SOC 100 - Sociology of Religion Assignment

The last assignment! YaHoo!

 On page 369 in your text is a “Mass Media In Social Life” relating to God on the net.  At the end of that article are these questions:  How do you think that the Internet might change religion?  Can it replace the warm embrace of fellow believers? Do you think it can bring comfort to someone who is grieving for a loved one?
I got a 45/45 on this one. Seems like the grading is getting easier as the end nears. Good for me though :-) Here it is:

Religion on the Internet

How do you think that the Internet might change religion?  It changes how the people get information about religion. They no longer have to go to a physical church to hear the gospel or message. They can do it from their own home or anywhere for that matter with a computer. I think the Internet is a good tool that religions are able to use and it can serve many purposes. For one, they are able to reach millions of people with the hopes of bringing in new converts. They can also get their message out to members cheaply and quickly.  Even the Pope is on youtube.com (Henslin, 2011). It’s changing the way people get the teachings and messages from their religion or church. Internet video is becoming more popular with religions along with websites, newsletters and blogs.

Can it replace the warm embrace of fellow believers? I don't think it can. There have been a number of attempts to create online Christian communities, usually supplementing, but occasionally attempting to replace, more traditional, brick and mortar Christian communities ("Religion and the," ). From what I’ve seen, it may change the way people get communications from their church, but I can’t see it replacing the physical church and warm embrace of fellow believers.  From another website: Church of Fools is an experimental online site in which worshippers move around a virtual church building using avatars ("Religion and the,”). Again, I think this is an attempt to replace a physical church, but it doesn’t replace face-to-face socializing with fellow members. It may help temporarily or be used as a bridge to the “warm embrace”, but it cannot replace it. From a functionalist viewpoint I don’t think it can bring sufficient “emotional comfort.” As one Christian says, “For us to truly communicate the love and grace of Jesus Christ, we must have a personal relationship with people to witness to them. The sound of love and concern in someone’s voice, a gentle touch and the look into someone’s eyes are what really make a difference (Hearne, 2011).”

            Do you think it can bring comfort to someone who is grieving for a loved one? I think it can, but only for a short duration. It may temporarily bring some level of comfort to someone who is suffering, but we need personal contact with people. In all of the information I scanned on the Internet I haven’t seen one article that says it will replace face-to-face contact, but it is a good way to stay in contact with the person who is grieving.  It’s a good way to touch bases until the next time you can get together with them.  As I stated earlier, from a functionalist perspective I don’t think it can bring sufficient “emotional comfort.”  The answers that religion provides about ultimate meaning also comfort people by assuring them that there is a purpose to life, even to suffering (Henslin, 2011). I think this can only be fully achieved with personal contact, not by a website, blog or other electronic media. While technology has brought with it the benefits of convenience, flexibility and global connectivity, it’s also made us long for the warmth associated with more tactile experiences; those things that have a human touch ("The human touch,”).

            There are four concerns or questions that many people have. These are (1) the existence of God, (2) the purpose of life, (3) the existence of an afterlife, and (4) morality (Henslin, 2011). From a functionalist perspective religious sites on the Internet can help answer these questions. The Internet may help to serve the function of “emotional comfort”, but I don’t think it can replace face-to-face communications.  The Internet can also help the religion re-enforce the guidelines for everyday life which serves the function of “social control” and a website or online community can help its followers to keep up with teachings and practices which in turn re-enforces “social solidarity” within that community. I don’t believe the Internet is completely sufficient though. The Internet can be used as a tool or aid, but I don’t think it is going to completely eliminate the traditional approach.

            It’s true; there are many ways that the Internet can change religion. Our text book lists new ideas from online prayer requests to virtual church services.  I think the Internet is a good tool for religions to use to help market their own beliefs and it’s a good way to make contact with thousands and potentially millions of people either who are already members or who are potential converts. It’s just good business for them. Can it replace the warm embrace of fellow believers? No, it won’t replace face-to-face contact with fellow members. The sound of a person’s voice, the smile on someone’s face and the warmth of another’s touch can’t be replaced with a computer screen. We are social animals who crave the real company of others.

References

Hearne, R. (2011, July 08). [Web log message]. Retrieved from             http://www.ntcumc.org/_blog/The_Lay_Leaders_Blog/post/Texts_and_tweets_can't_repl ace_old-fashioned_face-to-face_contact/

Henslin, J. (2011). Essentials of sociology: a down-to-earth approach. (Ninth ed., p. 368, 369).     Pearson. Retrieved from http://www.coursesmart.com/SR/3803881/9780205841141/369

The human touch. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://contributor.corbis.com/content/Creative     Research/Macro Briefs/100222-ExecSummary-HumanTouch-EN.pdf

Religion and the internet. (n.d.). Retrieved from                                                                                            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_and_the_Internet

SOC 100 - Test Over Chapters 4 & 5

Okay this is the first test. I was looking forward to it and now that it's graded I'm kinda disappointed. The last answer I thought was good, but the professor didn't. I had a couple of small errors in the test just because I was in a hurry to get it done. I was going to a retreat in upper South Dakota and was really looking forward to that. The biggest error I had was Roosevelts name. It was Franklin and not Theodore that started the March of Dimes. So here it is. I got an 87%.

