Global Gender Issues: Social Construction, Hierarchy, and World Politics
Global Gender Issues (V. Spike Peterson and Anne Sisson Runyan)
Gender is social. Gender roles are learned through social experiences.
Gender should not rest on biological sex differences, but on interpretations of behavior that are culturally associated with sex differences.
Make distinction between:
- BIOLOGICAL categories of male and female.
- SOCIALLY constructed models of masculine and feminine.
- POLITICAL POSITION of masculinist and feminist.
—> All of these construct gender identity, closely related
Read MoreThe Evolution and Future of Bilingual Education: A Case Study of the Basque Country
1.1. Languages in the World Today
1. Globalization and Languages
Globalization affects different areas like food, music, literature, economy, culture… and has a strong union with language. As globalization increases, the loss of human languages increases too. People find it easier to conduct business and communicate with those outside their own culture if they speak more widely used languages like Chinese, English, Spanish, etc. Children are not being educated in languages spoken by a limited number
Read MoreIntroduction to Sociology
Sociology 110 – January 27, 2014
Definition of Sociology
Sociology is the study of society, including:
- Laws, norms, and values
Laws: Norms backed by authority.
Norms: Customs and accepted behaviors.
Values: Determine right/wrong and good/bad; these are socially constructed.
- How wealth is divided and the issue of poverty
Socio-economic status: Social class.
Social Ladder: Implies there is something to climb.
- Gender
- Race
- Sexuality
- Religion
The above are considered identities, labels, and stigmas (negative attached
Read MoreSocial Stratification: Impacts of Technology & Industrialization
Social Stratification and its Impact on Society
Industrial Productivity and its Effects
Industrial productivity raises the standard of living for the historically poor majority.
Specialized work demands schooling for all members of society to participate in the labor force.
Education sharply reduces illiteracy.
A literate population presses for a greater voice in political decision-making, reducing inequality.
Greater equality means lessening of men’s domination over women.
Over time, even wealth becomes
Read MoreUnderstanding Collective Action and Social Movements
Collective Action
Definition
Action that takes place in groups and diverges from the social norms of the situation.
Theories of Collective Action
Convergence Theory
Collective action happens when people with similar ideas and tendencies gather in the same place.
Contagion Theory
Collective action arises because of people’s tendency to conform to the behavior of others in close contact.
Emergent Norm Theory
Emphasizes the influence of key figures in promoting particular norms.
Social Movements
Definition
Collective
Read MoreThe Dissolution of Gran Colombia and the 1830 Venezuelan Constitution
The Dissolution of the Republic of Colombia
The causes of the dissolution of the Republic of Colombia were political, economic, social, and geographic. These factors were closely interrelated and can be summarized as follows:
- The oligarchs of both Venezuela and New Granada never supported the Republic of Colombia, and even less so its centralized government system.
- A significant portion of the Venezuelan population never felt historically united with the people of New Granada, and the oligarchy opposed