Sociology Ch.22

1. Sociology Ch.22 Social Change And The Environment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfnvFnzs91s

2. I. How Social Change Transforms Society • A. Social change is a shift in the characteristics of culture and societies over time. • B. There have been four social revolutions: • 1. the domestication of plants and animals, from which pastoral and horticultural societies arose; • 2. the invention of the plow, leading to agricultural societies; • 3. the industrial revolution, which produced industrial societies; and now the information revolution, resulting in postindustrial societies. • Another type of society is emerging based on biotechnology.

3. I. How Social Change Transforms Society Con’t • C. The shift from agricultural to industrial economic activity was accompanied by a change from Gemeinschaft (daily life centers on intimate and personal relationships) to Gesellschaft (people have fleeting, impersonal relationships) societies.

4. I. How Social Change Transforms Society Con’t • D. Different sociologists have focused on different forces in order to explain the changes that took place in society at the time of the Industrial Revolution. • 1. Karl Marx identified capitalism as the basic reason behind the breakup of feudal (agricultural) societies. He focused his analysis on the means of production (factories, machinery, and tools): those who owned them dictated the conditions under which workers would work and live. This development set in motion antagonistic relationships between capitalists and workers that remain today.

5. I. How Social Change Transforms Society Con’t • 2. Max Weber saw religion as the core reason for the development of capitalism: as a result of the Reformation, Protestants no longer felt assured that they were saved by virtue of church membership and concluded that God would show visible favor to the elect. This belief encouraged Protestants to work hard and be thrifty. An economic surplus resulted, stimulating industrialization. • 3. Modernization (the change from agricultural to industrial societies) refers to the sweeping changes in societies brought about by the Industrial Revolution. • 4. When technology changes, societies change. An example today would be how technology from the industrialized world is transforming traditional societies.

6. I. How Social Change Transforms Society Con’t • E. Social movements highlight the cutting edges of change in a society. Large numbers of people organize to demand, or resist, changes. With globalization, these issues increasingly cut across international boundaries.

7. Sociology and New Technology Case Study • Read page 653, then answer the following: • 1. Explain the origins of the Luddites • 2. Who is Jacques Ellul and what was his message? • 3. Who was the Unabomber? What did he do and why? • 4. What do the Luddites, Ellul, and the Unabomber have in common? • 5. Using concepts presented so far and through our discussions analyzing the effects on technology, how do you think that technology is changing our way of life? • 6. Given your conclusions, should we fear new technology and why?

8. I. How Social Change Transforms Society Con’t • F. A world system began to emerge in the sixteenth century; in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, capitalism and industrialization extended the economic and political ties among the world’s nations. • 1. Dependency theory asserts that because those nations that were not industrialized became dependent on those that had industrialized, they were unable to develop their own resources. • 2. Today’s information revolution, including the new bioeconomics, will have far-reaching consequences for global stratification. Those who make the fastest advances in these areas are destined to dominate in the coming generations.

9. I. How Social Change Transforms Society Con’t • 3. The world’s industrial giants (the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan—the G7) have decided how they will share the world’s markets; by regulating global economic and industrial policy, they guarantee their own dominance, including continued access to cheap raw materials from the less industrialized nations. • 4. Russia joined the G7 and they are now known as the G-8. • 5. The recent resurgence of ethnic conflicts threatens the global map drawn by the G8. • 6. If China follows the rules set forth by G-8, they may be incorporated into this exclusive group.

10. II. Theories and Processes of Social Change • A. Theories that focus on cultural evolution are either unilinear or multilinear. • 1. Unilinear theories assume that all societies follow the same path, evolving from simple to complex through uniform sequences; however, these theories have been discredited, and seeing one’s own society as the top of the evolutionary ladder is now considered unacceptably ethnocentric.

11. II. Theories and Processes of Social Change • 2. Multilinear theories assume that different routes can lead to a similar stage of development; thus societies need not pass through the same sequence of stages to become industrialized. • 3. Both unilinear and multilinear theories assume the idea that societies progress toward a higher state. However, because of the crises in Western culture today, this assumption has been cast aside and evolutionary theories have been rejected.

