Write reflection response in Sociology at least 200 words.

Q .Global Stratification

1. What is Global Stratification? please quote from the textbook. (3 points)

2. Compare and contrast World System Theory with Neocolonialism. What are some strengths and some weakness of these two theories? Please quote the textbook. (2 points)

3. How would you, as a sociologist, apply "Culture of Poverty" to a case of a country in Figure 9.3 (3 points)

Classmate's answer A

Society is arranged into social classes that are based upon an individual's socioeconomic status, gender, and race. Global stratification is the arrangement of individuals and groups in societies around the world, based on resources, socioeconomic status and social hierarchy. Global stratification is suggested to have derived from colonialism and neocolonialism and also puts pressure on countries to reach a higher level in the hierarchy, because a country's position in the hierarchy ultimately controls its economic and social development.

World System Theory classifies different countries into four groups; the core nations, semiperiphery, periphery, and external area. The core nations consists of the "countries that industrialized first (Britain, France, Holland and, later Germany), which grew rich and powerful"(Pearson). The semiperiphery is the second group, nations located around the Mediterranean, that "grew dependent on trade with the core nations"(Pearson). The periphery, or fringe nations, developed even less (eastern European countries). The final group of nations, the external area, include Africa and Asia which "were left out of the development of capitalism altogether"(Pearson). Neocolonialism is "the use of economic, political, cultural or other pressures to control or influence other countries" (Encyclopedia Brittanica). This term is used to refer to global power that one country has over another. These two terms are similar because they both relate to one country's power over another, whether it be a dependency on resources or because one nation is more powerful than the other. For example, Mediterranean countries grew dependent on the more developed countries, like Britain, Germany and France, because of their global power. These theories ultimately create a way to dominate on a global scale, giving nations with initial financial and social development control over nations that are late to the game. It also forms a way to maintain this power without much worry of a lesser-ranked country to gain control.

The "Culture of Poverty" theory is a social theory that explains the cycle of poverty and why poverty will always exist. Despite anti-poverty programs, poverty continues to exist globally, more so in other parts of the world. Three esteemed sociologists stated that, "since human action is both constrained and enabled by the meaning people give to their actions, these dynamics should become central to our understanding of the production and reproduction of poverty and social inequality." This can explain why we see countries staying below the poverty line for centuries, despite the effort of trying to gain economic and social advancement. Another theory suggests that some very powerful countries continue to use and step on lesser countries in order to maintain their power, and to keep the poorer nations below them.

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