Lesson 9 - Race And Ethnicity

My sister is wearing a backpack which can be related to the invisible knapsack. Because she is white she will not be found suspicious just for being in a certain location and most likely not be harassed by the police, nor racially profiled.

 This photo is from my sisters science fair. The single largest ethnic group in the world is the Chinese. As China becomes more modernized, there is a major shift from lower class to middle class. This is creating a strain on resources such as food, housing, and raw materials.

 The game of basketball has evolved greatly over time in terms of racism.  Our society made it difficult for African Americans to be considered equals and therefore were discriminated against.

Racism is socially constructed. If our parents, society or our institutions were wiped of all racism, our children would not know anything of it.  We are not born with a certain race in our DNA so there is no reason to pass it on to future generations.

Race changes over time. My family is Italian and they were not considered white in the past. As time changes so do peoples views on others and eventually they were considered white.  Race is not biological so it is subject to change. All races that came to America were not considered white in the beginning but time allows people to become more comfortable with things that are different than what they are used to. 

Lesson 8 - Social Class and Inequality

These next two photos illustrate the differences in social classes. The first boat is on the lower end of the socio-economic scale. This is a working boat.






The boat below represents the high end of the social class. These boats are not used for work but, primarily used for leisure.

 This is an example of the working lower-middle class or the blue collar class. They were responsible for building the infrastructure of many major cities across the world.

 This meal is representative of the food the upper class would feast upon. Typically this is served to them by staff members of the working class.

This is a shot of people shopping in a Target store. The demographics for these consumers are middle to upper class, mostly female homemakers. 

Lesson 2 - Theories and Theorists

This ATM is a very rational product of society. It brings economic logic to the act of banking. With more rationality brings less human activity.

Many theorists important to sociology came from Europe. They contributed greatly to the sociological theories we use today.

This self checkout is a dehumanizing feature that makes getting out of the grocery store less painful. It also contributes to the disenchantment of society brought about by many bureaucracies.
















Marx believed that throughout history conflict had to happen to start any type of social change. Also that conflict was at the base of every society.

This photo of a graduating class relates to the postmodern theory. With each graduating class, more educated adults will be added to society bringing more options fore change and also add a diverse thought process to how things should be done. They will all bring contrasting views to what has already be done before as well.

Lesson 1 - What Is Sociology?

This is society going about an average day of living. This is the world that we have structured and have chosen to live in.  Society would not exist without us living in it and actively participating on a day to day basis.

These are literal glass ceilings in Washington D.C. There is a museum below them.

The environment we live in greatly shapes who we are. People that have grown up in Oak Park their whole lives are less likely to face great hardships that people living in an inner city community would have to face.

An example of culture shock was going to England. There are many radical differences in the structure of society there. A simple example is getting used to looking right for oncoming traffic as opposed to left.

This photo of my family together in a museum represents how humans cannot be understood apart from society. Society forms how we act and who we associate with.

Lesson 7 - Deviance and Conformity

 This Batman character being deviant in society's eyes.  As a society we judge him because he is breaking the norm.  Our judgements are what make his behavior deviant.

My grandfather had a physical stigma. He was treated differently because of his physical state of being.

 These students are conforming to society by all going to school and being seated in desks. We all conform more than we deviate, it is just harder to point out.

This is a gypsy/street performer that deviated from the normal path of society. Society does not always treat him respectfully, therefore, his actions are deviant.

Planking was a fad that was a harmless way to deviate from the majority of society. While planking, we have all received strange looks and some rude remarks. These reactions from people let us know that planking is a form of deviance.

Lesson 4 - Culture

 This hamburger represents the material American culture.  It is a food that is associated with the culture of America.

This is a sign in our society that has the specific meaning to stop at the line ahead.

My mom is making a gesture with her hands.  Putting up two fingers in our culture now means peace. She is also making this gesture in front of a John Lennon picture.  He is also a symbol of spreading peace.

The surfing lifestyle is a subculture.  They have distinct values and norms.

 While everyone else is simply walking, my sister is jumping into the air. She is breaking the norm of the current situation.

Mcdonalds has spread world wide. It is an example of cultural diffusion. It is a material company from American culture that has been shared globally. 

Lesson 10 - Sex and Gender

Vanessa was born a girl but was not born knowing how to be feminine. She is taught through our family, school, her peers, and the media. Society says that girls play with barbies so my sister is learning to be feminine through role playing with her barbies.

These two bathroom categories are socially constructed. There is no need for separate restrooms but, our society tells us there is.  The constructionist sociologists see gender as a social construction and is created through our interactions with other members of both genders in our culture. 

 My grandmother is playing a nurturing, home maker role by raising her own kids and preparing meals for everyone as well.  Functionalists believe that there are social roles more suitable for men and some more suitable for women. My grandmother is playing and expressive role by always being there for emotional support and is very nurturing.

My Mother and Father are two different sexes and are biologically female and male.

My sister is playing dress up which is a behavioral trait that our society considers normal for the members of the feminine gender.