Hasan Abbas

Sociology 2000
Zachary Brewster
Honors Service Learning Project
Journal entry #1 October 8th, 2016
The place I am volunteering at is an Arabic school in my hometown of Dearborn Michigan.
The school teaches mostly younger kids (but there are some older students) how to read, write,
and speak the language of Arabic. Language is obviously very important to sociology and even
though we have not got to it yet in our class I know from a high school sociology course that
language is the single biggest indicator and has the biggest impact on culture. Many of the most
similar places culture wise on earth speak similar languages if not the same. East Asia, the
Middle Eastern nations, and Western Europe are all examples of this. I went to this Arabic school
myself when I was younger and I know decent Arabic because of it. Dearborn is a unique city of
immigrants in that it is relatively new. This (people my age and younger) is the first generation to
be fully Americanized being born and raised here. This and the other Arabic schools in town are
crucial in my opinion to preserving our culture as best we can. So many of my peers in high
school came from Arabic households but didnt know anything about how to speak it. Almost
everyone with parents that learned to speak English just speak English at home and the Arabic
died off only resurfacing when parents call their relatives overseas on the phone. By giving
young children (and some middle/high school kids who want to learn) a chance to better connect

with their heritage we ensure the passing of our culture for the next generation. Words can hardly
describe how instrumental language is to culture. Take Egypt for example, a country in Africa
but generally looked at as Middle Eastern because of its large amount of Arabic speakers. People
that can communicate with each other share ideas and values. They can discuss and grow their
own base based on that of another. If the language is not passed on soon the Arabic people will
be too integrated to remember where they came from and will miss out on a wonderful culture.
Journal entry #2 October 8th, 2016
Religion plays a plays a major role in the lifestyle and behavior of people. Often times the
language of Arabic is confused with the religion of Islam. People tend to treat anyone speaking
Arabic as Muslim. In Dearborn however, that is generally the case. The school is located right
next to the largest mosque in North America and a very large percentage of the city is not just
Arab but Muslim as well. The students are taught how to pray and read Quran as part of their
activities. There are not many Christian Arabs that I see around Dearborn and even less at the
Saturday school. I spoke to some of the Christian students and they dont feel persecuted or
anything. Obviously they dont have to participate in any of the religious activities but they cant
help but feel a little left out. Basically all the Arabic schools around almost double as Islamic
schools and for most people that is two birds with one stone; they learn about their language and
their religion as well. Having the mosque next door is a great resource for the kids to aid them in
their learning. Learning about your religion at a young age integrates some important values into
someone's life. To be kind and respectful to everyone, to not lie, cheat, or steal. These are values
that the entire country shares because of religion. The three major monotheistic religions of
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all very similar and share a lot of the same values, so

learning those values and instilling those beliefs will help anyone be a productive, functional
member of society. Emile Durkheim a famous sociologist says that religion is an expression of
society itself. Religions unifies communities and people, religion gives us order and gives us
values that we use in decision making when we build our societies. The kids are fascinated by
the stories of prophets and revelations and seem to really enjoy learning more about it. Religion
is very dangerous with regards to interpretation. It is very important that all questions be
answered and all confusion but not ignored to make sure nobody is gains beliefs that will be
harmful to their futures as functional society members such as closed mindedness and bigotry.
Journal entry #3
Earlier in the semester we read an article called teenage wasteland an article about teen
suicide rates and so called burnouts that were affected by their low societal integration into
being more likely to commit suicide. I started wondering how I could connect this place to the
article and much like some of the other volunteering opportunities in Detroit (although to a lesser
extent) the goal of both these all these places is ultimately to keep kids from turning into so
called burnouts. Even if people dont think sociology the inherently think that being involved
with a group or in the community is beneficial to a person's health. Even in suburban areas
parents are afraid of their children becoming burnouts, they worry about the type of kids their
friends hang out with and the activities they participate in. They encourage sports and discourage
things people labeled as deadbeats would enjoy like video games and skateboarding. A lot of
these school but not regular school places serve double purposes in this regard. They are places
people are sent to in an attempt to keep them integrated in society and to keep them off the
burnout path. Similarly parents who fear their children may have already began going down the

