Sociological Theories of social inequality Essay Example for Free

Sociological Theories of social inequality Essay Explain sociological theories of social inequality – is it a good or bad thing? – Functionalism, Marxism, Weberianism and Feminism. Social stratification is a system in society which is based on a hierarchy of power, privilege, and prestige; this then leads on to what is called social inequality. Social inequality is commonly tied to ethnicity, class and gender. White men being at the top of major corporations and black females working in the elderly care sector can and will raise debates of social inequality. Why is it mainly white males as the predominant directors and CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies? This essay will look into and critique social inequality and what certain theorists have to say about it. Unequal opportunities are what is mentioned a lot when social inequality is brought up; unequal opportunities for different social status’ as well as different ethnicities. Moreover, the majority of the Upper Class and Middle Class in this country are white families and the South Asian community and African as well as Eastern European so being treated differently in regard to social status links in very heavily to ethnicity as it coincides to an extent. There are a lot of opportunities that certain people in society do not have. Inequality of opportunities in Lehman’s terms is not getting the same chance at a better life because of your skin colour or gender or social class. As previously mentioned, why is a black male who was publicly educated more likely to spend time in prison than a white man who in return had a private education as therefore he is more likely to ascribe wealth and success because of this inequality of opportunities? The proletariat are the workers in society and the bourgeoisie are the ‘affluent’ business owners and doctors and lawyers of society. Karl Marx, who was a Marxist and started the movement, said that society has two classes of people and they are the two which have just been mentioned.

Common Sense and Conflict Essay -- Walt Disney Company Michael Eisner

Common Sense and Conflict Michael Eisner is an American entertainment executive, whose leadership in the 1980s and 1990s revitalized the Walt Disney Company. Born in New York City, Eisner was educated at Denison University, where he studied literature and theater. After graduating in 1964, he worked for six weeks as a clerk at NBC and then briefly in the programming department at CBS. His career crystallized at ABC, which he joined as a programming assistant in 1966 and where he spent the next ten years, ultimately becoming senior vice president of prime-time production and development. Eisner's rise through the corporate ranks was paralleled by ABC's leap from third place to first place in the network viewing ratings. In 1976 he was named president and CEO of Paramount Pictures. During his eight-year tenure the motion-picture studio moved from last place to first place among the six major studios. In 1984 Eisner left Paramount to become chairman and chief executive of Walt Disney Productions (renamed the W alt Disney Company in 1986). Eisner admired Walt Disney and was especially interested in children's programming and family entertainment. The company's success included several feature-length animated films in the Disney tradition. Michael Eisner was an optimistic person and he was well known for being a genius in creativity. He has made Disney a company that is built on a strong combination of institutionalized creativeness that constantly produces potent ideas, and also having common sense. One question that we must ask ourselves is how does Michael Eisner have such good leadership. Well as he describes in his interview, he says that being a leader requires 4 main parts: being an example, being there, being a nudge and finally being an idea generator. There are many things that I agree upon in Michael Eisner’s way of having leadership in a company. One thing that I strongly agree on is that he has situated his company in being an â€Å"idea generator†, which to me is so powerful in a company. When setting your company to be an â€Å"idea generator†, you must have a loose environment so people are not afraid to speak their thoughts and ideas. He strongly encourages this type of behavior within his company. From seeing this way of leadership also shows me that the culture at Walt Disney is fun oriented, exciting and loose. Having this type o... ...hat is spread out across the top and not just the very top. Eisner says that he focuses on the 40 people that he interacts with everyday. That is good because it shows to those people that you truly care about them and they feel wanted. The other leaders in the organization focus on other groups of people. Disney’s management teams are always moving around the entire world but they stay focused on what is most important to them. Eisner says that he wishes that he could be there for every signal person in his organization whenever someone needed help. But unfortunately, that can’t happen but that just goes to show you how committed Michael Eisner is and also why he is so powerful as a leader. To me, being a nudge in an organization can be an ok thing, but at the same time it is very disturbing to employees. Eisner feels that being a nudge constantly reminds people of their ideas and what they need to do. That is true but the way he inputs it into the organization can be very frustrating to others. Eisner says that he does not keep many notes, which he should because that way you know at all times what needs to be done today and also what may need to be done in a week.

