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SOC101 Social institutions

SOC101 Social institutions. Sharon Raz, Ph.D. “social Institutions”, by Sharon Raz is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Module Overview. Social institutions The media Definitions of family Family structures Changes in family’s life

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SOC101 Social institutions

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  1. SOC101Social institutions Sharon Raz, Ph.D. • “social Institutions”, by Sharon Raz is licensed under CC BY 4.0

  2. Module Overview • Social institutions • The media • Definitions of family • Family structures • Changes in family’s life • Family and marriage through the eyes of the sociological perspectives • Marriage and divorce • The education system • Religion • The government • Political parties in the US • Voting patterns • The economy • Socialism versus capitalism • The globalization of capitalism • The health system

  3. Social Institutions Social institutions Social institutions are organized patterns of behavior, statuses, beliefs and norms that are based on the social needs of a certain culture. Each culture develops multiple social institutions. Some social institutions are universal

  4. Functionalist PerspectiveFunctionalist Perspective • The functions of social institutions: • Creating and Preserving social order • Providing and maintaining a sense of purpose • Establishing social statuses and roles

  5. Social Institutions (Continued) Conflict Perspective • Social institutions help maintain privileges of the power elite • Social institutions tend to be conservative and maintain the existing social order • Social institutions operate in gendered and racist environments

  6. Social Institutions (Continued, 2) Interactionist Perspective • Effects on everyday interactions, social expectations, division of labor, etc. • Social behavior conditioned by roles and statuses we accept

  7. The Mass Media

  8. Think about your life with no new technology….. Modern technology is changing the way we relate to others Mass media is the printed and electronic means of communication that carry messages to widespread audience

  9. Sociological Perspectives on the Mass Media Today, we socialize through the mass media How does each sociological perspective analyze the social impact of the mass media?

  10. Group Discussion Positive and Negative Consequences and Effects of The Media Kids Teens Adults

  11. Functional Analysis of the Mass Media What are the Functions of the mass media? • Socialization agent. • consumption (positive and negative consequences) • Education • Entertainment • Enforcing Norms What are the Dysfunctions of the mass media? - Narcotizing effect

  12. Conflict Analysis of The Mass Media • Gatekeeping • Media monitoring – the “big brother” • Dominant ideology • Digital divide • Feminist views

  13. A global village? Today, physical distance is no longer a barrier…. But are we all in the same “village”? Maybe a “global torrent” is a more appropriate term

  14. The Family

  15. Family People who consider themselves related by blood, marriage, or adoption. The family is a universal social institution. It exists in every society.

  16. Family - Definitions • Nuclear family: married couple and their unmarried children living together • Extended family: family in which relatives live in same home as parents and children • Household: People who occupy the same housing unit

  17. Family - Definitions • Monogamy: form of marriage in which an individual has only one partner • Serial monogamy: when a person has several spouses in his or her lifetime, but only one spouse at a time • Polygamy: when an individual has several husbands or wives simultaneously • Polygyny: marriage of a man to more than one woman at same time • Polyandry: marriage of a woman to more than one husband at same time; extremely rare

  18. Family - Definitions • Patriarchy: males are expected to dominate in all family decision making, they have greater authority than women. • Matriarchy: women are dominating men, they have greater authority than men. • Egalitarian family: family in which both spouses are regarded as equals, they share decision making.

  19. How can we explain the social role of family, and it's change through time, using the three Sociological Perspectives?

  20. The Sociological Perspectives

  21. The Functionalist Perspective Universal functions of the family: • Sexual control • Socialization of the children • Care of the sick and aged • Recreation • Economic production • Reproduction • Emotional support

  22. Society without Family? Consider a society without families: Who/what would take care of today’s family functions? Sexual control Socialization of the children Care of the sick and aged Recreation Economic production Reproduction Emotional support

  23. Conflict Perspective The Conflict Perspective • Family creates and reflects inequality within society • In most culture, men exercise power and authority within family. Family as perpetuator of gender roles • Family viewed as economic unit that contributes to social injustice and inequality • Family contributes to transmission of poverty or wealth across generations

  24. Interactionist Perspective The Symbolic Interactionism Perspective Focuses on interactions within the family and other intimate relationships • Relationships among family members • Division of labor within the family • Interactions within different generations

