Lesson 1: The Sociological Imagination and Research Methods



April 2005 Teaching Version

323/05

Contact Information

Course Leader:

Course Leader Email:

Instructional Designer: Sarah Roggio

Instructional Designer Email: sroggio@kaplan.edu

Instructional Designer Telephone: 312-777-6464

Course Development Information

Course Developer: Curt Sobolewski

Course Developer Email: cgsobole@iusb.edu

Type of Course: AIM

Date Submitted:

School: Arts and Sciences

Course Title

Sociology

Course Number

SS144

Credits

5

Duration

10 weeks

Course Description

In order to become effective members of society, students need to be able to recognize the social rules and patterns that will affect them, their communities, and their futures. To help students become more effective, this course explores culture and socialization, groups and social institutions, social inequality, and social change as well as examining the structure and dynamics of human society.

Outcomes

Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:

1. Identify the forms, components, and dynamics of social change

2. Describe the influence of social identity on the everyday life of the individual

3. Compare the major types of sociological research

4. Use major sociological theories to analyze social institutions and organizations

Target Audience

Prerequisites

None

Recommended Background

None

Technical Requirements

Microsoft Word

Course Materials

eText

Grade Distribution and Weighting

Final Project (4 parts at 10% each): 40%

Seminars: 20%

Discussion Boards: 20%

Learning Journal: 20%

Lesson 1: The Sociological Imagination and Research Methods

Purpose

This lesson introduces you to sociology and the three major sociological perspectives: functionalist, conflict and symbolic interactionist. We will explore how these different perspectives can be applied to the social world around us.

Lesson Objectives

After this lesson, you should be able to:

• Define sociology and the sociological imagination

• Compare the three major sociological theories: functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist

• Discuss methods sociologists use to research hypotheses

• Identify areas for sociological research

Assignments

Online Communications Guidelines

Kaplan Library Presentation

Introduce Yourself

Read About Your Learning Journal

Review the Introduction

Begin the Readings on Sociological Theory and Research

Prepare for the Seminar on the Sociological Imagination

Reflect on Yourself

Participate in the Discussion: “Man Who Shocked the World”

Read About Your Final Project

Wrap Up

Lesson 1: Online Communications Guidelines

Link to resource library item.

Lesson 1: Kaplan Library Presentation

The following PowerPoint presentation uses screenshots to show you what you can access at the online library, how to access it, and walks you through a sample search.

Click to view the presentation on Exploring the Kaplan Library.

(This presentation requires PowerPoint software in order to view. You may already have PowerPoint installed on your computer. If not, you can download PowerPoint Viewer free at . From this page, search for "PowerPoint Viewer." Note: You can only view and print presentations with PowerPoint Viewer. If you have trouble viewing the presentation, contact Kaplan University Student Services.)

Lesson 1: Introduce Yourself

Throughout this course, many discussion opportunities come up where you need to respond to other people's opinions and comments. Please take this opportunity to introduce yourself and to learn something about other students in the class. Be sure to include the following information:

Your name

Why you signed up for this particular course

Any prior knowledge you may have about this topic

Your current and/or future educational goals

How you think this course will help you

Respond to these questions on the Discussion Board. Take time to review the responses of your classmates and provide your feedback.

Lesson 1: Read About Your Learning Journal

Learning Journal assignments are for your own thought and reflection. Your Learning Journal is a single document to which you add your comments throughout the course. Your instructor will provide a journal template for you to use. Keep track of your Learning Journal entries by beginning each with a date or a subheading. Save the document to a location you’ll remember. Open it and add material as subsequent Learning Journal assignments appear.

Your instructor will look at the Learning Journal twice; at midterm, entries will be the basis for your progress report, and at the end of the term, your instructor will read two to four entries to determine your grade for this part of the course. The instructor won’t return comments on the Learning Journal. A submission button for the Learning Journal will appear in Lessons 4 and 8.

During each lesson, the Discussion Board includes a place for you to post additional questions or comments about the topic of the lesson that haven’t been covered in the previous assignments. Use this space to offer other points of view or to begin discussions about related topics that appeared in the readings. You may choose to post excerpts from your Learning Journal if you want to begin discussion threads based on what you have written.

Lesson 1: Review the Introduction

Between 1998 and 2000, Barbara Ehrenreich went to three different cities and tried to support herself on the wages she could earn as an entry-level worker. She waited tables, cleaned the houses of the wealthy, worked in a nursing home, and sorted out stock at Wal-Mart. Each one of the jobs she worked was difficult and exhausting and because of this she realized the mistake our government made with welfare reform. Ehrenreich wrote about her experiences in her book, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America.