Education of the Middle Ages Essay

Education, as we know it today, did not exist in the Middle Ages. Illiteracy was dominant among the population. Scribes were the exception to the rule. Churches were the main source of knowledge and schooling. Real interest in learning grew along with the development of towns. The towns’ officials needed to be educated. At the same time a need for legal institutions was created and so started the university phenomenon. Modern education was on its way. There were few schools in the Middle ages, so everyone had limited education. Even the Lord of the Manor was often unable to read or write. Some of the first schools were Cathedral schools. As well as Parish, Monastic, and Palace schools. Here people learned a particular role in society. Naturally the primary job was training the clergy in their professional duties as priests of the Christian people. The bishop was the head of the complex and he had a staff of priest to help him with the several of the diocese. These skills that were taught here were reading, singing of hymns, church law, writing of documents and the performing of Church duties and sacraments. An example of educating for a specific role in life were the Knights who had learn how to fight with various weapons so that they could fight for their king. The common people, however, had no way of being educated other than going a monastic school. However, if they did this, they had to donate their property to the church. The people who went to this school later become monks or nuns. They had to follow three important laws: chastity, obedience, and the law or the lord if not followed they would be thrown out of the monastery. Most monasteries had a rule of silence: monks could not talk which other except for a short period of time. During meals one monk might read passages from the bible while the others mediated. Even though monks’ lives seem to be so hard it was the best place to go for a good education for anybody from a king to a beggar (Monasteries 488-499). Women took part in monastic life by living in a convent under a direction of an abbess. Known as nuns, they wore simple clothes and wrapped a white cloth called a wimple around their face and neck. They alternated prayer with spinning, weaving, and embroiling items such as tapestries and banners. They also taught needlework and the medicinal use of herbs to daughters of nobles (Couglin A6). Although monks and nuns lived apart from society, they were not completely isolated. Indeed, they played a crucial role in medieval intellectual and social life. Since few people could read or write, the regular clergy preserved ancient and the classical writings. Scribes copied all the books by hand working in a small drafty room with one candle or a small window for light. Illuminated manuscripts decorated with rich colors and intricate pictures indicate that, although the task was done with hard work, it was also lovingly done (Monastaries 499-501). Monasteries and convents provided not only schools for young people, but hospitals for the sick, food for the needy, and a home for travelers who need a place to stay (Monasteries 499-501). Cathedral schools were there to train higher-member of the Church in their professional duties as ministers of the Christian people. The bishop in whose Cathedral complex the school was located needed a group of trained priests to administer the various needs dioceses. The Cathedral school largely emphasized practical skills, effective reading, singing, and knowledge of Church Law, public speaking and the administration of the holy sacraments (Corbishely 28). At first the university was not so much a place as it was a group of scholars organized like a guild for the purpose of learning. Classes were held in rented rooms or churches even in the open air. Books were scarce. In most classes teacher read the text and discussed it, while students took notes on slates or memorized as much information as possible. Classes did, however meet regularly schedule. University rules established the obligations of the students and the teachers toward each other. To qualify as a teacher students had to pass an exam leading to a degree, or a certificate of completion (Cantor 58). By the end of the 1200’s universities had spread throughout Europe. Most southern European universities were modeled after the law school at Bologna, Italy, and specialized in law and medicine. Universities in Northern Europe on the contrary, specialized in liberal arts in Theology. These were generally modeled after the University of Paris (Bailey 89). At medieval universities, scholars studied Latin classics and Roman law in depth. They also acquired knowledge from the works of the Greek philosopher Aristotle and from the Islamic scholarship in the sciences. This interest in the physical world eventually led a rise of western science (Schools 291-292). Many church leaders opposed the study of Aristotle’s works, fearing that his ideas feared the Christian teachings. In contrast some scholars thought that new knowledge could be used ideas. The applied Aristotle philosophy to theological questions and developed a system of thought called scholasticism. This new type of learning emphasized reason as well as the faith in the interpretations of Christian doctrine. Scholastic sought to bring back classical philosophy along side with the teachings of the Church. They believed that knowledge could be integrated into a coherent whole (Schools 295). One scholastic teacher, Peter Aberlard taught theology in Paris during the early 1100’s. In his book Sic et Non, he collected statements from the bible writings of early Christian leaders that showed both sides of controversial questions. Abearld then had his students reconcile the difference though logic. In the 1200’s the most important scholastic thinker was Thomas Aquinas a brilliant theologian and philosopher who taught philosophy in Naples and France. In his work Summa Theolgica Aquinas claimed that reason was a gift from god that could provide answers to basic philosophical questions. The catholic later accepted and promoted Aquinas’s way of teaching and thinking (Schools 310). The education of a knight proceeded in a way similar to that of many medieval occupations. At an early age the prospective knight was apprenticed to serve as a page, or attendant, in a knight’s household. In his teens the page graduated to the status of a squire and received more responsibilities. As a squire the boy tended his knight’s horses and armor, but he also gained his first battle experience. Several squires were usually apprenticed to a knight at the same time and on the battlefield they might fight as a small band of infantry around their master. Here they acquired the many skills in arms necessary for their profession. To graduate to the status of a knight, a squire usually performed some heroic deed in battle. The squire was welcomed into the order of knights by being dubbed with a sword or slapped in the face by his lord. Afterwards the new knight would receive his fief, or gift of land. As the cult of chivalry developed in the 12th and 13th centuries, knighting ceremonies became more involved. Often they occurred at court, and a knight’s dubbing might be preceded by a religious vigil in which the knight vowed to uphold Christian and chivalric principles (Davies 12-13). Finally the Renaissance, or rebirth of learning, began in Europe in the 14th century and reached its height in the 15th century. Scholars became more interested in the humanist features that is, the secular or worldly rather than the religious aspects of the Greek and Latin classics. Humanist educators found their models of literary style in the classics. The Renaissance was a particularly powerful force in Italy, most notably in art, literature, and architecture. In literature, the works of such Italian writers as Dante Aleghieri, Petrarch, and Giovanni Boccaccio became especially important (Renaissance 228-229). Humanist educators designed teaching methods to prepare well-rounded, liberally educated persons. Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus was particularly influential. Erasmus believed that understanding and conversing about the meaning of literature was more important than memorizing it, as had been required at many of the medieval religious schools. He advised teachers to study such fields as archeology, astronomy, mythology, history, and Scripture (Renaissance 220). The invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century made books more widely available and increased literacy rates. But school attendance did not increase greatly during the Renaissance. Elementary schools educated middle-class children while lower-class children received little, if any, formal schooling. Children of the nobility and upper classes attended humanist secondary schools (Bailey 112). Educational opportunities for women improved slightly during the Renaissance, especially for the upper classes. Some girls from wealthy families attended schools of the royal court or received private lessons at home. The curriculum studied by young women was still based on the belief that only certain subjects, such as art, music, needlework, dancing, and poetry, were suited for females. For working-class girls, especially rural peasants, education was still limited to training in household duties such as cooking and sewing (Couglin, A8). As it shows education the Middle Ages seems to be so diverse and a starting point for modern education. But the reader must always keep in mind only about five percent of the whole population did all of these educational activities.

