Essays from the students in Tampa
Please note that each student concentrated on one social issue they discussed and developed their essays as follows:
- They presented the issue as they discussed it with the students at the UM.
- They researched the problem on line and added, if any, more information
- They presented one or more sociologist's theory on the particular problem.
- If the student felt they have to add some other dimensions not discussed nor required, were free to do so.
As I am pasting the essays, most of the hyperlinks (which we use for citations) unfortunately do not show.
AJALINA (topic: Suicide)
Suicide is a part of the human experience. Though it is a painful situation, it seems if
there is suffering there will be a portion of the population that will succumb to the act. Human
suicide has been reported for more than 3,000 years. Though in ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome
suicide was looked down upon as sinful and even forbidden. The victims' bodies were often left
in the wilderness for the animals rather than given proper burials. It was not until 1642 that
suicide was accepted as a mental illness. The diagnosis and treatment of suicide and mood
disorders go back more than 2000 years (Hippocrates in 460-377 BC) (Lu DY). Today we have
an extensive list of mood disorders studies and therapies accompanied by diagnostics. However,
the rates of suicide continue to persist.
The question is, is suicide preventable? In Uruguay, the suicide rates have risen from
21.6 to 23.3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022. While the rates in Argentina and Brazil are 8.4
and 6.9. This difference could be due to under reporting in neighboring countries and the
declining importance of religion in Uruguay. Considering the small population, people may not
be willing to seek help due to fear of stigmatization. Furthermore, the rates are much higher in
rural areas among men.
“Durkheim’s theory posits two core principles: (1) that the structure of suicide rates is a
positive function of the structure of a group or class of people’s social relationships and those (2)
that social relationships vary according to their level of integration and (moral) regulation.”
(Mueller AS) Basically, Durkheim believed that the root of the problem lay within the collective
public projects or the lack thereof. Collective public projects are meant to produce protective
structural changes. These changes are meant to restore the integrative and regulative functions of
social groups, or at least lessen the pressures that come with them.
This theory is still relevant today. As popular as the topic of mental health has become in
the last decade, it is a band aid and does not fix the actual problem. With people becoming more
disconnected from each other in this technological age they move even farther away from a sense
of belonging and community. Specifically, the cities in the U.S are dealing with a phenomenon
called third place syndrome. Third place syndrome is a lack of public recreational areas that are
accessible to all. Such places include libraries, community centers, and parks. Without these key
places to congregate people are forced to go to work and spend much more time at home. This
with economic issue creates much bigger problems affecting the mental health of a population.
The U.S has a suicide rate of about 14.3 in 2022, which is 3% higher than the year before.
Regardless of culture or size of location suicide is a human problem that requires human
solutions.
In some cultures, the scorpion is represented by death, transformation, and less famously,
suicide. Although the idea that scorpions sting themselves to death when faced with an opponent
they cannot beat, it is simply that, a myth. However, the sentiment is still worth pondering.
People who commit suicide often feel like they have no other options. Rather than suffer through
pain, mental or physical, they choose to end their lives either directly or indirectly through drugs
or similar methods. My proposal would be to implement and take seriously theories like
Durkheim's, making public programs a priority. While also putting an emphasis on examining
the taboo surrounding death. As advanced as humans would like to believe we are, the concept of
death still creates an immense amount of shame. While death will always be a reality, society
should be doing everything it can to make life worth living for as many people as possible.
KENDRA (topic: education)
From our conversation with the students at the University of Montevideo, we were told the majority of the students, around 80 to 90% attend a public university. We also learned through the zoom meeting that public education is free while private education is free in the beginning, but once you complete your degree you are charged a fee for your education through taxes.
Unlike here in the United States, every university or college has a fee that must be paid in order to attend and continue your education further. Some universities and colleges being more expensive than other. Through this article here it states that Uruguay has a high literacy rate and that education is mandatory for children ages 6 to 11. The article even states that all levels of education from primary, secondary, technical school, and university is all free. The students of the University of Montvideo through our meeting also told us that more women are attending college than men are. This is the same case in the United States as we discovered and talked about. This other article written in 2014 regarding women in Uruguay states that women have surpassed men in educational achievement. It also mentions that women today "have higher average levels of education than men. Women also represent almost three quarters of university and tertiary enrollment and an even higher percentage of graduates."
in the same article, the 2012 PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) was mentioned (we could not find a source more recent than this). For Uruguay, "Uruguay continues to show a very pronounced inequality in sociocultural development. While 89% of students who attend educational institutions in ‘very unfavorable’ sociocultural contexts rank below Level 2, only 13% of students in the ‘most favorable’ contexts fall below this rank. The gap between the two extremes is as wide as 170 on the Mathematics exam, making Uruguay a country of high educational inequality."
