#7 Deviance & Race and Class in the American Criminal Justice System

      Chapter 8 explains that relationship between deviance and three social factors which are culture, structure, and power. Deviance is behavior that differs from cultural norms, especially a person whose behavior and attitudes differ from accepted social standards. Example of deviance we covered in class were running red light, prostitution, stealing and violence etc. Cultural norms define what people in society views as normal or deviant. We are following these norms through socialization and across cultures. Sometimes, deviance can result from unsuccessful or inadequate socialization. In such cases, people engaged in deviant behavior have not thoroughly internalized social norms and are not fully regulated by the moral framework of society. Through interactions in the small groups that form the basis for social structure, people learn norms and expectations about appropriate behavior. People can either reinforce or challenge norms about deviance through their actions. Those in society with few resources-money, power, education, or leisure- sometimes engage in deviant behavior in pursuit of these socially valued goods. Those who are stigmatized as deviant often experience isolation or discrimination that can contribute further to social, economic, or political inequalities.

      The article "Race and Class in the American Criminal Justice System" by David Cole talks about discrimination. Using example of O.J. Simpson's case, he explains that whites have more advantages than blacks.For example, whites could buy a good attorney. He also states that the issues of race and class are present in every criminal case. Racial inequality remains to this day the most formidable of our social problems. The criminal justice system designed to prevent crime and punish those who commit crimes. However, inequality and discrimination are still existing in our society. It is quite sad to read this article. We must aware of it.

#4 Social Structure(The Meaning of Social Control)

      To better understand human behavior, we need to understand social structure. Social structure refers to a society's framework, which forms boundaries around us and sets limits on our behavior. The individual's location in the social structure affects his or her perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors. Culture, social class, social status, roles, groups, and institutions are the major components of the social structure. We can see social structure at the micro level (for example, in the structure of talk), the meso level (for example, in organizational structure), or the macro level (for example, in the structure of work).

      In order for a society to function and benefit the people, social control is essential. According to Peter Berger, there are eight sources of social control, "1. violence, 2.Economic rewards and punishments, 3. Ridicule and gossip and fear of being belittled, 4. Ostracism or threat of being removed, 5. Fraud and deception and actions to manipulate others to conform, 6. belief systems and the use of ideology to induce individuals to conform, 7. pressures from close friends, peers, and relatives to conform and 8. the contract, actions controlled by the stipulations of a formal agreement."

      In my opinion, the most influential social institution in the United States is the media. Virtually impossible to avoid, media in the United States is fed to the people via internet, billboards, smartphones, television, magazines, and more. The media is consistently adapting to America's attitudes towards convenience over quality. If the media is interpreted correctly, it can be used as a tool to improve society, but more often then not the media can create harmful results.

#3 Culture ( Body Ritual Among the Nacirema)

      In chapter 3, I have learned about culture. Culture is the language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, and material objects that are important enough to pass on to future generations of a society. Language, gestures, values, perception and categorization of experiences, actions, norms, interaction of social structures, and struggle for scarce resources are differentiated one culture from another. Culture affects how we perceive things which guides our thoughts and actions must be studied while keeping these differences in mind.
     
      There are three theories; Structural functional theory, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction theory. Structural functional theory is a theoretical framework in which society is viewed as a whole unit, composed of interrelated parts, each with a function that, when fulfilled, contributes to society's equilibrium.Conflict theory is a theoretical perspective that society is viewed as being composed of groups competing for scarce resources. Symbolic interaction theory is focusing on how people use symbols to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another.

      The article "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema" by Horace Miner is fundamental belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the human body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility and disease. Incarcerated in such a body, man's only hope is to avert these characteristics through the use of ritual and ceremony. Every household has one or more shrines devoted to this purpose.

#2 (Sense and Nonsense About Surveys)&(The Stanford Prison Experiment)

    <Sense and Nonsense About Surveys>

       The article "Sense and Nonsense About Surveys" by Howard Schuman is briefly discussing the importance of sampling in surveys and how a survey is affected by its own form and content.
       He states that regardless of population size, the sample size needed to achieve a certain degree of precision remains the same. He also talks about how important as sampling method which considers who is included in the sample and who is missing.
       In addition, he points out that things as simple as variation in wording or question order can impact survey results. However, if the wording and order are kept constant over time, reliable correlations can be measured.
       Finally, he mentions that interpretation of survey results must be comparative: " a 75 percent rating of lectures as 'excellent' takes on a quite different meaning depending on whether the average for other lecture courses is 50 percent or 90 percent". It emphasizes that it is important to use a comparative analysis for easy to understand and compare the results of different survey researchers with regard to socially sensitive subjects.
       This article is quite understandable how to interpret and evaluate the surveys and polls with right guidelines.

 <The Stanford Prison Experiment>

      The Stanford Prison Experiment shows that the powerful role that the situation can play in human behavior. The 24 volunteers were randomly assigned to either the prisoner group or the guard group. The prisoners were to remain in the mock prison 24-hours a day for the duration of the study. Guards, on the other hand, were assigned to work in three-man teams for eight-hour shifts.
      Because the guards were placed in a position of power, they began to behave in ways they would not normally act in their everyday lives or in other situations. The prisoners, placed in a situation where they had no real control, became passive and depressed. It was quite interesting to see how human behaves with variable situation. However, I believe that using human for experiment would be considering to an unethical research.

#6 Socialization

     The video "Killing Us Softly" by Jean Kilbourne talks about how women are portrayed as sex objects in advertising. It leads a society to think it is acceptable to commit violence against women. Focusing on only a part of a woman tends to make on think of the woman as less than human which is dehumanizing. The video was depicting many examples of women's bodies becoming beer bottles. This depiction shows the imagery of women in a men's world that is broken down to her assets with other aspects like her personality completely.
      She also mentioned that the body language of women is often shown as passive, vulnerable men and even boys are accorded dignity and strength. Men as sex objects become bigger and more powerful stark contrast against women. It serves to reinforce patriarchy and the belief that women are the weaker sex and reflect hegemony gender beliefs that we have so taken for granted in today's society. Even though all the negative implications of advertising on women, she calls for people to speak up and speak out in order to take the first step in changing the attitudes ingrained in our culture.
     
      The other video "A Call to Men" by Tony Porter talks about being a man. He emphasized that we have to begin the process of deconstructing, redefining what we have come to know as manhood. He also focuses on breaking free of the "man box" which has all the ingredients of how we define what it means to be a man.
   
      From this two video, I realized that socialization occurs throughout life and it takes place in different ways, different social contexts, guided by many different agents of socialization, or people and groups who teach us about our culture. The article "What Does It Mean to be Human? : Human Nature, Society, and Culture" talks about in order to understand human beings, it is important to know where they come from and what they have been through. Moreover, it is also important to see how social and cultural qualities interacting between the social and the cultural: Our culture arises from our social life, and the continuation of our social life depends on our culture.

      Examples of socialization pictures :

                                             Boys are socialized with playing sports together.

                                              Girls are socialized with doing activity together.