SRwriting

Assignment 3: 300 words -

This powerful video scrutinizes what Juliet Schor calls "the new consumerism" -- a national phenomenon of upscale spending shaped and reinforced by a media system driven by commercial interests. Illustrated with hundreds of media examples, The Overspent American draws attention to the costs (both financial and social) of the relentless search for happiness and identity through spending. Answer the following question (Min 250 words and Maximum 500). Include at least two outside academic references to support your argument. Apply Marx's theory on the organization of society (base and superstructure) to explain Schor's "the new consumerism". For Marx, society’s constructions were predicated upon the idea of “base and superstructure.” This term refers to the idea that a society’s economic character forms its base, upon which rests the culture and social institutions, the superstructure. For Marx, it is the base (economy) that determines what a society will be like.

Karl Marx asserted that all elements of a society’s structure depend on its economic structure.

Suggested additional outside references: In this module, you are being tasked to consider does culture determine all of society? Maybe - but what "causes" culture? The biggest takeaway about Marx is not the bourgeoisie and proletariat but how the economies of a people determine their culture. Much like a physical environment will determine dietary preferences. Historical Materialism (Marx) is the methodology to understand some of the "causes" of culture. Juliett Schor provides a cultural application of historical materialism and how upscale consumerism became our country's predominant economy. Think of it - over 70% of our nation's GDP is based on individuals buying something. Noam Chomsky is a great figure in this discourse - Requiem for an American Dream is a good film and more films on Schor and Consumer capitalism. Yes, you can use films from Kanopy as references.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/41584?vp=austincc watch 33 mins of this video

Assignment 4: 250 words

Use references from the textbook and two additional academic references to support your answer.

What is the role of socialization in explaining why social class groups persist and remain fairly constant over time? (e.g. minimal upward or downward mobility to other social classes). Consider keyword search "social class culture", "upward mobility and social class". How does the role of culture and socialization help us to understand why there are high "incompletion" rates among "first-generation" college students? (individuals who are the first in their family to attend college). Consider keyword search: "first-generation college students" How is this explanation similar or dissimilar to the "Culture of Poverty" theory?

Assignment 7: 500 words

Submit Module 7 Writing Assignment Race and Ethnicity Go to Decolonize Justice: A Latino Justice Documentary Series This narrative series, the first of its kind, has been developed as part of the Reenvision Justicia Collaborative, a LatinoJustice initiative seeking to dismantle the corrupt American criminal justice system built to oppress Latinos and people of color. The collaborative consists of a network of over 100 organizers, lawyers, and advocates throughout America’s Latino communities who work to address the effects of the criminal justice system on their neighborhoods. The narrative film project seeks to document the depth and impact of the harm the current criminal justice system has brought upon Latino communities. Through a series of documentaries focused on the real-life stories of the system’s survivors, we aim to make visible the invisible by elevating their voices as well as those of community leaders on issues such as social stigma, crimmigration, racial profiling, and more. Together, the videos are a part of the organization’s broader platform to engage our communities in criminal justice, policing, and drug policy reform. Writing Prompt

Choose ONE of the six short films available to view. https://decolonizejustice.org/watch

Identify at least two sociological concepts that are applicable to the social justice issue (video) you have chosen. The concepts can be either from within this module on Race and Ethnicity, or from a previous module such as Social Stratification, or Global Inequality. Be sure to include definitions of your concepts before you "apply" to your social justice issue. To apply a concept simply means to frame a plausible description of the issue from the perspective of the concept you have chosen.

Assignment 8: part 1: 250 words: In your e-textbook Chapter 10 Global Inequality, the problem of capital flight and its consequences is discussed. Capital flight is defined as the movement (flight) of capital from one nation to another via jobs and resources. There are several major consequences to the phenomenon of capital flight in a global economy. Read the insert in your e-text "Capital Flight, Outsourcing, and Jobs in the United States" for a description of consequences to communities in the corporation's "country of origin" (where they are moving out of). There are also dramatic consequences for "host country" communities (where corporations move capital and resources to).

https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-2e/pages/10-1-global-stratification-and-classifi cation

Should corporations be held accountable (social, economic, and environmental) to communities they leave (Detroit) and host communities such as the Maquiladoras? Why or why not? Who is responsible for a community's social, economic, and environmental sustainability? Include at least two additional academic references to substantiate your argument.

part 2: 250 words: Texas Colonias Chapter 10.2 Global Inequality introduces the concept of "absolute poverty" or the lack of basic necessities, which typically include adequate food, clean water, safe housing, and access to health care. Go to www.Farmworkerjustice.org for background on the origin of Texas Colonias through the Bracero program and over the decades the growth of colonias are associated with various agricultural and economic policies (e.g. NAFTA).

Watch Las Colonias in the 21st Century: Progress Along the Texas-Mexico Border https://youtu.be/m3a7_BB7jwY (8:46)

What is the role of capital flight in the creation and perpetuation of Texas colonias? What is the role of the global agricultural industry in the creation and perpetuation of Texas colonias? Include at least two additional academic references to substantiate your argument.