Flashcards
Social Problems test 2
Cards in this deck (23)
- 1In class we discuss the Women's Economic Security Act passed in Minnesota. Drawing on symbolic interactionism, why label the economic and family issue it addresses as women's issues?emphasized femininity because women used to be the main family care takers
- 2If framed as the Family Economic Security Act, do you think the perception of the issues and who bears the greatest responsibilities for addressing them would change? Explain in full.Yes, it would account for the whole family rather than just the woman of the family.
- 3What are the consequences of this framing?Assuming that the issues are issues for women
- 4Make an argument that payday lending is either a solution to a social problem or a cause of a social problem.I do not think that payday lending is a solution to a social problem. From my own experiences in my family with it.
- 5Is the cultural emphasis on media spectacle and mindless entertainment a social problem? Explain.I think there are certainly pros and cons. For example, we seem to have trouble having and holding conversations with people and also in identifying people's facial expressions. However, social media allows for people to stay in touch with their families and see what kind of things their family is up to.
- 6Explain how McDonalidization is important to understanding current trends in technology and media (globalization and digital divide)McDonalidization is a way in which businesses follow rules of efficiency, calculability, predictability, and technology. In other words it is more or less the process of replacing workers with machines. Which does help increase efficiency and reduce the opportunity for human error.
- 7How would a functionalist frame the social concerns related to McDonalidization?McDonalidization becomes a problem when people start to lose their jobs and people start to believe that society becomes less humane and more isolated.
- 8Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky are conflict theorists who proposed the propaganda model of the media. Do you believe the propaganda model identifies a social problem associated with the media? Explain in full.Yes, there is a very small amount of large corporations that control what people read, hear, and see. Media stays in business by advertising, therefore they won't raise issues to their advertisers. "Experts" will go on the news and talk about their opinion which leads to bias because there is not critical reflection on the "experts" opinion. If a reporter were to attack a corporation, their job were label them as a troublemaker. Finally, the media uses fear as a control to silence critics.
- 9Use an example to explain how capitalism is associated with social problems.In profit motivation, a seller wants the highest price he can get and a buyer wants the lowest price he can get . So, if the buyer had the only sociology book in print, he could raise the price as high as he wanted.
- 10How is the convergence theory helpful for understanding the relationship between economic systems and social problems.The convergence theory describes the tendency for capitalism and socialism to converge. Sometimes this works well for countries and sometimes this does not. The United States for example, would not move towards this way of dealing with the economy because American citizens distrust the governments ability to redistribute wealth. China allows the market to determine what goods and services are sold.
- 11How do individuals and social groups make economic decisions?Self-interests, one's position in society and the power associated with it
- 12What is a good balance between the power of economic actors, governmental actors, and communities and individuals? Explain.Communitarianism, society is made up of three components: the community, the market, and the government. Each has essential role to play, but all interact with each other constantly. In this way, decisions are made with the best interests in mind.
- 13In your estimation, which theory of the American political system comes closer to the truth: functionalism, symbolic interaction, or conflict theory?Functionalism (studies how individuals are affected by societal systems interacting around them. For example, the American democracy works well because it diffuses power in several ways. The three branches of government and the checks and balances within them. Power is distributed widely enough in democracies that groups have to compete and work with one another to achieve goals.
- 14Who is at the helm of the global economy?Transnational coporations
- 15Explain the characteristics of the modern corporation and its relationships to social problems.14th amendment gives corporations same rights as humans. Corporations are legally obligated to put shareholders interests above the publics interests.
- 16Is the modern corporation a social problem?it can be. Corporations can become corrupt because they don't have to necessarily follow the interests of the public only the interests of their shareholders. if all their shareholders want bad things than the corporation has to go after bad things.
- 17Discuss the rational for the policy No Child Left Behind.The act requires states to test students in particular grades, with the results determining the states eligibility to receive federal funds. The intent was to make schools and state accountable for student achievement and dropout and illiteracy rates.
- 18How well does this policy address the core problems associated with education achievement gaps in America today?Some sociologists believe that the gaps observed in the educational system are mistaken as education malfunctions. We know that poor children often fail to receive the same quality of education as wealthier ones. Some parents of kids in poor schools aren't even well-educated.
- 19Does the policy address the core reasons why schools fail?We know that schools in poorer areas and schools that fail to achieve the standard of accountability are correlated. Is it fair to set up national standards and apply them equally, regardless of the location, funding, and the social setting?
- 20If you were in charge, what kind of social policy would you pursue to address these issues?Honestly, guys. I don't know. I have no idea how to answer this.
- 21As globalization speeds up, do you think the inequality between countries will decrease? Or are we in for a global race to the bottom. Explain your answer.I feel like it could depend. "race to the bottom" refers to the government deregulation of businesses in order to attract and attain economic activity. This could be a great economic boost and bring in more money which would boost the economy for other countries as well as our own, but would it be enough? or Are we always going to be competing with other nations? I feel like there will always be people who will exploit others to make prices cheaper and there are always going to people who can get around the system.
- 22Globally the United States ranks high in per-capita income, but a large percentage of its citizens are living in poverty. Also people in the US work longer hours than residents of most other developed countries. How can these trends be explained? Do these trends reveal a social problem?----
- 23Many times education is offered as the solution to social problems. Choose a social problem discussed in this section to discuss how sociologists would evaluate the potential for education to effectively address it.---
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- Done Flashcards on Social Problems test 2, created by Madison Kinnear on 27/02/2018.
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