12. II. Theories and Processes of Social Change • B. Theories of natural cycles examine great civilizations, not a particular society; they presume that societies are like organisms: they are born, reach adolescence, grow old, and die. • 1. Toynbee proposed that civilization is initially able to meet challenges, yet when it becomes an empire, the ruling elite loses its capacity to keep the masses in line “by charm rather than by force,” and the fabric of society is then ripped apart. • 2. Oswald Spengler proposed that Western civilization was on the wane; some analysts think the crisis in Western civilization may indicate he was right.

13. II. Theories and Processes of Social Change • C. Marx’s conflict theory viewed social change as a dialectical process in which the following occurs: • 1. A thesis (a current arrangement of power) contains its own antithesis (a contradiction or opposition), and the resulting struggle between the thesis and its antithesis leads to a synthesis (a new arrangement of power). • 2. Thus, the history of a society is a series of confrontations in which each ruling group creates the seeds of its own destruction (e.g., capitalism sets workers and capitalists on a collision course).

14. D. William Ogburn’s Three Processes of Social Change. • 1. Inventions can be either material (computers) or social (capitalism); discoveryis a new way of seeing things; and diffusion is the spread of an invention, discovery, or idea, from one area to another. • 2. Ogburn coined the term “cultural lag” to describe the situation in which some elements of a culture adapt to an invention or discovery more rapidly than others. We are constantly trying to catch up with technology by adapting our customs and ways of life to meet its needs. • 3. Ogburn has been criticized because of his view that technology controls almost all social change. People also take control over technology, developing the technology they need and selectively using existing technology. Both can happen; technology leads to social change, and social change leads to technology. In general, Ogburn stressed that the usual direction of change is for material culture (technology) to change first and the symbolic culture (people’s ideas and ways of life) to follow.

15. III. How Technology Changes Society • A. Technology refers to both the tools used to accomplish tasks and to the skills or procedures to make and use those tools. • 1. Technology is an artificial means of extending human abilities. • 2. Although all human groups use technology, it is the chief characteristic of postindustrial societies because it greatly extends our abilities to analyze information, communicate, and travel. • 3. While all human groups make and use technology, it is the chief characteristic of postindustrial societies. The new technologies of information, communication, and travel create new possibilities.

16. III. How Technology Changes Society • B. New technologies can reshape an entire society. Four ways in which technology can shape an entire society are: • 1. Changes in social organization (e.g., introduction of factories changed the nature of work: people gathered in one place to do their work, were given specialized tasks, and became responsible for only part of an item, not the entire item). • 2. Changes in ideology (e.g., the new technology that led to the factory stimulated new ideologies such as maximizing profits).

17. III. How Technology Changes Society • 3. Changes in ostentatious consumption (e.g., if technology is limited to clubbing animals, then animal skins are valued; with technological change, Americans make sure that their trendy clothing labels are displayed. The emphasis on materialism depends on the state of technology). • 4. Changes in social relationships (e.g., as men went to work in the factories, family relationships changed; as more women work outside the home, family relationships again are changing. However, new technology is now allowing many to work at home. This may strengthen families).

18. Impact of Technology Project • Individually you will research current technology in a specific field focusing on some of the most prominent ongoing developments, advances, and innovations in various fields of modern technology. • You will not only need to look at the origins and development history, but also the way it continues to develop into the future. Last, explain how it has impacted society for good or bad. • In a PowerPoint Presentation of no less than 8 slides (not including your introduction or resources used slides) you will present your findings to the class where you are to give an explanation of your technologies past/present/future a long with its impact on society. Included in your presentations will be your research, and any visual aids (pictures/video). • This will be worth 100 points graded on content, grammar, and visual aids.

