Sociology Portfolio the Social Experience Evolves Around

Sociology Portfolio

The social experience evolves around different dimensions that influence people's everyday experiences and realities in life. Inherent in every event, interaction, individual, and even tangible material/artifact are reflective of a specific kind of social order. Everything is social, and using this premise, this Sociology Portfolio provides a survey of literature and relevant material that illustrate the role that social experience plays in the development of current and essential issues affecting people's lives across nations/countries in the world.

This survey of relevant materials on sociology provides different scenarios in which sociology and its principles and concepts are applied in "real world" issues and problems societies face today. These literature materials are journal (scholarly) articles as well as popular ones, taken from newspapers and/or magazines. Two (2) films are also included to demonstrate how social issues are depicted on "reel," as interpreted realistically or artistically (symbolically) in the film.

The first part of the portfolio has three (3) summaries of journal articles discussing issues that are local (U.S. domestic) and international in scope. Moore and Hagedorn's (2011) analysis of the proliferation of female gangs in the U.S. illustrate the plight of marginalized women in contemporary U.S. society. At an international level, the U.S., as well as its ally countries, figured significantly in current socio-political issues prevalent in countries across the globe. Kilby (2002) provided a critical analysis of the role of the U.S. In promoting financial assistance programs to countries it considers as "third world" or are developing / underdeveloped. And in its war on terror, the U.S. And its Western allies have also encompassed their roles to also providing asylum to political allies in conflict-ridden and war-torn countries.

Newspaper and magazine articles also provided coverage to social issues that are popular and also both domestic and international in scope. While journal articles provided in-depth analysis of social issues, the newspaper and magazine articles surveyed are mainly factual accounts or summarized commentary on issues that are relevant to the U.S., on both domestic and international levels. Domestic issues include the increasing, yet often neglected domestic issue of poverty and hunger in the U.S. (Hilliker, 2008 and Grebmer, 2008). These issues are deemed "neglected" because of the seemingly more coverage given to international politics U.S. is involved, compared to just as important issues happening locally and within American society. Other topics covered in the articles include international issues such as the discussion of developing and underdeveloping countries analyzed from the U.S. perspective, U.S. financial aid given to, this time, Latin American countries, and the less popular issue of female subservience in male-dominant Afghan society.

Lastly, two (2) thought-provoking films discussing the theme of capitalism and its "dark side" or detrimental effects are included in this portfolio. Fight Club, a movie adapted from the novel of the same title by Chuck Palahniuk, discusses the abolishment of capitalism as plotted by the Narrator and his alter-ego Tyler. Also a movie adaptation of the book, John Le Carre's The Constant Gardener depicts the role of Western countries in developing countries today, and how, despite the contribution of capitalism to progress in countries all over the world, the cost of bringing in capitalism is equivalent to sacrificing human lives and demoralization of societies, particularly in developing and underdeveloped countries.

Journal Articles

Moore, J. & Hagedorn, J. (2001). "Female Gangs: A Focus on Research." Juvenile Justice Bulletin. U.S. Department of Justice- Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Retrieved from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/186159.pdf on 2 May 2011.

According to Moore & Hagedorn (2001), much research has been given to gangs primarily because they involve issues of social concern. Further, "that concern stems from typically masculine acts of vandalism, violence, and other serious threats" (1). To prove this point, National Youth Violence Prevention Research Center noted that teen gang members are more likely than their non-gang member counterparts to commit serious and violent offenses or crimes. Reasons for joining gangs usually involve the following: prestige and recognition, a sense of belonging, protection in order to decrease apprehension of potential victimization, financial gain which is usually seen by them as not achievable via legal means.

Aside from these primary reasons, there are also secondary pull factors in to gangs. These include the following: by virtue of tradition or having another family member who's a member of a gang, fear from being pressured as a potential member, proximity of certain individuals to gangs found in neighborhood, a retort to a middle-class living, or simply out of boredom. Economic and family reasons are also driving girls to gangs. The changes on welfare system have been proven to be a barrier as women tended to rely on welfare payment. With no significant means to tender legitimate employment, they often resort to gangs.

Kilby, P. (2007). "The Australian aid program: dealing with poverty?" Australian Journal of International Affairs, 114-129.

Discussing the current economic state of Third World countries nowadays is synonymous to discussing poverty in this 'type' of countries, which are mainly found in the Asian and South American regions. In fact, ever since the conception of modernism in the Western world, the concept of a 'Third World' country existing in geographically big regions in the world led to numerous studies exploring and determining how countries identified as 'third worldly' can be elevated to a 'Second World,' and eventually, 'First World' status (like the United States and Britain). Kilby proposed a way to look at the problem of third world poverty, which is to look at them from a different perspective, through scientific thinking. Scientific thinking allows end-users of reports and decision makers to come up with solutions to problems in a more responsive manner. Under the scientific thinking approach, third world poverty is analyzed objectively -- ideally, through statistics and trends. Kilby cited the AusAID program to poor, developing countries as an example of scientific thinking as another approach to solving poverty and eradicating it. The author argued that one of the weaknesses of the Aus AID program is that it attempts to solve the poverty problem by providing aid and prescribing solutions that are not applicable to the third world nations it intended to help. Instead of helping out these nations, no change took effect in the recipient country's economic growth, as a result of inappropriately thinking that economic growth means poverty reduction (115). In this particular example, Kilby unrooted conceptual and operational weaknesses in defining third world poverty and poverty from a 'Western perspective.'

