Blogging through Invitation to Sociology (2020)

After 14 weeks of classes   Throughout 14 weeks of “Invitation to Sociology” class, I was able to grasp a bit of sociology. I think I can step on sociology through this class. At first, I had a lot of worries because I took a difficult sociology class in English. Sociology itself is difficult, but I wondered if I could understand it if I learned it in English, not in Korean. But after 14 weeks of classes, I think I got more help thanks to English instead of Korean. As it was conducted in English, I invested more time and effort, and I think I was able to grow as much as I invested a lot of time and effort. It is still difficult to understand and listen to English class, but I thought I now have some what confidence that I might be able to catch up with English major classes if I try hard through this class.  This class also made me interested in sociology. It can be thought that learning is very difficult, professional, and old-fashioned. However, I think I became ...

A short summary of  “Introduction to Sociology/Demography” Demography is a discipline that studies human demographics. Includes research on population size and structure, distribution, how the population changes over time due to birth, death, migration, and ageing. Demographic analysis may be associated with smaller groups defined by such criteria as overall society or education, religion or ethnicity. Before proposing complex theories to explain sociological phenomena, sociologists must first use demographic indicators to explain as much as possible, especially at macro and social levels. Demographic analysis is a powerful tool to explain many sociological phenomena. Reliable demographic material is still difficult to obtain from many countries, especially developing countries. What I found interesting about “Introduction to Sociology/Demography” I found population growth and overpopulation interesting because Korea is rather suffering from underpopulation. The most ...

A short summary of  “Introduction to Sociology/Race and Ethnicity” Race is a group of people who are considered to be in some way distinguished from other human beings based on actual and imaginary differences. Racial classification is rooted in the biological classification of humans by morphological features such as skin color and facial features.   The concept of race or particular race often stirs controversy because of its influence on social identity and how it affects someone's position in the social hierarchy. Ethnicity is a social characteristic that is related to race but shared by population, not by physical characteristics. Unlike race, ethnicity is usually not assigned externally by other individuals. The term ethnicity gives more weight to the group's connection to the shared past and culture. Racism continues to be an important issue in social and political life. What I found interesting about “Introduction to Sociology/Race and Ethnicity” I found ...

Gender Problems in Korea  In the Glass Ceiling Index released by the British Economist on the occasion of World Women's Day in 2019, Korea ranked the lowest among the 29 member countries of the OECD. The glass ceiling index is a comprehensive evaluation of women's working conditions. The index is based on data from the participation in economic activities, wage, entry into managerial positions, executive promotion, entry into parliament, paid paternity leave, etc.   Korea scored just 20 points out of 100 in the glass ceiling index, far below the average of 60 for member countries. In Korea, women's wages were 34.6 percent lower than men's, ranking the lowest with 12.5 percent of female managers and 2.3 percent of female corporate directors.  Economist pointed out, "The wage gap in Korea, which is the last place, is ridiculously large, and the proportion of economic participants is only 59 percent for women, compared to 79 percent for men." "98% of t...

A short summary of  “Introduction to Sociology/Gender” Sociologists discriminate between sex and sex. Gender refers to the socially recognized or projected position of an individual in the culturally established designation between male and female behavior. Terms of expression for masculine or feminine ego. However, sex is generally the assignment of persons belonging to a category that is socially constituted based on genetic and biological factors recognized by medical, religious, family and/or government authorities. There is a clear physiological difference between the two sexes. Although it is not yet known how or why such differences occur, scholars generally try to explain them in one of the two ways. Science is more tightly aligned with existing norms in society. What I found interesting about “Introduction to Sociology/Gender” I found Cis vs. Trans interesting. Cissexual adults are people who are consistent with existing concepts of gender and gender in a given...

Social inequality of the United States in view of the Corona Issues In the United States, the probability of black people being confirmed and killed was far higher than that of other races. Experts analyzed it as a result of years of inequality. According to the New York Times, black people are one-third of the population in Chicago, but more than half of the Corona 19 confirmed, and 72 percent of the Corona 19 deaths. In addition, most states in the U.S., including Illinois, Las Vegas, and North Carolina, had significantly higher rates of confirmed blacks than population. In response, President Donald Trump also questioned why African-Americans have many times more confirmed cases than other races. Many experts say the imbalance is to blame. Since there are relatively few blacks who can work at home to distance themselves from society, and the medical insurance subscription rate is low, chances are high that they will not receive proper treatment for underlying diseases. Many bl...

