SOC221 Enroll. No.

-A85204920022
[AHSJ]
END SEMESTER EXAMINATION: MAY - 2021
SOCIOLOGY OF CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT
Time :3 Hrs Maximum Marks :70

Section – A: Attempt any five questions out of six. Each question carries 06 marks. [30 Marks]

Q1. The 17 goals recognized by the UN are formed to identify the action in one area which will
affect outcomes in others and also identifies that development must balance social, economic and
environmental sustainability. Specify these goals with respect to the achievement of them by
Uzbekistan.

Q2. The phenomena of globalization speeds-up the movements and exchanges of human beings,
goods, and services, capital, technologies or cultural practices all over the planet. What are its
negative and positive impacts on the culture of the different countries?

Q3. There are various normative, social scientific, and critical communication theories that have
addressed how media influence social change. Describe the different areas in the society around you
which have been influenced by the media.

Q4. Human development grew out of global discussions on the links between economic growth and
development during the second half of the 20th Century. Which are the aspects of human
development index according to you that needs to be improved in the scenario of Uzbekistan?

Q5. The notion of evolution came into social sciences from the theories of biological evolution.
Which are the features of the evolution theory that can be seen prominently in today’s society?

Q6. The essence of economic reforms is to initiate policies that will reverse the deterioration in firm
competitiveness and economic conditions. List down the economic reforms that were implemented in
the economic policy of Uzbekistan.
Section – B: Attempt any two questions out of three. Each question carries 10 marks. [20 Marks]

Q7. Westernization also Europeanisation is a process whereby societies come under or adopt
Western culture in areas such as industry, technology, politics, economics, lifestyle, law, norms,
customs and traditions. How can the change in these aspects of society initiate the change in the
lifestyle of the people?

Q8. Cyclical theories examine the patterns of social structure and culture that recur at regular
intervals. How much recurrence have you experienced in the society around you in the areas of
culture, traditions and customs, and how has it affected the society?

Q9. If the government of a country introduces floating dollar, lower tariffs, de-regulation, tax cuts,
corporatization and labor market reform. What kind of reform is the government trying to introduce
in the country? What will be the impact of the reform on the society?

Section – C: Compulsory question [20 Marks]

Q10. a) Some sociologists believe that societies and human beings have a tendency to gradually
change from simple beginnings to even more complex forms with the passage of time. Which theory
of social change do these sociologists believe in and what are its characteristics?
b) In their search to explain social change, sociologists sometimes examine historical data to better
understand current changes and movements. How well do you think the past data can help the
sociologists to understand the present situation of the society?

*********

Section – A.

A1. The 17 goals recognized by the UN are formed to identify the action in one area which will
affect outcomes in others and also identifies that development must balance social, economic
and environmental sustainability. Specify these goals with respect to the achievement of them
by Uzbekistan.

In 2015, all United Nations Member States adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as their
universal appeal for action in order to end hunger, protect the world and guarantee that everyone enjoys
stability and security by 2030.
They agree that action in one field can impact results for others, and that growth needs to balance social,
economic and environmental sustainability. The 17 SDGs are interconnected.
By pledging to Leave No one Behind, nations have pledged to progress very quickly with those who are
well behind. The SDGs are therefore intended to add many "zeroes," including zero poverty, famine,
AIDS, violence against women or children, to the world.
To achieve these ambitious goals, everybody is required. To achieve the SDGs in any sense, the
innovation, know-how, technology and financial capital of all society are required.
In Uzbekistan, the UN and its partners work towards the objectives of Sustainable Development: 17
related and ambitious targets to deal with the key challenges to development faced by citizens in
Uzbekistan and worldwide.
Uzbekistan has reaffirmed its contribution to the implementation of the 2030 Global Agenda and the
comprehensive, multi-stakeholder collaboration approach to seventeen national sustainable development
targets (SDGs). A road to SDG adoption is followed by the present national medium-term plan 2017-
2021.
In October 2018, the government approved and adopted a resolution on the 2030 Agenda, strengthening
its resolve to match SDGs with national policies and programs, to make sure that the SDGs are given
priority throughout all ministries. In order to facilitate the evaluation of implementation, the Government
implemented 16 national SDGs, 125 associated priorities and 206 metrics.

