Sociology

Emile Durkheim stands among the seminal classical theorists of sociology such as Karl Marx, Max Webber and Ferdinand Tonnies (Morrison, 2006). At a time where the subject of sociology itself was in its stages of infancy in universities, Durkheim’s contribution is described as the foundation for what we recognize today as social sciences (Morrison, 2006).

Though he never considered himself a ‘sociologist’, Durkheim’s theoretical perspectives and social concerns were profound and comprehensive, straddling aspects of  religion, education, economics, law, psychology, ethics, philosophy, and theology. Among his central attention were regarding the aspects of Gemenshaft and Geselshaft: how societies were able to function and be efficient as they progressed into modernization when shared religion, culture and ethnic background seemed to deteriorate in tandem as they develop (Giddens, 1971).

Durkheim borrowed August Comte’s social analysis where he deconstructed society into several parts and described each piece as playing a significant role in keeping the community alive and healthy, much like how each limb and organ throughout our bodies co-exist with one another. For one component to deteriorate or malfunction, the whole system would be affected. He then compounded the Gemenshaft theory with “social facts” as he moved towards Geselshaft, a term he coined to describe how each component had “an independent existence greater and more objective than the actions of the individuals that composed society” (Giddens, 1971).

His predecessors like Tonnies hypothesized that we all have a purpose to and for each other that motivates us to co-exists, like a barter system, with the exception that humans are the commodities. For Durkheim, the “collective consciousness” that underlies a traditional society changes to “individual consciousness” in a modern society as a result of division of labor. Hence, the simplicity, complacency and structured moderation that gelled people together peacefully slowly dissipates as it becomes complex with different specialization in employment and social roles (Poggi, 2000).

Needless to say, Durkheim broke the mold of looking at Comte’s society as a simple family where there was no conflict, confusion and “anomalies” among its members. It is through these anomalies, or social problems, that we create forms of deviant behavior, most notably, suicide (Poggi, 2000). In a nutshell, the more progressive or “organic” we become, the more social problems are created called anomalies. And these anomalies are the diseases that corrupt who we are that can eventually tip us over the edge with suicide.

Since young, Durkheim was notably a hard-working, studious and scholarly individual.  He was born on April 15 1858 in Lorraine, France into a family of devout Jews. His father and forefathers were all rabbis, yet since young, Durkheim knew he was not to follow suit (Poggi, 2000). He took an alternative path into the secular movement holding on to a belief that even the role of religious phenomena in society had its roots in social understanding rather than a higher, ethereal Being or Divine intervention (Poggi, 2000). His religious deviation could be due to the insurgence of Marxist politics that were sweeping Europe as repercussions of the French Revolution and Prussian War (Poggi, 2000). Nonetheless, the backbone of all his work was influenced by his family’s religious upbringing though they may not be distinct.

At college, Durkheim grew a reputation for being obnoxious. Though he won many accolades upon entering École Normale Supérieure in 1879 his lecturers did not think much of him unlike his peers: Henri Bergson, Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges and Jean Jaurès, the latter who later became Durkheim’s closest friend (Giddens, 1971).

Politics at the time made Durkheim a staunch socialist. Tensions of the Franco-Prussian war, the siege of Paris and a new republican government overturned many changes intellectually for scholars throughout Europe, including Durkheim (Morrison, 2006). In America, tensions were also arising from the civil war between the Union and the eleven southern states led by President Lincoln (Morrison, 2006). It is interesting to point out that as Durkheim germinated a keen observation for social studies and social deviant behavior, America was experiencing the booming explosion of migration from all over Europe (Mclaughlin, 1990) due to the political instability.

Despite America’s own civil conflicts, North America was becoming the goal destination for transatlantic migration. With its rapid influx of racial and cultural assimilation from Africa, South Americas through to Ireland, Durkheim’s work were soon to be seminal and timely in analyzing the social discrepancies that were to befall the new melting pot America (Mclaughlin, 1990). Soon, the country, under the leadership of President William McKinley at the turn of 1890, was experiencing the very problems Durkheim and his peers were scientifically trying to prove in rapidly developing organic societies. America was undergoing what sociologists describe as “transplanted networks” – foreign cultures taken out of its roots and transplanted amongst each other in a new climate allowing the plurality to blend into a concoction of some sort (Mclaughlin, 1990).

