Introduction to Contemporary Society

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Introduction to the Unit
Unit overview
This unit is a core unit and introduces the role and contribution of the social sciences in understanding and working in contemporary society. The unit provides an introduction to the social sciences, its historical foundations and its contemporary applications. Introductory topics addressed in the study of this unit include the role of the media in society, class and status especially in Australian society, power and politics, diversity in gender, ethnicity and religion, globalisation, and the environment. These and other issues in contemporary society are explored through sociological perspectives. This analysis aims to provide the students with an appreciation of the role of the social sciences in understanding contemporary society, but even more importantly it establishes a foundational framework through which the analysis of contemporary social issues takes place.
Unit objectives
By the conclusion of this unit, you should be able to:
• describe and discuss the theoretical underpinnings of applied social science
• describe and discuss the role of the social sciences in contemporary society
• survey the historical roots of contemporary society
• explain the impact of socialisation on social roles and values
• explore and discuss contemporary social issues such as gender, status and power
• explore diversity within social environments
• analyse the impact of change, globalisation and environmental concerns in contemporary society
Textbook
The textbook for this unit is by van Krieken, R., Habibis, D., Smith, P., Hutchins, B., Martin, G., & Maton, K. (2010). Sociology (4th ed.). Sydney, Australia: Pearson Education.
This manual directs you to the relevant chapters of your textbook associated with each section.
Assignment
Assignment Type: Reflective Essay
Word Count: 1500
You are to write a reflective essay analysing how two agents of socialisation could contribute to a secondary socialisation, including the formation of beliefs, values and social roles. You will reflect and describe how socialisation may have created inherent blind spots and biases in your world view. Reference to sociological literature presented in the unit is required. Select two agents out of the following list.
• school
• clubs/social groups
• cultural background
• work
• media
• government
• religion
• peer groups
Your essay is to address the following:
• Include an introductory paragraph that clearly introduces the two agents you would like to analyse.
• If you select a large agent such as ‘government’ or ‘cultural background’ – you will need to clearly define which part of this agent you will be discussing in this essay. For example – with government you might choose democracy; with cultural background, you might choose ‘close ties with family’.
• Define the key sociological terms used.
• Give a clear analysis of how the selected agents contribute to your socialisation.
? Think about what your relationship is like to these agents.
? What values does each agent (or element of an agent) hold?
? What values do you hold?
? Analyse how your connection with this agent shapes your beliefs, your values, social roles and your identity.
? Discuss any potential ‘blind spots’ in your socialisation.
? For example, your socialisation may have encouraged you to value individualism. How might the values associated with individualism come into conflict with a more ‘collectivist’ viewpoint?
• Refer to relevant academic literature such as textbooks, books and academic journals (at least four) to support your insights and arguments.
• Include a conclusion that summarises the key points of the essay.
vii Marking Criteria – Reflective Essay
Not Satisfactory Satisfactory Good Very good Outstanding
Content
1. Two agents clearly identified and defined
2. Key sociological terms defined
3. Clear analysis of how the agents have contributed to aspects of your socialisation
4. Discussion on potential ‘blind spots’ in your socialisation
5. Familiarity with relevant literature is evidenced by at least four academic references
Structure
6. Appropriate introduction provided that clearly articulates the topic
7. Main ideas clearly and logically presented
8. Appropriate conclusion provided that summarises the key findings/ideas
9. Relevant literature used properly
Written Expression
10. First person writing style used
11. Fluent writing style used with correct spelling, grammar and punctuation
Presentation
12. Presentation guidelines followed as specified in the Student Learning Support website
13. Word count within 10% of requirement
Referencing
14. In-text referencing follows APA referencing style (6th ed.) as set out in the Referencing section of the Student Learning Support website
15. List of references provided as outlined in the Student Learning Support website


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Contemporary Society

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Contemporary Society
Answer ONE of the following essay questions in no more than 1200 words.
1. On page eight of the textbook it states that the authors of the Dictionary of Sociology (Abercrombie, Hill and Turner) describe culture as “the symbolic and learned, non-biological aspects of human society, including language, custom and convention, by which human behaviour can be distinguished from other primates”. Reflect on how the culture of Islam could be understood when considering the following statement by Ayaan Hirsi Ali from an essay titled Why Islam Needs a Reformation: “As I see it, the fundamental problem is that the majority of otherwise peaceful and law-abiding Muslims are unwilling to acknowledge, much less to repudiate, the theological warrant for intolerance and violence embedded in their own religious texts. It simply will not do for Muslims to claim that their religion has been ‘hijacked’ by extremists”. Your response must include the analysis of at least three specific examples related to language, custom and convention.
2. Roller derby has frequently been considered an ‘alternative’ sport, but ‘alternative’ to what? What does this description tell us about ideas of ‘society’ and ‘culture’? Using three examples related to roller derby, explore the question ‘what is society?’.
3. Is our contemporary society’s engagement with the Internet a positive thing that simply encourages enhanced understanding, or does it entrench us further into a virtual world where racism can go unchecked and continue to be an ongoing problem in Australia? Compare and contrast the use of this technology in Australia. Your response must use at least two examples from your everyday life and one from the textbook to support your position.
4. In a recent interview on ABC Lateline with Ticky Fullerton, fellow journalist Stan Grant said of Adam Goodes: “This is an extraordinary man but when he hears these boos, like all of us the wound is re-opened because success doesn’t close the wound.” Critically analyse that statement using sociologist Antonio Gramsci’s argument on page 31 of the textbook about culture and politics.
5. In a recent article in The Conversation, Gerry Redmond said: “However, the issue of intergenerational mobility – the extent to which parents’ education, occupation or income determines that of their children after they in turn reach adulthood – is a sensitive subject in Australia, which has historically prided itself on being a classless society”. How does the myth of Australia being a classless society continue to circulate? Through an analysis of education opportunities in Australia, explore how this myth may allow a wealthy and privileged minority of Australians to reinforce ongoing inequality while making their exercise of power all but invisible. Use philosopher Michel Foucault’s theory of power to support your argument.
Essay Requirements: You must consult at least five (5) scholarly texts in researching this essay, and reference them in a reference list.


