Three Sociological Perspectives Essay Example for Free

Three Sociological Perspectives Essay Generally, there are three sociological perspectives that sociologists use today to approach certain topics regarding the society.   These theoretical perspectives are symbolic interactionist, functional analysis, and conflict. These theoretical perspectives hold different approaches in terms of viewing the society as a whole. These different theoretical perspectives can also provide different approaches for different people depending on how it suits them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The symbolic interactionist perspective is a sociological perspective that generalizes everyday or fundamental forms of social interaction (Schaeffer and Lamm, 1998). The interactionist perspective, as the word suggests, focuses more on the small groups interact with each other.   The interactionist perspective focuses more on small groups in order to understand society as a whole. So basically it sees society as a product of the interaction to these small groups.   If I were to put this perspective into use, I can view myself as an individual who has certain responsibilities to fulfill in my family. In a larger picture, my family has responsibilities to perform in the society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the functional analysis perspective, the structure of the society is given more focus to achieve stability (Schaeffer and Lamm, 1998). It focuses on the functions and dysfunctions of institutions within the society. For example, I am a student, thus I have a specific function to fulfill within the group I belong in, my school. Namely, I have to study and participate in the institution wherein I belong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to American functionalist sociologist, Robert Merton, there are two types of human functions under the category of functional analysis perspective. There are the manifest functions and latent functions. The manifest functions, as the word suggest, are functions pertaining to the obvious and explicit. Manifest functions can be easily identified by the merely use of common sense. Latent functions deals with the subtle and implicit. It is very hard to determine and pinpoint these latent functions as opposed to manifest functions that only require common sense. Latent functions require sociological approaches to be determined.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The conflict perspective argues that the structure of society is a product of conflicts, may it be past or ongoing. This perspective draws much from the works of Karl Marx on class conflict (Schaeffer and Lamm, 1998). If I am to use this perspective on my education, my education is a product of my past conflict which is the lower levels of education. It is also my ongoing conflict as I am still striving to graduate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are also levels of analysis that we can use to view topics in the society. There are the micro and macro levels of analysis. These sociological concepts are also known as macrosociology and microsociology. Basically, it is almost self-explanatory. Micro pertains to the â€Å"small picture† and macro is about the â€Å"big picture.† The micro level of analysis is much focused on the small societal patterns. It is more meticulous on the small details of the structure of society. On the other hand, the macro level of analysis is all about the larger societal patterns (CliffsNotes.com). An example of analysis on the macro level is the three sociological perspectives that I have presented in this paper: symbolic interactionist, functional analysis, and conflict. All three theoretical perspectives are on the macro level of analysis since they all have a different view of the society as a whole. However, it is argued by many critics that the symbolic interactionist perspective is on the micro level since it focuses more on the details rather than the whole of society. Reference CliffsNotes.com. 2008, January 4. Three Major Perspectives in Sociology. Retrieved January 4, 2008 from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/CliffsReviewTopic/topicArticleId-26957,articleId-2687.html Schaefer, R. T., Lamm, R. P.   (1998).   Sociology.   New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Compare and Contrast: The Difference Between the United States and Chi

