social institutions
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SOCIAL INSTITUTIONSUnit 2: Social Structures and Institutions
Personal Journaling
In what ways has your family influenced you to become the person you are today?
Overview
An individual’s behaviours and outlook are shaped by small and large groups
Socialization determines the person you will become
Definition
Social Institutionthe organized way a society develops to meet its basic needs; for example, people develop armies for the defence of themselves and their nation
The Basic Institutions
Social scientists have found that all societies develop at least five basic social institutions:
1) Families2) Economic Institutions3) Political Institutions4) Educational Institutions5) Religious Institutions
Families
Help society’s members replace themselves
Provide protection for the next generation
Socialize the young
Economic institutions
Help society’s members meet their physical needs
Range from the basic hunting/gathering groups to giant multinational corporations
Include farms, banks, businesses, and so on
Political institutions
Assist members in group decision making
Empower individuals Require that all members agree to the
decisions made
Educational institutions
Organize the way society passes on its culture, knowledge, and values from one generation to another
Religious institutions
Help people find an ultimate purpose in their lives
Aid in developing the spiritual side of society
Provide guidelines for personal behaviour and social interaction
Foraging Societies (up to 10,000 BCE)
Major Institution: FAMILYthe all-embracing social institution, combining several of
the functions of raising and educating children and providing a livelihood
Foragers of the Agta people in the Phillippines
Depiction of Hunter/Gatherer
Camp
Foraging: a way of life based on hunting wild animals, fishing, and harvesting wild grains, fruits, and roots
Formation of bands Egalitarian society: little distinction between people on
basis of wealth
Agricultural Societies (Beginning 10,000 BCE) People begin to settle and develop agricultural way of
life Allows surplus of food, which could support more people
Social Institutions separate from FAMILYwhen villages grew into cities. Societies develop separate PRIESTLY class, a ruler supported civil servants, MILITARY
organizations, and ECONOMIES with a merchant class
Painting of a
ancient Egyptian
famer using a shaduf,
an irrigation
tool
The Aztecs tending to the chinampas, small areas of fertile land on shallow lake beds
Industrial Societies (Approx. 1750-1900) With industrialization in Europe, North
America, Japan and elsewhere, more institutions of greater complexity develop
Major Institutions in Modern Industrialized NationsFamily, Religion, Law, Politics, Economics, Education, Medicine,
Military
Depiction of European Industrialization
Early English
Industrial town,
Staffordshire
Major Institutions in Modern Industrialized Nations
Social Institution
Basic Need Served
Groups/Orga-nizations Within it
Members’ Roles
Values and Norms Upheld
Family
Religion
Law
Politics
Economics
Education
Medicine
Military
Regulate reproductionSocialize, nurture children
Relatives Daughter, son, father, mother aunt, uncle, cousin, grandparent
Ensure sexual fidelityDevelop skillsProvide for familyOffer emotional supportRespect parents
Discussion
Which of the modern institutions are most important to
a) A child?b) A teenager?c) A person entering the work force?d) A retired person?e) A disabled person?f) An unemployed person?
Give a reason for each of your choices.
More than Bricks and Mortar
Institution: a place or building where some activity is
carried out
Role Expectations in InstitutionsFor an institution to function effectively, it must insist upon certain predictable behaviours or roles from its members.
DiscussionConsider the expected roles of the following institutions:a)Military institutionb)Health institutionc)Schools
Role Expectations in your School
STUDENT Remain quiet while another is talking Complete homework/assignments Show respect for teachers, principals, and peers
DiscussionWhat is the role expectation for you as a
student?
Role Expectations in your School
DiscussionWhat is the role expectation for us as
teachers?
TEACHER Ensure the safety and well-being of all students Teach the required curriculum to the best of our ability Treat all students fairly and without favouritism Show leadership in other areas of school life
Consider the basic needs of a society. One is to pass on to the next generation a society’s culture, knowledge and values. In order to do so, the older educated and socialized generation (teachers) need to have some control of younger people within a classroom and the right to insist that work be completed.
DiscussionWhy do schools have role expectations?
Behaviour Changes with Assumed Roles When a person enters/interacts within a social
institution, one’s behaviour changes. This individual assumes a new role, based on a new status that is quite different from the one he or she had in the family (the chief institution in a person’s life).
DiscussionHow does one’s behaviour change when moves from the FAMILY to the SCHOOL?
Theories of Social InstitutionsFunctionalist theory argues that social institutions work together to serve the
basic needs of society and contribute toward the common good of the whole society
Example:Educational institutions prepare students for earning a livelihood, which in turn helps economic institutions to grow and prosper, which in turn contributes to the overall health of the society.
Theories of Social InstitutionsConflict Theory agrees that social institutions were develop to meet
the basic needs of a societyBUT
Conflict Theory also argues that over time, institutions have come to
serve the interests of a small group in the economy; the wealthy
Example:Wealthy control corporations Corporations fund political parties Political parties serve interests of the wealthy Education is not immune to this control
Functionalism vs. Conflict Theory
Functionalist theory believes that each institution operates in the interests
of all members of society
Conflict Theory believes that institutions operate to serve only the
interests of the dominant economic class
IN CONTRAST...
Discussion
Some sociologists believe that a new and important institution in our society is the media.
a)Develop a case either for or against this theory. Consider whether or not the media meet a basic need and what people’s roles and status are in it.b)Write a conflict vs. functionalist theory of the media as an institution
Independent Work
p.172 of your Images of Society textbook Questions #2 and 3 (to be handed in at
the beginning of tomorrow’s class)
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