UCLA Lessons Learned During the Sociology Course Essay Dear Sociology 1 Students, Your final paper (which is worth 250 points/25% of your grade) will be d

UCLA Lessons Learned During the Sociology Course Essay Dear Sociology 1 Students,

Your final paper (which is worth 250 points/25% of your grade) will be due by 5pm, Friday, March 13.

For the final paper, I want you to write 100-150 words that expresses the most impactful lesson you learned during each week of this Sociology 1 course. That means you will produce ten distinct entries of 100-150 words each, and each entry will convey just one distinct/specific lesson you learned during that week. As stated in the syllabus, here are the ten distinct units of this Sociology 1 course:

Introduction

*if you are otherwise under the word count and it is useful

Week 1 (100-150 words): Sociology and Common Sense

Week 2 (100-150 words): Norms, Sanctions

Week 3 (100-150 words): Classical Theorists and their Ideas

*Don’t combine weeks 3 and 4!

Week 4 (100-150 words): Classical Theorists and their Ideas

*Don’t combine weeks 3 and 4!

Week 5 (100-150 words): Basic Debate: Choice vs. Constraint

Week 6 (100-150 words): Social Class

Week 7 (100-150 words): Race Matters

Week 8 (100-150 words): Doing Gender

Week 9 (100-150 words): Identity and Intersectionality

Week 10 (100-150 words): The Sociological Imagination

Conclusion

*if you are otherwise under the word count and it is useful

Works Cited

*Make use of course materials and lecture notes. When citing lecture material, provide the date of the lecture for each citation. Follow citation guidelines

In summary, you will produce a final paper that is 1000-1500 words, and this paper will highlight ten of the most important lessons you learned in Sociology 1. Throughout, as you draft this final paper, you should primarily draw upon lecture content, readings, in-class exercises, and your own notes. Writing an introduction and conclusion is strongly encouraged.

