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Essay 1:

>> In Marx's view the base of society is made up of two things the mode of production and the social structures that enforce it. The mode of production are the resourses that go into making the final product, such as the relationships between the workers materials that are used to make products. The social structures enforced is the rules and regulations that are set forth to govern the people at a specific time. The superstructure contains the elements of technology, literature, and social factors that change throughout time. The superstructure are the parts of society that effect the ideas of the people which effect the quality and effectiveness of the product being produced. For example, the invention of the cotton gin could be included in the superstructure of that time period. The base affects the superstructure by helping to bring forth some of the technology and social factors of the time. For instance, many technologies are invented in order to ease the work load of the worker, while speading up production. Social factors, such as the rules that govern society are interchangable and at times are changed at the behest of workers.

Essay 2:

>> Simmel gained from the perspectives of Marx and Weber. Simmel agreed with Marx's view of alienation or the theory that modern man is now being seperated from the finished product, in the terms of not working for adoration of his finished work and now works for monetary gain. Simmel agreed with Weber's idea that realization may not be as much of a positive aspect of society as the population liked to believe. Simmel and Weber both believed that modernization as a form of realization could lead to more negative aspects than positive ones. Simmel's view of economy differed drastically from Marx's view, which started at the level of demand (instead of supply like Marx). Simmel concentration was at consumption of products and the distribution of these products to the people. At this level, Simmel concentrated at the macro level of production, instead of at the micro level that Marx concentrated on. By sociation, Simmel meant the social interation of people. At the group level, people are not just defined by their individual roles but on how they are perceived by the group. For example, a mother is not just defined by that particular role, if she is a minority or unmarried, she may be looked at by just her racial and marital status (thus being seen as a burden on society).

Essay 3:

>> W.E.B Dubois had many transitions in his career that were important in terms of his perspectives. Dubois earned his B.A. and later taught summer classes at a univeristy in the "black south." Where he encountered , first hand, the racism and social injustices that were greatly felt by minorities in this area. He was also a co-founder of the N.A.A.C.P. but left after disagreements, Dubois later became one of the forerunners in the field of oppression felt by black women. He went on to publish books and studies on subjects concerning racials oppression, gender inequalities and class struggles. These transitions and areas of research broadened his view of the racial and class struggles of his time. The context in which Dubois wanted the people to understand racial oppression was that there was a huge relationship with class struggle. As Dubois saw it, those in charge (such as white men in power) greatly help enforce the social forces that keep those in the lower classes (such as black people) in a sense of injustice and inequality. This is done in order to maximize their production while keeping the costs of labor very low. Dubois and Marx are connected in term of gender inequality, racial inequality and by class struggle. They both saw that men and women of all nationalities need to be equal in their statuses in order for society to be harmonious. Dubois saw class struggle to be prevelant in all places, especially in terms of colonialism. He saw that groups such as Moslims keep "lesser" groups, such as the Jews, at an inequal status in order to keep themselves in power.

Essay 4

>> Mead's symbolic interaction approach differs from Marx's social conflict approach in many ways. The symbolic interaction approach states that individuals communicate through the use of symbols; in terms of economics, people work to obtain materials based on the social meaning behind it. For example, wealthy people buy the expensive cars, not only because they are nice but because of the social status that comes along with its purchase. This differs from Marx's social conflict theory because instead of trying to obtain materials because of its social meanings, those in power are trying to maintain more power and exploit those in the lower classes in order to obtain it. Mead saw that there were characteristics of humans that make them different from non-human animal characteristics. The most important view is that humans are only considered humans when they see themselves as an object and are able to interact with other humas. They also have the ability to essentially put themselves in the "other's shoe," or see pain and happiness from the view of another. This is important in his perspective because it makes the quest for symbolic materials more humanizing or dehumanizing, from the view of 'what will a person do in order to obtain these things he or she desperately want?' Another important view of Meads, in terms of human characteristics is the development of the self, which happens in five stages starting in infantcy. In the first stage, a child can only view the relationships and roles that are taking place in front of them. They have no sense of what these interactions mean or why they happen. In the second stage, a child can mimics what they see but are unable to personally take on these roles. This can be seen in the child who follows their parent in the kitchen without the comprehension that the caregiver is preparing a meal. There is still no sense of the significance of these roles that he or she imitates. In the third stage, can act out the roles around them are able to understand the roles of others around them, ie. a young girl playing with a doll and caring for it as her mother cares for her own child. In the forth stage, the child starts to see themselves in the eyes of the community he or she belongs to. They start to gain an understanding of the roles that they have been observing and mimicing all of their lives. They can start to act out these roles with the knowledge of what they mean. The fifth stage is when this child can fully understand these roles and can comprehend them with the view of other people. They are able to see themselves in the role of parent, cook or head of society and knows the responsibilities that are entailed.