name is Lexi and I going to be starting my official start to college in the coming fall. I look this class because I was interested in learning about sociology. In high school, I was a cheerleader, equestrian, and I was on the rifle team. I plan to be a psychology major and thought taking an introduction to sociology would be a nice foundation to opening my mind to the reality of the world and to think sociologically.  

This blog provides insight to different aspects of society and I have provided artifacts to tie all of these aspects together to show how everything can be connected and how we can see the different sociological issues that surround us. 

[erwhit57952-blog]

Advice

I'm probably the worst person in the world to give advice, because, from sun up to sun down, and even in between, my life is a wreck. I call off work, I forget to feed my dogs, I miss assignments, and overall don't know what I'm doing with my life. However, I do have three vital things that I think might be of help. One, pay attention to deadlines. This class is a little different than other online classes I've had in that instead of all of my assignments being due Sunday night, some are due throughout the week. Don't make the same mistakes I did and miss deadlines. Two, do additional research. If something peaks your interest, do a Google search and learn more. You'll be more interested in the class, understand the material better, and cultivate a desire to constantly learn more. Three, ask for help. If you don't understand something, ask. If something seems wrong to you, ask. If you are confused about the directions to an assignment, ask. People genuinely want to help you. I wish you nothing but the best of luck in all your endevours. PS. Do the reading. For real. Sometimes its hard, but its worth it. You will fail the quizzes if you don't.

Word Count: 213

References:Whitfield, Vonda. Diesel. 2016, Private, Newport. Accessed 20 Apr. 2017.

This is a picture of my dog when I tell him we can’t go for a walk because I have to study. Sorry, Diesel, it must be done.

[ank95481-blog]

Dear Future Students,

This class is interesting and will make you think differently about the world that surrounds you. The textbook for this class has been the only one I actually wanted to read. I took about two days to sit down and read through each chapter and take notes. I liked to use colored pens to mark of different heading and vocabulary words. I rotated between three different colored sticky notes to mark information I was not quite sure about or something I thought was important. I Used for example, orange sticky notes throughout one chapter and then purple sticky notes for the next chapter. These were the studying strategies that I used, which helped me in learning the information and for the quizzes we had for each week.

The films we watched were interesting as well because the content was engaging and had you craving more by the end. I read through the study guide that was provided to us and then I would fill it in as I watched each film. Do not procrastinate in this class, especially for this project. It is best to try and work on this project as least once or every other week to ensure that at least some of it is getting done and you are not trying to do it the night before. 

I wish you all the best of luck and remember to apply yourself and give effort in everything you do in this class. 

[ank95481-blog]

This course was my favorite by far throughout the semester. I learned about our social issues that surround us and how they are intertwined together that create one big picture. This course has opened my eyes to how I view the world around me and this project helped with that as well. The videos we watched were very interesting and I wish there was more. I cannot say I had a class before where I really read every chapter and watched the videos from start to finish except for this class. This course was laid out in a way that was easy to follow, learn, and interact with. I hope with my major in psychology, I can try to squeeze in some sociology classes so that I may improve myself in thinking like a sociologist in the world we live in. 

I felt as though I connected to the ‘Killing Us Softly 4′, because I never realized how much women were sexulaized in the media as much as they were and are to this day. I plan to look research more to see if the speaker, Jean Kilbourne, will be speaking at any events near Lancaster, PA, in the next few months or year. Watching the evolution and how women were altered and posed for these images were not something that was good for their self esteem and young women’s, but it was interesting to watch the process and evolution. 

[ank95481-blog]

This is a powerful book and movie. I myself watched the movie when it came out last year and loved it. I loved the message it gave to everyone watching about racism and seeing it through the eyes of Starr. When her friend, Khalill, was shot while they were being pulled over, this sparked a movement and protest to get justice for Khalil’s death. The officer was only put on suspension, which was the reason a movement was started. 

Starr struggles with discovering who she really is when she lived in a predominantly black neighborhood but goes to a private school that has mostly white students. You can see she has two different personalities between school and at home. Towards the, end she finds her voice and speaks up about Khalil and the justice he deserves during a protest. Also, part of the end, her father is about to try to kill King, the antagonist and ruler of their neighborhood. for almost killing Starr. Her youngest brother, Sekani, has his gun and points it at King. The police arrive at this moment are pull out their guns. Starr narrates and says “THUG LIFE. the hate you give little infants effs everyone”, which is the reason for the title ‘The Hate U Give’. Starr defuses the situation and asks the officers when they will understand that the hate and violence is not the answer. This is the desire for pluralism which is the presence and engaged coexistence of numerous distinct groups in one society (Conley, 2017, p. 352). In the community of Garden Heights is where King rules and there is the group of predominantly white students at Starr’s school where she felt out of place. She ultimately wants people of all races to come together and live in coexistence. 

References 

Conley, D. (2017). You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking like a Sociologist. New York; W. W. Norton.

[ank95481-blog]

Interracial couples have been a debate between both races. White and black people alike will be bias towards interracial couples and not like them. In this article the population of an experiment was 1,200 white people, over 250 black people and over 250 multiracial couples. The population is an entire group of individual persons, objects, or items from which samples may be drawn (Conley 2017, p. 62). The researchers wanted no only to see the bias, but specifically the explicit and implicit bias. The explicit bias is when a person thinks about the multiracial couple, for example, and says their opinion about the subject. Implicit bias would be saying how they feel about multiracial couples impulsively. 

This study showed that when showed images of interracial couples to see how long the participants would take to associate positive words with the images. White people took between about seventy and one hundred milliseconds to do so. Black people took between 110 and 160 milliseconds. Interracial couples took between zero and thirty milliseconds. These results show that white and black people will be bias towards multiracial couples, but only people whom were in or are in a relationship with the opposite race were not. They took the least amount of time to find words like ‘love’ and ‘happiness’ for the images. This is an interesting study because you can see how both races feel amount multiracial couples, but at the same time this topic has been something more widely accepted over the past couple of decades.