According to Chinese bureau of statistics, some 70% of student who come to the United States from 1978 to 2010 stayed in The United States. The hard choice of whether stay in The United States or come back to China makes more and more Chinese people concentrate on a basic question: what is the difference between The United States and China. Although both The United States and China are world’s major economies, in terms of living and working, The United States has advantages over China in relationship between people, work relationship, and getting information. People in the United States show more trust to each other than people in China do. In the United States, returns of product can be made without receipt. However, in China, to return a product a receipt is required. Shop assistants want to make sure that consumers really bought product from their shop. They take it for granted that all consumers are not honest. According to Peter Hessler, a journalist of New Yorker magazine, after car accidents, American drivers will exchange telephone number for further negotiation. . Chinese driver naturally assume that people will not answer the phone call that calls them to pay money. Instead of telephone numbers, most of the times, drivers exchange cash to resolve the car accident. Chinese driver naturally assume that people will not answer the phone call that calls them to pay money. The difference between windows between the United States and China also indicates the â€Å"trust† difference. Generally, people in the United States live in house with no guard bars fixed inside or outside windows. In contrast, most of Chinese people who live on the first or second floor block windows with guard bars inside or outside the window in case ... ...ticles/2008/12/25/1229998632678.html [Accessed 12 August 2011]. Jiao Guobiao, 2004. Censorship in China. [online] Available at: http://www.international.ucla.edu/asia/article.asp?parentid=18567 [Accessed 10 August 2011]. BBC News, 2002. Bush’s â€Å"evil† comment stirs critics. [online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1796034.stm [Accessed 2 August 2011]. Macworld, 2011. Reports: Foxconn to close Apple iPhone factories in China: Apple device manufacturer ends suicide payments. [online]Available at: http://mobile.macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/news/index.cfm?newsid=3226585 [Accessed 2 August 2011] Kuhn, R. (2010) How China’s Leaders Think. Singapore: Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte. Ltd.. Hessler, P. (2010) Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory. Translated from English by Li Xueshun. Shanghai: Shanghai Yiwen Publishing

Yale Kamisar uses the term “heater cases”

Question OneYale Kamisar uses the term â€Å"heater cases† in his article In Defense of the Exclusionary Rule.   Unfamiliar with the term, it was researched and determined to be a phrase used to refer to cases that are so controversial or unpopular that they are the subject of both media and public attention. (Bogira, 2005)   Author Steve Bogira provides one example of a heater case.   It is referred to as the Bridgeport case and involved the trial of three white men who had brutally beaten a 13-year old black male.   It was alleged that the reason for the beating was to convey the message that the black boy would not be tolerated in the white neighbourhood. (Bogira, 2005)Kamisar describes the heater case’s impact on the exclusionary rule. According to Kamisar, should a defendant escape conviction because the exclusionary rule prevents the admission of evidence crucial to a conviction.   Such a scenario has the potential to inflame public passions with the res ult that the judge is under pressure to allow the evidence notwithstanding the illegal method employed to seize it and will â€Å"find a way† to admit it. (Kamisar, 2003, 119-140)Question TwoKamisar does not refute each of Judge Calabresi’s arguments as to why the exclusionary rule should be abolished.   He agrees in principle that many of the alternative remedies are ineffective, such as the remedies in criminal sanctions and civil complaints. (Kamisar, 2003, 119-140)   Kamisar takes issue with Calabresi’s suggestions that the exclusionary rule could be effectively replaced by the introduction of a points system following conviction with a view to lightening the sentence imposed and the institution of some penalty with respect to the offending police officer. (Calabresi, 2003, 111-118)Kamisar rejects these suggestions noting that with respect to the imposition of a points system which would effectively reduce the sentence would have no impact on police cond uct. (Kamisar, 2003, 119-140)   This is so because police care about convictions and the negative fallout should a suspect escape conviction.   Therefore any alternative to the exclusionary rule that does not impact upon conviction will not act as an incentive for police to conduct orthodox investigations. (Kamisar, 2003, 119-140)Moreover, Kamisar argues that Calabresi’s proposal for a sanctions hearing in respect of police officers who allegedly acting illegally in obtaining evidence is fraught by the same difficulties that impact upon civil or criminal remedies. (Kamisar, 2003, 119-140)   The entire case will either stand or fall upon the credibility of the accused person, which as Kamisar argues is tenuous at best particularly following a conviction. (Kamisar, 2003, 119-140)Question ThreeYale Kamisar primarily relies on balancing two conflicting policy issues in his article â€Å"In Defense of the Exclusionary Rule.†Ã‚   The first policy consideration is the n eed to allay the general public’s fear of crime and the second policy consideration is the need to protect suspects from police abuse of constitutionally protected rights, particularly the fourth amendment right to privacy and due process as contained in the fourteenth amendment. (Kamisar, 2003, 119-140)In determining the value of the exclusionary rule Kamisar considers the impact of its abrogation on both policies.   