Sociology and Global Social Science

Questions: 1. Robert K. Merton expands an understanding of functionalism in three ways. What are they? And what are their features? 2. According to Macionis Plummer some people embrace the term globalisation and some are its critics, summarise these views. 3. What, according to Cohen, is a moral panic? 4. What is social epidemiology? 5. What is the difference between absolute poverty and relative poverty? 6. What is environmental racism? Answer: 1. Robert K. Merton indeed expands the understanding of functionalism in three ways. Firstly, He mentions that the division and definition of the functions are different for different parts of the society. So the definition of various functions in the society is based on a number of factors present in the society. Secondly, Merton mentions that some of the functions are left unacknowledged in the society. Merton describes various types of functions of a component in the society by taking the example of higher education system. Thirdly, Merton mentions that the functions in the society are sometimes not useful and are negative (Macionis, 2008). 2. As mentioned in the book, the term globalisation can be defined in various ways and is perceived in various ways. Some of the people across the globe embrace the term by focusing on the positive impacts of this global phenomenon. Some of these benefits focused by the people are increased opportunities for financial transactions, enhanced communications, enhanced global culture and enhanced international governance. Some of the people across the globe critic this global phenomenon by citing some of the negative impacts like increased international crimes, global inequalities, globalization of the super-rich and localization of the poor (Macionis, 2008). 3. Cohen defines moral panic as a situation or episode where an individual or a group of individual are posed as threats to the social values or social interests through the mass media. Such a situation in turn leads to a number of key individuals to be portrayed by the mass media as the protectors of the moral and social values. Some of these individuals are the politicians, editor and bishops, who play the role of the protectors. Such as situation also leads to a number of experts to share their research, analysis and views on the corresponding situation through the mass media (Macionis, 2008). 4. The study of social epidemiology focuses on the research and analysis of distribution of the diseases or the health conditions of the individuals are distributed across the society. This study also focuses on the analysis of the impacts of social, environmental and physical conditions on the distribution of the health and diseases through the society. Such a study allows the society to be stronger in terms of the protection of the lives from a number of deadly diseases through the effective preventive steps taken according to the research or analysis of the distribution of the diseases and epidemics (Macionis, 2008). 5. The concept of absolute poverty can be defined as the lack of such resources among the individuals in the society, which is life threatening. The concept of absolute poverty is considered only among the poor individuals in the society. But the concept of relative poverty is considered only among the rich people for their members to define the lack of some resources are taken for granted by the individuals of the corresponding socioeconomic level. So in case of relative poverty, the individuals lack some of the resources which are taken for granted in the corresponding socioeconomic level (Macionis, 2008). 6. The concept of environmental racism focuses on the facts that most of the times the environmental hazards are present or occur to the close proximity of the poor people and far from the rich people. There are a number of examples in the real world, where the population in the poor countries suffer from the scarcity of some resources, which are available in excess in the rich countries. This in turn leads to the perception of environmental racism by the governments in the global phenomenon of globalisation (Macionis, 2008). References Macionis, J. J., Plummer, K. (2008). Sociology: A Global Introduction, 4th edn, Harlow.