Friday, September 24, 2010
Language
The non-material aspects of culture are very important and can be even more important than material aspect. Language is so important because it allows us to express our culture and explain ourselves and our beliefs. We saw how difficult different culture can be without language in our card game exercise. There were different rules at each table but without being able to speak, we could never learn the new rules. This reminds me of the time i visited the Czech Republic. I did not know a lick of Czech and the area we were in had very little English. It was hard to find basic things like certain restaurants and even the bank. These things didn't look like they do in America so we needed language. We eventually did learn some basic words for certain things and places.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
A Bronx Tale
The last week of class we watched the movie a Bronx Tale. It follows the life of Collogero in an Italian neighborhood. The films depicts a lot of hidden sociological themes. These themes include, micro-macro dynamics, groups, social construction of reality, and sociological imagination.
The micro and macro dynamics in the movie cover racism. Why is the neighborhood racist? Some micro forces would be being raised by racist parents. With parents passing down prejudice to their kids, it is no wonder the kids will be racist. In the movie, "C" says, "We hate these people, well I don't hate them." He looks at the group that is his neighborhood and identifies their hate and automatically associates the hate with himself. Even though he does not hate black people. Some macro forces would be government building low income housing close to the Italian neighborhood. This causes minoities to have to drive through the Italian neighborhood. This causes more racial tension.
There are many groups and even sup groups in the movie. The main groups would be the Italians and the African Americans, but within these groups there are more important sup groups. Especially in the case of the Italians. There is the mobsters and there is "C"'s family. C belongs too both. He is a son in his family and friend/associate to the mob. In the beginning of the film, C's master status is a son in his family. As the movie progresses he leans toward the side of the mob, but in the end remains loyal to his father and family. I think throughout the movie his master status remains being a son. There is also a small group within the mob. This would be Sonny and C. They are in a friendship that lets them look out for each other and advise each other. In this group, C is a friend and student in a sense, learning life lessons of the streets.
The social construction of reality in the movie and neighborhood is based off the mobs rule. The unwritten rules of the neighborhood are enforced by the mobsters. These rules include no snitching, no disrespecting a mobster, no disrespecting the neighborhood. Especially no argueing over parking spots, that will get you killed. But all these rules are made by the mob and the people of the neighborhood accept as if the government made the rules. That is just how things are done there. They accept tha way of life because it seemingly as always been like that. They have made there own rules based off what their society has told them is right.
C's story shows a lot of things on the surface, but with a sociological imagination, we can see more to the story. C's life is not uncommon. Many cities have similar situations with organized crime. This is rooted in life before America. In Sicily, there was the origin of the Mafia and it came to America with Italian immigrates. At times it seemed alright for these men to break the law in order to protect the neighborhood. It eventually became normal. No one would challenge the mob, but more importantly no one would challenge the way of life everyone had come to known, good or bad. Because it was normal. This is why C is so influenced by these men, because their society had them above everyone else.
The micro and macro dynamics in the movie cover racism. Why is the neighborhood racist? Some micro forces would be being raised by racist parents. With parents passing down prejudice to their kids, it is no wonder the kids will be racist. In the movie, "C" says, "We hate these people, well I don't hate them." He looks at the group that is his neighborhood and identifies their hate and automatically associates the hate with himself. Even though he does not hate black people. Some macro forces would be government building low income housing close to the Italian neighborhood. This causes minoities to have to drive through the Italian neighborhood. This causes more racial tension.
There are many groups and even sup groups in the movie. The main groups would be the Italians and the African Americans, but within these groups there are more important sup groups. Especially in the case of the Italians. There is the mobsters and there is "C"'s family. C belongs too both. He is a son in his family and friend/associate to the mob. In the beginning of the film, C's master status is a son in his family. As the movie progresses he leans toward the side of the mob, but in the end remains loyal to his father and family. I think throughout the movie his master status remains being a son. There is also a small group within the mob. This would be Sonny and C. They are in a friendship that lets them look out for each other and advise each other. In this group, C is a friend and student in a sense, learning life lessons of the streets.