He submits that its abolition would result in defeating constitutional rights since alternatives to the exclusionary rules are ineffective.   He goes on to argue that although the exclusionary rule does not entirely protect constitutional rights against police misconduct, it is the only feasible remedy available since police do care about convictions.The likelihood of the exclusionary rule setting a suspect free is more likely to deter police misconduct than not. Since judges are always mindful of the consequences of allowing a serious criminal to escape con viction, the exclusionary rule will not undermine public policies with respect to getting tough on crime.   In other words, the exclusionary rule is the best method for balancing policies against criminal conduct and safeguarding the constitutional rights of an accused person.Question FourYale Kamisar’s arguments for the retention of the exclusionary rule has substantial merit.   If police conduct hinges entirely on the desire to obtain convictions and drives the police officer to offend constitutional rights, it logically follows that if evidence obtained in that manner is excluded police would be less likely to infringe upon constitutional rights. Kasimar readily admits that the exclusionary rule is not perfect, but it is the best police regulatory method available.(Kamisar, 2003, 119-140)Arguments that serious criminals escape conviction as a result of the exclusionary rule are not supported by empirical research studies.   (Kamisar, 2003, 119-140)   More important ly, judges can be trusted to exercise their discretion properly and fairly with respect to the exclusionary rule.   Those who argue against the effectiveness of the exclusionary rule fail to take account of the experience and intelligence that judges manifest in criminal trials.   It is highly unlikely that a judge will permit either a police officer or a criminal to manipulate his discretion.   He is more likely than not err on the side of caution.BibliographyBogira, Steve. (2005) Courtroom 302. New York, Alfred A. Knopf.Calabresi, Guido. (2003) â€Å"The Exclusionary Rule.† Harvard Law Journal and Public Policy. Vol. 26, 111-118Kamisar, Yale. (2003) â€Å"In Defense of the Exclusionary Rule.† Harvard Law Journal and Public Policy. Vol. 26, 119-140

Malcolm X Essay - 1670 Words

Malcolm X Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Andrew Goodman. These people are well known for their positive role in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, but what about the familiar name Malcolm X? He is sometimes shamed for the ways he went about trying to fix the way African Americans were being treated because he did so in a violent fashion instead of peacefully, but many people do not know the full story of Malcolm X. Malcolm X was a very important civil rights leader. Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little to Earl and Louise Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska (Global). He grew up with 9 siblings. Malcolm Little’s family had many struggles when he was a kid. His father had had three of his brothers killed by the KKK already,†¦show more content†¦The Nation of Islam had about 400 members when Malcolm X joined them in 1952. By 1960, because of how influential Malcolm X had been to the African American community, the group had about 40,000 members (Letter). One of these new members was Cassius Clay, who then changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Malcolm X befriended him and ministered him as he converted to Islam. He reached out to the African American community to use violence to get their rights that they deserved. One of his most famous quotes was when he said, â€Å"You don’t have a peaceful revolution. You don’t have a turn the cheek revolution. There’s no such thing as a violent revolution† (Malcolm). M alcolm X looked at rights for black people as a revolution rather than as just a movement. This really caused him to have many followers, but also many critics. The most notable of these critics was Martin Luther King Jr. who said that Malcolm X was only a â€Å"potentially great leader†(Global). Malcolm X was able to get so many people to join his cause, but he was doing it in the wrong way. He was using violence to get rights for blacks instead of trying to use non-violent methods to develop change. Malcolm X thought that this was the only option at the time, but he was not correct. Martin Luther King Jr. had been successfully using nonviolent protests to promote major change in black rights for the better in the same time period asShow MoreRelatedEssay on Malcolm X1346 Words   |  6 Pagesamong all of these leaders though, Malcolm X. Although fighting for the same thing as his colleagues in the civil rights movements, he was considered by many to represent the more extre me side of the battle for equality in the United States. It is his standout views and beliefs that make Malcolm X one of the most prominent and fascinating