You will be primarily graded on (1) the clarity with which you articulate your ideas and (2) demonstration of Sociological Growth/Development. Zhu 1
Sociology 1
Essay 5
Wenting Zhu
65114489
#2 Racial Privilege
Racial privilege is a serious issue in the present-day society. Over the years, my
environment and interactions have taught me on the importance of treating racism as an
individual aspect of meanness whose major goal is to foster one’s domination in a group. Over
the years, I have noticed the fact that most of the Whites in my country tend to depict higher
levels of unwillingness to acknowledge that they are highly over-privileged even though they
may appreciate the fact that most of the minority populaces have been exposed to historical
disadvantages. As an immigrant, I realized that the society put a lot of emphasis on
conceptualizing racism as a phenomenon that puts the minority populations at a disadvantage.
However, the same system of enlightenment fails to teach the Whites that, white privilege; which
is considered as one of the corollary dimensions of racism tends to put the White majorities to an
advantage.
I would confess that the racial privilege quiz administered played a significant role in the
process of stirring self-discovery of my position as a racially disadvantaged individual. For
instance, I got a score of -28; an aspect that proves my position as a person who presents with
higher levels of racial disadvantages. After taking the quiz, I had minimal expectations that the
score would portray me as one of the most racially underprivileged persons. As a matter of fact, I
had to take the test for the second time. However, I arrived at the same score.
Zhu 2
In my view, the score attained gives an accurate representation of the various forms of
racial advantages and disadvantages that I have been exposed to since I was a little child. As an
immigrant, I grew up in an environment where the Whites were considered as the key and most
significant members of the neighborhood. For instance all administrative positions ranging from
the governor to the local representatives were occupied with the Whites. As such, members of
the minority racial backgrounds developed some senses of insecurity particularly in their efforts
of accessing key social amenities provided in the society. In this case, I grew up knowing that
my hood was only a source of the disadvantages that I suffered in my life.
On the other hand, I would attribute the feelings of racial disadvantages portrayed in the
scores obtained to my schooling experiences. Over the years of educational training, the
schooling exercise has only depicted the immigrants and other minorities as the oppressed
members of the society. On the other hand, the education system fails to mention the oppressing
agents. As such, people who belong to the minority groups tend to consider themselves as the
“black spots” in the community. While the system depicts minorities such as the Blacks, and
immigrants as unfairly disadvantaged populaces, it fails to picture the “majorities” as people
whose moral positions heavily rely on their individualized moral will. For instance, I realized
that my high school experience only taught the majority whites to consider their lives in a
morally neutral position. On the other hand, the oppressed minorities were treated by the
education system in a cautious, yet discriminative manner. Such insecurities have played an
essential role in building my innate sense of self-consideration as a person who suffers great
racial disadvantages.
In conclusion, the ideology of racial privilege is deeply rooted in our societies. the racial
privilege quiz administered was of great essence in the processes of fostering self-realization of
Zhu 3
my insecurities as a member of the minority population. I plan to use the scores to
institutionalize a self-correction mechanism to foster effective transitioning from a racially
disadvantaged person.
Sociology 1
Essay 1
Wenting Zhu
65114489
Option B
The documentary, Default: The Student Loan, pinpoints that, for most students, financing
college education is a challenge. After watching the documentary, I think that most students from
various backgrounds find themselves in a paralyzing predicament of paying even three times the
amount they borrowed, no matter the time when they took the student loan. Besides, a college
degree does not guarantee a middle-class job or even a white-collar job. Instead, most borrowers,
when they graduate, enters the real world only to find a harshly underwhelming career
marketplace, while saddled with $24,000 student debt on average. If these borrowers are not
careful, or not secure an occupation swiftly to start reimbursing their loans, this amount can
quickly balloon to thousands or more. In other cases, their current debt goes far beyond the
tuition cost.
Default: The Student Loan, therefore, inserts a human look on the student debt
predicament, following various stories of various borrowers who are stressed with the student
lending industry. Most featured central character borrowed to finance their college education and
have defaulted on their loans. In other words, since they cannot repay their lends within nine
months after their graduation, the interest rates of their private investment spiraled out of control,
making a once untroublesome debt solely insuperable.
I also think that the documentary elucidates the alarming dashes of realism of daunting
term like interest rates, forbearance, default and how the student loan industry take advantage of
escalating tuition fees to financially cripple naïve student borrowers. Most, if not all, 17- and 18year old students enter college with no idea of what these words mean, and are ready to dotted
line it guarantees that they can attend college. Alan Collinge once noted that most of these
students could not tell what is their interest rates, whether their loans are private or federal, or
even the title of the company that is lending them (Reilly, 2015).
Most student borrowers in the documentary were once financially cripple unknowing
student borrowers. Now, most of them are not sure if they can raise a family, buy a home, much
less secure a rewarding job in NGOs, solely for the reason that their debt is haunting them. If
tuition and unfettered borrowing continue, education will be ancient history for individuals who
are not in the affluent elite. Eventually, the nation will run short of researchers, doctors, or
lawyers since no one will pursue the needed advanced.
Even though taking student loans to finance a college education looks like an investment
in the future, there is a trapping point where the thrilling cost of college education overshadows
its diminishing paybacks. It is, therefore, not a wise decision to take these loans without
understanding there associated widespread crisis and demanding explanations to the unsuitable
social issue. Default: The Student Loan, presented in about a half an hour, does a commendable
job to explain words like forbearance and default and why it is not wise to be in a paralyzing
situation through compelling stories. Both a call to action and a cautionary tale, it is upon
learners to organize and unite for Student Loan Justice as opposed to being drowning in their
debts without help.
References
Default: the Student Loan Documentary. (2020). Retrieved 14 January 2020, from