  25. What isMarriage? Every culture constructs a certain approved mating arrangements. This mating arrangement is usually marked by a ritual or a ceremony of some sort (the wedding) to indicate the couple’s new public status

  26. Mate Selection Each culture establishes norms to govern who marries whom: • Endogamy: members of the group must marry within their group • Exogamy: people must marry outside of their group • Incest taboo: a type of exogamy which prohibits sex and marriage among relatives • Homogamy: conscious or unconscious tendency to select mate with personal characteristics similar to one’s own

  27. Mate Selection • Marriage based on romantic love • Marriage based on social arrangement

  28. Diversity of Family Structures • Traditional nuclear families. • Single-parent families • Stepfamilies • Families without children • Blended families • Same-sex families

  29. Trends in American Families • Postponing Marriage and childbirth • Cohabitation • Unmarried mothers

  30. Divorce • Divorce rates increased in late 1960s, then leveled off • Since late 1980s, there is a decline in divorce rate • aging baby-boomer population • decline in proportion of people of marriageable age • Men who divorce more likely to remarry than women

  31. Factors Associated with Divorce Divorce • Most societies today accept divorce as a normative social pattern • Contributing factors in United States: • Legal changes towards more liberal divorce laws • Families tend to have fewer children • Increase in family incomes • Greater opportunities for women

  32. The Education System

  33. Credential societies • Why do you think credentials are more important in some countries than in others? • How is this related to the type of economy a country has?

  34. Education and culture Every nation’s education reflects its culture Can you think about examples?

  35. American Values and their reflection in The Education System • Individualism • Equality • Materialism • Science and Technology • Progress and Change • Work and Leisure • Competition • Volunteerism • Action and Achievement Oriented

  36. The Functionalist Perspective Some of the function of the education system to society are: • Learning skills and knowledge • Social Integration • Cultural transmission of values • Tracking and Gatekeeping There are also some dysfunctions within the educational system, like: school violence and mediocrity

  37. The Conflict Perspective The educational system perpetuates social inequalities that already exist in society: • The power elite uses the education system to maintain their powerful position • The Hidden Curriculum • Discrimination in tests • Unequal funding • Family background is more meaningful than educational achievements

  38. The symbolic Interactionism • The perspective focuses on interactions within the classroom. • Example: • A self-fulfilling prophecy – a false assumption of something that is going to happen but which then comes true simply because it was predicted. • Teacher-expectancy effect: impact of teacher expectations about a student on student’s actual achievements

  39. Mediocrity Unequal Funding Cheating Grade Inflation, Social Promotion Violence Problems in U.S. Education

  40. Religion

  41. A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices that are based on sacred things, which unite into a moral community What is Religion?

  42. The Functionalist Perspective All religions provide social functions: • Answers questions about the ultimate meaning of life • Social solidarity • Emotional comfort • Provides guidelines for everyday life • Social control and change • There are also dysfunctions: War and Terrorism and Religious Persecution

  43. The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective • Religious symbols and their interpretations • Rituals and ceremonies • Meanings of religious experiences

  44. Religion as “The opium of the people” Creates a diversion for people, so they don’t notice their opression Provides legitimization of Social Inequalities Conflict Perspective

  45. Diversity Pluralism and religious freedom Toleration Religious participation tends to go up as one ages 94 % of Americans believe that there is a God Religion in the U.S.

  46. The Government

  47. The Political system Social institution founded on a recognized set of procedures for implementing and achieving society’s goals • Think about the way the American political system was founded. • How does the American political system establish and maintain the American goals?

  48. The ability to get your way despite resistance We can perceive power as either legitimate or illegitimate. Legitimate power is called authority. This is power that people accept as right Illegitimate power is power that people do not accept as just. It is considered illegal. Power

  49. Types of Authority Traditional Authority –based on custom, we know who is next in line Rational-Legal Authority –based on written rules; we may not know who is next in line, but we know how they will be elected Charismatic Authority – a person becomes an authority figure because of their outstanding traits. Transfer of authority can be problematic

  50. Types of Government Types of government • Each society establishes a political system for governance: • Monarchy • Oligarchy • Dictatorship • Totalitarianism • Democracy • Republic

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