African-American leaders in the 1950s and 60s. Malcolm X was born May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska by the name of Malcolm Little. His childhood was plaguedRead More Malcolm X Essay746 Words   |  3 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Malcom X was a man known widely for his strong beliefs. His willingness to accept the preaching of Elijah Muhammad and serve him loyaly, was due to his past experiences with the white man. Starting off as a boy in Lansing, next moving to Boston, then living in Harlem, his experinces with various white people shaped his belief system. Towards the end of his life, his interaction with group of very different white people on his pilgrimage brought about a change in hisRead MoreEssay on Malcolm X962 Words   |  4 PagesMalcolm X On May 19, 1925 Malcolm Little was born to Louise and Earl Little. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska. Malcolm was the seventh of eleven children. Malcolms father, Earl, was a Baptist minister from Reynolds, Georgia. His mother was raised in Grenada in the British West Indies. His father was also became an organizer for Marcus Garveys Universal Negro Improvement Association. Marcus Garvey and his followers fought for racial separation and more power for blacks. Growing up, MalcolmsRead More Malcolm X Essay1409 Words   |  6 PagesMalcolm X Malcolm X, a civil rights leader in the 1960s believed that blacks and whites should be segregated. He also believed that white man was evil and were trying to brainwash all blacks and that Martin Luther Kings non-violent protests werent working and that violence was needed for change. Malcolm Xs life was a life with a lot of conflict and violence in it. Malcolm X was born under the name of Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska in 1925. His father was a baptist minister and anRead MoreEssay on Malcolm X1699 Words   |  7 Pages The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley was published in 1965. It is national best seller about the life and times of Malcolm X. On May 19, 1925 Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was a preacher who spoke out about the unity of black people. This caused several white racists to strike out against Malcolm’s father and his family violently. His family moved to Lansing, Michigan where Malcolm, his parents, brothers, and sisters were shot at, burned out of their home, harassedRead More malcolm x Essays1283 Words   |  6 Pages Malcolm X was a very interesting and complicated person. Throughout his life, Malcolm had exposure to practically every type of person the world had to offer. In his younger years, he excel led in his community predominately surrounded by whites. He then got into the hustling business within the black community which supplied for all types of people. After that, he joined the Nation of Islam, joining himself with many Muslims. Lastly, Malcolm went on a Hajj to Africa, where his communication withRead MoreEssay on Malcolm X1238 Words   |  5 Pagesis living every night in fear, the burning down of your home by the Ku Klux Klan and the â€Å"accidental† death of your father who’s head was detached from his own body? This is the only memory that comes to Malcolm Little from his childhood. Malcolm Little who is famously recognized as Malcolm X was born into a world of hatred on May 19, 1925 in Omaha Nebraska. His father was a freelance Baptist Preacher who incorporated the teaching of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Gravey. With continuous threatsRead MoreEssay on Malcolm X1889 Words   |  8 PagesMalcolm X Outline A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything. Thesis Statement: Malcolm  X was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans. Detractors accused him of preaching racism, black supremacy, anti-Semitism, and violence. Introduction I. Malcolm X opposed the mainstream civil rights movement, publicly calling for black separatism and rejecting nonviolence and integrationRead MoreEssay on Malcolm X2023 Words   |  9 PagesMalcolm X   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Malcolm X was a man of strong words and beliefs. Some say that he was a man of hate and violence. Some also say that he was a smart man of hope and peace. Malcolm X‘s influence on people was felt more than it was alive rather than dead. Malcolm X was a major contributor to the black societies across the world. He fought for what he believed in and educated the young. Though his early life was full of up’s and downs he managed to, what some would say, â€Å"turn his life around†.Read MoreMalcolm X Essay1795 Words   |  8 Pageswas this man? Malcolm X, an 8th grade drop with a dead dad and a mentally unstable mom who started with a life of crime, but after learning about Islam, had a new outlook on things. An Ironic quote from Malcolm X is [If youre not ready to die for it, take the word freedom out of your vocabulary]. Malcolm X, a devout Muslim, who saw the injustices in the Muslim African American community, used his voice to fight for equality and freedom. Malcolm X or at the time was known as â€Å"Malcolm Little† was