Reilly, P. (2015). Interview With Student Loan Activist Alan Collinge On Bankruptcy
Protection. Retrieved 14 January 2020, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterjreilly/2015/10/28/interview-with-student-loanactivist-alan-collinge-on-bankruptcy-protection/#588bc52f2309
Sociology 1
Essay 2
Wenting Zhu
65114489
Shake hands when you meet someone(option one)
To what extent is the norm known and recognized?
Shake hands when you meet someone is an example of a social norm known and
recognized by almost all age groups globally as it forms the basis of cultural education in schools.
During the development periods of children, it is a requirement for both teachers and parents to
teach them the importance of shaking people’s hands when they meet them. It is a practice
recognized globally and has since been treated as a way of showing respect to the visitors or to the
elders in African countries. In the United States, how you shake someone’s hand speaks volumes
about who you are as a person.
What is the mode of transmission? How do we learn about the norm?
The importance of handshaking on most occasions is transmitted through parents, elderly
people in society, teachers, leaders, and religious leaders. Children are always encouraged and
taught how to shake people’s hands as a way of showing respect to their elders. Moreover,
whenever children would engage in fighting or physical disagreement and after solving the issue,
they would be advised to shake hands as a symbolism of brotherhood or ending war. Similarly,
leaders have been able to handle their difference through the power of a handshake. Political wars
and tribal conflicts have been handled through shaking hands and signing treaties. Basically,
teachers play a vital role in developing children knowing the importance of shaking hands, not
only as a means of greetings but also as a way of creating peace (Kremer, & Loux, 2018).
How much and how often do we conform to the norm?
It is vital to note that as much as leaders, teachers, and parents strive hard to instill social
norms such as shaking hands when you meet someone as a way of showing respect or promoting
brotherhood, not everybody conforms in the society. According to the report by New Times, about
90% of children in the United States grow up practicing this social norm. However, at the age of
12 – 15 about 10% forget with this practice due to factors such as drug and alcohol effects, media
effects and peer influence (Kremer, & Loux, 2018). Another reason for the deviation is caused by
cultural practices such as anarchy government where regardless of the age of the royals, servants
are required to bow for them as a way of showing respect. Nonetheless, people in the United States
often conform to this social norm and everybody treats it as a cultural practice.
Does the norm apply equally to all groups?
No, the social norm of shaking hands when you meet someone does not apply equally to
different groups. In the United States and Europeans countries, children are encouraged to shake
the hands of people they meet as a sign of respect to their elders or as a way of receiving blessings
from their elders. Other groups such as elder to elder sometimes will shake hands as a means of
congratulating each other. It’s not always viewed as a mode of passing respect but a way of
motivating and humbly accepting defeat. Moreover, shaking hands has also been vital in promoting
peace and signing treaties, especially with political leaders. Leaders, after coming into terms and
signing treaties, will publicly shake their hands to convey a message to their followers that they
have agreed to work together (Kremer, & Loux, 2018).
Is the norm severely or lightly enforced?
Shake hands when you meet someone as a social norm has been both severely and lightly
enforced to the public. During the development of children, parents and teachers would subject
kids to severe punishment as a result of failing to conform to stated norms. Children who would
fail to shake the hands of visitors and fellow students would be categorized as indiscipline. Per the
New Times report, most of the indiscipline cases in K schools in the United States are related to
students failing to comply with set social norms in these facilities. On the other hand, religious
leaders and diplomatic when settling political disputes employ lightly enforcement methods in
creating peace between the affected parties. They would use a handshake as a symbolism of peace
and brotherhood (Dignum, & Dignum, 2017).
What is the mode and consistency of enforcement?
The social norms such as shaking hands are enforced through either diplomatic way or through
punishment by teachers, diplomats, religious leaders and elders in the society. The social norms
are enforced to people consistently starting from a tender age. People are continuously taught
how to shake people’s hands and the importance of shaking hands such that when they grow up
it becomes part of their cultures. Children who choose not to conform to the set social norms in
the society would face punishment and sometimes would risk being denied basic requirements
such
as items of clothing, food, and shelter.
In conclusion, shaking the hand of someone you meet is severely significant to society.
Political peace treaties through diplomats are today promised via shaking hands, similarly, wars
are ended at the critical stage through shaking hands. Today, great entrepreneurship opportunities
have been initiated in the United States due to handshake. Parents, leaders, and teachers are
therefore required to continue with this culture and practice to ensure a prosperous country
(Dignum, & Dignum, 2017).
Reference
Taylor, A. Y., Murphy-Graham, E., Van Horn, J., Vaitla, B., Del Valle, Á., & Cislaghi, B.
(2019). Child marriages and unions in Latin America: Understanding the roles of agency
and social norms. Journal of Adolescent Health, 64(4), S45-S51.
Dignum, V., & Dignum, F. (2017, March). Societal challenges need social agents. In the 2017
AAAI Spring Symposium Series.
Kremer, K. P., & Loux, T. M. (2018). Parent and peer social norms and youth’s post-secondary
attitudes: A latent class analysis. Children and Youth Services Review, 93, 411-417.
Avelino, J., Correia, F., Catarino, J., Ribeiro, P., Moreno, P., Bernardino, A., & Paiva, A. (2018,
October). The Power of a Hand-shake in Human-Robot Interactions. In 2018 IEEE/RSJ
International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (pp. 1864-1869).
IEEE.
Sociology 1
Essay 4
Wenting Zhu
65114489
Essay B
Class Characteristics
A social class entails a group of people who have similar social status and regard each
other as equals. The classes each have some beliefs, behavior, or values that they ascribe to and
differentiates them from the rest of the classes. From the video “All You Need is Cash,” it is
apparent in the first scene where two ladies are talking that they belong to a high social class.
Their set of beliefs differ, and it is clear that they regard other areas as different from where they
stay. Another difference that highlights the contrast between classes is a lifestyle. Closely related
to this aspect of class difference is a cultural expression. Different classes have their ways of
expression that is distinct from the other. The way a high social class expresses its lifestyle will
differ from the way a working or middle class expresses itself. The groups live differently, and
their way of life is conspicuous. For instance, the video clip shows how residents of Hampton
live in the suburb. Residents of this area get to enjoy select sporting activities like a jockey.
Another visible characteristic in social classes is that the classes are based on recognizing
superiority and inferiority related to the way people are above or below within the social
hierarchy. People in high social class tend to recognize a fellow member of a high social class.
An instance in the video is when one of the commentators gave an example of a class difference
where a group of rich boys pulls up in their Porsches at a bagel store. Also, social classes depict
the characteristic of acting as sub-cultures. In this case, each class has a set of behavior and
values. From the video, the Hampton residents display a distinct way of life that involves
expensive dinner parties and social gatherings.
Impact of Social Class
An individual’s social class will impact ones life. Despite the class that an individual
belongs, the social class affects the way they get opportunities as well as resources. Factors like
educational attainment, occupation, wealth, and income; differentiate people from social classes
and influences the course of their life. There are advantages associated with social classes.
Growing up in a specific neighborhood has an impact on an individual’s economic prospects.
There is a high chance that children who grow up in the upper-class neighborhoods, will get
access to better health services, attend prestigious schools, and have better job prospects
compared to those low social classes.
From the video, the individuals from Hamptons have a different worldview. One of them
agrees that money and status will go a long way in changing one’s fortunes. One is guaranteed to
grow financially and build their empire through being in a high social class. One of the
commentators in the video agrees that the high social class has access to, and starts younger.
Individuals from this status usually start from the prestigious pre-schools, playing sports at the
private clubs, and gravitate to meeting other people in the elite social networks. All these
activities shape their worldview, making them only seek people of influence and those with a
higher social ranking. Resources that they get are limited in areas considered to have people in
the low social status, and this will also shape their world view.
References
The CNAM Channel. (2009). All You Need is Cash. Retrieved from

