"Classical sociological theory has likttle relevance in understanding contemporary employment" - discuss
"Classical sociological theory has little relevance in understanding contemporary employment" - discuss. Marx, Weber and Durkheim are three names that have had an enormous impact on our understanding of the social context of work. Karl Marx was the driving force behind Marxism - a political and sociological thesis which has influenced many policies and political parties throughout the last century. His writings on politics, the world of work and its social relevance have influenced the way employers treat their staff and run their companies, as well as how governments have legislated to give more socio-economic power to the workforce. In a similar vein, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim's writings question how companies work and how people respond to social situations. However, with the changed cultural and economic power structures of today (which have arisen partly due to these writers), it is debateable whether their ideas have such relevance today, although some modern sociologists try to apply classical theory to the contemporary world by building on their work. Marx lived during a time of great change. The world was entering what many social scientists called the first wave of globalisation. Industrialisation meant that the workforce was becoming more affluent, educated and sophisticated, yet, at the same time, obsessed with work. Better transport links also meant that it
"Compare and evaluate Durkheim and Tonnies' accounts of social integration in modern societies"
"Compare and evaluate Durkheim and Tonnies' accounts of social integration in modern societies" Both Durkheim and Tonnies discuss their views on 'social integration' within society, and throughout this essay I shall critically assess both of these positions. As stated in Steve Chapman's Essential Word Dictionary, the term 'social integration' suggests a "sense of belonging to a particular social group, community or society". As society is progressively changing and adapting, so too are the communities within society. However it is important to state that there are different 'types' of community within society, the term must not be used too broadly. A 'geographical community' is categorised by people living within a geographical boundary, who are therefore connected as a result of where they live in relation to others. However in comparison, community may also be categorised as a result of 'social relationships' which is not determined by a person's geographical position in any way. Communities defined by 'social relationships' reflect a collection of people with very strong attachments to one another. An example of this may be a religious community, where members have similar norms, values and identities. Durkheim and Tonnies both discuss theories of social integration within society, showing how social behaviour develops and adapts over time. However, within this
"Discuss the notions of exclusion and inclusion and relate these to the increase or decrease in local crime rates".
"Discuss the notions of exclusion and inclusion and relate these to the increase or decrease in local crime rates" Through the ages of philosophy, philosophers tried to find out why poverty divides people into separate groups. The discussion about poverty, but in the new shape, continues until now. Books are written, conferences are held about new social evil, recently discovered - social exclusion. Poverty, unemployment and social exclusion are separate issues but tend to go hand in hand with one another. So sometimes I will be focusing at one of the issues but always with social exclusion in mind. First of all I am going to look at the definition of 'social exclusion', then go on to look at who and how many people fall into this category, government initiatives and the impact that being socially excluded or included has on crime, the individual and society. Exclusion I am aware of the difficulty of defining social exclusion due to its complex nature. The governments early definition is quite broad and limited. Their definition of social exclusion is "linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime environments, bad health and family breakdown". By 2001 the Governments definition has broadened considerably. They said that "social exclusion is something that can happen to anyone. But some people are significantly more at risk
Expound Durkheim's theory of anomie, bringing out the acute and chronic types. Evaluate Durkheim's view that the main source of the malaise of modern society lies in this phenomenon. How could it be minimised?
Sociological Thinking SLSP1020 Student I.D. - 200194793 Essay 6. - Expound Durkheim's theory of anomie, bringing out the acute and chronic types. Evaluate Durkheim's view that the main source of the malaise of modern society lies in this phenomenon. How could it be minimised? Along with Marx and Weber, Durkheim outlined the characteristics of the transition of society to modernity and what was problematic with this shift. This essay will explain Durkheim's ideas on this transition, concentrating on the division of labour and social cohesion. I will explain how this path to modernity may lead to a state of anomie and outline the difference between acute and chronic forms of anomie. Finally, I will look at whether or not the general sense of depression (or 'malaise') of modern society is due to anomie and discuss how anomie could be minimised. In understanding the transition to modernity, Durkheim, like Marx, took a holistic approach and argued that society cannot be reduced to individuals...'society' was, Durkheim argued, a phenomenon in its own right. It did not depend upon the intentions and motivations of individuals for it's continued existence. In his aim to establish sociological autonomy, to establish Sociology as a discipline sui generis, Durkheim sees society as more than just the individuals who constitute that society, believing in the ability to explain
outline the various aspects of vandalism including what is vandalism, types of vandalism, where can vandalism be found, what is the cost of vandalism, and recommendations for future management against vandalism.