Vaughan, R. And J. Segrott. (2002). "Understanding the decision-making of asylum seekers." Home Office Research Study, (243).

Terrorist attacks against the U.S. In the past decade and its declaration of an all-out war to countries harboring terrorists, particularly in the Middle Eastern region, have brought about more than just a renewed debate on the issue of terrorism. It has also sparked new debates that question the admissibility of refugees seeking asylum in other countries, which are, more often than not, enemy state/nation of a refugee's native country. In the study, Understanding the Decision-Making of Asylum Seekers by Vaughan Robinson and Jeremy Segrott (2002) provides an in-depth looking at the different reasons and motivations why asylum seekers choose the United Kingdom (UK) as their 'destination' or host country of choice. The rationale behind this study is to better understand and determine whether asylum seekers were aware of the benefits and favorable conditions that they would receive when they stay in the UK compared to other European or North American countries. The authors addressed that more than just understanding asylum seekers' knowledge of the potential benefits of living in the UK, the study also would inform both the government and citizens of the country how asylum seekers' decision-making are motivated more by need rather than want (i.e., a conscious effort to go to a destination or host country with the best benefits or 'rewards' upon seeking asylum). Results of the study showed that choosing UK as the destination or host country for asylum seekers is primarily an economic decision, wherein the asylum-seeker would have the greater convenience while at the same time, enjoy the same high income and social status that the s/he has 'enjoyed' prior to leaving his/her native country/country of origin.

Newspaper/Magazine Articles

Hilliker, Joel and Robert Morley. "The Cause of the Crisis People Won't Face." The Philadelphia Trumpet November-December 2008: 8-9. Available at: http://www.thetrumpet.com/?q=5536.3858.0.0

It comes as a wonder how the world's sole superpower -- the United States of America (U.S.) -- has currently been deluged with problems both man-made and through the forces of nature. In the past years, its weakness as a nation has been stressed especially in light of the socio-economic battles it has fought domestically and internationally. Poverty is a key issue of great import as reflected in its recent economic and financial meltdown that has reverberated across the globe. While mainstream scholars and analysts refuse to recognize that the crisis is brought about by the social cesspool of greed and corruption in doing business. Appropriately called "America's 9/11," the crisis brought to question the U.S.'s credibility as the "global economic kingpin," as international financial institution, International Monetary Fund, has called for questioning the soundness of the foundation of America's financial system. As the government scrambled for solutions to keep the economy afloat, American society struggled with sudden fluidity of socioeconomic mobility, as individuals slipped from a higher income class to a much lower class. As this crisis accelerated and its effects felt both in the developed and developing world, refusal of the American people particularly those who are in the position to instigate systemic changes has further driven American society from the world's most affluent nation to one that is enslaved by materialism that continues to pervade the U.S.

Nehru, V. (2004). "Third World debt relief: indebtedness just a symptom of poverty." The Atlanta Journal Constitution. Available at: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTDEBTDEPT/NewsAndEvents/20263626/vikram-nehru-hipc-opinion.pdf

Nehru's discussion on debt relief from Third World countries established how both scientific and popular medical communities refer to 'third worldliness' and 'Third World' countries as being poor and poor countries, respectively. This leads to the thinking that third worldliness being in a state of poverty, the way to elevating countries' status to second or first worldliness is to improve these countries' economic growth and elevate their status from poverty. Thus, in order to solve the problem of poverty, measures and standards were conceptualized to identify poverty level of countries all over, comparing poverty levels between those countries categorized as third world or otherwise.

Nehru's (2004) analysis of debt relief in Third World countries reinforces the belief that there must be a universal standard to measuring growth and poverty among countries. His report looked at the debt relief program called the "Heavily Indebted Poor Countries" initiative by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), identifying 27 countries as the "world's most heavily indebted poor nations." Solutions developed to induce economic growth among these countries included debt relief, financial aid, and/or opening the country's market for free or freer trade. However, Nehru called for a mutual solution to these institutional economic problems: while financial aid is given to 'third world nations/countries, governments must proactively move towards "improving governance, stamping out corruption…boosting economic growth."

Qazi, Abdullah. "The Plight of the Afghan Woman" (2009). Afghanistan Online. 2 May 2011. Avilable at: http://www.afghan-web.com/woman/.