Theorists such as Max Weber and Ralf Dahrendorf see education as a link to power. Max Weber views society as an arena of competition and inequality where the one with power, will obviously rise on top of the other. While Ralf Dahrendorf theorized that education is the key to achieving a decent standard of living. They both however, also believe that the educational system reflects the broader social inequalities and power structures established. Through our lectures with Professor Smith we talked about how in the United States, creativity is encouraged and children are rewarded for their creative thinking. Children are encouraged to use their creativity for something that suits them best and are supported to do so through peers, family, and teachers.
Auston (topic: Unemployment)
Unemployment is a phenomenon that unfortunately occurs all over the world, impacting individuals, families, and entire communities. In Uruguay, a country known for its progressive policies and relative economic stability in comparison to most of Latin America, the issue of unemployment remains a significant issue within the country. In this essay I will explain the issues of unemployment in Uruguay, looking at its causes, what I learned speaking to the UM students, and how the unemployment rate has decreased over the years.
When it comes to the causes of unemployment in Uruguay, most of the reasons are the same as it would be anywhere else in the world. One of these contributors would be rapid changes in the economy. Over the past 10’s of years, most of Latin America has gone through significant rapid changes in the economy, causing many people having to be laid off and the reduction of hiring. This in turn raises the employment rate. Another factor that affects the unemployment is that much of the youth in Uruguay tend to spend less time working, if they are at all, and much more time focusing on their schooling. This raises the unemployment rate because most of these students in college, not working, are adults who could be working which would help bring the rate down.
During my meeting with the students from Montevideo I learned that mostly all students are unemployed, the students I met with did not provide much more information other than, the employment rate amongst the adults outside of school is low. After researching the numbers of what low meant, I discovered that the unemployment rate of Uruguay was around 7.9%. Amongst South America it is just a little above the average, the highest being Guyana with an astonishing 12.3%. The unemployment in Uruguay has been on an exceptionally good track of a decrease's percentage. In 2003 Uruguay’s unemployment reached 16.6% from that year though, the country has been lowering its unemployment rate at a very rapid rate. For example, the year after the highest unemployment rate in Uruguay the unemployment rate dropped to 12.9%, nearly 4% decrease of unemployment. What caused the heavy decline in unemployment rate had a lot to do with rapid growth in capital stock and capital productivity, there are more reasons for the unemployment rate decreases such as more job opportunities, but the main reason was the growth in capital stock and capital productivity. In 2020, like almost all countries in the world, unemployment increased due to a lesser need of employees for certain job markets, but Uruguay was quick to recover. Uruguay got the unemployment rate down to 7.9% in 2022 which was just a little less than it was in 2018 at 8.3%.
Emile Durkheim, a very well-known sociologist, offered many insights into the societal implications of unemployment. Durkheim's main perspective was that unemployment represents an issue in the societal foundation, causing further issues in society. In his work, "The Division of Labor in Society," Durkheim argued that excessive or prolonged unemployment could lead to a state where individuals experience a sense of non-normal and alienation. He also believed that unemployment not only affects the peoples’ economic well-being, but also creates issues with the social collective conscious of the people. Durkheim emphasized the importance of keeping the integrity of society and in maintaining order and stability within society, suggesting that unemployment poses a threat to this integrity by weakening the bonds that hold communities together. Durkheim's analysis helps to show the broader social implications of unemployment beyond its economic consequences, keeping the focus on its potential to generate social issues and moral crisis within society.
Ashton (Topic: Housing crisis)
During our interview with the students from Montevideo, they told us that their government offered to help alleviate their rental costs. We learned from the article, 'Uruguay Increasing the Quality of their Housing Units' that their government has enforced three policies to provide loans and grants to income-tested applicants. These policies include the purchase of "economic units", provision of loans and grants for construction to housing cooperatives, and construction housing through a bidding process.
But 90% of low-income houses need major repairs and to that extent, the government offers renovation loans.