burnout road will send them to an after school program to try and change them by exposing them
to a group setting. People can be resistant to change and as with any after school program there
are some who are harder to reach than others. A better way to combat this is not by forcing
people to change based on norms but rather to alter what we deem acceptable to include as many
people as possible. Thats why one week we included a video game tournament to go along with
the usual basketball and jungle gym activities during recess and it worked out pretty well. It gave
some of the kids that just waited for recess to end because they might not like or were not
particularly good at basketball and some other outdoor sports something to do.
Journal entry #4 October 15th, 2016
One of the three dominant sociological perspectives is the functionalist perspective.
Derived from the ideas of Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, and other sociologists the
functionalist perspective is basically the notion that all parts of society are like parts of a
machine, there for a purpose and work together as a whole unit. Functionalism is a macro
perspective in that it focuses more on the way society runs and affects individuals instead of the
other way around. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the functionalist perspective is the fact
that according to it everything needed in society will come to fruition on its own and everything
harmful will eventually be dealt with and disappear. So things like crime and poverty which have
been around for centuries have a functioning purpose in society. Also places such as the one I
volunteer at have appeared and continue to exist to serve a purpose needed in society. Schools
and extra learning centers are not like normal institutions that come and go based on community
need (the type of school yes but not schools in general). Schools are here to educate people on
knowledge they can use in life and also to expose them to a group setting where they are not in

power to prepare them for working class jobs. Parents dont have the time or skill to teach their
children everything they need to know and therefore have to trust a group of complete strangers
who may share different opinions and values to teach their children how to be functional
members of society. All of the places that offer service to the community are products of
functionalist society's tendency to repair itself. Parents dont have time to teach? Schools. The
city doesn't have funds to clean the streets? Green initiatives. All nonprofit organizations provide
things to the community that it is unable to do on its own. It relies solely on the goodness in
people's hearts and society is better because of it.
Journal entry #5 October 22nd, 2016
Family is perhaps the most important part of a person's life. Besides supporting and
helping you throughout life family is also probably the single biggest indicator of who you are as
a person. This is in large part due to the fact that almost everybody will share the same values as
their parents as they were exposed to those values at a young age. The majority of people share
the same religion as their family members, vote for the same political parties and even engage in
a lot of the same activities. This strong sense of family is a crucial part of the community and the
Saturday school. For starters parents are very protective of their kids usually walking them all the
way to their classroom. Parents are also very involved in what we do for their kids. They
constantly walk in when dropping off picking up their kids and talk to us volunteers or the higher
ups checking up on any changes or anything they should be aware of. Parents are also pushing
their kids hard to succeed in schools Arabic and English. Along with parents it is also the siblings
and a little uniquely to this community the cousins that add to the family dynamic. Younger
siblings generally follow in the footsteps of the older ones. Many siblings come to our Saturday

school together. A lot of students in my high school I also noticed planned to major in the same
things their older siblings did in college. In addition to all of this non direct family is also very
important. Cousins and aunts/uncles are seen on more than just Thanksgiving they are seen
almost every week, sometimes more. Again circling back to the Arabic school often times
cousins will come to the Arabic school together one parent having been given the idea from the
other. Ultimately family affects every aspect of everybody's life. The effects a family has on
someone are almost immeasurable. To think an after school program rooted in cultural values
would not be influenced by family is ridiculous however I still feel as if this topic is very
important because of the very large and wide ranging sociological connections that can be made
from this topic.
Journal entry #6 October 22nd, 2016
Gender plays a very important role in sociology. One of the most highly debated topics
is the difference between your sex and your gender. By definition your sex is literally based on
your biological features at the time of birth. Your gender is based on the society around you.
Some people struggle with the identification of a gender different from the one associated with
their sex. Often times the two words are used interchangeably. Where I grew up was no
exception. To be honest I was never really exposed to this topic before this sociology class. Like
other cities around the country with religious values at their core there is no distinction between
gender and sex. As for my volunteering the girls and boys are not treated any differently. Maybe
it is because they are at a young age and the biological differences are less prevalent but I have
noticed that overall men and women are treated differently. Adult men and women sit on
different sides of the room during sermons on Fridays. The idea of a difference between sex and