For most Americans, immigration had caused an acute problem: the loss of the true “American” identity. America was not just having problems with cultural diversity, but also color diversity. Racial inequality was also due to color division. Though the civil wars had removed the term slavery from its context, the stigma, prejudice and discrimination among the African American and the whites continued to persist, causing an over-layering of marginality on top of the European migration (Mclaughlin, 1990). This racial division soon led to insufficiency and inequality in opportunities leading to so many social anomalies (Mclaughlin, 1990). Considering the fact that Durkheim never set foot in America, it is ironic that America was to become the perfect guinea pig of a society for his all future analyses.

As more Europeans fled to America, Durkheim grew increasingly nationalistic for a weakened France but left for Germany for a year. His return brought new inspiration. He helped to revolutionize the secular education by introducing social science as a teacher in pedagogy and reforming the French school system (Giddens, 1971). A slew of famous accomplishments came after: in 1893 he wrote The Division of Labor in Society, in 1895 he finished Rules of the Sociological Method and founded the first European Department of Sociology at the University of Bordeaux, in 1896 founded the journal L’Année Sociologique, and in 1897 published Suicide (Morrison, 2006).

For a man of his astounding contribution, scholastic achievement and nationalistic pride, Durkheim succumbed to a bullet much closer to his heart: the death of his son in World War I. He never recovered from his sadness and two years later in November 15 1917, Durkheim, emotionally overwhelmed and devastated, died from exhaustion.

Though he died at a young age of fifty-nine, Durkheim left a legacy of social understanding that speaks in volume up till today. One of his remarkable works is his book entitled Le Suicide (1897) that argues how collective forces are instrumental determinants for suicide than individual factors. Though the book was greatly challenged by scholars and skeptics alike, Durkheim’s investigations warrant a legitimate space for understanding, if not comparative study (Brym and Lie, 2006).

Though suicide is commonly associated with psychiatric illness, human weaknesses as an escape to life’s difficulties, or mental dysfunction due to substance abuses, Durkheim contends that it is society and its trappings that leads an individual over the edge (Edles and Appelrouth, 2004). What has been recorded such as race, heredity, psychiatric factors, etc are all “peripheral factors”, far from the nucleus of the causes. The nucleus is by not looking at suicide as an individual or isolated case, but by looking at the totality of suicide in a society: what are the factors causing people to commit suicide? Why are people committing suicide?

Based on Le Suicide, one strong basis is caused by an individual’s poor integration into his society (Emirbayer, 2003). By not being able to fit in, one becomes a social outcast – an anomaly – and being left out or misplaced is what leads one to want to be completely out of the whole community, hence suicide. Another cause is when there is no moral or social integration or regulation for the individual within his society (Edles and Appelrouth, 2004). His formulation: each society has an aptitude for suicide. This is measured by taking the proportion between the total number of voluntary deaths and the population of every age and sex against its historical period (Emirbayer, 2003).

Durkheim creates a linking between individual pathologies to social conditions (Edles and Appelrouth, 2004). He describes four types of suicides: egoistic, altruistic, anomic and fatalistic (Emirbayer, 2003). Egoistic suicide occurs when man finds no more purpose in life. An example is when a person lives alone or has loosened his bonds with his family, is divorced and feels disconnected with others. His sense of non-belonging and feeling non-appreciated would be the triggers that end his life (Edles and Appelrouth, 2004). It is considered the most extreme form and a natural disposition for individuals living in highly developed and modern societies.

Altruistic suicide is when an individual gives his life for his group. Examples of this would be the practice of human sacrifices in certain remote tribal cultures and suicide bombers.  Durkheim describes another type of suicide that stems from this extreme form of helplessness – fatalistic suicide. Such suicide results in primitive groups or societies where the individual is rendered powerless in releasing himself from a form of oppression such as slavery or sacrificial cult.

Anomic suicide happens when there is lack of moral regulation to the individual and his social group. This occurs when the individual feels morally lost and adrift, setting him apart from everyone else. He may have deviated himself from not wanting to be a part of any religion because there many to choose from, or because the religious plurality has reduced his insight on the true meaning of religion (Brym and Lie, 2006).

Through Durkheim’s teachings, we learn that if all members of a society were anchored to common sets of symbolic representations, to common assumptions about the world around them, individuals in their social groups would feel a sense of belonging and help prevent societies from social decay and degeneration.

References

1.Applerouth, S. A. and Edlers, L. D. (2004). Sociological Theory in the Classical Era: Text and Readings. Thousand Oaks. Pine Forge Press

2.Brym, R. J. and Lie, J. (2006). Sociology Your Campus for a New World. Australia. Thomson Wadsworth

3.Emirbayer, M. (2003). Emile Durkheim Sociologist of Modernity. MA. Blackwell Publishing Ltd

4.Giddens, A. 91971). Capitalism and Modern Social Theory. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press

5.  Poggi, G. (2000). The Founders of Modern Political and Social Thought. Oxford. Oxford University Press

6.Morrison, K. (2006). Marx, Durkheim, Weber. London. Sage Publications Inc.

