Emerging Issue-Education

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."

Nelson Mandela 

In my opinion the problems in education are the most pressing issues we are currently facing. If this coming generation doesn't get the kind of education it needs it can greatly effect the future of our country. Without this knowledge future generation wont be able to make informed, calculated decisions in regards to economics, politics, science, the environment and virtually every aspect of our lives. Education seems to be put on the back burner in many places because some people don't see it as very important for that very moment in time, when in reality, giving children and adults access to education and especially higher education, will allow them to better the world we live in. People needs to also realize the importance of the quality of teachers and how much of an impact they can have on a child's life. A bad teacher can make a kid hate school where as a good teacher and inspire children to want to learn and want to continue increasing their knowledge. 

A drawback of putting education last and not first is that we as a nation are having a harder and harder time competing with people from around the world in the job markets and with research. If there was a larger emphasis on education in the United States, we could possibly be researching cures for fast spreading diseases, we could help prevent famine and outbreaks, and even closer to home we could find better ways to help those in need. But without this push for education there will be more and more people dropping out and just trying to get a job to survive. Everyone should have a chance at an education and not have to worry about not finding a job afterwards and being so in debt that they can't enjoy the knowledge they worked so hard to attain. The average tuition rate at a four-year university has increased about 4.8% from 2012 to 2013. Along with a rise in cost for room and board and overall college expenses. (Huffington Post) This rise in cost is going to deter many people from wanting to continue their education, even if they are more then qualified to get in.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/college-board-advocacy--p_n_2006735.html?utm_hp_ref=education

Reflective Journal Chap 13

October 25, 2012

Chapter 13- Environmental Problems

In this chapter they discuss different environmental issues that affect everyone worldwide. A main issue that always comes up is energy and clean energy. Petroleum, coal and natural gas and the most used means of energy while clean renewables like solar, wind, geothermal and biofuel only make up 1.9% of the world’s power. The chapter also talks about issues concerning global warming and climate change, the main issue regarding climate change is the problems that happen with crops, like drought and flooding, with the crops failing an estimated 30,000 people a year die. The chapter then discusses different kinds of pollution and their effects of the environment and ecosystems.

Reflective Journal Chap. 9, 10 & 11

October 25, 2012

Chapter 9- Race, Ethnicity and Immigration

This chapter talks about the different problems that come about with different races and ethnicities, from smaller things like racism to larger issues like genocide. The chapter also talks about expulsion and segregation as issues that come about. One the lighter side it discusses pluralism and assimilation instead of the former. Something that surprised me was that besides white alone, Hispanic/Latino are the second largest group in the United States, I don’t know why that was surprising, for some reason I expected the Hispanic population to be the same as many of the other races we have in the United States, they were however very close in size to Asians. Because I am part Mexican, this topic hits closer to home with regards to immigration. My father is legally in the United States but over the years we have known people, who weren’t, and they were just as hard of workers as anyone else but what most people tend to see are the people who are here illegally and are taking advantage of the system. To me that is something I wish could change because people like that are the ones making it difficult for the hard working people to possibly get a better chance of becoming citizens. I also think it is sad how much racism is still happening in the United States, it said that 34% of people would say they have feelings of racial prejudice.

Chapter 10- Gender Inequality

For this chapter, I was glad and even a little surprised to see how many countries around the world are actually trying to accommodate and include people who are transgendered. I also thought it was interesting how Native Americans had embraced transgendered people and even revered them until the Europeans invaded. I was also surprised to read that women work 66% of the total labor hours worldwide but only make ten percent of the world’s income. It was also interesting to read about how women work a “second shift” after work and how with time things are changing and men are becoming more involved in parenting and there are more and more stay at home dads these days than ever before.

Chapter 11- Sexual Orientation and the Struggle for Equality

This chapter talks about the struggles behind LGBTQ community. It goes through and discusses the different theories behind people’s sexual orientations but comes to the conclusion that there is no clear cut answer. It discusses how being LGBTQ is not a choice, and people can choose to be gay or choose to be straight. The book then goes on to discuss prejudice against LGBTQ and how many people shun them or discriminate against them. While reading I learned about biphobia, where both homosexuals and heterosexuals reject those who claim to be bi-sexual and these people can feel as if they are “double discriminated”. Coming from Seattle, gay rights is a very big issue right now, and I am glad that gay marriage is now legal there, my personal feelings are that just because two people are the same sex doesn’t mean they don’t love each other the same as two people from opposite sexes.

Forced Labor as a Social Problem

The topic of forced labor is from chapter seven: work and unemployment. I chose this topic because I was interested in seeing how it is used legally in some corrections facilities and why it is when it has been illegal for many years.

"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves."

