Thursday, January 30, 2020
Theoretical Paradigms Essay Example for Free
Theoretical Paradigms Essay Introduction            Theoretical paradigms allow sociologists to analyze effectively virtually any dimension of society. It is a set of fundamental assumptions that guides thinking and research. Two among the three paradigms in sociology that I want to compare and contrast in terms of their strengths and weaknesses of their explanatory value for social inequalities are the Conflict Approach and Functionalism Approach. The Conflict Approach is a theoretical framework based on the assumption that society is a complex system characterized by inequality and conflict that generate social change. This approach complements the functional approach by highlighting not integration but social division. This approach strength is that it guides sociologists to investigate how factors such as social class, race, ethnicity, sex, and age are linked to unequal distribution of money, power, education, and social prestige.  Therefore, rather than identifying how social structure promotes the operation of society as a whole, this approach focuses on how these patterns benefit some people while being harmful to others.           On the other hand, the functionalism Approach is a framework for building theory based on the assumption that society is a complex system whose parts work together to promote stability. The functional approach strength is that, it makes two assertions. The first holds that society is composed of social structures, meaning relatively stable patterns of social behavior. Social structures range from broad patterns, including the family and religious systems, to face-to-face behavior like waving hello. The second is that each social structure has a social function, or consequences for the operation of society as a whole (Marx, 1984).           Moreover, the functionalism approach has long been influential in sociology. The positivist root in this approach is the tendency to see the social world as stable and orderly. The job of sociologists, from this point of view, is to employ scientific research to learn how society works. Despite its strong influence on the discipline of sociology, however, recent decades have revealed the weaknesses of this approach. By assuming that society operates more or less â€Å"naturally,†critics point out, the functionalism approach tends to overlook how social patterns vary form place to place and change over time. Thus, the notion that any particular arrangement is natural seems hazardous at best. By focusing attention on societal unity, critics point out, functionalism tends to overlook divisions based on social class, race, ethnicity, and gender, and to downplay how such division can generate tension and conflict. In addition to its weaknesses, functionalism emphasis on stability and tends to minimize important processes of social change. Further, by emphasizing social integration, the functionalism approach tends to pay less attention to divisions based on social class, race, ethnicity, and gender and to downplay how such divisions often generate tension and conflict. Overall, then, this approach takes a conservative stance toward society. The conflict approach, on the other hand, has developed rapidly in recent decades. Yet, like functionalism, it has a number of weaknesses. One, this approach highlights power struggles, it gives little attention to social unity based on functional interdependence and shared values. Another, the conflict approach advocates explicitly political goals in its drive for a more egalitarian society, thereby giving up claim to scientific objectivity. Supporters of this approach counter that all social approaches have political consequences, albeit different ones. An additional weakness, which applies equally to both the functionalism and conflict approach, is that they paint society with broad strokes, describing our lives as a composite of â€Å"family,†â€Å"social class,†â€Å"gender,†â€Å"ethnic group,†â€Å"race,†and so on. Hence, both functionalism and conflict approach share a macro-level orientation, meaning a concern with large-scale patterns that characterize society as a whole. They take in the big picture, as one might investigate a city from the vantage point of a helicopter high above the ground, noting how highways facilitate traffic flow from one place to another or the striking contrasts between rich and poor neighborhoods. These approaches limit their attention to large-scale structures and processes while overlooking the details of everyday life (such as the interactions that occur in a particular bar on a particular day at a particular hour). Macro-level orientation takes various forms: those who adopt a conflict approach see large-scale social patterns in terms of how they impose themselves on the behavior of individuals. That is, they try to describe characteristics of society as a whole in ways that illuminate patterns of interaction among individuals. Those who adopt a functionalism approach ask how the large-scale patterns of society as a whole contribute to the integration of society. Conflict sociologists find that the distribution of people among position (or statuses) affects decisions even as â€Å"personal†as the choice of a marriage partner. Tepperman Curtis (2004) use two characteristics of societyâ€â€heterogeneity and inequalityâ€â€to predict rates of intermarriage (that is, the frequency of marriage involving people from different racial, ethnic, or religious groups).   