Sociology 1
Essay 3
Wenting Zhu
65114489
Addressing Inequality in the Society
The modern society is organized in a hierarchy form which brings about social inequality.
Resources and rights are unequally distributed to people from various races, gender, and class
evident in society. Some individuals easily access education and other cultural resources whereas
others find it difficult. This is a result of unequal distribution of wealth hence certain people cannot
afford to access such institutions. The main characteristic of social inequality is the presence of
unequal rewards and opportunities for people within the society. There are several communities in
countries viewed as unstable and poor whereas others have a wide range of resources and support
from government institutions which makes them thrive in business. The level of education is also
a major contribution to social inequality. A person may be fit to hold a particular position but most
institutions require people to present academic papers for them to be considered. These and other
illustrations portray social inequality evident in society. Emile Durkheim is one of the sociological
theorists who discuss various concepts surrounding social inequality in society. The concepts are
discussed and illustrated below.
Emile Durkheim
Durkheim has been tagged by many people as a conflict theorist. The sociological theorist
understood the imminent conflict among individuals in society since all portrayed opposing interests. His work focuses on the relationship between modern and traditional society and how both
of these functions. The major concepts revolving his theories are social facts which are mainly
defined as the structures, values, and norms of a society. Most sociologists in his days majored
their theories on the internal aspects of nature but Durkheim emphasized the things that external
influenced the society (Dillon, 2020). He feels that rules and values enable society to function
properly. Durkheim’s approach to societal behaviors is evident in different theories generated by
the theorists. The major theories attribute to Durkheim are highlighted below.
Functionalism theory
The theory is mainly concerned with equality in society so that an equilibrium position
can be generated in various societal aspects. In case there is a malfunction in the society resulting
in disruption of the systems, the society is supposed to adjust itself to acquire stability. According
to Durkheim, no member of a society can function alone hence all parties need the help of one
another for sy…
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