19. Impact of Technology Project Research topic options are (but not limited to): 1. Agriculture (mechanical advances, farming techniques) 2. Medical (genetic engineering, robotic surgery, stem cells, prosthetics) 3. Television (LCD’s, LED’s, HDTV’s, 3D) 4. Electronics and Communications (phones, computers, MP3 players, radios) 5. Energy (wind, water, solar, biofuels, fusion, algae) 6. Manufacturing (construction, food & beverage, plastics, textile, chemical, engineering) 7. Military (land, sea, air weaponry) 8. Robotics (service, healthcare, defense, industry) 9. Transportation (alternate fuel vehicles, jet pack, flying cars, airless tires, space plane)

20. III. How Technology Changes Society • C. The automobile was one of the greatest inventions that shaped U.S. society. • 1. The Model T was mass produced in 1908. As cars decreased in price, Americans found this more convenient than public transportation. • 2. Farmers were able to travel in town where they found more variety of goods and had better access to medical care and education. • 3. Commercial and home architecture changed as people needed a place to park their automobiles. • 4. By the 1920s, the automobile was used extensively for dating and children were no longer under the watchful eye of their parent. • 5. Women were able to drive as well as men and this removed them from the confines of the home. It allowed them to participate in areas of social life not connected to the home. • Car Tech of the Future: • http://www.cleanvideosearch.com/media/action/yt/watch?videoId=VEuCHAvEhi4

21. III. How Technology Changes Society • D. The computer is an example of how technology shapes our lives. Some people have reservations about our computerized society, fearing that government will be able to exert complete control over us. • 1. Within the field of education, computers are transforming the way children from kindergarten through college learn. There is concern today about a digital divide in education, with wealthier school districts able to provide the latest technology to their students, while poor school districts are left behind.

22. III. How Technology Changes Society • 2. Computers are altering the way we work, the types of social relationships we establish with co-workers, and even the location of work. • 3. In the world of business and finance, computers have made national borders meaningless, as vast amounts of money are instantly transferred from one country to another. • 4. The way wars are fought has also changed because of computers.

23. III. How Technology Changes Society • E. Computers shrink the world in terms of both time and space. With the information superhighway, homes and businesses are connected by a rapid flow of information. • 1. Several million workers now work out of their home. This could be the beginning of a historical shift in which families are brought closer together. • 2. The negative side of the technology is the increased surveillance of workers and depersonalization that occurs.

24. III. How Technology Changes Society • 3. National borders have become meaningless as information can be transferred from one country to another. • 4. On a national level, we may end up with information have-nots among inner-city and rural residents, thus perpetuating existing inequalities. • 5. On a global level, the highly industrialized nations will control the information superhighway, thereby destining the least industrialized nations to a perpetual pauper status.

25. Down-To-Earth Sociology Case: The Coming Star Wars • Read (p.661) and identify all of the new ways in which the military is preparing for the future “star wars” and then answer the following questions: • 1. Do you think we should militarize space? • 2. What if other countries do the same? • 3. Do you agree or disagree with the comment made to Congress by the head of the U.S. Air Force Space Command: “We must establish and maintain space superiority. It’s the American way of fighting”. • 4. Will the technology that is transforming the face of war come back to haunt us?

26. IV. The Growth Machine versus the Earth • A. The globalization of capitalism underlies today’s environmental decay. • 1. The Most Industrialized Nations continue to push for economic growth, the Industrialized Nations strive to achieve faster economic growth, and the Least Industrialized Nations, anxious to enter the race, push for even faster growth. • 2. If our goal is a sustainable environment, we must stop trashing the earth.

27. IV. The Growth Machine versus the Earth Con’t • B. Industrialization led to a major assault on the environment. While it has been viewed as good for the nation’s welfare, it has also contributed to today’s environmental problems. • 1. The major polluters of the earth are the Most Industrialized Nations. • 2. Many of our problems today, including depletion of the ozone layer, acid rain, the greenhouse effect, and global warming, are associated with our dependence on fossil fuels.

28. IV. The Growth Machine versus the Earth Con’t • 3. There is an abundant source of natural energy that would provide low-cost power and therefore help raise the living standards of humans across the globe. Better technology is needed to harness this energy supply. From a conflict perspective, such abundant sources of energy present a threat to the multinationals’ energy monopoly. We cannot expect the practical development and widespread use of alternative sources of power until the multinationals have cornered the market on the technology that will harness them. • 4. Racial minorities and the poor are disproportionately exposed to air pollution, hazardous waste, pesticides, and the like. To deal with this issue, environmental justice groups have formed that fight to close polluting plants and block construction of polluting industries.