7.  V. Yans-Mclaughlin. (1990). Immigration Reconsidered History, Sociology and Politics. Oxford. Oxford University Press

One central and important study of sociology is the study of everyday social life. Everyday life and sociology are definitely two distinct terms and situations, but they hold a close relationship. While sociology studies human interaction, everyday life consists of everyday human interaction. Everyday life is filled by human beings interacting with one another, institutions, ideas, and emotions. Sociology studies the interactions with all of these and shows how mere interaction resulted in things like ideas and institutions.

Everyday that you wake up and come into contact with what you do and the people you speak to is sociological. You wake up and interact with objects. Some of these objects you see yourself in such as your clothes, and your music, would be called the sociology of identification. If you live with your parents and siblings, you wake up and interact with them, by saying good morning and having breakfast with them. You recognize and participate in the family institution. When you go to school, or church, or your job, you know what’s expected of you and you know how to act in the way that is labeled normal.

Therefore, you interact with a set of norms by conforming to them or breaking them which is deviance. The fact that we have an everyday life in which there are patterns in ways of living is what sets a foundation for sociological analysis and for being a witness in what we do, in order to understand ourselves better. You use sociology in many ways everyday. Race and ethnicity are important concepts in the field of sociology and are ones that are studied a great deal.

Race plays a large role in everyday human interactions and sociologists want to study how, why, and what the outcomes are of these interactions. There are several sociological theories about why prejudice, discrimination, and racism exist. Current sociological theories focus mainly on explaining the existence of racism. The three major sociological perspectives are, functionalist theory, symbolic interaction theory, and conflict theory they each have their own explanations to the existence of racism.

The Structural-Functional theory argues that in order for race and thnic relations to be functional and contribute to the conduct and stability of society, racial and ethnic minorities must assimilate into that society. Assimilation is a process by which minorities gradually adopt patterns of a dominant culture. It is believed that deviance encourages social change. A good example of this would be how race and ethnicity are strongly linked to crime rates.

The amount of African Americans that were involved in crimes was a higher proportion than any other race. African Americans makes up 13 percent of the population but were accounted for 28. percent of the arrest. There are several reasons why arrest for African American could be this high but the main cause would probably be because of social standing.

Some disadvantages to the African American population are that white people have an overall higher occupational standing and they also receive schooling beyond high school. Many people of this race are brought into single-parent homes which lead to a huge gap in wealth and these children receive less supervision which puts them in a greater risk of living in poverty.

Over 40 percent of African American children grow up in poor families leaving the high crime rates to not be a surprise. Prejudice is also another factor to the high crime rates because white police tend to arrest black people more readily. If crime involved drunk driving, business fraud, embezzlement, and cheating on tax returns the white population rate of crime would rise dramatically. These factors have made many people of this race strive for the best while others are still not trying at all.

Although we operate from a class system it seems like many African Americans are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Individual achievement isn’t happening. If more people would aim for individual achievement, social standing wouldn’t be such an issue in today’s time. I believe categorizing people according to their color, sex, or social background is wrong. The only way to overcome these negative stereotypes is to stand above the descriptions that have been applied to your race. I have learned that hardwork is the key to success, whether it is in life, work, or your social standing.

Even though social stratification carries over from generation to generation it doesn’t mean you have to have the same life your parents had. Everyone is able to achieve a better life if they work for it. Social stratification is found everywhere and what is equal and unequal is different in all societies. In my society it seems like wealth and power is the key element of difference. People who are poor or have lower position are downed on. While writing this paper, I learned many things. I learned society has a huge impact on my life and those around me.

Related post:

I learned that personal issues can manifest into a social issue that affects the whole society as a whole, just as the major social issues can affect my personal life. Overall, writing this paper has benefited me to look closer at society and see how different issues affect me in my life.

References

• Macionis, J. (2009). Society the basics. (12th ed. ). The sociology of race and ethnicity . (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. trinity. edu/mkearl/race. html
• Winant, H. (n. d. ). Race and race theory. Retrieved from http://www. soc. ucsb. edu/faculty/winant/Race_and_Race_Theory. html

“(HRM is) a strategic approach to managing employment relations which emphasizes that leveraging people’s capabilities is critical to achieving sustained competitive advantage, this being achieved through a distinctive set of integrated employment policies, programmes and practices. ” (John Bratton / Jeffrey Gold; Human Resource Management Theory And Practice, 2003) Although the terms Human Resource Management and Personnel Management are commonly used interchangeably, research has shown there are substantial differences between the two.