In writing her book, she saw that the theory behind welfare reform was that there was something wrong with welfare and that in some way, welfare actually caused poverty. The average woman coming off welfare since 1996 earns $7 an hour which would equal $280 a week before taxes. How many people could you support on that income alone?

Barbara Ehrenreich, in her experiences, discovered something that a number of Americans already knew: that they are working hard and not making enough money to actually live on. She states that poverty is a consequence of shamefully low wages and a lack of opportunity. Most believe that if you work hard you should make enough money to live on, but Ehrenreich believes that her research indicates that this does not happen.

What do you see as the real cause of poverty? In this unit, we are going to begin considering how sociologists look at an issue like poverty, and how that might differ from the way most of us approach issues.

• What is the difference between how sociologists approach this problem and the way the rest of us might approach the problem?

• How would a sociologist use research to determine what the real causes of poverty are?

• If there are multiple causes, how would a sociologist determine which ones are most significant?

• How would a sociologist determine the source of the causes?

Lesson 1: Begin the Readings on Sociological Theory and Research

For this week, read the eText, Introduction to Sociology, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2.

As you read, be sure to note these key terms and make sure you understand the meaning of them:

• Sociological Imagination

• Functionalism

• Conflict Theory

• Symbolic Interactionism

• Scientific Method

• Operational Definition

• Hypothesis

• Independent and Dependent Variable

• Sample and Random Sample

• Field Study, Survey, Experiment

• Hawthorne Effect

Also, as you read, check how you can apply what you have learned to the findings of Barbara Ehrenreich that you read about in the introduction. For instance, how would a sociologist use research to determine the causes of poverty? How would different theoretical positions approach the problem in different ways?

Map of Sociological Theory

Go to and research information about sociologists. Information on each sociologist may include biographical facts, summaries of the sociologist's ideas, and bibliographic data on the sociologist's original work. On the site, click on the name of any of the profiled sociological theories and read about the sociologist(s) linked to that theory. Repeat the process for at least two more sociologists. As you read about these sociologists, take notes on their background, summary ideas and original work. Be sure to think about how each of the theorists would approach a problem like poverty? How would they research it? Why are their approaches and beliefs different?

Lesson 1: Prepare for the Seminar on the Sociological Imagination

This week's Seminar is about social facts and various sociological perspectives. Please make every effort to read the eText Chapter 1 and visit the Hewett site before the Seminar. Be prepared to discuss the following:

1. In your experience, how does America respond to facial and body hair on women? Why is this so? How do you feel about this "social fact"? Name at least one other social fact and describe how you feel about it.

2. Based on your eText reading, give an example of a current news story that your classmates would be aware of (such as political coverage, major events, or even the file swapping controversy), then analyze the situation from one of the three sociological perspectives.

Lesson 1: Reflect on Yourself

Use your Learning Journal to reflect on your answers to the following questions:

1. What did you think sociology was before you signed up for this class?

2. Has your view changed because of this lesson? If so, how?

3. Think about the social problem you chose for the Seminar – how did you view this problem before the Seminar?

4. Has your view of this problem’s causes changed? If so, how?

5. Which type of sociologist’s view was closest to your own?

Lesson 1: Participate in the Discussion: “Man Who Shocked the World”

The Man Who Shocked the World discusses the work of Stanley Milgram, a social psychologist who wrote a landmark study on the social forces that affect adherence to authority. Milgram conducted this experiment to determine how and why prison officers in Nazi Germany committed the acts they did against their fellow human beings. However, his research had a profound effect on the people he experimented on, sometimes frightening them very badly.

Think about this article in light of what you have read about how sociologists perform research. While reading through this article, think about the ethical factors that need to be taken into consideration with respect to social research. Post your initial thoughts on the Discussion Board early in the week. Remember, this is a discussion so keep your initial post succinct and to the point. Take time to give thoughtful responses to a number of your classmates, including both those with whom you agree (to help you solidify your arguments) and those with whom you disagree (to help you better understand where different people are coming from).

1. Do you think that Milgram's study should have been conducted?

2. Do you believe the results of the experiment warranted the process Milgram went through to get them?

3. Do you think experiments like Milgram's should still be conducted today? Why or why not?

Respond to these questions on the Discussion Board. Take time to read and comment on others' responses.

Lesson 1: Read About Your Final Project

Your Final Project will consist of two parts. In the first part, you will be asked to choose and describe an unwritten social norm. The second part is a 500-word essay on the significance of these norms.

