Effective way to an introductory sociology student

Assignment Help Other Subject
Reference no: EM131305820

Article (Relevance Box)

Ironically, all the communication technologies that increases connections among people may ultimately make them feel more alienated from other human beings. This is nowhere more true than among the millions of Americans who do knowledge or information work. In the postmodern workspace, face-to-face interactions between colleagues and co-workers are on the decline, while interactions at work are increasingly accomplished through electronic communications.

It is common for employees to actively work with co-workers and colleagues they rarely, if ever, see, or whom; they have never met or probably never will. You may "know" these people only through disembodied relationships. How do we establish and maintain good relationships in a virtual world we inhabit at work? Have new technologies improved our way to connect and collaborate with one another, or have they created a workspace that is increasing impersonal and dehumanizing? What impact does this have on our work relationships and work lives?

These issues were already being defined and articulated at an earlier time, when this technology was being introduced in work settlings. By the mid-1990s, there were debates and concerns about whether this kind of change was positive or negative. The effects on this new technology on work relationships were becoming a little clearer. It was common to hear complaints about what was happening, particularly among workers in the information industries. Many workers were still dubious and viewed the phenomenon with ambivalence. Douglas coupland, in his popular novel microserfs, captured the dilemma of wired work place with his cynical character, a Microsoft employee. Here he describes one of the advantages for using email for interpersonal communication at the office, being able to avoid real contact with your co-worker:

I'm an e-mail addict. Everybody at Microsoft is an addict. The future of e-mail usage is being pioneered here. The cool thing with e-mail is that when you send it, there's no possibility of connecting with the person on the other end. It's better than phone answering machines, because with them, the person on the other line might actually pick up the phone and you might have to talk.

Of course Coupland's fiction is a farce, but the principal remains a similar one. And since then, technology in the workplace has vastly proliferated. We use a variety of means to communicate: telephone, e-mail, text or instant messaging, videoconferencing, and more. If we consider the world that Coupland was describing, there is no doubt that the business practices first adopted by cutting-edge technological companies have influenced the way people work together in almost every other industry. New technology has become vastly more integrated into the flow and dynamics of communications in almost any current workplace.

Sometimes these technological changes can profoundly affect the way people experience their work. It can connect them in new ways, but just as easily cut them off from one another. In his article "Workers as Cyborgs: Labor and networked computers," Mark Poster detailed the increase in alienation that can come when a workplace switches to electronic communications. For instance "a hospital in the Midwest that introduced a software program for ordering supplies from the internet" saw increases in efficiency but also found that the technology "furthers the alienation of the worker" (Poster 2002) Using this new software may have gotten supplies ordered more quickly and with few errors, but it can get lonely when the only person you talk to is your computer.

As collegial relationships have taken on an increasing virtual character, new challenges have appeared that require us to consider how to interact effectively. How can we establish a good rapport with others, or develop trust, respect, and maybe even friendship? These are considerations whether our virtual relationships are fleeting or persist over a long time, in contrast to face-to-face relationships, in a virtual workspace; you may have to be more deliberate in how you communicate. It can be more difficult to convey the interactional cues that help to support and maintain a warm, cooperative, and mutually satisfying relationship.

All these situations indicate that if we want to avoid feeling further alienated in our postmodern workplaces, we must develop strategies to deal with new communication technologies, while seeking ways to maintain and nurture our virtual relationships with our disembodied colleagues.

Task

How do you think this relevance box could be revised to get its points across in a more effective way to an introductory sociology student? What shortcomings have you identified in the existing box and what ideas do you have for addressing them?  Perhaps organization and clarity could be improved?  Maybe the examples or summary of the source materials could be more current, relevant, interesting, or easy to understand?  Could it be that the current box needs to go into more depth or offer more breadth?  Are there sociological concepts and ideas that might be usefully added or taken out of the box?  Is the research reported up to date, interesting, relevant? Taking such questions into account write a one to two-page proposal for how you would make the box a better learning resource for students reading your textbook.

Your ultimate goal in this assignment is to revise the existing Relevance Box to improve upon the original.  Each of the previous three steps has brought you closer to that objective and in this step you will put these pieces together in outline form to create a useful, interesting, and sociologically relevant narrative for prospective readers of your revised Relevance Box. This process is in fact somewhat like fitting together puzzle pieces because you'll have to try different pieces in different spaces until you come up with a combination of parts that "works" to complete the whole. Fortunately, you are not working in the dark since you do have an existing Relevance Box to refer to and your in-depth knowledge of your research article to help you build your new and improved Relevance Box. 