gender is usually dismissed by most people. When it comes to thoughts on gender we are a little
behind the times. Parents are more reluctant to allow their daughters to go out with friends
especially daughters that wear the hijab. I asked some of the girls and boys attending the school
but they it seemed like they didnt understand what I was talking about. They have been
conditioned by society to think just boy just girl; blue equals boy pink equals girl, cars equal
boys dolls equals girls. This has been heavily ingrained into everybodys minds and
understandably hard to shake. The biggest connection my volunteering experience has helped me
made with regards to this topic is that not everyone that rejects gender as an institution does so
maliciously. The majority of rejecters really cannot rap their head around the idea, not because
they are not intelligent people but because deep rooted values they have been following for their
entire lives cloud their judgment preventing them from giving the argument a chance.
Journal entry #7 October 29th, 2016
Socialization is the process of inheriting values and ideologies. Socialization is the
process that molds you into who society thinks you should be. There are different types of
socialization. One such type is re-socialization where one must be reintegrated into a different
role after their last one was significantly altered. The type I would like to focus in is called
anticipatory socialization. Anticipatory socialization is the learning of the ways/customs of a
group with the hope of one day being a part of the group. Schools are in part agents of
anticipatory socialization; they teach people discipline and submissiveness, traits they will need
in order to assimilate in the working world. This school in particular socializes students in
multiple ways. First off being a school is teaches the aforementioned discipline, respect, and
other character related qualities but in addition to all that it teaches a language and a culture to its

students. The learning of this language and culture will prepare them to grow up and live in a
community that heavily includes that culture in everyday life. Many store and restaurants include
signs in Arabic, many more places than others around the nation offer halal food because of how
centralizing Middle Eastern culture to the city. The Saturday school builds up skills in children
that are specifically catered to their success in living in their specific community. Young minds
are shaped in molded in these after school programs the same way agents of anticipatory
socialization always work, they instill values and reinforce them through sanctions to influence
behavior in the moment and going forward. Usually values are shared by geographic and
economic boundaries. The values of southern states are generally shared throughout the south,
same with the northeast ect. This is no accident, from a young age similar beliefs are taught to
people in an area in an attempt to try and get everyone to be as similar as possible to give them
the best chance to integrate into society and succeed.
Journal entry #8 October 29th
Norms are an interesting aspect of sociology. Norms are guidelines for behavior, rules
for how we act in public. Norms can be on a large scale over a city or country, or they can be on
a smaller scale like office buildings or churches. Norms guide the behavior of individuals by
establishing general collective acceptable actions. Mores are the big and universally agreed
upon norms intertwined with values such as murder, theft etc. Folkways are more common
decency such as not using an adjacent urinal or not making eye contact with strangers. These are
also derived from values but they are not generally huge society shaping more serious values.
Being a place where decent humans live the major values are upheld such as preservation of life
and respect for others but being a more religious community other mores are present such as no