Personnel Management focuses more on the management of employees and dealing with administrative tasks such as employment laws, contractual obligations and the payroll of the company, encompassing the range of activities to do with managing the workforce rather than resources. Human Resource Management takes a strategic approach to the overall management of not only workers, but their workplace and environment, focusing on aspects such as the safety, wellness, benefits, motivation, development and organization of employees.

It can be said that Personnel Management is workforce centered; being largely about mediating between management and employees, while Human Resource Management is resource centered; concentrating on the planning, monitoring and control aspects of resources. There are four major stages in the evolution of Personnel and Human Resource Management as we know it today; social justice human bureaucracy consent by negotiation organization and integration Social justice Social justice was the budding stage in Human Resource Management, dating back to the 19th Century, when the work of social reformers such as Lord

Shaftesbury and Robert Owen led to the appointment of the first personnel managers. Lord Shaftesbury was the leader of the Factory Reform Movement in the House of Commons and a key contributor to the Factory Act of 1847, which minimized the working hours of woman and children in factories to 10 hours per day and made it illegal for kids under the age of 9 to be employed in textile factories. Robert Owen was a social reformer of the Industrial Revolution, who assisted the working class of England by helping ease labour hours and conditions, and the use of child labour. He also assisted in the employment standards of England.

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, some large employers started appointing welfare officers to manage new initiatives designed to make life easier for their employees, leading to higher productivity, improved retention of the workforce, and more applicants for each job. Notable welfare initiatives promoted by employers today include employee assistance schemes, childcare facilities and health-screening programmes. Human bureaucracy The term “bureaucracy” means “rule by office”. Bureaucracy is an organizational form used by sociologists and organizational professionals.

The Industrial Revolution contributed to the development of bureaucracies, and modern bureaucracy emerged around 1850. In the 1930’s, German sociologist, Max Weber, studied new forms of organization being developed to manage large numbers of people in complex activities, his studies and work led to the popularization of the term. He discussed topics such as uniform principles, structure and hierarchy, merit system and specialization of job-scope. Weber described many ideal types of public administration and government in his work and many aspects of modern public administration go back to him.

His research showed that large scale organizations were similar in specific ways and shared many similar features, concluding that each was a bureaucracy. Webster described bureaucracy as being the ideal way of organizing government agencies, and key in the continuing rationalization of western society. Websters principles were used throughout public and private sectors. He noted seven major principles; specification of jobs with detailed rights, obligations, responsibilities and scope of authority, system of supervision and subordination, unity of command, xtensive use of written documents, training in job requirements and skills, application of consistent and complete rules, assign work and hire personnel based on experience Another concept found largely in Weber’s theories is rationalization, a process into which a person enters and applies practical knowledge to achieve results. While Webster believed bureaucracies were well organized machines that could accomplish any goal, he also noted disadvantages, one being that power shifted to only those individuals at the top, and could result in monocracy.

Weber also discussed authority and sought to learn what gave power to an individual to be able to claim authority over another, such as man over woman. The success that bureaucracy produced during the industrial revolution and up to the late twentieth century, makes it the most relevant type of organisation for such industries. Weber’s thoughts on bureaucracy have influenced modern thinking and many still hold true. The main ideas of his seven principles are still relevant to many bureaucracies that exist, making Weber a truly innovative thinker, who continues to influence society and business today. Consent by negotiation

Negotiation means bargaining between two or more parties, each with its own aims, needs and views, seeking to discover a common ground and reach an agreement to settle a matter of mutual concern or resolve a conflict. Consent by negotiation helped develop Human Resource Management between the years 1935 and 1950, when a large increase in union membership in the United States drew more emphasis on labour relations and collective bargaining within personnel management. The importance of aspects such as compensation and benefits also increase, as unions negotiate paid holidays, vacations, and insurance coverage.

HRM practices in firms are still regularly influenced by Unions. Companies which are unionized have to follow contracts which have been negotiated between the company and its union. These contracts control many HRM practices, including promotion, grievances, discipline, and overtime. Firms which aren’t unionized can also be influenced by the threat of unions. For example, some companies make their Human Resource Management practices more equitable, treating workers more fairly, to avoid the chance of union representation by employees.

