Recap Lecture Four Gavilan College回顾讲座四加维兰大学.pptVIP

Lecture Nine Social Structure: Shaping the context of social interaction Social Structure: What provides the context of our lives? The social structure of a society – how society is organized – shapes how we are connected to others We can think about social structure as the context of our social interactions This context is created through patterns of behavior and the roles we occupy in social institutions such as family and the economy Context of Social Interaction Social Structure both reflects and reproduces our behavior and culture Actions/ Behavior Social Structure Beliefs/Values (Culture) Changing Social Structure = Changing Social Life As society becomes industrialized and globalized (and therefore organized more rationally) our social lives shift from being lived mostly in primary groups to secondary groups Think back over your week, did you spend more time? Social Groups Primary groups are characterized as small, face-to-face and intimate groups with an enduring sense of commitment. Social relations in these groups are often based on emotion and tradition Secondary groups are characterized as large and impersonal groups where we develop short relationships Social relations in these groups are often based on formal rules and rational thinking Globalization and Social Life In the post-industrial period of globalization we are much more interdependent than ever before. Most of our daily requirements – food, work, clothing, etc – are supplied by people we have never met working in organizations we know little about This requires organizations (secondary groups) that can coordinate the resources and activities needed to keep society and our daily lives running smoothly How these organizations are organized greatly affects how we live our lives and interact with those around us The Modern Organization: Rationally Organized Most of the organizations we depend on today – government, corporations, schools, etc - are organized rationally Sociologist