Race is a classification of humans into a large and distinct population/groups by factors such as heritable phenotypic or geographical ancestry, but

also influenced by other traits such as appearance, culture, ethnicity and socio-economic status. Racial discrimination often coincide with racist mind sets, whereby the individuals and ideologies of one group come to perceive the members of their out group as both racially defined and morally inferior. As a result racial groups possessing relatively little power often find themselves excluded and oppressed. Racism is a set of ideas connected to power, that treats external appearances (skin color,hair texture,facial features,eye color,language, etc) as fundamental differences that cannot be changed and is transferred by inheritance (blood) making the object of racism less than human:ready for extermination.Racism is different from bigotry.A Christian bigot may well allow a Jew to convert but a racist would not. The apartheid regime in South Africa may serve as a good example of racism.Apartheid is an inhumane act committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime. Apartheid in South Africa was a system of legal racial segregation enforced by the whites.Racial segregation in South Africa begun in

colonial times,however apartheid as an official policy was introduced following the general election in 1948.New legislation classified inhabitants into 4 racial groups (native,white,coloured,and asian).Black people were removed from their land and deprived of their citizenship.The government segregated education,medical care,beaches and other public services and provided black people with services inferior to the whites. Apartheid sparked significant internal resistance and violence as well as a long trade embargo against the country.Since 1950s, a series of popular uprising and protests were met with the banning of opposition and imprisoning of anti-apartheid leaders .As unrest spread and become more violent,state organizations responded with increasing repression and and state sponsored violence.Reforms to apartheid in the 1980s failed to quell the mounting opposition and in 1990,President Frederick Willem de Klerk begun negotiations to end the regime,culminating in multi-racial democratic elections in 1994.Mandela won the elections under his party,African National Congress.Though the vestigies of apartheid still shape the countrys politics and society. On the other hand an ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other,through common heritage,often consisting of a common language,a common culture (often including a shared religion) and ideology that stress common ancestry and endogamy.

A sociology scholar,Weber maintained that ethnic groups were artificial social construct.This is because they were based on a subjective belief in share community.Secondly this belief on shared community did not create the group;the group created the belief.Thirdly the group formation resulted from the drive to monopolize power and status. A good example of how ethnicity can be a social problem is the Rwanda Genocide.Genocide is the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national,racial,political or cultural group. Rwanda consists of two major ethnic groups:The majority Hutu and The minority but ruling class Tutsi. The Tutsi were the majority holding top government offices and also some of the government jobs were specifically set aside for members of the Tutsi tribe.Such mistreatment really offended the majority Hutu ethnic community. The Genocide started from 1994 April 6th with the assassination of then Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundian president.Rwandas President Habyarimana plane was shot down as it prepared to land in Kigali Rwanda while the two were on board.It was believed that the Hutus were behind the attack.This brought about a major ethnic war.Rape,murder,destruction of property and many more other inhumane acts.Though the Hutu managed to over throw the Tutsi controlled government ,they were finally defeated and the Tutsi returned back to power.

Another example of implications of ethnicity is in the Kenyas 2007 general elections.The Lous believed that the kikuyus had rigged in the election.A civil war erupted mostly between 2 parties:Luos and Kikuyus.The war ended when the presidential contestant agreed to come up with a power shared government.Lifes were lost and property damaged. Ethnic and racial group settings become a social problem when such groups tend to safe-guard their own interest while disregarding and exploiting the other groups. Ethnic and race groups also serve a beneficial role in creating a sense of belonging and abidance to cultural practices of this groups prevent the coming up of deviant characters. ANSWER 2. A theory is a set of inter-related propositions designed to answer a question or explain or predict a phenomena.Theory is a frame work that guides sociologists in their study of human behavior and interactions.Enables them to understand the nature of human societies.A theory is seen as empirical generalization rather than scientific laws. The Functionalism, theory conceives society as a living organism with structural functioning unity.It presupposes that human societies are like living organisms with parts which are related functionally for the healthy and stability of the whole.

In this case, social problems arise when either individuals or social institutions fail to keep pace with changing conditions and thereby disrupts the healthy operation of the social organism or society.Early functionalist scholars tended to identify individuals as the source of societal problems.Problem individuals were those could not be properly socialized or who rejected societys values and beliefs because of some innate defects.However modern scholars tend to focus more on defects in society and its institutions.That is, immoral societies produce immoral individuals,who in turn produce social problems. The theory,therefore, suggests social problems increase the cost of maintain social order and if left unsolved, they may also gradually dehumanize the society.Earlier scholars recommended programmes to prevent the transmission of these defects to succeeding ganerations.Modern scholars focus on changing the morality of individuals and societies and they emphasize education as the solution to social problems.