Your written outline should provide a paragraph-by-paragraph overview of the revised Relevance Box you plan to submit as your First Draft for Step 5.  While you may indicate the content of each paragraph in any way that makes it clear to your instructor what you plan to include there and why, please also provide a one-sentence summary that explains what you plan to cover in each paragraph. Remember, your finished Box should be approximately 2,000 to 2,500 words in length so plan your outline accordingly.

Reference no: EM131305820

Questions Cloud

What are the benefits of education being privatized : What are the benefits of education being privatized? What are the drawbacks? What are the benefits of public education? What are the drawbacks? Would you, personally, prefer to send your kids to a public or a private school?
Describe the nature and history of american criminal law : Describe the nature and history of American criminal law.Explain the role of individuals and federal, state, and local government agencies in crime fighting and prosecution of criminal offenses.Analyze the essential legal elements of criminal condu..
What is the net present value of building a new plant : Your company has discovered a new process that lowers the operating cost per gallon to $1.50. Assuming that the competition will never catch up and the market demand is sufficiently high, what is the net present value of building a new plant with ..
Drivers of strategic change in particular : Select an organization (corporate or nonprofit) with which you are somewhat familiar that uses both online and offline channels. Discuss two or three specific examples of how it is taking advantage of the Internet in general and the drivers of strate..
Effective way to an introductory sociology student : How do you think this relevance box could be revised to get its points across in a more effective way to an introductory sociology student? What shortcomings have you identified in the existing box and what ideas do you have for addressing them?  ..
What type information can concluded from forensic laboratory : what type information can be concluded from forensic laboratory examination(s) of the evidence. Any unique circumstances or problems relating to this type offense.
What are the short term effects of foreclosure in a region : What are the leading reasons for foreclosure in the states with the highest instances?What are the reasons for the low rate of foreclosure in the states with low occurrences?
Discuss rops and total costs : Martin-Pullin Bicycle Corp. (MPBC), located in Dallas, is a wholesale distributor of bicycles and bicycle parts. Formed in 1981 by cousins Ray Martin and Jim Pullin, the firm's primary retail outlets are located within a 400-mile radius of the distri..
Identify the critical path and the non critical activities : Draw the project network.- Develop an activity schedule.- Identify the critical path and the non-critical activities?

Reviews

Write a Review

Other Subject Questions & Answers

  Cross-cultural opportunities and conflicts in canada

Short Paper on Cross-cultural Opportunities and Conflicts in Canada.

  Sociology theory questions

Sociology are very fundamental in nature. Role strain and role constraint speak about the duties and responsibilities of the roles of people in society or in a group. A short theory about Darwin and Moths is also answered.

  A book review on unfaithful angels

This review will help the reader understand the social work profession through different concepts giving the glimpse of why the social work profession might have drifted away from its original purpose of serving the poor.

  Disorder paper: schizophrenia

Schizophrenia does not really have just one single cause. It is a possibility that this disorder could be inherited but not all doctors are sure.

  Individual assignment: two models handout and rubric

Individual Assignment : Two Models Handout and Rubric,    This paper will allow you to understand and evaluate two vastly different organizational models and to effectively communicate their differences.

  Developing strategic intent for toyota

The following report includes the description about the organization, its strategies, industry analysis in which it operates and its position in the industry.

  Gasoline powered passenger vehicles

In this study, we examine how gasoline price volatility and income of the consumers impacts consumer's demand for gasoline.

  An aspect of poverty in canada

Economics thesis undergrad 4th year paper to write. it should be about 22 pages in length, literature review, economic analysis and then data or cost benefit analysis.

  Ngn customer satisfaction qos indicator for 3g services

The paper aims to highlight the global trends in countries and regions where 3G has already been introduced and propose an implementation plan to the telecom operators of developing countries.

  Prepare a power point presentation

Prepare the power point presentation for the case: Santa Fe Independent School District

  Information literacy is important in this environment

Information literacy is critically important in this contemporary environment

  Associative property of multiplication

Write a definition for associative property of multiplication.

Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd