Uses of Power and Authority in Everyday Life
According to lecture and Weber (1922), power is the ability to control the behavior of others. While power is most often thought about in terms of political systems, power is also used in our everyday lives: at work; at school; in personal relationships; and at church. Prior to beginning this paper, please review the information presented in class regarding the following concepts: a) traditional authority; b) charismatic authority; and c) rational-legal authority.
Instructions to You: ( Detail Check Paper Option 1)
Don’t skimp on the detail! Be as thorough as you possibly can in defending the arguments you make.
You should easily be able to generate the required 5-8 pages of analysis if you answer all elements of the prompt in as much detail as you can.
https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/local-…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp…
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/25/politics/us-mar…
Schneider
S-320: Sociological Theory
Paper Option #1
Uses of Power and Authority in Everyday Life
According to lecture and Weber (1922), power is the ability to control the
behavior of others. While power is most often thought about in terms of political
systems, power is also used in our everyday lives: at work; at school; in personal
relationships; and at church. Prior to beginning this paper, please review the
information presented in class regarding the following concepts: a) traditional
authority; b) charismatic authority; and c) rational-legal authority.
Instructions to You:
1. Identify items that have appeared in the news within the last few months that
illustrate each of the types of power and authority listed above. Please select one
news item for each type and do the following:
a) identify where the item comes from (newspaper, magazine, journal) [be
certain to cite your sources on a Reference page]
b) write a summary of each news item and
c) comment on the type of power which is illustrated, and why you think this
is the case. Defend your position thoroughly.
2. Can Weber’s ideas apply to other contexts in social life? Of course Over
the next several weeks, observe how power and authority are used in everyday life.
A few examples of situations to observe (although you may feel free to include
others) are as follows:
* a political campaign speech, address, or press conference (quite common
these days!);
* the way that family members attempt to control one another;
* how teachers, administrators, and students attempt to control each other;
* the way(s) in which people try to control others in their work place;
* the way in which religious leaders try to control their congregation;
* how people in intimate relationships attempt to control one another.
For the purposes of this Paper, select three social situations and do the following:
a) Describe each situation and discuss the type of power or authority that
was used. What was the source of power?
b) In your view, was the type of power used an appropriate way to obtain the
goal of the person or group exercising the power? Why or why not?
c) Did the type of power used achieve the intended goal of the person or
group exercising the power? Why or why not?
As always, don’t skimp on the detail! Be as thorough as you possibly can in
defending the arguments you make. You should easily be able to generate the
required 5-8 pages of analysis if you answer all elements of the prompt in as much
detail as you can.
As a reminder, the paper is due on March 8th by 11:59 p.m. in double-spaced,
readable font. Enjoy!