A short summary of  “Social inequality” Social inequality is a condition in which an individual does not belong to the social status, social class, or social community in society. This includes voting rights, freedom of speech, freedom of publication, property rights, right to education, health care, housing quality, travel, transportation, vacation, and other social property and services. Other factors include family quality, neighborhood living, social opportunities, job satisfaction, and credit acquisition. Large economic gaps can lead to social inequality. What I found interesting about “Social inequality” I found global inequality interesting. The world's economy is uneven, historically developed, and the entire geographic region is in poverty and illness, while other regions have begun to reduce poverty and illness at wholesale. It was represented by the types of north-south divisions that existed after the Second World War, measured primarily by GDP, between the Fi...

A short summary of  “Social stratification” A social hierarchy is a group of humans who are distinguished within a certain society. The existing society has a certain stratification as we know from experience, and that stratification is in a hierarchy state. The most familiar example is stratification caused by higher occupations and differences in income based on them. The difference in income and prestige is tied to the position within the control structure, which can be seen in the distinction between the elite and the masses and the ruling and controlled. It is said that an individual receives a distribution of power or becomes a target of its control as it occupies a position in the control structure. What I found interesting about “Social stratification” I found social mobility interesting. Social mobility is the movement of individuals, social groups or categories between layers or within a layered system. These mobilities are sometimes used to classify other sys...

A short summary of  “Dramaturgy (sociology)” Dramaturgy is a sociological perspective often used for microbiological explanations of social interaction in daily life. Dramaturgy sociology insists that there are elements of human interaction in time and place and audience. Radical behavior is seen by others and is designed to enhance their public self-image. Dramaturgical perspective is one of various sociological paradigms separated from other sociological theories to analyze the context without investigating the cause of human behavior. However, this is controversial within sociology. The theory implies that one's identity is not a stable and independent psychological entity but is constantly remade while interacting with others. What I found interesting about “Dramaturgy (sociology)” I found three stages interesting. On the front stage, the actors formally perform and follow the conventions that make sense to the audience. Part of a consistent and dramatic act, includin...

A short summary of  “Symbolic interactionism” Symbolic interactivity is a framework for a better understanding of how individuals interact with each other to create symbolic worlds, and how these worlds shape individual behavior. It is a framework that helps us understand how societies are preserved and created through repeated personal interactions. Symbolic interaction continues to influence some areas from a sociological point of view that developed in the mid-20th century. What I found interesting about “Symbolic interactionism” I found the perspective of symbolic interaction interesting. It can be applied to the use of social networking sites and how their identity is presented on those sites. Social networking services allow you to show off your identity through a news feed. Individual identity is the need to set out the goals that individuals have achieved through their efforts to differentiate themselves. Social identity can be found in the controversy arising fro...

A short summary of  “Social network” Social networks or social networks are the concept of networking the relationships of individuals, groups and societies in sociology. In other words, an individual or group is a node in a network and a social network refers to the social relationship structure created by the interdependent relationship between each of these nodes. All nodes are individual entities that exist within the network, and tie means the relationship between each node. On social networks, many studies are currently being conducted in various fields, including humanities, economics, engineering and Web science. Social network analysis is a complex area of computational access due to the myriad of different relationships between numerous nodes and those nodes. Examples of social network services and social network games are also based or utilized on social networks. What I found interesting about “Social network” I found levels of analysis interesting. There is...

Differences in Social Structuralism between the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties  The social structure of the Goryeo and Joseon periods lies in the state and background of the two periods of national foundation, and the development and change of the nation.  The social structure of the Goryeo Dynasty was composed of the civil and middle class, Yangmin and Cheonmin based on phonetic script and public phonetic dictionaries. In contrast, during the Joseon Dynasty, the aristocratic classes were divided into the legal two and the people based on Confucian civilism and formed a strict social structure. An important difference between the social structure of the Goryeo and Joseon periods here is whether social status can be enhanced through the past system. During the Goryeo Dynasty, the social status of aristocrats could rise due to the social structure of aristocratic phonographs and public phonographs, but the social status of aristocrats was almost impossible. However, there is a...

A short summary of  “Introduction to Sociology/Social Structure” A social structure is a sustained relationship and bond between individuals and groups of individuals. These social structures are embedded throughout the social system in such a way that individuals or groups in clear relationships with each other, or relatively long-lasting patterns of behavior and relationships within society, and social institutions and norms shape the behavior of actors within the social system. What I found interesting about “Introduction to Sociology/Social Structure” I found origins and the evolution of social structure interesting. I thought the social structure was developed naturally. But I got to know that social structure is not a result of natural processes. It may be created by elite trying to maintain power or by an economic system that values competition and cooperation. Therefore, we can say that social structure is socially formed. Something I want to know more I wan...