Organization and integration The integrated phase of human resource management dates to the early 1970’s to 1980’s. In this period, it was focused on changing environment, such as individual experts in organization, specific areas, recruitment and training. In the late 60’s, there was a change in focus among personnel specialists, from dealing mainly with the rank-and-file worker on behalf of management, to dealing with management itself and the integration of managerial activities.

The development of career ladders and opportunities for personal growth within organizations characterised this phase. “As the 1960’s and 1970’s unfolded, a more personable group of managers emerged, and their interest in people and feelings influenced all facts of business, including the growth of market research, communications and public relations. This group of managers, emphasized the relationship between employers and employees, rather than scientific management. Programs to increase wages and fringe benefits continued to be developed.

New studies linked greater productivity to management philosophies that encouraged worker ideas and initiatives” (Losey, 2010, online) Opportunities for personal growth is still a concern of personnel managers to this day, with time and resources being spent on the recruitment and development of people who obtain expertise which the future of the business. Workforce planning and manpower techniques have also been developed by Personnel managers, focusing on the conceivable need for employees with various skills in the future.

Examine the reasons why some sociologists choose not to use experiments when conducting research One of the main reasons why many sociologists choose not to use laboratory experiments for research is one of impracticality; the absolute control of conditions required for a lab experiment is nigh impossible to achieve in fields of sociology, as that level of control over variables would require a completely artificial environment which would require an inordinate amount of money and resources to construct effectively.

If an experiment took place in an environment less controlled than this, then even identification of all the relevant variables would be ridiculously difficult, and manipulation of variables to study a behavioural reaction completely impossible. Even assuming that it is possible to create a controlled environment for sociological experiments, there are still many practical issues with experimental methods.

Firstly there is no possible way for experiments to research past social trends, which immediately reduces the range of data available to a sociologist, for instance it would be impossible to try and find changes in society through experimental methods unless a sociologist replicated exactly a social experiment conducted in the past to compare the data.

Secondly, again assuming a laboratory environment has been constructed for sociology, this could only be used to study a limited sample and therefore would not create very reliable data, and so would not be easily generalisable, which then appears to defeat the point of using a laboratory experiment.

Finally it is argued that the artificial environment of an experiment would provoke the “Hawthorne Effect”, in which a person with knowledge of their observation modifies their behaviour, in an attempt to second guess what the observer expects or wants them to do, which would not give very valid data and also, as only some people would succumb to this effect, would also not give very reliable data. An apparent solution to this would be observing people without their knowledge, however this causes a lot of ethical issues; a general principle of sociological research is that a person must give their informed consent to be studied.

Informed consent can be difficult to obtain with certain groups, for example children, as this would also require their parent or guardian to give consent, making obtaining data even more difficult and time consuming. Misleading people as to the nature of the research is therefore also considered wrong, as it violates the principle of informed consent. Finally, social theory and perspective means that interpretevist sociologists will not regard experiments as valid. A laboratory approach is possibly the most scientific of all sociological research methods, and therefore the one that interpretevists would argue to be the least valid.

A key element of interpretevist theory is that human behaviour is not a simple matter of cause and effect, as humans have a wide variety of emotions, moral values and choices, and therefore attempting to use a small sample to generalise about society is not possible, as every person is different and will react differently to circumstances. As interpretevists are fundamentally concerned with validity of research, their ideal research methods will take place in the actual areas and situations in which people reside, as opposed to an attempt to reconstruct these with a far more limited range of variables.

War leads to the massive loss of life, the non-recognition of human rights and dignity. But then, amidst its horrors, great acts of humanity are committed by people of various social backgrounds. Violence and conditions of uncertainty transform social identities with regards to ethnicity and class, enabling men to aid others for the very reason that they are fellow humans. This paper expounds on this idea through insights from a film classic, a sociological theory as well as common knowledge history.

Background of the Film

The 1937 film “The Grand Illusion” was one of the masterpieces of French director Jean Renoir. Having served in the First World War himself, Renoir witnessed first hand the gruesome experiences of being powerless in the face of an oppressive situation. He sought to express his anti-war sentiments through film. Although he used World War I as the setting, the film came at a time when the world was once again at the brink of another.

The film underscores the theme that war is not the answer to society’s problems but rather exacerbates them. It shows how the elite or the aristocracy resorted to war in order to sustain and expand economic and political interests. Prior to World War II, the Jews began to dominate Germany’s economy with the superb entrepreneurial skills peculiar to their culture that enhanced their social mobility.

The success of the war depended on the support of the citizenry whose bulk was composed of the middle and working classes. For Germany, the single greatest binding force that united them together was in the ethnocentric conception of the superiority of the German race. This was compounded in the narrow nationalist promotion of “Germany for Germans”. Both ideas worked to entrench a strong Anti-Semitist sentiment in the country.

