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Introduction To Sociology

Northern perspectives, Northern Resources

PROJECT Web page: Social Class in Iqaluit, NU

1st Draft Proposal

Sociology 53.100

In the Macionis text for sociology, class society is defined as being, "a capitalist society with pronounced social stratification." For our project we will compare and contrast the different ideology of class through a North American perspective as well as through an Inuit perspective.

In North America, being upper class is defined as being successful both financially and political. There are the three P's of social stratification in the North American world, power, prestige, and property. These three guidelines are common in a person who plays the role of someone who is upper class. Power could be achieved politically or financially. Prestige would be granted through background, monarchy, or politically. Having numerous or large property would give a person the title of upper class.

Where as in the Inuit culture, the status of upper class is defined as being a good hunter and provider, a good family person, or even a good seamstress. In the traditional Inuit society, a male who was an asset to the camp was viewed as upper class, if they were not as skilled as the other males they were viewed as social deviant. Which means they did not follow the guidelines set for the predominate males needed in a thriving camp. If a female was not a skilled seamstress and could not be taught by others to be, she would be viewed as a social deviant.

The questions that will be answered throughout the analysis of these different perspectives are:

Does social class exist in the town of Iqaluit?

If there is social class in Iqaluit, does it differ from other communities?

What differences does a southerner as apposed to a northerner see in a class society in Iqaluit?

Has the social stratification in Iqaluit changed since the 50's?

These quetions will be answered through literary references, interviews, and personal experiences.

Bibliographical references:

Jackson, Ted. (1993) "A Way of Working: Participatory Research and the Aboriginal Movment in Canada." In Park, Peter et al. Voice if change. Westport, Connecticut, London: Bergin and Garvey. p 54-59.

Macionis, John J. and Linda M. Gerber. (2002) Sociology. Toronto Ontario.

Mitchell, Marybelle. (1996) From Talking Chiefs To A Native Corperation Elite: The Birth of Class and Nationalism Amonge Canadian Inuit. McGill-Queens University Press, Montreal and Kingston. p 20-21, 320, 334, 458-460.

SUGGESTED READINGS:

QUESTIONS SUBMITTED FOR MID-TERM QUIZ February 24, 2002

1. The discipline of sociology is the systematic study of

   1. what people voluntarily decide to do.

   2. the myth of gender.

   3. individual behaviour.

   4. human society.*

2. Emile Durkheim was a pioneer of sociology who studied how social forces affect human behaviour from the study of

   1. suicide.*

   2. achievement.

   3. cooperation.

   4. immigrants.

3. The structural-functional paradigm owes much to the ideas of

   1. George Herbert Mead.

   2. Auguste Comte.*

   3. Max Weber.

   4. Karl Marx.

4. What sociologist was primarily concerned with the issue of social solidarity?

   1. Max Weber

   2. George Herbert Mead

   3. Karl Marx

   4. Emile Durkheim*

5. A sociologist investigates how one's gender correlates with the unequal distribution of corporate salaries because of a belief that social structure typically benefits some people while depriving others. What theoretical paradigm is the sociologist using?

   1. social-conflict paradigm*

   2. social-heredity paradigm

   3. structural-functional paradigm

   4. symbolic-interaction paradigm

6. Suicide is more common among women than among men. TRUE FALSE*

7. Most of the poorest societies in the world are in Africa and Asia. FALSE TRUE*

8. Although sociology promotes intellectual growth, it has had little impact upon social policy in Canada. TRUE FALSE*

9. In eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe, sociology developed the most in societies where change was greatest. FALSE TRUE*

10. Sociology at McGill followed the American tradition of focusing on social issues and community study. TRUE* FALSE

11. The structural-functional paradigm developed out of the ideas of Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencer. FALSE TRUE*

12. In recent decades, there has been a resurgence of the structural-functional paradigm, with most sociologists favouring the use of this paradigm. TRUE FALSE*

13. A sociologist who studies the inequality between white people and visible minorities is using the symbolic-interaction paradigm. FALSE* TRUE

14. Whereas the social-conflict paradigm emphasizes solidarity, the structural-functional paradigm stresses inequality. FALSE* TRUE

15. Many sociologists who use the social-conflict paradigm attempt not only to understand society but to reduce social inequality. FALSE TRUE*

15 mid-term questions questions

QUESTIONS SUBMITTED FOR FINAL EXAM

Anna submitted 26 questions for the final exam on April 29. Please click here to see these questions.

This completes the 40 submissions.

STUDENT'S SUBMISSIONS FOR TIMELINE ON THE TOPIC OF EX.(INUIT CULTURE)

NEW! THIS IS THE URL FOR THE MACIONIS WEB PAGE.