Introduction to Sociology

Soc 100

Test over Chapters four and five

Answer all five questions as completely as possible.  Yes, you may use your text, the internet, and any notes you may have taken from the video lectures.  Each question’s answer is worth 20 points each.  It is due 5:00 Friday October 14, 2011.

Erving Goffman introduced the idea that in everyday life we perform our assigned roles, and maintained that our social life was like a drama enacted on a stage. Discuss his approach to the study of everyday life.  Include in your discussion his ideas of front and back stage, as well as impression management.  Describe a major characteristic of your front stage and a major characteristic of your back state.  What is your favorite way of impression management?

Answer: Erving Goffman introduced the term dramaturgy into sociology to show how life is like a play. Goffman said that when we are born we are put on stage and though out our life we act. We have ideas on how we want others to think of us and we act on those ideas. This is what he called impression management.  Every day we are playing our roles and he divided them into two parts, front stage and back stage. Front stage is where we deliver our lines (a major characteristic of front stage) and when we are in front of people. If I were giving a speech to a class, that is considered front stage. Back stage is where we can relax (a characteristic of back stage) as if no one is watching. When we are alone and in our rooms is backstage.  One of my favorite ways of impression management is while working I dress in a company shirt and nice pants. No tennis shoes or blue jeans are allowed. My clients must see me as a professional. I also use a more professional language when around clients and I don’t use slang terms.

Define role strain and role conflict. Give an example of role strain that you might experience as a college student and an example of role conflict that you have experienced.

Answer: We have many roles.  We may be a son, daughter, father, mother, student, business owner, employee, or club member and so on. Sometimes two of our roles may have a conflict. I’m leaving for a retreat this weekend with my girlfriend, but at the same time I have this test due on Friday. There’s a role conflict between my role as a student and my role as a boyfriend. This will require some management on my part. I’ll need to make sure I have time to prepare to leave and also make sure my test paper is done and uploaded. A role strain is a conflict within a role, not between two roles. An example is with my role as a technician.  When I visit offices to fix problems with their equipment I want to be helpful and explain what went wrong or what they did wrong, but at the same time I don’t want them to feel bad. An example of a role strain as a college student may be that in a classroom I might know the answer to a question, but be hesitant to raise my hand in fear of making my fellow students look bad.

Apply functional analysis to "Mass Media in Social Life, You Can't be Thin Enough: Body Images and the Mass Media." How is the extreme emphasis on attaining a nearly impossible standard of body shape both functional and dysfunctional?

Answer: The functionalist approach to analyzing this article is seen within the article. Functional analysis will consider the large scale features of social life (macrosociology), such as social class. Thinness is associated with “good-looking”, and according to the research thin people make more money which raises their social class. Also, thin women are more likely to marry wealthier men. The extreme emphasis on body shape can be functional because it serves to motivate people to eat better, be healthier and to exercise. While at the same time it can be dysfunctional because not everyone has the access to good diet and gyms. These people are left out and looked upon differently through no fault of their own.

Compare and contrast the traditional society with the nontraditional society in reference to production, relationships, and evaluations of each system.

Answer: Production in traditional societies is less because there is less need for it. Importance is placed on personal relationships and not on material things.  In contrast, a nontraditional society people will consume more and the production is higher.  Nontraditional societies place more importance on self-interest and material things and people’s lives don’t center on family and friends as in a traditional society.  A traditional society is a close knit community; more importance is focused on family, lifelong friendships and long term relationships. There’s less need for long term relationships in a nontraditional society because things move faster and there’s less time to develop those close personal ties. In a nontraditional society much of our time is spent with strangers and short-time acquaintances. Both types of societies have advantages and disadvantages. An advantage in a traditional society is that everyone knows what they are expected to do and does it. One disadvantage though is that a traditional society is slow to change when new technologies are introduced. An example is the farming equipment of the Amish. A nontraditional society accepts change faster and invents new technologies allowing diversity among people, but at the same time it creates new problems associated with progress. An example is industrialization and the pollution it causes.

How do bureaucracies perpetuate themselves through goal displacement?  Provide an example of  a bureaucracy that used goal displacement and how they did it.

I think he was dead in the 1930’s as he was shot and killed in 1919.

Answer: Goal displacement is adopting new goals once the main objective is completed. This allows the bureaucracy to continue. A good example of this is with the March of Dimes, originally founded by Theodore Roosevelt in the 1930’s to find a cure for polio. Once the vaccine was found in the 1950’s they didn’t claim victory and close the doors, but instead found a new cause to pursue. This allowed them to continue and today the March of Dimes fights for the health of babies and against birth defects.