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Criticisms of Karl Max and Talcott Parsons

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Sociology: Criticisms of Karl Max and Talcott Parsons
Karl Marx is known for his socio-political theory that has greatly influenced and caused major development of social science and social change. Talcott Parsons on the other hand is known for his grand theory approach into the understanding of the revolution of social change. Both of these two sociologists have received equal criticisms into their view on social change. This paper discusses why Karl Marx and Talcott parsons have often been criticized for failing to provide an adequate explanation of social change.
Parsons was mainly criticized by contemporary sociologist like Wright Mills. It is claimed that the grand theory is not based on facts but rather Parson had the intention of imposing his will on data interpretation. Parsons explains in his theory that the society has developed through history in three main stages. The first stage is the primitive stage followed by the archaic stage then the modern society that is the society of today. The archaic society had the ability to write where as the modern society has both the ability to write and knowledge of law (Parsons, 1975). He says that western civilization culminates the modern society. He further explains that the system of society has developed through adaptation, differentiation and upgrading. By comparing modern society to that of Americans and saying that it is the most modernized society, made his theory to be under attack for accusations of ethnocentrism.
He never satisfied his explanation of social change because he states the systems of society are trying to achieve equilibrium and that the evolution of society is similar to the evolution of human nature biologically. It is not possible for a society to attain a perfect equilibrium state since society and systems of social culture tend to lean more towards attaining social change. In addition to these criticisms, Parsons has also been criticized for his writing style which made it difficult for people to understand his claims well.
Karl Marx on the other hand was more focused on social change than on society attaining a state of equilibrium. His major failure was on the part that most of his predictions did not turn out to be true. For instance, he had predicted that capitalism will come to an end beginning with highly industrialized nations (Avineri, 1968). This never happened because it was China and the Soviet Union that first adopted socialism. His predictions were further met with a big hit by the falling out of communism in the Soviet Union and in China in the late 20th century. He also did not explain social change properly since he sensitized that maximum profit can only be achieved by increasing the labor force. He failed to realize that profit can also be attained by investments on technology and human capital.
Marx also predicted that inequality would increase and the gap between the rich and the poor would also rise due to capitalism. The working class would be more and more impoverished as they will be exploited by the rich. Trade unions have helped disapprove this Marxists claims by bringing reforms of liberal nature. Workers today have an improved state of work thanks to the involvement of trade unions in fighting for their rights. The working class that Marx had predicted to increase is reducing because of the replacement of industrialization with the service sector (Avineri, 1968). The only instant where Marx and his theory proved to be true was during the economic recession witnessed in 2008, but however world economies are pulling out of it.
Reference List
Avineri, S. (1968). The Social and Political Thought of Karl Marx. Cambridge:
Cambridge University press.
Parsons, T. (1975). The Present Status of “Structural-Functional” Theory in Sociology.
In T. Persons, Social Systems and The Evolution of Action Theory. New York: The free press.
 


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Sociology of Education

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2. Please submit your paper in class as a hard copy and ALSO here, clicking “submit” online.
3. Length: between 5 and 6 pages. Font: anything classic like Times, Palatino, etc., size between 10-12. No cover page is necessary, you may simply write your name, class and section on the header.
4. Purpose: Your mini-proposal should answer the following prompt: If you could design your own sociology of education research project, what would it be? Since this is just an exercise, we will not include certain things regular proposals have, like budgets or ethical statements, but doing this should help you learn to identify sociological topics, questions and methods within the sphere of education.
5. Content. Your proposal should include the following parts:
a. A statement of the research problem or topic and the research question. This section should make clear what you want to study, and even point at some reasons why it is important to study it. You may need to so some pre-research to be able to fully articulate your idea, question and significance.
b. a short review of the literature pertaining to your project, its topic or its question. A minimum of three sources are required: one classical theoretical source (e.g. Marx), one contemporary theoretical source (e.g. Bourdieu) and one present-day work published in a peer-reviewed journal. It is a good idea to add complementary sources like other peer-reviewed articles, a recent academic book (e.g. Lareau’s or Tierney’s) or research and policy papers. Do not describe everything your chosen sources say-just say how they are connected to your idea and how they support your project. If you have a hypothesis, you may choose to articulate it in this section.
c. Describe what method(s) you would use to study your question. If your methodology includes humans (e.g. surveys, interviews) explain who you would choose and why (sampling logic.) If your methodology is place-bound (e.g. ethnography) then describe why you chose a particular place.
Include a list of references cited at the end of your minipaper. Your citations should follow the style of ASA. You may find a brief guide to it here.


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