According to the article 'Sweat Equity: How Uruguay's Housing Coops Provide Solidarity and Shelter to low-income families' for 4 decades Uruguay's housing cooperatives, including FUCVAM, (Uruguayan Federation of Mutual Aid Cooperatives) "have been promoting workers' autogestion (self-management), participatory democracy, and ayuda mutua (sweat equity; direct contribution in the building site by all cooperative members) as viable tools for construction of high-quality houses." So the houses are not privately owned.
Meanwhile, in the US, this ideal is given a fair argument, by social theorist Matthew Desmond. 'Private opulence, Public squalor: How the U.S helps the rich and hurts the poor', in response to over 11% of the US population living below the federal poverty line in 2021. Desmond says that "there's plenty of poverty above the poverty line. About one in three Americans live in a household that's making $55,000 or less, and many of those folks aren't officially considered poor."
Desmond should know as he's experienced firsthand how economic insecurity can impact a family's stress level. He remembers growing up in Arizona, he remembers the gas being shut off and his family home being foreclosed on. Those hardships would later drive his research - specifically the question of how so much poverty could exist within a country as rich as the US.
"Government aid goes to families that need it the least" explains Desmond "If you add up the amount that the government is dedicating to tax breaks -shortage interest deduction, wealth transfer tax breaks, tax breaks we get on our retirement accounts, health insurance, college savings accounts- you learn that we are doing so much to subsidize affluence than to alleviate poverty"
He believes that things will improve through labor unions and activism.
In Conclusion, we both can relate to the cost of owning a house, as prices have grown significantly to where we as young adults are still stuck staying with our parents or risk selling an arm and leg to get our own place. But it's great to know that there is hope for things to get better at least in Montevideo.
Tyler (topic: family issues and socioeconomic issues)
In our call with the students from the University of Montevideo in Uruguay, we learned there was not much inequality which is true because Uruguay seems to be an egalitarian society. Uruguay has a hierarchical model parent, not exactly authoritative. Uruguay parents exercise parental authority while also granting some independence in decision-making. American parents instead have the mindset of “let them make a mistake” following the permissive model.
Uruguay has the largest middle class in Latin America relating to more democracy. It shows there is a strong link between socioeconomic factors and societal integration. The Divorce rate is 0.86 in Uruguay while in the US it is 2. Uruguay's bureaucratic style and stricter divorce laws suggest a different approach to laws compared to those in other countries. These factors reflect cultural values regarding marriage and family stability, which influence social dynamics and relationships. After talking and researching the Uruguayan family, I found that the coming together of extended families and grandparents support networks, contribute to creating a strong sense of unity and togetherness. This practice helps with childcare and mutual aid. It strengthens social connections and creates a feeling of belonging among people. Uruguayan society is known for its strong sense of national pride, which we discovered through our conversations with college residents. This pride is reinforced by a strong safety net that ensures people feel connected to their community, even during hard times.
Daniel Zovatto, a well-respected political analyst, has praised Uruguay's democracy as one of the best in the region and the world. Statistical data also supports this claim, showing impressive socioeconomic indicators in Uruguay. Uruguay has the highest per capita income in Latin America, the lowest poverty rate, and minimal inequality. Additionally in Daniel Zovatto’s findings, international rankings consistently recognize Uruguay's strengths, highlighting its low levels of corruption and strong democratic institutions. This shows Uruguay's status as a successful example of integration and societal unity.
In Uruguay, we can look to theorists who have studied topics such as integration and societal unity. Émile Durkheim's theory of social integration points out the importance of common norms and values in upholding social unity and avoiding feelings of separation. By examining Durkheim's ideas on the importance of social cohesion, we can have a better understanding of Uruguay's focus on community and the well-being of the collective. A structural functionalist would say that government policies help keep society stable. On the other hand, a symbolic interactionist would look at how policies affect how people interact. They would focus on the benefits, stereotypes, labels, identity politics, and the symbolic language used to either praise or criticize the policies.
T.H. Marshal discussed citizenship and social rights, highlighting that more equality in education, healthcare, and social security can improve social togetherness and reduce social issues. Conflict theorists like Karl Marx and Max Weber provide more information about the structural inequalities that can hurt social cohesion. Marx and Weber's theories on class conflict and power dynamics help to understand the socioeconomic influences shaping Uruguay's social structure. By considering these theories viewpoints, we learn more about the factors impacting integration in Uruguayan society.
More to be pasted by Tuesday, April 30, when our semester ends.
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