This shifting of social identities towards the ultimate expression of humanity in war is effectively captured in “The Grand Illusion”. Here, social identity stems from the recognition of one’s membership in a social group united through similar roles and viewpoints (Stets and Burke, 2000, p.225). Renoir’s intention was to portray the transcendence over ethnicity and social class as illusions, aptly because they are the glaring opposite of social reality.

Social Identity and Transcendence

Social Class across Nationalities

French-German Aristocrats

The film portrayed the universality of social class and the common group identities of similar social classes across borders. The German Captain von Rauffenstein is seen inviting his prisoner, the French Captain de Boeldieu, to lunch just because the latter was an officer, and so, a fellow aristocrat. Their identification with one another stems from their common fulfillment of the roles and expectations associated with their class.

The scenes that followed showed them enjoying each others’ company thus forming an in-group, highlighting their difference (in-group favoritism) from the commoners, the out-group. They talk animatedly about experiences privileged to the elite – cuisine, women and familiar people. Their use of German, French and English further emphasizes their ability to overcome the German-French and prisoner-captor divide.

Stets and Burke (2000) stated that “in-group homogeneity is especially strong when no motivational forces exist to distinguish the self from others within the group”(p.226). In the final scenes, Captain de Boeldieu distracts the German guards to enable his two companions to escape. German Captain von Rauffenstein tried to talk him into submission first but was forced to shoot him. De Boeldieu was a fellow aristrocrat (part of an in-group) but more than this, he was also a French officer, an enemy (motivational force).

The scenes depicting the dying de Boeldieu talking to von Rauffenstein saw how identity roles take center stage over group identity. Though both of them see their identity as aristocrats, in the process of the war, they came to see their roles differently. Von Rauffenstein believed in the purpose of the war while de Boeldieu believed that their class was dysfunctional and welcomed the possibility of society being led by the lower class.

Similarly, identity roles taking precedence was illustrated in de Boeldieu allowing Lieutenant Marechal, his fellow aviator who was a mechanic before the war, to escape. Group identity would dictate that de Boeldieu, in order to perform his duty, would take advantage of the situation for himself. But because he saw his identity role differently, he died allowing a commoner to regain his freedom.

French-German Commoners

The transcendence over social class across nationalities was also demonstrated during the escape of Marechal together with another prisoner named Rosenthal who was a Jew. Traveling on foot over unfamiliar and hostile territory presented difficulties and was further exacerbated when Rosenthal sustained injuries. As such, they were forced to ask for help at the farm that they came across with.

The resident was a German woman, Elsa, whose husband tragically died fighting in the war. She shared a similar identity with Marechal who also came from a working class background. The common realization that there is much to lose in the war but none to gain (similarities), led both Elsa and Marechal to overcome differences in nationality and language barriers for the woman to help the fugitives.

Ethnicity and Social Identity

One of the characters in the film was a Jew named Rosenthal. He belonged to the upper class but was originally a commoner. The film dispels the exaggerated dissimilarities that led to prejudicial or Anti-Semitic sentiments when Rosenthal’s character was portrayed as compassionate. Although he was upper class, he gave parts of his meals to his fellow prisoners without exception. Thus, he maintained favorable relationships with all captives in the camp.

This suggests that Rosenthal as a Jew and the non-Jew prisoners overcame ethnic differences because their identity was primarily based on all of them being prisoners (social group). Thus they performed a common role and viewpoint – to dig a tunnel and escape in order to return to their respective territories and continue performing their duty to fight against the common enemy. Here, the German guards are the out-group.

Conclusion

The transcendence over social identity is easily accomplished under circumstances of chaos and instability that are not conventional during times of peace. This is because as social experiments have proven, divisions between groups are minimized when there are common goals that can only be achieved through collective efforts (SIT lecture). In the film, prisoners from different classes and ethnicities worked together to dig a tunnel as a common means of escape. The sharing of food for equal sustenance to all was also depicted, albeit through Rosenthal as an individual, increasing everyone’s chances of survival.

Transcendence on an individual level can also be accomplished when one’s perception of identity role deviates from the traditional group identity boundaries, i.e. de Boeldeiu’s self-sacrifice for a commoner as a way out of the aristocrat failure as a class in contrast to von Rauffenstein’s steadfast conformity to aristocratic duties. The latter’s conformity is due to his commitment of a role that is salient to him (Stets and Burke, 2000, p.232).