29. IV. The Growth Machine versus the Earth Con’t • C. Environmental degradation is also a problem in the Industrializing and the Least Industrialized Nations, as these countries rushed into global industrial competition without the funds to purchase expensive pollution controls and few antipollution laws. • 1. Pollution was treated as a state secret in the former Soviet Union. With protest stifled, no environmental protection laws to inhibit pollution, and production quotas to be met, environmental pollution was rampant. Almost one-half of Russia’s arable land is unsuitable for farming, air pollution in cities is ten times higher than that which is permitted in the United States, and half the tap water is unfit to drink. Pollution may be partially responsible for the drop in life expectancy.

30. IV. The Growth Machine versus the Earth Con’t • 2. The combined pressures of population growth and almost nonexistent environmental regulations destined Least Industrialized Nations to become the earth’s major source of pollution. Some companies in the Most Industrialized Nations use the Least Industrialized Nations as a garbage dump for hazardous wastes and for producing chemicals no longer tolerated in their own countries. • 3. As tropical rain forests are cleared for lumber, farms, and pastures, the consequence may be the extinction of numerous plant and animal species. As the rain forests are destroyed, thousands of animal and plant species are extinguished.

31. IV. The Growth Machine versus the Earth Con’t • D. Concern about the world’s severe environmental problems has produced a worldwide social movement. Political parties, such as the green parties, are formed whose concern is the environment. Activists in the environmental movement seek solutions in education, legislation, and political activism.

32. IV. The Growth Machine versus the Earth Con’t • E. Environmental sociology examines the relationship between human societies and the environment. Its basic assumptions include: • (1) the physical environment is a significant variable in sociological investigation; (2) humans are but one species among many that are dependent on the environment; (3) because of intricate feedbacks to nature, human actions have many unintended consequences; (4) the world is finite, so there are potential physical limits to economic growth; (5) economic expansion requires increased extraction of resources from the environment; (6) increased extraction of resources leads to ecological problems; (7) these ecological problems place restrictions on economic expansion; and (8) the state creates environmental problems by trying to create conditions for the profitable accumulation of capital. • The goal is not to stop environmental problems but rather to study how humans affect the physical environment and how that environment affect human activities.

33. IV. The Growth Machine versus the Earth Con’t • F. If we are to have a world that is worth passing on to the coming generations, we must seek harmony between technology and the natural environment. As a parallel to development of technologies, we must develop systems to reduce technology’s harm to the environment, and mechanisms to enforce rules for the production, use, and disposal of technology.

34. Environmental Problems Paper • Individually you will research and construct a 3-4 page paper on an environmental issue/argument. • Paper should be typed,double spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman. • Works cited page (w/at least 3 sources) in MLA format • Topics could include, but not limited to: • Rainforests/Deforestation • Endangered Species (general, one, or multiple) • Wildlife Conservation (national parks, reserves, hunting) • Acid Rain • Greenhouse Effect • Global Warming/Global Climate Change Debate • Pollution (air, water) • Depletion of Ozone • Reliance on Fossil Fuels • Waste Management(recycling, landfills, toxic waste..etc.) • Human Overpopulation (food & water shortages, habitat destruction) • Genetically modified crops and animals Paper is worth 100 points

35. Browse sites related to your topic, jot down information you think will be important to include in your final product. You may wish to assign individual group members specific tasks. • As you browse the sites related to your topic, think about the following questions that you will need to include in your final project presentation: -What is the problem? How do we know there is a problem (what evidence is there)? -What causes the problem? -What are the possible future effects of the problem? How will it effect the world? -What is being done to solve the problem? Are there laws related to the topic? -What can an individual do to help? The following sequence can serve as a guideline, though you are free to organize it in other ways. Cover Page : Title, names, class, date Intro to Topic Explain the topic: What is the problem and why is it a problem (do NOT copy and paste information from other websites, use your own words.) Include images to help explain your points and to make your slides more interesting Explain what can be done (or what is being done) to solve the problem: You may want to include specific laws and regulations related to your topic here. What are individuals doing to help? How are individuals helping to solve the problem or promote awareness. Conclusion