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Sociology
Definition of Concept/Theory: The American Dream is one of the most pervasive elements of American consciousness and identity. It is the cornerstone of the myth of meritocracy in America, as the American Dream suggests that anyone can achieve upward social mobility simply by working hard. The American Dream is one of the chief motivating factors for foreign immigrants, who flee war-torn, poor, or otherwise problematic places abroad to seek asylum and opportunity. Although the American Dream has come true for many Americans, including immigrants, the achievement of upward social mobility and integration with the dominant culture in America remains elusive. The American Dream is more a myth than a dream.
Example 1: Drash, W., Basu, M. & Watkins, T. (2013). Boston suspects: Immigrant dream to American nightmare. CNN. 20 April, 2013. Retrieved online: http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/19/us/Massachusetts-bombers-profiles/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
This article is about the suspects in the Boston marathon terrorist attacks. The article focuses on the fact that the two suspects, Tamerlan Tsarnev and Dzhokar Tsarnev are examples of the American Dream gone awry. The story of the bombing reveals not the American Dream but...
This suggests that the immigration system is not just about helping people achieve the American Dream. It is also about humanitarian causes. The two Chechen brothers seem not to have integrated well within American society. Tamerlan at least noted that he had no American friends and claimed that no one understood him. While this experience reflects other sociological issues such as assimilation, acculturation, and marginalization, it also reveals the ways the immigrant experience in the United States does not necessarily reflect the underlying meritocratic ideology. It is not about promoting effort and achievement, and neither of the brothers seemed even concerned with attempting to participate in that society. Instead, they rebelled against it and eventually harmed it.
Example 2: Rose "Bubby" Silver
The second example illustrating the concept of the American Dream and how it relates to meritocracy is a personal story. It is about a first-generation immigrant to the United States who embodied and cultivated the American Dream. Unlike the stories emerging in…
References
Drash, W., Basu, M. & Watkins, T. (2013). Boston suspects: Immigrant dream to American nightmare. CNN. 20 April, 2013. Retrieved online: http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/19/us/Massachusetts-bombers-profiles/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
Silver, R. (n.d.). Interviews and stories (personal).
American Dream" Deadline: May 3rd, 2013 Intro: "In United States, major ideology American Dream, suggests equality opportunity exists positions social class structure a reflection deserve. The American Dream is generally regarded as a set of privileges that an individual living in the U.S. would have access to freedoms providing him or her with the chance to become prosperous and to be happy in general. The basic idea of the American
..the roles these abilities play in social life;...and the manner in which they are interpreted..., not by experts, but by ordinary people in ordinary activities" (Baynham 285). A combination of the forbidden nature of Douglass's society, in addition to the interpretation of his learning to read by his mistress, his boy teachers, and the Irishman allowed and motivated the young man to pursue literacy. A unique combination of Douglass's social environment
Sociology: Changing Societies in a Diverse World (Fourth Edition) George J. Bryjak & Michael P. Soroka Chapter One Summary of Key Concepts Sociology is the field of study which seeks to "describe, explain, and predict human social patterns" from a scientific perspective. And though Sociology is part of the social sciences (such as psychology and anthropology), it is quite set apart from the other disciplines in social science; that is because it emphasizes
influential theories related to deviance by Robert K. Merton. Firstly, the paper provides the historical context within which the theorist produced their ideas. Secondly, the paper provides a summary of their original theory. Thirdly, the paper provides a discussion of how the model has been critiqued and altered as new research has emerged. Lastly, the paper delves into the theory's current usage/popularity within criminology. The historical context within which the
For example, the young woman knows it is wrong because her friends have spoken to her in the past about how awful stealing is. They have seen her steal before and told her that she is wrong. Among her friends, she is known as a thief. Deviance here has less to do with self-determination than the judgment of others. It is this external judgment of the audience that acts
Sociological Theory Sociology There were several theories that I found interesting as a part of the course, yet the theory that I connected with most personally was Symbolic Interaction. This theory was established first by George Herbert Mead, who coined the phrase "symbolic interactionism" first. The theory has been present in the field of sociology for several decades, and after the death of Mead, other sociologists took on the theory in