Civil Rights Movement Through a Lens of Institutionalism

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Hi there,
In this particular task, you are asking for help in analysing a period in American history. For an outline, what we will do is follow the questions as set out; each section will receive a minimum of 150 words in terms of response. It will be thus a Q&A. You can use the listed resources to further explore the topic. Just let me know via the feedback section if you need further clarification. All the best with your studies. Thank you for asking BrainMass.

Q&A: The American Civil Rights

It is important first off to note that sociology views society using sociological perspectives most utilized of which are the functionalist (society is a machine/system where everything has a function so that problems can arise from non-functioning/function-related issues), conflict (society is a system where people compete for resources and power) and symbolic interactionist (the manner by which people interact with each other contribute to how they make meaning about self and reality) perspectives. Using these 3 perspectives, provide what we call a macro (from a general level - similar to a Federal or state overview of social issues), mezzo (from a community level, similar to city or town's grasp of an issue) and micro (from an intimate group or individual level) analysis of the social system, a framework that allows for exploration and comprehension of a vast, dynamic and complex social system. Sociology is the science that attempts to understand human behavior, how and why people behave the way they do, the systems and environments that allow for society to happen and thrive as well as the study of the myriad mechanisms that contribute to its continuation and development (i.e. social organization, social groups, social agencies, culture). Here, we discuss important ideas in relation to a socially situated event - the American Civil Rights Movement. What happened after the movement was the reestablishment of a new social system that 'corrected' perceived civil inequalities due to race, gender, disabilities, belief systems and ethnicities. The civil rights movement moved society to establish a 'new' social standard so that the dialogue of social equality became prominent in social discourse thereafter.

1. What were the different types of institutions that played a role in the civil rights movement (media, state & political parties, etc.)?

a. There are quite a number of social institutions that took part. First off, it is important to note that social institutions are social groups organized formally or in existence because of cultural systems (i.e. ethnic groups, religious organizations) and can either be primary (semi-formal, intimate groups where the individual finds familiarity - as in a family ...