Women s Rights Are Human Rights - 991 Words

This September is the 20th anniversary of a speech made by former US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton. In the speech, Clinton made the famous remark, â€Å"Women’s rights are human rights†. Since the speech, focus on gender equality has increased, especially in the workplace. Yet, some industries, like private equity, continue to have problem in attracting women. Private equity firms have become increasingly aware of the need to get more women involved. But how big is the problem and are new perks the way to go? Women in Private Equity Preqin’s latest research in March didn’t paint a very rosy picture. The research showed that private equity industry as a whole has a woman in charge of just 11.7% of leadership positions. In terms of different sectors within the industry, buyout firms are doing the worst. Only 10.5% of senior positions have a woman in charge, while the proportion is 14.0% in infrastructure, for example. Furthermore, in small private equity firms the situation tends to be worse. Women make only 9.7% of senior positions in firms with five or fewer such senior employees. In large firms, firms with over 20 high-level management positions, 13.9% of senior positions are held by women. The more positive news was that the situation is changing. Venture capital firms, for example, managed to increase the share of female senior employees from just 11.2% in 2013 to 14.8% in 2015. In fact, proportion of women in senior positions has increased across sectors. InShow MoreRelatedHuman Rights And Women s Rights1129 Words   |  5 Pagesfrom this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all.† On September 5, 1995, 180 countries came together in Beijing China to hear first lady Hillary Clinton s speech about women s rights. This speech was the United Nations Fourth World Conference of Women. 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