A2. The phenomena of globalization speeds-up the movements and exchanges of human beings,
goods, and services, capital, technologies or cultural practices all over the planet. What are its
negative and positive impacts on the culture of the different countries?

Globalization means the speedup of movements and exchanges (of human beings, goods, and
services, capital, technologies or cultural practices) all over the planet. One of the effects of
globalization is that it promotes and increases interactions between different regions and populations
around the globe.

Benefits
Globalization has benefits that cover many different areas. It reciprocally developed economies all
over the world and increased cultural exchanges. It also allowed financial exchanges between
companies, changing the paradigm of work. Many people are nowadays citizens of the world. The
origin of goods became secondary and geographic distance is no longer a barrier for many services to
happen.
The multiplication of economic and financial exchanges has been followed by an increase in human
exchanges such as migration, expatriation or traveling. These human exchanges have contributed to
the development of cultural exchanges. This means that different customs and habits shared among
local communities have been shared among communities that (used to) have different procedures and
even different beliefs.

Good examples of cultural globalization are, for instance, the trading of commodities such as coffee
or avocados. Coffee is said to be originally from Ethiopia and consumed in the Arabid region.
Nonetheless, due to commercial trades after the 11th century, it is nowadays known as a globally
consumed commodity. Avocados, for instance, grown mostly under the tropical temperatures of
Mexico, the Dominican Republic or Peru. They started by being produced in small quantities to
supply the local populations but today guacamole or avocado toasts are common in meals all over the
world.

At the same time, books, movies, and music are now instantaneously available all around the world
thanks to the development of the digital world and the power of the internet. These are perhaps the
greatest contributors to the speed at which cultural exchanges and globalization are happening. There
are also other examples of globalization regarding traditions like Black Friday in the US, the
Brazilian Carnival or the Indian Holi Festival. They all were originally created following their
countries’ local traditions and beliefs but as the world got to know them, they are now common
traditions in other countries too.

Negatives
There are a number of negative impacts globalization has had on cultural diversity, including the
influence multinational corporations have on promoting a consumer culture, exploitation of workers and
markets and influencing societal values. This increased availability of commercial media and products
can "drown out" local cultural influences.

Loss of individualism and group identity occur when globalization encourages a 'Western ideal of
individualism'. This promotes a homogeneous set of values and beliefs. The adoption of Western Culture
and ideologies is seen as many computer-mediated technologies are developed, marketed and processed
via western markets. The dominant population and culture of the day determine the next greatest
technology along with the next commercialized gadget that will be offered up to the masses and longed
for by those who are at arm’s reach of financially obtaining these devices. Kanuka (2008) also cites that
e-learning technologies perpetuates colonization by designing curriculum that mimics the cognitive styles
of the dominant culture. Not having access to technologies that are present in the classroom, combined
with an education system geared toward the dominant society can be a lethal combination for non-
dominant cultures. The present education, legal and power structures reflect western ideas and
philosophies. These western ideas are easily assimilated into other cultures and paradigms with far
reaching effects. There is an assumption that the values and ideologies of the "Global North" will provide
a suitable framework for the new knowledge economies of the developing "Global South" (Youngman,
2000).
Globalization allows further colonization which impacts intellectual property and cultural rights. Global
access to information has opened the gateway to acquiring cultural property and information. Many views
that ‘if it is out there it is free for the taking’, which includes cultural signs, songs, dance, rituals and other
cultural artifacts. These icons of a culture are viewed as a living heritage and are an integral part of
identity (Smith, 2000). Using images, reselling them and mis-representing these rights are considered
property theft and a heinous crime against communities. It is difficult to monitor or control what is out on
the Internet and therefore difficult to prevent and prosecute appropriately.

