Fluent Essays

Social Inequality Essay Your assignment is to write an argumentative essay in which you take opposition on inequality. This can be one of the specific issues from the Real World text, or you can write on a topic that affects the world today.  Your paper should follow the guidelines below:  I. Introduction- give background or perhaps an illustrative example to show the significance of the subject or the nature of the social problem. Consider stating the conclusion of your argument here as the theses of your essay.  II. Opposing argument- give a brief statement of the opposing view(s) to present that you have considered the opposing views.  III. Presentation of argument- Throughout the body of your essay you should build your case with evident and meaningful content that is creditable.  IV. Conclusion- Once your evidence has been presented and/or your position is defended, provide grounds for your position and conclusion. Format: Your essay should be written using ASA format to include references and citations. Your paper should be 3-4 pages and incorporate at least 2 different scholarly resources.Lecture Notes: 7.1 Social Stratification and Social Inequality 1. Social stratification means that members of a society are categorized and divided into groups that occupy particular places in a social hierarchy. Higher-level groups will enjoy more access to the  rewards  and resources within that society, leaving lower-level groups with less. 2. Social inequality is the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and prestige in society. Social inequality profoundly affects individuals life experiences. 3. Basic principles of social stratification are: 1. It is a characteristic of society rather than a reflection of individual differences. 2. It persists over generations. 3. Different societies use different criteria for ranking. 4. It is maintained through beliefs that are widely shared by members of a society. 7.2 Systems of Stratification 1. Slavery 1. The most extreme system of social stratification, slavery relegates people to the status of property, mainly for labor. Slaves have none of the rights common to free members. 2. Slavery is an economic system that is profitable to the owner at the expense of the slaves, who endure extreme subjugation. 3. Currently prohibited in every nation in the world, slavery is both illegal and immoral. Nevertheless, forms of slavery such as child slavery, serfdom, forced and bonded laborers, human trafficking, and sex slavery persist. 2. Caste System 2. A caste system is a highly stratified society where a person has little or no chance of changing his or her position within the hierarchy regardless of individual achievement. Caste is usually based on heredity. 2. South Africas apartheid system (1948–91) was a caste system based on race and ethnicity. South Africans were classified into four main racial groups: white, black, Indian (from Asia), and colored (mixed race). Although blacks made up 60 percent of the population, they were subject to substandard treatment and access to resources. Apartheid maintained geographical and social separation of racial groups. 1. Social Class 3. System of stratification practiced primarily in capitalist societies. 3. Ranks individuals and groups using variables of wealth, education, income, power, and occupation; these factors together are commonly known as socioeconomic status (SES). 7.3 Social Class in the United States 1. The upper class makes up 1 percent of the U.S. population. This groups total net worth is greater than that of the entire remaining 90 percent. Members of this class earn in excess of $250,000 per year and are often highly educated, cultured, and influential. 2. The upper middle class makes up 14 percent of the population. Members are well educated and highly skilled, making upward of $89,000 to more than $150,000 per year. 3. The middle class makes up 30 percent of the population, though there are some indications that its proportion is shrinking. Generally, the middle class works as skilled laborers in technical and lower-management jobs, earning fro8.1 Defining Race and Ethnicity 1. Race is a social category based on real or perceived biological differences between groups and people. It is more meaningful on a social level than on a biological level. 2. Ethnicity is another social category applied to a group with shared  ancestry  or cultural heritage. 1. Symbolic ethnicity involves enactment of ethnic identity on special occasions (e.g. Irish and St. Patricks Day, Chinese and the lunar new year). 2. Situational ethnicity involves deliberately asserting ethnicity in some situations and downplaying it in others. (This is generally an option only for those whose ethnicity is not linked to race. That is, whites of various ethnic backgrounds can engage in situational ethnicity, whereas nonwhites cannot.) 8.2 Race, Ethnicity, and Power 1. Sociologists define a minority group as any social category whose members suffer from unequal treatment as a result of holding that status. 2. Racism refers to an ideology or set of beliefs about the superiority of one racial or ethnic group to another. This irrational mind-set is usually founded on the assumption that differences among racial or ethnic groups are biological or innate. 3. Prejudice is an inflexible attitude about a group of people and is founded on generalizations and stereotypes. 4. Discrimination includes any action or behavior that results in the unequal treatment of individuals because of their membership in a certain social group. Discrimination can occur on both an individual and an institutional level. 8.3 Theoretical Approaches to Understanding Race in America 1. Functionalists argue that groups tend to believe that their own cultures are superior and that their ways of doing things are the normal and right ways. 2. Conflict theorists argue that race and class are linked and that racism is driven by economic competition. Also, racism is embedded in the political and economic structure of the United States. 8.4 Race as an Interactional Accomplishment 1. Using Goffmans theory of interaction, race and ethnicity can be interpreted as a performance of identity. Racial and ethnic identity are both projected and interpreted by individuals in their everyday lives. 2. Passing is the act of living as if one is a member of a different racial category. Passing is stressful, hard work, and almost entirely interactional. 3. Embodied identities are the way that we are perceived in the physical world. Interaction online is a way of separating the performance of race and ethnicity from the physical traits. Byron Burkhalters research on an Internet community based on African American culture demonstrates how racially relevant content and language are used to project and interpret racial identity in a bodiless realm. 8.5 Race, Ethnicity, and Life Chances 1. Family: African Americans are more likely than whites or Latinos never to marry, to divorce, or to be  widowed . African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be teen mothers than whites and As