As social identity results from comparison of one’s self from others and recognizing the similarities in experience can also lead one to transcend socially defined divisions. This was exemplified in the relationship of the French Lieutenant Marechal and the German peasant, Elsa.

Non-transcendence on the part of the German guards and their officers, who represented the German state under Hitler in history, was due to their segregation of themselves as a superior race and their determined attempts to compete over economic and political superiority as well.

In general, the film has been rich in examples showing how social identification leads to social conflict and also to conflict resolution. The lessons borne out of this classic film are invaluable as we face a world today where war seems to be the solution to contradictions among nations, races, ethnic groups and social classes.

List of References

Stets, J.E. and Burke, P.J. (2000). Identity Theory and Social Identity Theory. Social

Psychology Quarterly, 63(3), p.224-237.

Social Identity Theory Powerpoint (Lecture).

Question 1 0 out of 10 points Which of the following is an example of an application of midrange theory?
Answer Selected
Answer: analyzing how a shopkeeper interacts with customers

Correct Answer: exploring the role of churches in rural areas Response Feedback: Feedback:  Recall that midrange theory attempts to predict how certain social institutions tend to function. ?

Question 2 10 out of 10 points Justin decides to conduct research for a class project by recording and assessing how people choose where to sit on a public bus. Which type of sociology is this?
Answer Selected
Answer: microsociology
Correct Answer: microsociology Response Feedback: Feedback:  Recall that microsociology seeks to understand local interactional contexts and focuses on face-to-face encounters ?

Question 3 10 out of 10 points Which of the following is an example of a social institution?
Answer Selected
Answer: all of the above
Correct Answer: all of the above| Response Feedback: Feedback:  Social institutions do not have to be established by any particular organization or group and do not necessarily have physical locations. ?

Question 4 0 out of 10 points Which of the “founding fathers” of sociology put forth the idea that sociologists should examine social behavior from the perspective of those engaging in the behavior?
Answer Selected
Answer: Emile Durkheim
Correct Answer: Max Weber ?

Question 5 0 out of 10 points Sociology is the study of _____. Feature Article – Sociology Test
Answer Selected
Answer: human society
Correct Answer: all of the above ?

Question 6 10 out of 10 points Which of the following describes a difference between sociology and psychology?
Answer Selected
Answer: Sociology focuses on social structures and group interactions, while psychology focuses on the urges, instincts, and mind of the individual.
Correct Answer: Sociology focuses on social structures and group interactions, while psychology focuses on the urges, instincts, and mind of the individual. ?

Question 7 10 out of 10 points Sociology is distinct from other academic disciplines in its attempt to _____.
Answer Selected
Answer: detect patterns in how different societies handle or respond to similar phenomena
Correct Answer: detect patterns in how different societies handle or respond to similar phenomena ?

Question 8 10 out of 10 points Examining the interactions between people with a focus on how the people talk, dress, and use body language is an example of which theory?
Answer Selected
Answer: symbolic interactionism
Correct Answer: symbolic interactionism Response Feedback: Feedback:  Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level approach that focuses on how face-to-face interactions create the social world. ?

Question 9 10 out of 10 points The examination of everyday human social interactions on a small scale describes _____.
Answer Selected
Answer: microsociology
Correct Answer: microsociology ?

Question 10 10 out of 10 points Social identity is _____.
Answer Selected
Answer: a way that individuals define themselves in relation to groups they are a part of or groups they choose not to be a part of
Correct Answer: a way that individuals define themselves in relation to groups they are a part of or groups they choose not to be a part of ?

Question 11 0 out of 10 points Paradoxically, using our sociological imagination helps us _____.
Answer Selected
Answer: create an image of how people in other societies live
Correct Answer: make the familiar strange ?

Question 12 10 out of 10 points Which of the following contributors to the development of sociology argued for the importance of identifying scientific laws that govern human behavior?
Answer Selected
Answer: Auguste Comte
Correct Answer: Auguste Comte ?

Question 13 0 out of 10 points Which of the following is an example of using one’s sociological imagination?
Answer Selected
Answer: creating different hypotheses to explain an individual’s behavior
Correct Answer: being puzzled by how people in another country greet one another and then thinking about how people in your own country greet one another and why they do it the way they do Response Feedback: Feedback:  Using your sociological imagination allows you to recognize how the social world works and why. ?

Question 14 10 out of 10 points Justin enters a clothing store and a security guard immediately notices him and follows Justin’s actions on a security monitor. Justin is aware of the security guard’s actions and adjusts his own behavior to avoid potential confrontation with the security guard. This is an example of which sociological concept?
Answer Selected
Answer: double consciousness
Correct Answer: double consciousness Response Feedback: Feedback:  Recall that having a double consciousness takes the external opinions of an often racially prejudiced onlooker into consideration. ?