A3. There are various normative, social scientific, and critical communication theories that
have addressed how media influence social change. Describe the different areas in the society
around you which have been influenced by the media.

Technology and the media are interwoven, and neither can be separated from contemporary society in
most developed and developing nations. Media is a term that refers to all print, digital, and electronic
means of communication. From the time the printing press was created (and even before), technology has
influenced how and where information is shared. Today, it is impossible to discuss media and the ways
that societies communicate without addressing the fast-moving pace of technology. Twenty years ago, if
you wanted to share news of your baby’s birth or a job promotion, you phoned or wrote letters. You
might tell a handful of people, but probably you would not call up several hundred, including your old
high school chemistry teacher, to let them know. Now, by tweeting or posting your big news, the circle of
communication is wider than ever. Therefore, when we talk about how societies engage with technology,
we must take media into account.
Technology creates media. The comic book you bought for your daughter is a form of media, as is the
movie you rented for family night, the internet site you used to order dinner online, the billboard you
passed on the way to get that dinner, and the newspaper you read while you were waiting to pick up your
order. Without technology, media would not exist; but remember, technology is more than just the media
we are exposed to.
Anderson and Tushman (1990) suggest an evolutionary model of technological change, in which a
breakthrough in one form of technology leads to a number of variations. Once those are assessed, a
prototype emerges, and then a period of slight adjustments to the technology, interrupted by a
breakthrough. For example, floppy disks were improved and upgraded, then replaced by zip disks, which
were in turn improved to the limits of the technology and were then replaced by flash drives. This is
essentially a generational model for categorizing technology, in which first-generation technology is a
relatively unsophisticated jumping-off point leading to an improved second generation, and so on.

A5. The notion of evolution came into social sciences from the theories of biological evolution.
Which are the features of the evolution theory that can be seen prominently in today’s society?

Evolution in the broadest sense explains that what we see today is different from what existed in the past.
Galaxies, stars, the solar system, and earth have changed through time, and so has life on earth.
Biological evolution concerns changes in living things during the history of life on earth. It explains that
living things share common ancestors. Over time, evolutionary change gives rise to new species. Darwin
called this process "descent with modification," and it remains a good definition of biological evolution
today.
During the twentieth century, the knowledge accumulated throughout history made humanity a very
complex system. It reached the stage of development characterized by the dominance of political social
consciousness, an industry-based economy and the worldwide spread of democracy. At this stage, in
violation of the above-mentioned principles of social evolution, three engineering projects emerged and
have been partially implemented – Communism, National Socialism (Fascism) and Finances (Wall Street
capitalism). All three projects are the result of misunderstanding social evolution i.e. they are a product of
confusing the course of history with the helices of social evolution. All three projects are the attempts of
groups of people to create a pre-designed model of social structure, implementing qualitative changes,
which is the exclusive prerogative of social evolution, therefore impossible.
Accepting knowledge as the driving engine of social evolution and following the dialectics between the
course of history and helices of social evolution, we can expect two types of change forced by self-
organization of society and provoked by human reason.

A6. The essence of economic reforms is to initiate policies that will reverse the deterioration in
firm competitiveness and economic conditions. List down the economic reforms that were
implemented in the economic policy of Uzbekistan.

As an independent state, Uzbekistan appeared on the world map in 1991. The country launched reforms
that were supposed to create a base for running a market economy. In 1996, however, the course of the
economy was radically shifted towards intensification of state intervention in the economy and the
implementation of an import substitution policy. To accelerate industrial development, the state
redistributed huge flows of material, financial, monetary, and labor resources through:
Direct allocation of resources, administrative regulation of commodity prices, interest rates, and exchange
rates;
High taxes and government expenditures;
Restricted access to the official exchange rate which is beneficial for currency buyers (usually two to
three times different from the market rate);
Establishment of artificial monopolies by limiting the access to markets for new players and provision of
tax, credits, and other benefits to certain enterprises or groups of enterprises;
Direct (‘manual’) business management; and
Limitation of imports by tariff and non-tariff barriers.
The result was the extremely low level of economic efficiency and economic growth rates, high
unemployment and external labor migration, and rampant corruption.

