Social action in the B.A. choice of undergraduate students in Chiapas-Mexico

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the way social action takes sense in the career choice of university students of the professional careers in: Administration, Human Medicine and Sociology of the UNACH, these degrees were chosen because the rigor of admission varies, being the highest for Medicine and the lowest for Sociology. The analysis is carried out based on the concept of social action proposed by M. Weber, P. Bourdieu and A. Giddens, essential in order to understand the research problem posed. A qualitative-neostructuralist methodology was applied, based on direct observations, documentary review and three integrated discussion groups of 7 to 12 students (Ibañez, 2001). The detonating elements of the discussion inside these groups were photographs of the history of the world and of Mexico, personalities of the national and international historical and artistic field, who according to the plans and study programs of basic and upper secondary education were reviewed in the school. The main finding in the case studied is that the meaning of the students' career choice is rational and is determined by class origin, family, cultural and symbolic economic capital objectified in the status of each of the careers, more than by vocation or likes.