Contents . Rational Pg 2 2. Introduction Pg 3 3. Background material 3.1 What is Vandalism Pg 4 3.2 When and where does it occur Pg 4 3.3 Types of Vandalism Pg 4, 5 3.4 Who and Why Pg 5 3.5 The cost Pg 5 4. Methodology 4.1 Background reading Pg 6 ` 4.2 Limitations Pg 6 5. Presentation and analysis of evidence. 5.1 Case studies Pg 7 5.2 Statistics Pg 7 6. Findings Pg 8 7. Conclusion Pg 9 8. Appendices Pg 10 9. Acknowledgements Pg 11 0. Bibliography Pg 12 Rationale Vandalism is a serious issue in today's society; it is a criminal act against property. Like other crimes against property and people, the first step to preventing vandalism is to understand the crime. Introduction This essay will outline the various aspects of vandalism including what is
Rousseau's Lawgiver
MODULE TITLE: LAW AND SOCIETY STUDENT NUMBER: 0226841 Rousseau's Lawgiver Introduction Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that only the general will, the will of all people together granted sovereignty. In his Book, 'The Social Contract', Rousseau highlights the need for a lawgiver. He considers the possibility that that the General will err, if it errs, it would simply not be the General will of the people. "The general will is always right and is always tends towards the public utility. However, it does not follow that the deliberations of the people always have the same rectitude". Popular sovereignty is supposed to solve (il) legitimacy and arbitrariness. But once the people have the power, that "solution" suddenly looks like a problem, for the people, too can be a source of arbitrariness. This essay will touch upon lawgiver interpretations, but also demonstrates the continued relevance of Rousseau through the specific, and often overlooked, tasks the lawgiver must perform in the text. His acts, taken as explicit prerequisites of democratic will formation, are also our burdens of founding and re-founding democracy in the midst of our mutual opacity and the weight of structural inequalities. At the same time, Rousseau's account of the psychic threats which hinder our attempts to secure freedom and equality points toward an ongoing struggle to preserve democratic life.
Assess Adorno's and Horkheimer's account of the nature of collective hatred
Assess Adorno's and Horkheimer's account of the nature of collective hatred. "...the fully enlightened earth radiates disaster triumphant."1 This is the second sentence of Dialectic of Enlightenment; an extremely depressing view of modernity. "Instrumental rationality, modern science, bureaucracy and capitalist economic behaviour, the elements of Weber's modern nightmare, appear in a new light."2 Unlike Weber, who considered the twentieth century to be one of both formal and substantive rationality, Adorno and Horkheimer argued it is substantively irrational. The latter part of the Dialectic of Enlightenment, Elements of Anti-Semitism concentrates on the reasons behind the atrocities perpetrated by the Germans towards the Jews. This essay intends to: look at the theory of the charismatic leader; to describe very briefly their seven elements of anti-Semitism; and together with some of their other publications, to examine in a little more detail some of their psychological reasons put forward for the rise of fascism. It will also consider some of the criticisms against Adorno and Horkheimer's theses of collective hatred. Adorno and Horkheimer as Jewish members of the Frankfurt School left Germany during the rise of Nazism and moved to the United States. As Marxists, they linked capitalism to anti-Semitism. `"The long term tendency towards
Are everyday causal judgements based on perceptions of empirical regularities or beliefs about causal powers?
Are everyday causal judgements based on perceptions of empirical regularities or beliefs about causal powers? Our everyday judgements of the cause of events or happenings are intrinsically vital to every aspect of the theoretical and practical social sciences. Our question at hand is whether or not we can principally understand our judgements on the basis of the outcomes of previous similar experiences, or on our beliefs about the potentials of objects to be causal. Responsibility for our actions, and explaining the actions of unknown entities could be argued to be the very essence of human distinction from animals. The oldest of the enquiring disciplines of philosophy have wrangled with the notion of cause. For instance, White (1991) discusses how Aristotle's understanding of the word 'cause' was discretely different to our modern use of the term - where the 'cause' is a larger concept than an immediate 'reason' for an event, but more towards a wider implication of a 'purpose' leading to a goal of development, or 'telos'. To sum up perhaps too simply, the enlightenment thinkers brought about a triumph of efficient causation and the abolition of final cause from scientific explanation (White, 1990). The conflicts of causal judgement concepts were played out between the figures of Mill and Hume. Mill, as Descartes and the classic philosophers before him, understood that: "A
Hollister II - This article deals with the controversy concerning the debate of feudal tenure.
Preparatory Essay Justin Palett Hollister II (from "1066") A28686812 This article deals with the controversy concerning the debate of feudal tenure. There are two contrasting theories on the subject, these are: Round's theory of feudal revolution and Freeman's theory of continuity across the Thin Red Line of 1066. By 1066 all land was owned by the king and possessed by the upper class through the act of enfeoffments. Around this time feudal tenure became complicated due to subinfeudation and the circulation of money. Subinfeudation was the process of creating a fief from a fief. Following the Norman Conquest, most land held by laymen in 1066 was redistributed by the Conqueror. He granted large numbers of estates; These were known as his "tenants-in-chiefs." In return they were expected to provide military service. The tenants-in-chief would grant their own followers some of the manors they had received from the Crown, in return for service which was probably often of a military nature. This process was known as subinfeudation. The tenant of a subinfeudated manor might subinfeudate land to a subtenant. This would create a further
The Major Contributions of Psychological Theories to Our Understanding of the Causes of Crime.
The Development of Criminological Theory The Major Contributions of Psychological Theories to Our Understanding of the Causes of Crime. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth century criminological thought was centred around the work of the classical school and the work of Beccaria and Bentham. Their work mainly focused on the idea of crime being the result of free will and the effectiveness of punishment in reducing crime. In the late nineteenth century the positivist school was founded by Lombroso, and criminology was established as a new science. Lombroso believed that you could distinguish a criminal by their physical features. His work led to the emergence of psychological theories. (Garland, 1997). The first significant psychological theory that helps us understand the causes of crime is Freud's psychoanalytic model. Freud (1856-1939) states that the human personality has three sets of interacting forces: the id, the superego and the ego. (Hopkins Burke, 2001). The id contains the basic biological urges. The superego or the conscience is the part of our personality which produces feelings of guilt to punish us when we have done something wrong. (Gross, 1987). And the ego controls the individual by making decisions. (Lilly, Cullen and Ball, 1989). Freud's model was criticised as it was untestable. (Haralambos and Holborn, 2000). Both Freud and