Uzbekistan’s economy needs fundamental, systemic, and consistent reforms and the replacement of the
entire system of public institutions. The key task is to create an environment for the normal operation of
effective market mechanisms.
Uzbekistan’s economic reforms began after the assumption of power by the new president. The following
reforms are the most important ones from an economic perspective:
Unification of exchange rates, liberalization of the foreign exchange market, and introduction of
conversion for current operations (summer-autumn 2017);
Removal of various administrative barriers to cross border flow of goods and people (primarily with the
neighbors of Uzbekistan) and reduction of customs charges (2017-18);
Reforms of the banking sector and money circulation (2017-18);
Radical tax reform (2019); and
Reduction of various administrative costs of doing business.
Administrative reform, agrarian reform, the restructuring and privatization of state enterprises, a new
stage of banking reform, and more. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the timeframe, and scope of these
reforms became uncertain.

Section – B:

A7. Westernization also Europeanisation is a process whereby societies come under or adopt
Western culture in areas such as industry, technology, politics, economics, lifestyle, law, norms,
customs and traditions. How can the change in these aspects of society initiate the change in the
lifestyle of the people?

Westernization is a phenomenon in which western culture is embraced or adopted by cultures in fields

like business, technology, policy, economy, lifestyle, legislation, standards, mores, rituals, practices,
beliefs, mentalities, attitudes, foods, clothes, languages, alphabets, faith and ideology. In the last few
years Westernization has been growing in the country, with some thought-makers believing that
Westernization is the equivalent of modernization, a way of thinking also being questioned.
The ultimate method of Westernization is usually two-sided because Western influences and desires
themselves are joined to parents of the population influenced by this process and their relationship
towards non-Western communities, at a minimum, in order to change towards a more Westernized culture
with the alleged intention of reaching a Western existence or certain facets of that society. Inculturation
and enculturation are both comparable to occultism. Acculturation is "the cultural and psychological
mechanism of transition that occurs as a result of interaction with individual members of cultural groups."
Changes in cultural trends within one or both cultures are apparent after contact. In a Westerner and non-
Westerly context, migrant cultures seem, along with many other factors, to take hold as a society becomes
acculturated to western practices and characteristics, in relation to Western philosophy, lifestyle and
physical presence in their own social structures.
Westernization is also used as part of the continuing globalization trend. This argument suggests that
West thinking has contributed to globalization, and that globalization, which has led to a period of
Westernization, propagates Western society. In addition, many west inventions and customs such as
music, clothes, and vehicles were spread across many parts of the world and reproduced and produced in
the historically non-Western nations, in addition to Western political institutions such as democracy and
constitution.
In certain nations, however, westernization has also been reversed, for example China, except Taiwan
after 1979, Cuba after 1959, South Vietnam after 1975, Afghanistan after 1975, and Iran, after the 1979
revolution, after wars and regime changes.
The key features are the democratic economy and politics (free trade) mixed with the expansion of an
individualized society. It was also considered to be contrary to communism's international control.
However, several of its component countries and allies experienced a westernization during the break-up
of the U.S.S.R. in late 1991 and the conclusion of the Cold War, including the privatization of the former
state-controlled industry.
With discussions still ongoing, there are different facets of the issue whether globalization is defined as
westernization. There are different facets of globalization, ranging from economics, politics, and also
food and culture. In some colleges, Westernization is seen as a globalization that compares the
environment to Western forces. Globalization means the better facets of the environment are taken into
account, but globalization brings the debate about Westernization. The Westernization of the world can
be both examples of democracy, fast food and American culture. American pop culture.
A8. Cyclical theories examine the patterns of social structure and culture that recur at regular
intervals. How much recurrence have you experienced in the society around you in the areas of
culture, traditions and customs, and how has it affected the society?