adultery or homosexuality (through general public opinion) like many religious communities
throughout the nation. The mores of the school are more Americanized than the surrounding
area, I have found. The next generation has heard the arguments of the place they grew up and
incorporated that into their own values altering the norms-with younger people anyway. The
folkways from my own experience are more significantly different from the other schools and
cities. Generally eye contact and communication with strangers is frowned upon but here it is
considered rude not to nod and say hello to someone walking by. The urinal folkway on the other
hand...that's still the same. Much like the stereotype associated with the east Asian community,
not doing well in school is like a half more half folkway type deal. Where the effects of failing in
school does not automatically mean you will fail in life the general sense of the community and
one's relatives will be that of dishonor.
Journal entry #9 October 29th 2016
To go along with the norms of the MAYA Saturday Arabic School and the surrounding
areas there is also the matter of the sanctions, punishments, and repercussions and how they
differ from other places. Unlike norms which differed somewhat from other places the
rewards/punishments of going along with/against these norms is pretty similar. Children that
disobey their parents get grounded or have their stuff taken away. Students who cause problems
or fight in school are kicked out. Good behavior is rewarded by acknowledgement from adults.
In those regards there is not much of a difference between the ways other places in America deal
with breaching of norms compared to how we do. At the Saturday school those who misbehave
or are doing poorly get called in for a parent meeting to address the issues much like in
elementary/middle/high school. The only alteration from this path in our community is with very

old fashioned people who have a 1950s style of doing things. Just as in American communities
some of the older generations are harsher in their punishments and way stricter in their upholding
of norms. Unfortunately weve seen evidence of some cold, distant parenting. Those who are too
rooted in their beliefs to accept change and be tolerant of others are just as prevalent here as
other places. Thats part of the reason for the most part punishments that are handed out tend to
be more on the extra problems/worksheet side. Norms are very important and should be
adhered to. However I believe there are definitely better ways to go about enforcing them. Many
of the ways we in society try just end up making those who step out of line resent the rules and
alter their values making their transition into society more difficult. As time move on values
change, but the way we enforce them has remained relatively stagnant until about 20 years ago
or so. If we can move forward in this regard and continue bettering the way we try teaching
others the right path the world would be a much better place.
Journal entry #10 November 5th 2016
Another fascinating thing about this place and this city is not just the large Middle
Eastern immigrant population but also the fact that a very large portion of these immigrants are
from Lebanon. Even at Wayne state the proportion of Lebanese students is way larger than
expected considering how small of a country Lebanon is. A lot of people came over to the United
States during the civil war and most came to the Detroit area. Around eighty percent of my high
school was Lebanese students and close to the same percent of the people who attended the
Saturday school are also Lebanese. This situation almost always creates bubble communities. Its
not intentional but living amongst only people like you will result in a lack of exposure. There
inevitably leads to a rise in ethocentisism in the community. Its not the same as different races or

religions leading to difference but rather the different cultures and lifestyles clashing. Coupled
with bloody histories full of wars and disagreements leads to some cultural bias. The bias Ive
seen for the most part has been more along the lines of over favoring their group/culture as
opposed to putting down other cultures. People would be more likely to support a new business
that is opening, for example if the owners are of the same nationality as them. Non Lebanese
parents are hesitant to bring their kids to us because of the Lebanese majority, because of this
even self segregated afterschool programs arose one mostly Lebanese, one mostly Iraqi and so
on with only some mixing. This lack of cultural relativism has created a mini self segregation
between the represented nationalities, not through legislation or through an avoidance of others
but rather as a result of everyone just wanting to stay with whats comfortable for them which is
unfortunately only those members of their own nationality. I would love to see more unity in our
community and I think ignoring what was left behind overseas would create a much better
environment over here.
Journal entry #11 November 5th 2016
We recently watched a video in class detailing a sociologists adventure to a low
income neighborhood to learn about them. Low income urban neighborhoods have a bad
reputation; often times media outlets will blame their situation on laziness or purposeful neglect
of the rules. From the video we found out that is not the case, the main factor in what determines
the success of street families is the way they are treated by the surrounding areas. When the
odds are stacked against them obviously it is likely they will fail. When the police hover over
their homes and do not allow mistakes even for teens a lot more of them will be in jail
unfortunately. Here where I have grown up we do not have nearly as big of problem with the

