Sociological View of American University - Essay Example

Sociological View of American due: Introduction Culture is used in describing the way a group of people lives their daily lives. How they are able to come up with ways to live comfortably in their environment and interact with those among them and also with other creatures in their surroundings (Berger, 1995). Norms, folkways, values, native, mores language and beliefs; collectively referred to as non-material culture constitutes some of the facets that make up the culture of a group of people. Other elements include the material culture which includes physical objects, assets and space that are associated with people of a given group. We are all born in societies where culture has already been established and brought up to bear the same beliefs as those who were before us. All organizations or social groups have their own culture which they stand by. Social structure is simply a pattern of how people interact daily by communicating using language or gestures and how we arrange our society. Structure is used in describing a number of relations between components that have some extent of unity and stability (Berger, 1995). Social structure can also be described in terms of position or distribution. It involves ranking of people in terms of position. It gives a clear indication on distribution of members of a particular society in different social positions. This different position affects people’s role. When we have a certain position, we are expected to perform certain roles. In this paper, I will give a sociological analysis of the culture as well as the social structure of my place of employment and education namely American University D.C. Sociological analysis of the culture & social structure of American University D.C. I was involved with working as an Arabic tutor while I studied English at American University. This institution is a top university in Washington D.C; highly praised for its achievements. Their master status being that provides universal education. The students and administration are very proud of their institution showing aspects of ethnocentrism. The university is known for their educational programs in global service, many of their students take part in the internship program, abroad studying, offering service to the society and training their students in promoting peace. They are also well known for their international law together with their teachings on human rights and excellent career building. Moreover, it is deemed to be one of the best film schools in United States. America University is the best school in United States for having the biggest percentage of the students having internships. The management of America University is carried out by people in different positions as a social organization the university has a group of professionals in charge of the management. When this is established, it helps in promoting good social structure. Those in charge of management include; faculty team, staff and the student body. They are all given specific responsibilities that they are to carry out. The university is also arranged and divided into different schools. This includes school of business, international college of law among others. The university also offers different academic programs such as undergraduate level, Masters level and doctoral level all these actions form the structure of the university. When one is a student of America University one is expected to be distinctive in their character, open minded and their mind to be set globally. The students should also be political advocates. The institution was ranked first by Princeton review of the best colleges for having students who are very much involved with politics. The norm of students in America University is efficacious learn by practicing that norm they give the institution a higher status in the society and with that status the university is expected to produce excellent professionals with great positions in the world. Through abroad studying, internships and learning of new different culture make their students receive first-hand learning. Their students should also be able to accommodate the different cultures presented to them. As a new student at the university to study English, I was easily socialized into the institution. The university comprises of students with different cultures who come from different regions of the universe. The students are able to learn freely of each other’s culture. As a new student one is expected to contribute in helping the university to achieve its goal of being a more international and sustainable institution that focuses on converting thoughts into actions and for them to use the actions to offer services. Tutoring Arabic in America University D.C. was very exciting; I was able to share part of my culture which is my knowledge of Arabic language, with other students. The work was fulfilling and made me feel like I was making a major impact at the university. My tutoring job also enabled me to learn of the English culture by bringing people of different cultures together the university helps in enhancing social structures to ensure that I was a good tutor and contributing to achieving of the norms of the university. The lecturers, students, and staff at this institution were very accommodating. I had to involve my students in the learning process, have a mindset of offering my services and be diverse. Religion is also a core part of the culture. American university is an institution that is rich with culture and gives its staff and students freedom concerning their religious views. The university has 24 different religious groups. These include; Christianity; represents both those with Catholic faith and protestants, Muslims, Buddhist, Unitarianism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism and others. Being a Muslim, the Muslim community gladly embraced me as one of their own. For every social group there is a need to have rules and regulations that guide people’s behavior to promote peaceful living, the rules may be formal or informal and since American university has students of different cultures, who are only familiar with their previous rules and norms. It is important for the university to clearly outline the rules and regulations. Failure to follow the rules may result to disciplinary actions taken, and while working as a tutor at this institution, I was at risk of losing my job. Examples of formal norms include: 1. The University has parking policies. The institution wants to make sure that all students, who drive to school, have equal and effective parking. The student’s facilities team, visitors and staff coming to the institutions with their cars should park inside the university. Anyone who wishes to park on campus should have a permit or pay at the meter. Hours of parking are from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. Those with an exception include; Residents who wish to park, parking areas of the handicapped and contractor areas. They are enrolled to park for 24hours and seven days. 2. Students should apply for housing online and failure to apply before the deadline one will miss out on the chance. 3. The institution offers several dining services at specific hours of the day. One, therefore, has to adjust their dining time to fit theirs if they want to be served. 4. Abroad studies are organized for those students who are learning a foreign language at the university, for example, a student studying French can be able to go to France to study for a semester. This will enable the student to learn more about the French culture and also improve on how one speaks French. Learning of new cultures helps the students to be diverse. Conclusion Every social organization or institutions have their own culture and social structure which are formulated with time. The American University is, therefore, not an exception. Social structure helps to create order and peace in a social group and gives distinct roles to different people in an organization. It also acts as a source of identity for those associated with the university as students, factuality or staff. They are able to identify themselves as members and ambassadors for the institutions. It is, therefore, their obligation to act as good role model for other universities. Reference Berger, M. B. (1995). An Essay on Culture: Symbolic Structure and Social Structure. University of California Press. Read More