-Abraham Lincoln

http://ida.lib.uidaho.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=42411024&site=ehost-live&scope=site

This link takes you to an article that discusses forced prison labor and how it violates international laws that were set in place by the very countries who use this type of labor in their corrections facilities. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVH6kwFAgDk

This video is an example of a Chinese prisoner who had been in prison and was forced into doing labor.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-pentagon-and-slave-labor-in-u-s-prisons/25376

http://news.yahoo.com/appeals-court-reinstates-vermont-prison-forced-labor-case-191251126.html

Reflective Journal Chap. 5, 6 & 7

October 21, 2012

Chapter 5- Family Problems

I enjoyed this chapter because it covered many aspects of marriage, including marriages that are out of "our norms", like polygamy and couples who chose to be together but never get married. I thought it was very surprising that the amount of unmarried couples are on the rise at quite a substantial rate. I also found it sad and somewhat surprising that the in the United States you are more likely to be abused, assaulted, or killed by a family member then any where else. I was also very surprised to see that one in three women are subjected to some kind of violence in a relationship. To me, that seems absurd. Overall it is very disconcerting to read over the section covering abuse to children, elders, parents, siblings and pets. I did however enjoy reading about ways to prevent divorce and strengthen marriages and also reading over what would decrease the risk of divorce, like income, education, religious affiliation, etc.

Chapter 6- Poverty and Economic Inequality around the World

Starting off, this chapter was very interesting in seeing the differences between workers and CEO's, especially the 263:1 ratio for pay. I also thought it was interesting how this ratio keeps getting bigger year after year. I also thought it was interesting that the poverty rate was higher for those under 18 and in that age group. I previously thought it would lean more to those in the 35-44 age range. It also didn't surprise me to learn that female-headed households tended to be impoverished more then any other type of household. I also thought it was interesting that regardless of location, the symptoms of poverty tend to all be about the same, like housing problems, health issues and inability to acquire enough food. It was refreshing to read of all the different types of help people who are in need can receive, though there needs to be even more help.

Chapter 7- Work and Unemployment

This chapter seemed to be the most relevant chapter to what is happening in our every day life. The chapter discussed differences of socialism and capitalism and talked about the free trade agreements. It also discusses the employment concerns of new college graduates and how nearly one in four are in debt and many graduates have to return home to live with their parents instead of living on their own. This chapter also covers forced labor and slavery, it was surprising to learn that there are more slaves now then there were at any other time, something like 27 million worldwide. It also goes over sweatshop labor, chattel labor and child labor, all of which are illegal, though some prisons implement forced labor as punishment. Which to me was slightly confusing since slavery itself is illegal in most places. I also thought it was interesting that the United States is the only advanced nation that does not require a minimum number of vacation days.

Reflective Journal Chap. 4 & 8

September 29, 2012

In chapters four and eight, the book talked about crime and social control and problems in education. Overall the most interesting things we read about this week were probably that once a child gets labeled as a delinquent their tendency to actually commit crimes increases, I thought this was interesting because, from personal experience, courts try and make an example out of someone and give a child or teen a harsher sentence, but instead of helping the adolescent to not commit more crimes, they actually end up doing the opposite. So it’s surprising that even with that research courts would continue to hand out harsh sentences for smaller offenses. The other thing I found interesting was the amount of money that states need in order to fix up the schools, and that it’s mainly in neighborhoods that are poorer. I think it just always surprises me how little it seems people want to put into education but how they expect so much from it in return. I really enjoyed learning about schools that are “green”. I’ve heard of schools trying to do more for the environment, like recycling and the sort but I had not heard of schools that go to more extremes like solar panels and conserving water. I realize building schools like this is expensive to start with but with the amount of money they get back from it, that more schools would be willing to try and invest in greener schools. I feel as if in the chapter regarding crime and social control it would have been nice to see more stories and personal experiences that could possibly show the sociological theories at work. I would also like to have read more about what is being done to possibly have less people arrested for petty crimes and sent to corrections facilities that actually make them into more hardened criminals. The topic of education and not enough time and effort put into hits close to home because my mother has been an educator for over twenty five years and works at a school that teaches both English and Spanish. But because they aren’t a main stream school, they receive less funding and instead of being able to buy materials for their curriculum, they have to spend their own personal time translating everything made for other schools into Spanish so that they can use them. Also, the fact that parents complain about how large class sizes are, for her about 25 students,  but aren’t willing to somehow raise money or bills to help the schools lower class size numbers. 

Citations

2012. The Lead on UpdateWeb. 26 Oct 2012. <http://www.leadonnetwork.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/education21-300x214.jpg>.

Casavant, L. (2001, October 3). Illegal drug use and crime: A complex relationship. Retrieved from http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/371/ille/library/collin-e.htm

"College Tuition Rose As Financial Aid For Students Stalls Among Public Institutions: Board Advocacy & Policy Center Report." Huffington Post 24 Oct 2012, n. pag. Web. 26 Oct. 2012.

Flounders, Sara. "The Pentagon and Slave Labor in U.S. Prisons." Global Research. Global Research, 23 2011. Web. 21 Oct 2012.

Kui, Huang, dir. Ex-Detainee Describes Forced Labor in Chinese Prisons. 2008. Web. 21 Oct 2012.

Human Relation Media. (2010). Drugs: Crime and punishment [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yc4EDCvgP4

Katz, Basil. "Appeals court reinstates Vermont prison forced labor case." Yahoo News. Yahoo, 03 2012. Web. 21 Oct 2012.

National Institute of Drug Abuse. (n.d.). Medical consequence of drug abuse. Retrieved from http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/medical-consequences-drug-abuse

Ruggiero, Vincenzo. "Unintended Consequences: Changes In Organised Drug Supply In The UK." Trends In Organized Crime 13.1 (2010): 46-59. Academic Search Premier. Web. 7 Sept. 2012.

Reflective Journal Chap. 1, 2 & 3

September 9, 2012

In chapters one through three we read about an overall sociological view of social problems, physical and mental health and health care, and alcohol and other drugs. These chapters were to help us better understand these specific issues from a sociological perspective. I really found the chapter regarding alcohol and drug use to be the most interesting probably do to the fact that I am trying to get my degree emphasis in chemical addictions treatment. I also found out a few new things in the chapter that discussed health, one being that in the United States, 54% of those with HIV are from male to male sexual contact. To me this seems like an absurdly high amount when there is a pretty simple solution, like wearing condoms. One thing I thought should have been covered more in chapter three was personal stories or examples of what was being discussed. Like in chapter two, there was an example of a young boy who had gotten hurt and how health care played a role in his recovery. Another part of the reading that I found interesting was the part that discussed mental illness, like chemical addictions, this is another part I am studying in school and find to be fascinating, that a person can be fine one day and the next day come up with having a mental illness, whether it be depression or schizophrenia. Overall I liked chapters two and three more then chapter one, which discussed more of the theories and views of sociology on social problems, where as the other chapter discussed the social problem more in depth. Much of this information isn’t new to me, I have dealt with drug and alcohol addiction along with mental health issues since I was young, but by reading more about each topic it has allowed me to broaden my personal view on the topic. Much of what the chapters cover I agree with, the only part I disagree with is the theory that marijuana is a gateway drug, but only because in my experience it doesn’t seem to work that way, and that some people are just more prone to drug use then others. 

Societal Consequences of Drug Abuse

Societal Consequences of Drug Use and Drug Abuse comes from Chapter Three of the textbook. I chose this section to look into because I have dealt with drug and alcohol addiction and wanted to go more in depth as to the effects it has on not only people close to me but people in society as a whole.


http://ida.lib.uidaho.edu:3304/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=47531648-90b5-4c88-b07d-f0464ad13f4c%40sessionmgr14&vid=2&hid=9

This journal discusses the effects of drug use in an area in the United Kingdom. It discusses how with an increase of drug use there has also been in increase in property crime, gang violence and now organized crime.

(Project No Gangs)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Yc4EDCvgP4
(Human Relation Media, 2010)

http://www.parl.gc.ca/Content/SEN/Committee/371/ille/library/collin-e.htm
(Casavant, 2001)
This site talks about the connection between drug use and crime, it also discusses how the difference in legality of the drug can effect the amount of crime that tends to be involved. It also discusses what kind of crime happens more often when drugs are an issue.

http://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/medical-consequences-drug-abuse
(National Institute of Drug Abuse)
In this website you will learn more on the medical consequences you could deal with when using different types of drugs. It also goes into explaining how drug addiction is a disease itself.

“Drugs are a waste of time. They destroy your memory and your self-respect and everything that goes along with with your self esteem.” - Kurt Cobain

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My name is Alex and I'm a student at the University of Idaho. I am a Psychology major with an emphasis in Treatment of Chemical Addictions.

"No one can be perfectly free till all are free; no one can be perfectly moral till all are moral; no one can be perfectly happy till all are happy."
Herbert Spencer


I believe sociological research and theories can be beneficial in understanding and dealing with social problems around the world. One theory being a Structural-Functionalist Perspective, that society is made up of parts that have to work together as whole in order to keep a sort of equilibrium. There are two parts to this theory that try and explain the social problems that occur around us. One side being that social problems are happening due to a breakdown of different parts of society, like family, education, economy and so on. Another part describes how social norms and the disruption of social norms are causing social problems, like how drinking underage goes against social norms but then is portrayed on television as something cool. To me, sociological research does a lot in trying to explain the different parts that come about with social problems and it tries to find the root of the problem so instead of dealing with the symptoms of the problem, you deal with the problem itself.