SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS Unit 2 Social Structures and Institutions

SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS Unit 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 Family Religion Health School Work

Definition Social Institution the 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 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Social scientists have found that all societies develop at least five basic social institutions: Families Economic Institutions Political Institutions Educational Institutions 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) § § § 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 Depiction of Hunter/ Gatherer Camp Foragers of the Agta people in the Phillippin es Major Institution: FAMILY the all-embracing social institution, combining several of the functions of raising and educating children and providing a

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 The Painting of a ancient Egyptian famer using a shaduf, an irrigation tool Aztecs tending to the chinampas, small areas of fertile land on shallow lake beds Social Institutions separate from FAMILY when villages grew into cities. Societies develop separate PRIESTLY class, a ruler supported civil servants, MILITARY organizations, and ECONOMIES with a merchant class

Industrial Societies (Approx. 17501900) With industrialization in Europe, North America, Japan and elsewhere, more institutions of greater complexity develop Early English Industrial town, Staffordshir e Depiction of European Industrialization Major Institutions in Modern Industrialized Nations Family, Religion, Law, Politics, Economics, Education, Medicine, Military

Major Institutions in Modern Industrialized Nations Social Institution Family Religion Law Politics Economics Education Medicine Military Basic Need Served §Regulate reproduction §Socialize, nurture children Groups/Orga. Members’ Roles Values and nizations Within Norms Upheld it Relatives Daughter, son, §Ensure sexual father, mother fidelity aunt, uncle, §Develop skills cousin, §Provide for grandparent family §Offer emotional support §Respect parents

Discussion Which of the modern institutions are most important to a) b) c) d) e) f) A child? A teenager? A person entering the work force? A retired person? A disabled person? 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 Institutions For an institution to function effectively, it must insist upon certain predictable behaviours or roles from its members. Discussion Consider the expected roles of the following institutions: a) Military institution b) Health institution

Role Expectations in your School Discussion What is the role expectation for you as a student? STUDENT Remain quiet while another is talking Complete homework/assignments Show respect for teachers, principals, and peers

Role Expectations in your School Discussion What 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

Discussion Why do schools have role expectations? 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.

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). Discussion How does one’s behaviour change when moves from the FAMILY to the SCHOOL?

Theories of Social Institutions Functionalist 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

Theories of Social Institutions Conflict Theory agrees that social institutions were develop to meet the basic needs of a society BU Conflict Theory also argues that T 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 IN CONTRAST. . . Conflict Theory believes that institutions operate to serve only the interests of the dominant economic class

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)