Heterogeneity refers to the level of sameness or differentiation within a population: heterogeneity is high if a population is divided into many different racial, ethnic, or religious groups; it is low if most of the people are the same in these respects. Inequality refers to the distribution of valued resources such as wealth or education. In a society with high inequality, such resources are concentrated in the hands of the few, while the majority has very little left to divide among themselves; inequality is lower when these resources are divided more evenly among people in a society. According to Tepperman Curtis, higher rates of heterogeneity and inequality encourage people to interact with people different from themselves, and this interaction in turn increases the rate of intermarriage.  It follows that higher rates of heterogeneity and inequality generally promote rather than discourage intergroup relations of all kinds. The behavior is predicted from the structure of the society itself rather than from the beliefs and attitudes of individuals. The level of integration of a society is a consequence of the distribution of people among social positions (that is, of the amount of heterogeneity and inequality). The functionalists take a different perspective on the large-scale integration of society. These sociologists see society as composed of specialized institutions: patterned behaviors and status/role relationships that fulfill basic societal needs. For example, economic institutions are responsible for mobilizing scarce resources in order to produce and distribute goods and services that people need. Dissimilar institutions are held together in an ordered whole because each is assigned the task of satisfying a particular societal need; each contributes to the overall functional integration of the society itself. Without families, for example, new generation would not be socialized to the dominant values and norms of the society.            As a conclusion, both the Conflict Approach and Functionalism Approach envision society in abstract terms, which sometimes seem quite distant from our everyday experience. References Marx, K. (1984). Selected Writings in Sociology and Social Philosophy. T. B.       Bottomore, Trans.  McGraw-Hill, New York. Tepperman, L. Curtis, J. (2004). Sociology: A Canadian Perspective. Oxford       University Press, Canada.
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Hormonal Replacement Essay -- essays research papers
THE PRO’S AND CON’S OF HORMONAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY The Pro’s and Con’s of Hormonal Replacement Therapy LaSalle University      In this paper I will be focusing on the positive and negative aspects of hormonal replacement therapy. To understand replacement therapy we first need to look at what occurs in a women’s body during menopause. As a woman is my 40’s like so many others, I will be in need of this information in the not so distant future, and as such this topic serves a considerable purpose. Awareness and education in this area can alleviate problems and make what could be a traumatic experience more manageable thereby raising the quality of ones life. Hopefully, women today will no longer have to suffer through menopause, as most of our mother’s did.      All women experience menopause. There are periods of pre-menopause, peri-menopause and post-menopause. The period from pre-menopause to post-menopause can be as longer a 30 years. Premenopause is the stage in a women’s life when menstrual cycles are normal, or the reproductive years before the change of life. Perimenopause can be as long as ten years. This is the period when women go through what is sometimes called the change of life. This is the period when the signs and symptoms of menopause occur. Menopause is when you have had your final period and have been amenorrhea for one full year. Post menopause overlaps with perimenopause. It is the years after you have your last menstrual period. The pattern of menopause is similar in all women, but there are considerable individual differences. All women have a drop in their hormone levels. How their bodies react to these drops can vary significantly. Until fairly recently women have been made to suffer in si lence.     There are several disease processes associated with menopause. One of these diseases is osteoporosis. A bone density test can be ordered to help in the diagnosis of osteoporosis. Estrogen helps bones absorb and hold calcium to keep the bones strong. Due to low estrogen levels in menopausal women the bones are unable to absorb calcium as well. A women’s bones can become brittle. They can experience an increase in fractures. Bone is lost quickly in the 10 years after estrogen levels fall. Women who do not take hormones or osteoporosis medication can lose ... ...;         Estring 2.0 mg 1 ring $110.99 Ogen cream $68.99                         Estrace cream &68.99 Provera 5.0 mg 30 tablets $40.79     Generic Provera (medroxyprogesterone) $14.59 These drugs can be brought on line at higher quantities for slightly less in price. For example you can get Estraderm, 8 patches, for $21.00. Premarin 0.625mg for $20.00 for 28 tablets. Provera 5mg is $45.00 for 100 tablets. Women need to be prepared to do their homework when it comes to finding out the best price for HRT. Some of the other expenses women can incur are loss of time at work for sick days due to the side effects of menopause. Doctors visits and laboratory testing to examine if the women is goig through menopause. Also, if they are not sure what is happening to them or if depression from a previous time in their lives reoccurs women may need phyciatric care to help them to realize what is occurring.               Â
