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)