Chapter 6 Overview
The chapter on deviance opens by explaining the socially constructed nature of deviant behavior, then addressing related common misconceptions about deviance. Then, theories of deviance including social control, rational choice, differential association, labeling theory, structural-functionalism, conflict theory, and feminist theory are explained. Types and amount of crime across all three levels of analysis are addressed. Finally, the criminal justice system is discussed.
Chapter 7 Overview
Chapter seven is the first of the three chapters to examine social stratification and how stratification produces social inequality. The chapter begins by emphasizing the many criteria societies use to rank others. Then, the authors detail numerous theoretical arguments on why stratification persists. Specifically, they highlight cultural capital theories at the micro-level. At the meso-level, they examine structural functional and conflict arguments about social stratification, paying special attention to the Davis and Moore thesis to represent functionalists, and Marxism, Weberian theory, and neo-Marxism to detail conflict theory. The authors end the theoretical discussion of stratification by offering Lenski’s evolutionary theory as a macro-level synthesis of both structural functionalism and conflict theory. After introducing possible explanations for the stratification system, the authors focus on social status and how social status affects various aspects of an individual’s life, including their education, health, family life, lifestyle, attitudes toward achievement, religious membership, and political behavior. The authors next discuss social mobility and the micro and macro factors that influence mobility in a society. In this discussion, they address different types of stratification systems and how the structure of the stratification system impacts the opportunity for mobility. The authors conclude with a discussion of social class, paying particular attention to poverty and social policies created to eliminate or address poverty in the United States. The chapter ends by discussing the “digital divide” as a unique and modern problem facing social stratification.
In at least two paragraphs, answer each question. Copy the question and then answer it as thorough as possible.
The text argues that white-collar crimes are more costly in terms of finances and lives than violent predatory crimes. Given the numerous examples of violent crimes in the media, how can this be true? Finally, which type of white-collar crime do you consider to be the most serious, and why? (10 Points)
Name one function of poverty described in the text and briefly discuss how the poor in the world and the poor in the United States serve that function. (10 Points)