The social construction of reality in the movie and neighborhood is based off the mobs rule. The unwritten rules of the neighborhood are enforced by the mobsters. These rules include no snitching, no disrespecting a mobster, no disrespecting the neighborhood. Especially no argueing over parking spots, that will get you killed. But all these rules are made by the mob and the people of the neighborhood accept as if the government made the rules. That is just how things are done there. They accept tha way of life because it seemingly as always been like that. They have made there own rules based off what their society has told them is right.
C's story shows a lot of things on the surface, but with a sociological imagination, we can see more to the story. C's life is not uncommon. Many cities have similar situations with organized crime. This is rooted in life before America. In Sicily, there was the origin of the Mafia and it came to America with Italian immigrates. At times it seemed alright for these men to break the law in order to protect the neighborhood. It eventually became normal. No one would challenge the mob, but more importantly no one would challenge the way of life everyone had come to known, good or bad. Because it was normal. This is why C is so influenced by these men, because their society had them above everyone else.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Quantitative vs Qualitative
Our school of Stevenson is its very own society. A society that many other schools wish to mimic. So much that other schools across the country come to visit and see how things work. These other schools look at the quantitative stats. The test scores, graduation rate, college admission rates, etc. Never do they ask the students exactly what we think of the school. I would think that most Stevenson students would have mostly positive things to say, but qualitative observation would offer much more information and really allow a visitor to see what Stevenson is doing right and what they are doing wrong.
Most students would mention the quantitative things that visitors already know. But they would also offer information that surveys and statistics cannot. Students can tell you how easy it is to reach a teacher outside of the classroom, how much fun the athletic events are, and how great the relationship between student and staff is.
Quantitative study can also reveal negative things that qualitative study can hide. There isn't any stat that tells how many classrooms have working air conditioning and lights on the opening week of school. ;)
Most students would mention the quantitative things that visitors already know. But they would also offer information that surveys and statistics cannot. Students can tell you how easy it is to reach a teacher outside of the classroom, how much fun the athletic events are, and how great the relationship between student and staff is.
Quantitative study can also reveal negative things that qualitative study can hide. There isn't any stat that tells how many classrooms have working air conditioning and lights on the opening week of school. ;)
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Community Service
So, instead of a formal multiple choice final in sociology, we do community service and write a paper on our experience and how it relates to sociology. When I was a freshman we had to do community service for English along with a final test. We had to do 8 hours then. This year for sociology, we do 10 hours. As a freshman I found this mandatory community service as a waste of time. Now as a senior, I still don't look forward to doing it, but it beats a final and offers many opportunities. I am not completely sure what I will be doing but I am interested in a retirement home or some sort of food drive or soup kitchen. I think it would do a lot of good to help the less fortunate and see how other people live when they may be apart of another society, like a retirement home or the inner-city. Seeing how they live can affect how I live my life.
Though it cannot be done now, but in years to come, I would love to see how many people participate in community service after high school and college after being forced to to take part of it in high school. In my opinion, you should volunteer because you want to. Forcing student to do it, I think, may actually cause them to resent it later in life. A similar example would be reading. People on average tend to stop reading after schooling. One case could easily be they have grown resentment towards the idea after being forced to read things they didn't want to read in high school and college. Reading is another thing I think people should do because they want to, not because they are forced to. This is just an opinion, but with a sociological imagination and stepping back to look at the issue in years to come, we could really see its effect.
Though I am also being forced to volunteer, I will still put forth 100% effort and look at it with a positive point of view. I know that I can learn from this experience and also socialize with my friends and people I may never have met before. All in all, I cannot wait to start planning my community service.
Though it cannot be done now, but in years to come, I would love to see how many people participate in community service after high school and college after being forced to to take part of it in high school. In my opinion, you should volunteer because you want to. Forcing student to do it, I think, may actually cause them to resent it later in life. A similar example would be reading. People on average tend to stop reading after schooling. One case could easily be they have grown resentment towards the idea after being forced to read things they didn't want to read in high school and college. Reading is another thing I think people should do because they want to, not because they are forced to. This is just an opinion, but with a sociological imagination and stepping back to look at the issue in years to come, we could really see its effect.
Though I am also being forced to volunteer, I will still put forth 100% effort and look at it with a positive point of view. I know that I can learn from this experience and also socialize with my friends and people I may never have met before. All in all, I cannot wait to start planning my community service.
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