Transcript Unit 4 - Social Institutions

SOCIAL
INSTITUTIONS
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS
• A social institution is an important
human organization in a culture group
that helps a society to survive.
• Sociologists have identified
government, religion, education ,
economy and family as the five basic
social institutions that are necessary for
a society to survive
GOVERNMENT
• Government is the political organization of a
society
• The purpose of government is to keep order
and make group decisions
• In the U.S., the government keeps order by:
• Providing law enforcement at various levels
• Defends us from enemies through the armed
services
• Provides social services like Social Security and
Medicare
• Protects the rights of the population.
WEBER’S VIEWS ON AUTHORITY
• Traditional
• Based on custom
• Authority passed through hereditary
lines
• Chief, King, Queen
• Declines with industrialization
• Rational-legal
• Based on written rules
• Agreed to by reasonable people
and written into law
• Also known as – bureaucratic
authority
• Authority comes from position NOT
person
• Charismatic
• Person or group with
exceptional qualities
comes to power
• Issue of allegiance
• King owes allegiance to
tradition
• President owes
allegiance to written
laws
• Who does the
charismatic authority
owe allegiance to ???
ECONOMY
• The economy of a culture represents
the way that resources are used to
meet human needs and wants
• An economy is necessary because it
allows people to make a living and
determines how to acquire and
distribute goods and services
ECONOMY CONT’D
• Economic Systems:
• Primary sector
• Extraction of raw materials
• Fishing, hunting, farming
• Secondary sector
• Use of raw materials to
manufacture goods
• Turning trees into paper or
lumber
• Tertiary sector
• Providing services
• Mechanics, service
technicians, cab drivers
• Economic Models:
• Capitalism
• Laissez-faire capitalism
• “let people do as they choose”
• Driven by:
• Self-interest
• Market competition
• Limited government
• Socialism
• Economic activity controlled by
social need
• Central planning through
government
• Equal access to goods and
services
RELIGION
• Religion represents the moral belief system of
a society
• Can include ideas about magic, superstition and an
explanation about how the universe came about
• Religion is necessary to determine group
values; to have a common belief system
• Although American society has many religions,
they serve similar functions.
• Denominations
• Sects
• Religion teaches a moral code that is
generally reflective of the society
BELIEF SYSTEMS
• Animism – spirits actively
influence human life
• Totemism – belief in kinship
between humans and
animals or natural objects
• Theism – belief in god or
gods
• Monotheism – one god
(Judaism, Christianity, Islam)
• Polytheism – multiple gods
(Hinduism)
• Ethicalism – moral
principles have a sacred
quality
• Based on truth, honor, and
tolerance
• Involves meditation and purity
(Buddhism, Confucianism)
FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION
• Meet Basic needs not met by other social institutions
• Provide:
• Social solidarity (cohesion)
• Meaning of existence
• Social control
• Moral & ethical code of behavior
• Emotional support
• Concerns of life/death
• Helps individuals:
• Adjust to social problems
• Adapt to social changes
Durkheim – religion
defined by:
• Beliefs
• Practice
• Moral community
TWO VIEWS OF RELIGION
D
u
r
k
h
e
i
m
Viewed religious functions
and ceremonies as a way to
bring a community together
M
a
r
x
Believed that religion
divided the classes…
strong vs. weak.
EDUCATION
• Education is the institution that passes on essential
cultural knowledge to members of a society
• Education is necessary to pass information and
knowledge of the culture from one generation to the
next
• American education
• Instills knowledge about the world
• Provides skills to become competent in the adult
world of work
• Teaches the values of the American way of life
• Offers opportunities for intellectual, social and
emotional growth
PERSPECTIVES ON EDUCATION
• Functionalist
• Teach knowledge and skills
• Cultural transmission
• Society’s core values
• Loyalty to state
• Socialist vs. Capitalist
• Social Integration
• National identity
• Mainstreaming
• Inclusion
• Gatekeeping
• Tracking
• Conflict
• Tool for elite to maintain
dominance
• Socioeconomic status
• Hidden curriculum
• Unwritten rules
• Obedience to authority
• Conformity to social norms
• Culturally biased testing
• Unequal funding
• Taxes
PERSPECTIVES ON EDUCATION
Interactionist
• Human culture is not biologically inherited, but
learned
• Young people develop social personalities through
adult care and teaching
FAMILY
• Family is the first and most basic social unit of
society
• Family is necessary to care for the young, to
provide a kinship system for social organization
• The American family is the basic unit of society.
As such, it cares for the young physically,
emotionally, socially and intellectually. It
provides the basic living arrangements; it
structures the kinship system; it furnishes
companionship and emotional and social
support for its members.
FAMILY STRUCTURES
• Nuclear family
• Just the parents and
the children
• Most recognized
within American
society
• Extended family
• Other relatives, such
as grandparents,
uncles and aunts are
also included
• Authority Patterns:
• Patriarchy
• Male authority
• Matriarchy
• Female authority
• Egalitarian
• Shared authority
• Descent Patterns:
• Patrilineal system
• Descent traced on father’s side
• Matrilineal system
• Descent traced on mother’s
side
ISSUES WITH THE FAMILY AS AN
INSTITUTION
Family Functions
• Regulation of sexual activity
• Reproduction
• Socialization
• Economic and Emotional
Security
• Care for the sick/old
• Recreation
Family Disruptions
• Divorce
• Death
• Empty Nest
• Violence