project 2 contagion

The thriller movie "Contagion" challenges assumptions about disease outbreaks. Sociologically, disasters expose social inequalities and lead to disruption. The movie helps challenge assumptions about outbreaks only happening in developing countries, government containment, calm behavior, and equal access to healthcare. Sociological theories like conflict theory analyze how inequalities shape the spread of the virus and access to healthcare. Understanding group dynamics and social inequalities is important for managers. Sociological theories provide frameworks for understanding society and can inform research and solutions in various fields. Conflict and punctualist theories are useful for understanding group dynamics and addressing social issues. Applying theory can guide research and policy development. Hey there! Many of us go into watching the thriller Contagion with certain assumptions about disease outbreaks and how society may react. The individuals may, we may assume that in a crisis like this, people will band together to find a solution. However, sociologically speaking, we know that disasters often expose social inequalities and lead to social disruption. Some of my personal and social assumptions around Contagion with disease outbreaks only happen in developing countries, not modern societies. Government organizations will effectively contain an outbreak before it spreads. People will calmly follow health guidelines in a crisis, not panic or hoard supplies. Rich and powerful people will get access to health care and vaccines first. Sociological theory helped us challenge these assumptions by considering how social inequalities can make poor and marginalized groups more vulnerable in a pandemic, analyzing how profit-driven health care and lack of universal access impacts crisis response, examining how fear and mistrust of authority shapes public behavior during an outbreak, and questioning how social status and connections advantage some groups over others. For example, I could use conflict theory to critique how economic and power disparities shaped access to health care during COVID-19. This limits my own middle-class bias about equal access. To challenge my personal assumptions, I will use conflict theory to analyze how social inequalities shape the spread of the virus and access to health care. For example, while the wealthy character SS Emanhoff receives treatment, poor characters struggle to get care and the virus spreads rapidly in their communities. Conflict theory suggests that those in power will work to maintain their advantages as seen in the lack of available vaccines for the general public. Sociological theories like this can help address complex social issues in an objective manner. As a manager for Sam's Club, understanding group dynamics and social inequalities will be key to navigating challenges. Theories provide frameworks for understanding human behavior and society. For this project, using theory to analyze contagion helped me to recognize how disasters expose social problems and applying theory in my career will help in developing solutions. Overall, sociological theories have the potential to inform research across fields and careers. They provide a lens through which to understand human behavior and society. For me, conflict and punctualist theories resonate most in understanding group dynamics and social structures. Applying these theories help to minimize bias, address social issues in an informed manner. I aim to use the theory to guide my research interest in understanding organizational behaviors and develop effective policies and programs.