... Once Merton was admitted to Harvard, Sorokin took him on as a research assistant, and by Merton's second year they were publishing together. While at Harvard, Merton spent much of his time reading essays by Emile Durkheim. Merton was also influenced by such thinkers as George Sarton, Pitirim Sorokin, Talcott Parsons, and L.J. Henderson. While attending Harvard University, Merton took a course ... structure whose consequences are recognized and intended by the people within the society. In contrast, latent functions are consequences that are largely unrecognized and unintended. An exampl...

• Word Count: 3988
• Approx Pages: 16
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... for this reason, and many do not consciously modify their bodies as a rite of passage. My interest in the motivations of individuals who modify their bodies, especially in cases where the modification may not be culturally acceptable, has led me to explore web sites containing essays describing personal experiences of body modifiers. There I have found evidence that many people consciously or unconsciously modify ... their bodies to mark the advent or conclusion of important events and times of their lives. Through my Internet research and use of such sources as interviews, articles foun...

• Word Count: 3564
• Approx Pages: 14
• Grade Level: High School

... others, however since the characteristic is not found in the organically bound group, he is alien to them. He is not perceived as an individual, but a "stranger of a certain type." Simmel gives the example of taxes on Jews during the Middle Ages. Christians" taxes were dependent on their wealth, while all Jews had a fixed amount they were required to pay. The Jews were ... to it because of his roots. He spent most of his life in Berlin, and did not travel much. Also, while having great influence on the field of sociology, he was perhaps an outsider because his style of thinking and writi...

• Word Count: 2913
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: Undergraduate