Sociology Assignment: Analyzing Sociological Perspectives and Issues

This sociology assignment addresses several key concepts and theories within the discipline. It begins by exploring Robert Merton's perspective on societal functions, differentiating between manifest, latent, and dysfunctional elements. The assignment then examines the concept of globalization as discussed by Macionis and Plummer, including its benefits and critiques. It also delves into Stanley Cohen's concept of moral panic, explaining its causes and effects. Furthermore, the assignment addresses social epidemiology, discussing its focus on the influence of socio-cultural factors on health. The document also differentiates between absolute and relative poverty and concludes with a discussion of environmental racism. The assignment provides a comprehensive overview of these sociological topics, offering insights into their definitions, implications, and real-world applications.

Running head: SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1SOCIOLOGY
Question 1:
Merton has always viewed society as an organism with various parts with each part
accomplishing a specific function, thereby integrating and sustaining the society. Merton has
expanded this view in three ways. First of all, Merton distinguishes between the obvious and not
so much obvious functions of the society. The manifest functions are the obvious, conscious and
deliberate functions that which an individual performs keeping the consequence in mind, such as
going to college to get a job, while the latent functions are the unintended, unconscious functions
where the individual is not aware of the consequence of the action, such as boosting the economy
by getting a job. The third concept is of dysfunction where the functions of a social component
will have a negative impact on the society in an intended or unintended way. For example,
celebration of festivals may have a negative impact on the society in the form of disruptions of
transportation and excessive production.
Question 2:
Macionis and Plummer claim that globalization is highly beneficial to human society and
should be encouraged because through the “increasing connectedness of societies” globalization
helps in bringing progress for making, both economically as well as socio-culturally. Since the
forces of creativity and entrepreneurship are no longer confined to political boundaries, everyone
is able to enjoy access to an enriched life. This also created tolerance and harmony. However,
they also stated why globalization is critiqued as well, and points out that peasants and small
shopkeepers will fail to survive in a competitive, global market. The unprecedented mobility of
capital, goods, and services in a globalized market can impede the growth of local markets.
Question 3:

2SOCIOLOGY
Stanley Cohen has introduced the concept of moral panic. According to Cohen, moral
panic is defined as a fear usually aroused by the mass media and moral entrepreneurs among the
public that some sort of evil power is threatening the well-being of the society. According to
Cohen, the situation of moral panic arises when an individual or his actions directly challenge
and threaten the societal values and interests. According to Cohen, once the social threat is
identified, and gets reported among the public, it generates fear, ultimately resulting in huge
social changes within the community.
Question 4:
Social Epidemiology is a specific branch of epidemiology that primarily concerns itself
with the study of the impact of socio-cultural factors on the states of health. Thus, the scope of
this branch of epidemiology is to critically discuss and evaluate the societal conditions which can
affect the distribution of health in a particular society. As a branch of knowledge, the scope of
Social epidemiology is found to overlap with that of Medical Sociology and Medical Geography.
However, unlike these disciplines, Social Epidemiology aims to identify and explain various
social concepts to comprehend the specific patterns of health in a given population. This branch
of study intends to analyze the inherent relation between social class and health resource
distribution, or how income is an important determinant of social health.
Question 5:
Absolute poverty is a situation where the people are unable to get the minimal needs
required for survival. For example, a man may not be able to meet his both ends meet and eat at
least a single nutritious meal a day. On the other hand, relative poverty is a situation when an
individual is not so poor that he can afford the basic means of subsistence, and yet he is

3SOCIOLOGY
economically challenged in comparison with the people living in his locality. Although both the
concepts are valid concepts, absolute poverty implies actual poverty that deserves immediate
attention. On the other hand, relative poverty will always refer to a standard which is defined in
terms of the society in which an individual lives and which therefore differs between countries
and over time.
Question 6:
Environmental racism is a term used to imply a sense of environmental injustice whereby
a certain group of people, usually the minority group, has been subject to disproportionate
exposure of pollutants or are compelled to stay in an environmentally hazardous place. These
people are deprived of any sort of ecological benefits such as clean water, fresh air and
abundance of natural resources, which other people living in other part of the state can gain
access to.