A short summary of  “Introduction to Sociology/Technology, the Internet, and Virtual Worlds” Technology is a set of technologies, methods or processes used to achieve objectives such as production of goods and utility and scientific research. Technology is mainly knowledge that facilitates production, but the product of technology is often referred to as technology because it facilitates production of goods and services and helps achieve its goals. Social networks can help developing business networks and maintaining contact with distant friends and family, but one high-level criticism is that it provides history of unpleasant behavior that could cause problems in your life in the future. Another concern associated with social networks is that they take time away from other activities such as work and study. What I found interesting about “Introduction to Sociology/Technology, the Internet, and Virtual Worlds” What I found interesting is that the process used to make ca...

A short summary of  “Introduction to Sociology/Deviance” Deviance includes all behaviors that break cultural norms. The norm is a social expectation that guides human behavior. Deviance is often divided into two types of formal and informal deviant activities. The sociological interest in deviance includes measuring formal deviations investigating how people define deviations and other normative objects, and all the different theories that try to explain both the role and their origins in society. This reading tells about the theory of deviance used by sociologists and also with current crime statistics. What I found interesting about “Introduction to Sociology/Deviance” I found Social-Strain Typology interesting. According to Robert K. Merton’s typology, deviance can be divided into 5 different categories. In the means of cultural goals, conformity involves the acceptance of the cultural goals and means of attaining goals while ritualism involves the rejection of cultu...

 Feral children and Mowgli phenomenon  Mowgli phenomenon is a kind of mental illness, also called the Mowgli syndrome. The origin of the name comes from Mogley, the main character of the novel Jungle Book, which is well known to us and refers to the phenomenon in which a child grows up without being treated by humans and lives like an animal.  It is normal for ordinary children to learn how to live as human beings while being loved by their parents, or otherwise they may have mental disorders that act like wild animals or follow animals as their own parents. In fact, parents of children who suffer from this phenomenon are punished for child abuse. Most parents are caused by neglect, but stories are glorified by the setting that they are raised by animals after they fall from their parents due to an accident or their parents pass away.  Some of the real-life examples are of children raised by animals in the wild, who sometimes die of illness or stress durin...

A short summary of  “Introduction to Sociology/Socialization” Socialization contains various elements. We can not discriminate between these elements, or how to define some of the elements. In short, socialization is a procedure of human preparing to function in human society. Socialization is not an absolute concept. It can differ from different cultures or different communities. People from different cultures and people from different races, classes, genders, and religious and social positions are socialized differently. This distinction should not impose an evaluation judgment. In a particular society, how each of us is socialized ultimately determines how we are perceived as "normal" and "unusual," and even that becomes vulnerable to re-socialization depending on the changing social environment or social exposure situation. What I found interesting about “Introduction to Sociology/Socialization” I found some feral children who haven’t been socialized ...

The form of the Korean government The Korean government is a unique form of government that compromises the American-style presidential system, the British-style parliamentary cabinet system and the French-style dual-government system, and in principle belongs to the American-style presidential system.  In other words, the president, who is the head of the state under the current Constitution and represents the state to foreign countries, is not only the actual executive power, but also has the responsibility to protect the independence of the country, the preservation of the territory, the continuity of the nation and the constitution, and the sincere obligation for the peaceful reunification of the motherland. Since the president is elected by the people's election, he does not bear any political burden on the National Assembly, as the prime minister in the form of a parliamentary cabinet system. And even if the opposition becomes the majority party in the National Assem...

A short summary of ‘Government’ Government refers to an institution that governs a region or country. The concept of governments and the development of government appeared as agriculture and water control developed. And as human was able to communicate and learn, it allowed humans to be more efficient in agriculture and form a community. As mentioned in the previous introduction to politic, according to which people have the authority to rule, we can classify to autocracy, aristocracy, democracy, republics and federalism. Something interesting about ‘Government’ What I found interesting was that there are so many types of the government system. They differ not only the types but also within the types they have different cases and degree of it. And it was interesting to know other government systems which I didn’t know such as autocrasy and aristocracy. What I want to know more about ‘Government’ I want to know why each country developed that specific government.

A short summary of ‘Introduction to Sociology/Politics’ This page is mainly about what the politics is and what typed of governments there is. Politics has close relationship with sociology, and they are who makes social economic decisions. According to how politics hold power, they form various governments such as monarchy, democracy, totalitarianism, oligarchy, communism and theocracy. It also gives specific political system of US and Sweden which have counter systems. USA consists of two parties; Democratic Party and Republican Party, whereas Sweden has a multi-party system. Something interesting about ‘Introduction to Sociology/Politics’ I found ‘Voting Patterns and Inequality’ interesting. Interpreting voting patterns, we can see some sociological points. For example, in the Politics and Age graph shown in the given page, we can see that the United States’ low vote rate of young people shows why Medicare and Social Security are facing crises. The elderly people who are t...