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What is Sociology?

Coined by Auguste Comte (1798-1857), meaning the study of society- socius (being with others) ology (the study of) Henslin et al: “simply put, sociology is the discipline study of human social behaviour, especially the investigation of the origins, classifications, institutions, and development of human society on a global level” “the systematic study of social behaviour…

Pros & Cons of Walmart: The High Price of Low Cost

Wal-Mart has been apart of our lives for over 50 years, becoming a dominant force in the retailing sector. There are several disputes amongst economists about whether Wal-Mart has a positive or negative influence on our economy and society, many criticizing the Wal-Mart Corporation for its negative and careless approach to becoming the powerhouse it…

Political Culture & Law

Political Culture Culture: ‘patterns of beliefs and behaviour’ Institutional arrangements Social traits Political culture = cultural attitudes towards politics & government Attitudes, beliefs, values, norms about political issues and ideas Cultural differences among different groups and states Ideology Three categories of political culture: Parochial = negative + low Subject = positive + low Participatory =…

Government Forms: Parliamentary, Presidential, Constitutionalism

Centralization: What Form? Issue: how much centralization of power into the hands of a State government? classification = 4 types 1. Unitary central State government = all powers & govern whole state no legal challenger in political system, unlcss created by central government most common form: 150 states often: no constitution but traditional rules egs?…

Government Systems: Monarchy, Aristocracy, Democracy, Oligarchy

Classification Typology: classification system for claiming broad similarities or differences Aristotle’s typology based on two questions: who rules? in whose interest? Who Rules Lawful (common good) Lawless (private interest) One Monarchy Tyranny Few Aristocracy Oligarchy Many Polity Democracy modern concept of “democracy” = polity — constitutional democracy Dickerson and Flanagan’s modern typology Political System: Liberal…

What is Feminism: Ideology & History

Key Ideas Many types of feminism (listed by Trimble) Key concepts: “sex”, “gender”, “masculine” and “feminine” Sex: biological, physiological, Gender: social construction of roles humans sexed male and female “Determine a person’s social, economic, cultural, and political status” Constructed discursively & materially One gender is valued or superior More than 2 genders (more than 2…

Socialism: Ideas, History, Marxism

Key Ideas Many ideologies linked together by similar ideas drawn mainly from Karl Marx’s critique of capitalism Marxism Social Democracy Socialism Marxist-Leninism Anarchism Syndicalism Stalinism Maoism Feminism Reform liberalism *Note: there is no communist ideology, economy, etc.! Oppose capitalism because it is neither free nor just Capitalism is an unjust, exploitative economic system, thus generating…