Section – C:

А10. a) Some sociologists believe that societies and human beings have a tendency to gradually
change from simple beginnings to even more complex forms with the passage of time. Which
theory of social change do these sociologists believe in and what are its characteristics?
b) In their search to explain social change, sociologists sometimes examine historical data to
better understand current changes and movements. How well do you think the past data can
help the sociologists to understand the present situation of the society?

A) Evolutionary Theories
Evolutionary theories are based on the assumption that societies gradually change from simple
beginnings into even more complex forms. Early sociologists beginning with Auguste Comte
believed that human societies evolve in a unilinear way- that is in one line of development.
According to them social change meant progress toward something better.

They saw change as positive and beneficial. To them the evolutionary process implied that
societies would necessarily reach new and higher levels of civilization. L.H Morgan believed
that there were three basic stages in the process: savagery, barbarism and civilization. Auguste
Comte's ideas relating to the three stages in the development of human thought and also of
society namely-the theological, the metaphysical and the positive in a way represent the three
basic stages of social change. This evolutionary view of social change was highly influenced by
Charles Darwin's theory of Organic Evolution.
Those who were fascinated by this theory applied it to the human society and argued that
societies must have evolved from the simple and primitive to that of too complex and advanced
such as the western society. Herbert Spencer a British sociologist carried this analogy to its
extremity. He argued that society itself is an organism. He even applied Darwin's principle of the
survival of the fittest to human societies. He said that society has been gradually progressing
towards a better state. He argued that it has evolved from military society to the industrial
society. He claimed that western races, classes or societies had survived and evolved because
they were better adapted to face the conditions of life. This view known as social Darwinism got
widespread popularity in the late 19th century. It survived even during the first phase of the 20th
century. Emile Durkheim identified the cause of societal evolution as a society's increasing
moral density. Durkheim viewed societies as changing in the direction of greater differentiation,
interdependence and formal control under the pressure of increasing moral density. He advocated
that societies have evolved from a relatively undifferentiated social structure with minimum of
division of labor and with a kind of solidarity called mechanical solidarity to a more
differentiated social structure with maximum division of labor giving rise to a kind of solidarity
called organic solidarity.
b) In the social sciences, sociology is traditionally more related to history. The system of
sociological knowledge is formed on the basis of an understanding of the changes and actions of
historical subjects carrying out social processes. The object and subject of research in history and
sociology is society and its laws in their specific manifestations. Both sciences reproduce social
reality in the unity of the necessary and the accidental. However, even at first glance, the
difference between them lies in the fact that history studies not the present, but the past of
society, reflects the process in chronological sequence, and often by other methodological means
than sociology does. The sources used by history and sociology also coincide only partially.
Finally, the historian is always interested in the unique, while the sociologist is always interested
in the general.

Transitional methods in public life always give rise to the need for theoretical and
methodological comprehension of new reality. The current situation in the social sciences is no
exception. The traditional approach based on concepts such as "theory", "concept", "concept" in
terms of the use of terminological and functional "purity" of scientific disciplines, the subject of
which is the study of man and society under the discourse of postmodernity and the rapid pace of
deep social changes is gradually giving way to place "hypothesis", "constructive practice". So, in
his research, he tries to determine the unique significance of various factors that created a unique
conjuncture of events.
In the XIX century. most positivists believed that it was enough to classify all the phenomena
that exist in the surrounding world in order to make them more understandable. From these
principles, the paradigm of science originates, built on the principles of sequential analysis,
gradually began to prevail over scientific synthesis. This thesis is confirmed by the development
of many scientific approaches.