Question 15 10 out of 10 points A social institution can be described as _____.
Answer Selected
Answer: a group of social positions, connected by social relations, that perform a social role
Correct Answer: a group of social positions, connected by social relations, that perform a social role ?

Question 16 0 out of 10 points Your friend Allison is concerned with the messages that young girls and boys receive about careers that are suitable for them from their elementary school teachers. Based on Allison’s position, it is likely that she is a(n) _____.
Answer Selected
Answer: functionalist|
Correct Answer: feminist Response Feedback: Feedback:  Feminist research focuses on inequalities based on gender categories and researchers study women’s experiences at home and in the workplace. ?

Question 17 10 out of 10 points The Chicago School of American Sociology emphasized the importance of _____.
Answer Selected
Answer: the environment in shaping people’s behavior and personalities.
Correct Answer: the environment in shaping people’s behavior and personalities. ?

Question 18 10 out of 10 points According to Karl Marx, throughout history social change has been sparked by _____.
Answer Selected
Answer: class conflict
Correct Answer: class conflict ?

Question 19 10 out of 10 points Which of the following American sociologists applied Durkheim’s theory of anomie to explain African American crime rates?
Answer Selected
Answer: W. E. B. DuBois
Correct Answer: W. E. B. DuBois ?

Question 20 10 out of 10 points
Questioning the reasons why people choose to attend college and the importance of a college degree is an example of _____.
Answer Selected
Answer: using the sociological imagination
Correct Answer: using the sociological imagination Response Feedback: Feedback:  Using your sociological imagination allows you to recognize how the social world works and why. ?

Question 21 0 out of 10 points Postmodern theorists argue that _____.
Answer Selected
Answer: people cannot agree on how to define basic terms
Correct Answer: all phenomena have multiple meanings and no one meaning can be more valid than another

Causes of the _____________. 5. Remedies. 6. Conclusion. __________ has become one of the most embarrassing (tension) and explosive problem all over the world especially in the third world countries like Pakistan. It is full of dangers of devastating dimensions, evil impact, implication of grave and impressive magnitude. ___________ creates instability and demoralization in our nation and in a back flesh it breeds depression and frustration in our society and state. It creates and spreads the feelings of uncertainly and insecurity among the masses. If ________creeps in a society.

It eats into its vitals and soon corrodes its inner strength, outer splendour, economic prosperity, social peace and national unity. Consequently, a nation good image is spoiled all over the world. Lawlessness becomes order of the day indiscipline due to poverty, corruption, violence, indiscipline and mass illiteracy. It creates conflict and confrontation. It is not efficiently and properly and checked the entire indicial Marla and economic fabric of nation is close and collapsed. __________ is highly detriment and devastating for a country like Pakistan that has fragile economic and political instability.

If the evil of _________ is not nipped in the bud it may spread rapidly like a bush fire, and may engulf the whole nation or region like an epidemic. __________ has badly shattered the structure of the country. It causes a severe blow to the law of country and supremacy of the constitution is shattered by it. It deprives mass of mental, physical, spiritual, moral and economic prosperity and causes grave concerns for national unity and territorial integrity ________ also paves way for bloody regulations and military take over.

So every peace loving person who fervently longs and cherished dreams for peace, prosperity and protection must ponder upon causes of social concern of _________. The main causes of _______ are mass illiteracy, poverty, wrong economic policies of the government, people’s insatiable desire to accumulate countless riches and blind multiplication of worldly whishes. _________ creates irresistible, economic pressure on social and economic justice and gulfs have been increased between the lower and upper class.

In a nutshell, mass illiteracy, temptation for ostentation of wealth, lust for power, luxury and comfort are the main causes of ________. Social, religious, linguistic differences also breed conflict and confrontation bias and hatred among the people who in back flesh grow and spread ________. Secondly feudalism, capitalism and unequal distribution of opportunities, un-availability of fundamental rights and liberties spread __________. Thirdly the non-availability of basic necessities and facilities also paves the way to spread _______ in a society or state.

External factors like agents or agencies of hostile neighboring state like India and Russia also play a extol role in spreading ________ in the land of our country in order to destabilize the state and depress the people. It should be the basic and paramount concern of the men at the helm of our affairs as well as the scholars, educationists, Political parties, NGO’s and national mass media to take necessary steps at their levels for the eradication of growing penance of _________ in the best national and human inters.