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Carribean Adventures
I am Sandra Gaskins, born in California. I have completed MBA from Anderson School of Management in 2008, did graduation in commerce streams from University of American inter Continental and schooling from Belmont Senior high school. During my MBA course, I did summer internship in American express as a Management Trainee, where my job profile was to work with the travel counselor and prepare the project report on delivery of quality services to the customers. During this program I realized my strengths, which are better communication skill, handling the queries of customers and working in teams. About my family background – my father is running a privately owned business of textiles and mother is a home maker. I have one sibling pursuing BBA. I am keen to work with the Carribean Adventures, since the profile of Travel Counselor requires the skill of customer service and ability to work under pressure and I am familiar with the workings and dealings of travel counselors as I worked in the same field during internship. I had a great learning during internship. There I learnt about the customer values, needs and what quality means to them. Along with this, I had a selling experience and learnt how to coordinate in teams, which ultimately enhanced my problem solving capabilities and all these qualities form the core in order to become the travel counselor. Apart from this, I possess a sound knowledge of geographical locations, as it was one of my hobbies to gather the information related to the diversities in the places and study the human psychology. Therefore, based on the above mentioned qualities and my sheer determination towards the work that is assigned to me, I can say that I will be the suitable candidate for this post.  Â
Monday, January 6, 2020
The Use of Propaganda in the Gdr During the Cold War
The Use of Propaganda in the GDR During the Cold War More than any other wars, the Cold War was fought with words, mainly through the media as psychological warfare. Popular culture was used as a decoy to sway the opinions of the general public in support of various governmental institutions. In East Germany, political propaganda was frequently incorporated into film, journalism, and the mass media to promote socialism. East Germany was a close ally to the Soviet Union who fought to keep western influences and capitalism out of their culture. To do so, films and newspapers idealized socialism and steered clear of capitalistic ideologies. In 1961 a permanent blockade was built as an â€Å"iron curtain†to keep East Germany completely†¦show more content†¦The curriculum in the East German education system taught standard subjects like math and science, however the underlying message of all teaching related back to the idea of understanding socialist behavior. The propaganda in education not only promoted socialism, it also included many anti-American messages. Capitalists were portrayed as barbaric and militant, while socialists were portrayed as peacemakers. History books were rewritten by historians in the GDR and offered false explanations of the past, describing socialism as the only successful and dignified ideology and as the only means by which East Germany could have a future. Another means by which the GDR targeted a young audience was through children’s literature. Stories and fables often carried a hidden message about socialism and the struggles between East and West Germany. One reason for targeting children with literature propaganda was because they represented the future of East Germany as a socialist nation. Another reason for the indoctrination of the youth was because they were considered equal to adults, and were just as much a part of the class struggle, therefore they should be taught about the same issues as their older generations, â€Å"In 1956, the Minist er of Culture, Joh. R. Becher†¦[ believed that]†¦ admonishing the threefold bourgeois separation between highbrow literature, light reading matter, and childrens literature†¦theShow MoreRelatedThe Alliance of Britain, USSR, and the United States During WWII was a Marriage of Convenience1684 Words  | 7 PagesThe alliance between Britain, the USSR and the USA during the Second World War has often been viewed as a marriage of convenience. They unified to defeat one common enemy, Nazi Germany. At the beginning of the Second World War the USA remained neutral, although they acted sympathetically towards the British cause against Nazi Germany. 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