treatment of the lower street families partly because there are less of those families around and
partly because there is not a whole lot of blatant attacking/mistreatment of poorer citizens. The
police seemingly treat everyone about the same regardless of income/living conditions. There are
also a lot of charities and initiatives dedicated to providing less fortunate people in the
community with more. The mosque itself collects a lot of money to help out. It is also not as
apparent who is having these economic problems around us because a lot of people do a good
job of hiding it due to being ashamed which is pretty unfortunate because I think they could get
more help if they did not go about it anonymously. Many of those less fortunate in our
community came from overseas and had their educations not accepted by the American job
markets forcing them to struggle to find low income jobs. Families in these situations are taken
better care of here than in surrounding places, public schools are generous in their offering of
free lunch and ACT/SAT/AP exam fee waivers to make sure nothing gets in the way of an
education to one day drag their family out of poverty. Even private schools and afterschool
programs offer reduced tuition to families who cannot afford it. Parents and kids that come to us
are always treated with respect and helped in whatever way they can.
Journal entry #12 November 5th 2016
Next up is a topic I have wanted to discuss for a while now and even if it is not a direct
topic we have covered in class I still believe it has major connection to sociology and my
volunteer experience. I am talking about the United States election, more specifically Donald
Trump. I know this topic has been drawn out for months and people are tired of hearing about it
but now as were nearing the home stretch of the election cycle I felt as though its effect on our
community cannot be ignored. Obviously the largest Muslim community in America is very

troubled not just by the emergence of a political figure such as trump but also by his success up
to this point. His success sends a very clear message to us from the American people to us which
is not just that we dont matter but also that we are a problem that has to be dealt with. So many
times over the weeks and especially today as it is the last Saturday before the election on the 8th
I have overheard conversations or been asked about the election, and it almost always goes back
to the same thing. A little kid, born in America who currently only speaks English is asking if
he/she will have to go back to a country they have never been to before. Or if their parents are
going to have to leave, or why we are hated across the country. None of us can answer them
because we ourselves do not know. Everyone is tense and has been for days now, we are afraid.
Not because of what we think he can/will do but more so because of what a Trump victory will
mean for us. It will give the green light to groups who want us gone and will make them believe
that it is okay to come out and discriminate because the leader of the free world has condoned it
openly and has been for months. I am sure that this upcoming week could be a decisive turning
point in this countrys history. A lot of progress in civil rights has been made in the past 50 years.
Now it is at risk. We are all nervous and we are all waiting anxiously.
Journal #13 November 19th 2016
Welp, it happened. I wish I could have been at the MAYA school last week but tests kept
me away, and maybe it was for the best. I heard from peers who were able to go that it was very
quiet and awkward. Even today the effects were still visible; it has passed on from worry to
nervous jokes. This city has been the focus of anti Muslim groups for years including most
famously when pastor terry Jones came up from Florida to hold a protest outside the mosque and
burn a copy of the Quran. Now that trump won the election we can probably expect more

instances like that. Where someone wants to make a point that Islam is evil and comes here to try
and prove it by taunting us looking for a response. Sociology teaches us that society and
institutions build up who we are and the last couple of weeks I believe has uncovered a major
flaw in America's structure and some of its values. Obviously none of us can say definitively say
what will happen and besides the problems and worries minority communities have this win
signals a major shift in another value in America. Politicians are not seen the same anymore. If
somebody with no experience in politics can hold the nation's highest office than the sleaziness
and lies rooted in facts associated with traditional politicians has also been devalued in the eyes
of Americans. These new values have lead to beliefs that politically correct culture is bad and
that emotional appeals are more important than fact. People get scared easily and those fears can
be exploited. It is in human nature to want to feel safe but unfortunately we have not yet learned
how to make everyone of all races, faiths, and nationalities safe at the same time. Please believe
me I am not trying to come off as whining or anything but my peers back home and I are
justifiably confused about how we could get to this point. For now life will go on business as
usual, but the future is unsure.
Journal entry #14 November 19th 2016
Social status plays a big role in sociology. Social status is the position or rank of a person of
group. There are ascribed and achieved statuses. An ascribed status is given to somebody usually
at birth such as sex or race. An achieved status however, is earned. Based on the actions or
experiences of a person's life they can achieve a certain social status. In a bubble community like
where I live and volunteer social status is not extremely varied. A very large percentage of the
area has the same social status, middle class immigrants. This lacking in social variability lessens

the tension between classes of other places. The cliques that kids inevitably will form at our
program are not based on fancy clothes/shoes or other indications of wealth. Again this is not the
case because we live in a suburban utopia, far from it. Rather the more socially elite or less
socially elite are number 1 relatively few and far between and number 2 oddly ashamed of their
position. Those of a less favorable status are too proud to usually show it and try their best to
make sure their kids are treated like those that are slightly better off. Interestingly however, those
of a higher social status often try to downplay their status and hide it from slightly less fortunate
neighbors. This is likely the effect of first generation immigration. Those who came over from
poorer war torn countries and became doctors or engineers over here in America do not want
their friends to look at them in a different light. Much like people who achieve a high status after
a tough urban upbringing they change the way they act in front of their old peers to make it seem
as if they have not lost touch with their birthplaces. This example and instances like it in my
community show one effect ascribed statuses have on achieved status. Often times children will
catch on to the attempt at hiding their higher position by their parents and end up doing it as well
when around friends. Here I have noticed just that, well children often cover up or feel bad when
a friend points out cool shoes they have on or opt to visit friends houses as opposed to inviting
them over to their houses. All of this at least in my experience volunteering here shows that
although achieved statuses ultimately determine your position in society today, an ascribed status
reigns over what you accomplish and has a larger effect on character.
Journal entry #15 November 19th 2016
A major recurring theme of my journal entries to the point of redundancy has been the
community feel the Saturday school and surrounding areas have. Many of my entries have had

this point to elaborate a specific topic, but it has never been addressed on its own. I feel like it is
a good idea to end these journal entries with one of the most sociologically rooted topics related
to my volunteer experience. Dearborn is a city on the outskirts of Detroit but despite that there is
less of a city feel to its residents. We learned about gesellschaft and gemeinschaft in class;
gesellschaft refers to societies complete with governments and attempts to run efficiently.
Gemeinschaft on the other hand is more associated with rural communities where religion or
other values involving more intimate human interaction are the most important life governing
aspects. This is what adds another level of uniqueness to Dearborn, as a city near another major
American city it is set up closer to the less interpersonal gesellschaft but the residents have lived
in and are more used to living in gemeinschaft conditions. Most of the Lebanese population
(which makes up a majority of the population overall) did not come to America from Beirut or
other large cities overseas, their families(including mine) came from one of the many mountain
villages they have other there. Not only that but most came from the same three or four villages.
Large groups of people that used to live together since they were children in a rural setting all are
suddenly living together in the city. Its safe to say that their rural values did not change and that
they still value more personal human relations with one another. This makes the community
more tightly knit. Neighbors interact with each other multiple times a week or even daily. Social
gatherings are often very loud and very crowded and people tend to do things in groups.
Interestingly enough many of the students we help out at the Arabic school are related to one
another. A parent would find out about the place from his/her siblings or cousins and try it out for
themselves. This changes the dynamic a bit when compared to other after school programs such
as this. Students walk in through the doors and are surrounded by family-either distant or closeor family friends. This combination I believe gives this community a taste of the good aspects of

both society types. Being a city we get the efficient cold economy that allows prosperity of
gesellschaft and the personal human relationships that allow people to feel united and loved of
gemeinschaft. Every place on earth has its flaws and where I live is no exception. However after
my volunteering experiences at the MAYA school I have a newfound understanding of, and
respect for, my community.