Accounts of the struggles of Afghan women are numerous. According to Abdullah Qazi the Afghan women have been denied "either by official government decree or by their own husbands, fathers, and brothers" of the "rights to inheritance, the right to vote, the right to work, and even choose their own partners in marriage" (Qazi, par. 1) for centuries now. This is in spite of the fact that Islam has demanded that both men and women be equal before the God wherein Islam has also given them such rights. It is to be noted that "the vast majority of Afghanistan's population professes to be followers of Islam." (Qazi, par. 1)

When the Talibans ruled Afghanistan in 1996 to 2001, "women were treated worse than in any other time or by any other society." (Qazi, par. 1) According to Qazi, women were prohibited to work. They were forbidden to seek medical help from a male doctor. They were not allowed to leave the house without a male escorting them and they were obliged to cover themselves from head to toe with a burqa, which even covers their eyes. Accounts like these were enlisted to justify the "War on Terrorism" during the Bush administration. To Abu-Lughod, such justification implies that the Afghan women need to be saved. These conditions demonstrate how female subservience is a socioeconomic and political issue in societies like Afghanistan: greater control over women stems from the fact that males have more opportunities, and therefore have greater financial gain and control. Women, relegated to domestic chores with no opportunities for economic success at all, succumb to their male partners as a result, continuing the cycle of female subservience and male dominance in their society.

Grebmer, K., H. Fritschel, B. Nestorova, T. Olofinbiyi, R. Lorch and Y. Yohannes. (2008). "Global Hunger Index: The Challenge of Hunger 2008." International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

Food insecurity and hunger are almost always associated with underdeveloped and developing nations. Indeed, the Global Hunger Index 2008 of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) defines GHI as closely linked with poverty, which explains why its list of countries with high GHI scores are those belonging to developing and mostly, underdeveloped countries in the African, Asian and Latin American regions. In addition to a comprehensive scan of socio-political factors such as poor health conditions and political stability in the countries evaluated, the GHI is also determined on economic factors such as food prices and cereal importation, among many others (Grebmer et. al, 2008). It is apparent from the variables and measures used in the GHI that a developed country like the United States is far from being included as a country of concern as far as global hunger and food security are concerned. Interestingly, though, the USDA and the American press are not the only ones recognizing the gradual prevalence of hunger and food insecurity in the U.S. Hunger in developed countries, in fact, is a topic that is not uncommon for a developed country like the U.S. Approaching hunger and food insecurity as highly affecting the psyche of society -- that is, the loss of pride and feeling of shame in not being able to provide food on the table regularly -- will allow both government and society to work together and develop programs that aim to resolve food insecurity in American households without negatively affecting or creating the impression that subsisting to a food program is a shameful or embarrassing act.

Smith, M.S. (2009). Obama heads to Americas summit with Cuba focus. Accessed 2 May 2011. Available at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090417/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_obama_summit.

The United States of America, known to many as the world's most powerful nation, acknowledges that it is in the position to provide assistance to countries which are experiencing low economic gains in the current global economic order. These "developing" or "underdeveloped" nations, labeled as the Third World, include some of the countries in Latin America. The current status of U.S. foreign assistance in Latin American countries becomes an interesting point of scholarly inquiry. The article particularly aimed to provide a general discussion of U.S. foreign assistance hinged in the Latin American context. Over the years, U.S. was able to extend economic and humanitarian assistance, particularly in improving health and population management, assistance during calamities, political assistance in democratization movements, as well as in trade and agriculture. Ultimately, foreign aid and assistance to developing and underdeveloped Latin American nations is just a "means" to an end, which is to alleviate and address issues that are center on good governance. Obama's recent visit to Cuba demonstrates how financial aid is translated to actionable political plans from the end of the government recipient of aid/assistance, as highlighted in Obama's focus to address and discuss with Cuban leader Raul Castro concerning human rights, freedom of the press, and political prisoners. Through this, developing and underdeveloped nations can hope of promoting global values and causes that are deemed threatened in the present-day context of these societies.

Movies/Films

Fight Club

In the film Fight Club, David Fincher constructs the white American male as uncertain and insecure as a result of capitalism's usurpation of his humanity. The white American male is no longer the traditionally powerful member of his dominantly patriarchal society; with a bruised ego, he has become subservient and a victim to the capitalistic society. The film explores the effects of capitalism to an average gray-collared white American male, represented by the Narrator played by Edward Norton, digging deep into how the Narrator defines himself as an individual in the midst of capitalism. Totally devoid of power, he is a slave to the corporation he works for. He works for money; money which he uses to buy the things that defines him. The Narrator is consumed by the consumer culture.

The pivotal scene in the movie, which showed The Narrator putting a gun to his mouth, demonstrates the conflict occurring within him: he cannot accept the degree of violence his alter-ego Tyler has done, but his 'Tyler persona' gave him the control over capitalism, which he has lost along the way. The bombing of buildings of financial institutions as the Narrator 'killed' his alter-ego Tyler highlights the 'death of capitalism.' This scene actually reflects a new social order in the Narrator's society, somewhat likened to the socialist movement that abolished the notion of social class and private property, and instead promoted an egalitarian society wherein there is only public or common ownership.