In the first part, which you will read more about in Lesson 2, you are to create a list of unwritten rules and regulations that are followed within the context of one specific social situation -- a classroom, a concert, a restaurant, a bus, an elevator, etc. Be creative, but be specific. Remember, these rules must be unwritten. "No shirt, No shoes, No Service" is not an example of an unwritten rule.

In your observation of the social situation, you must come up with five rules that must be clearly defined and described with respect to your social situation. You must also include a literature review of at least three sociological resources, of which two must be from academic journals that discuss the significance of unwritten social norms.

Your Final Project will be due no later than the close date listed on the class homepage. When you are ready to submit it, go to the main class page and click on Submit Final Project.

Lesson 1: Wrap Up

Take a few minutes to work in your Learning Journal. Summarize what you have learned in this lesson. Has anything in this lesson changed your outlook? Why or why not?

Lesson 2: Culture and Socialization

Purpose

In this lesson, we will examine the components of culture and what determines the “norms” for various cultures. We also will discuss how people are socialized to follow a society’s norms.

Lesson Objectives

After this lesson, you should be able to:

• Define culture and socialization

• Identify the three agents of socialization

• Explain how norms act as a social control

Assignments

Review the Introduction

Begin the Readings

Prepare for the Seminar on Culture and Socialization

Reflect on Yourself

Participate in the Discussion: Home Schooling

Final Project Part 1: Culture and Socialization

Wrap Up

Lesson 2: Review the Introduction

“Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.”

“He’s a diamond in the rough.”

“A Diamond is Forever.”

We will begin this lesson with a look at how diamonds are viewed in our society. These familiar phrases reflect what diamonds have come to symbolize in our society. For many, a diamond represents beauty, love, glamour, status, perfection. But why is this?

From a young age, we are socialized to view diamonds as highly prized items. Fairy tale princesses wear diamond tiaras. Movie stars, singers and athletes sport diamond jewelry. Women are encouraged to look forward to the day a man presents them with a diamond engagement ring. Men are encouraged to put two months’ salary toward this purchase.

How did diamonds come to be valued in this way? Much credit is given to the world’s largest diamond company De Beers, which launched an advertising campaign in the 1940s with the phrase “A Diamond is Forever.” In 2000, Advertising Age magazine named this the best advertising slogan of the 20th Century.

Not everyone views diamonds in such a positive light, however. In her book, Glitter and Greed: The Secret World of the Diamond Empire, Janine Roberts highlights the poor working conditions and low pay of some workers in the diamond industry. The book also discusses what have come to be known as “blood diamonds” or “conflict diamonds.” These diamonds are obtained and sold illegally by warring groups in Africa to raise funds.

Roberts’ website documents some of the harsh realities she has uncovered in the diamond business. There, you can read the article "The Slave Children who Cut Diamonds" and view the photos. You can find additional information and photos from Roberts by clicking the links at the bottom of the page.

If you would like to read more, you can read about the diamond industry’s view of conflict diamonds. You can also read about Amnesty International’s work with diamond companies to remove conflict diamonds from the market.

Think about what you have learned in Lesson 1 and reflect on this introduction by reviewing the following questions:

1. How would a sociologist go about studying consumerism in American culture?

2. How would a functionalist, a conflict theorist and a symbolic interactionist explain this?

3. What would different theorists you have studied already say about consumerism in American culture?

You should also begin to think about the following questions that we will explore in this unit:

1. How did consumerism become important in American culture? Why is consumerism important in American society?

2. What groups have formed to oppose consumerism? How and why did their views develop?

Lesson 2: Begin the Readings

For this week, read eText Chapter 3

As you read, be sure to note these key terms and make sure you understand their meaning:

• Culture

• Ethnocentrism

• Culture Shock

• Norms, Folkways, Mores

• Socialization

Also, as you read, check how you can apply what you have learned to the consumerism in America. For instance, why are possessions so important to Americans? Are there elements of American culture that resist consumerism?

How to Tell if You are American

Go to , then scroll down and read the list under “If you're American…" Click on the names of at least two other countries presented and read their lists.

Keep in mind that, later in this lesson, you will be writing about the following questions in your Learning Journal: Did you believe there was such a thing as American culture? How did this reading strengthen or weaken your previous view? How do other cultures compare to what could be called "American culture"?

Lesson 2: Prepare for the Seminar on Culture and Socialization

This week's Seminar is about culture and socialization. Please make every effort to read eText chapter 2 and visit the Zompist site before the Seminar. Be prepared to discuss the following:

1. Have you ever experienced firsthand a culture other than your own? What did you learn about yourself from this experience?

2. Describe something that is true to your culture in your family, regional, or social group. How does this tradition correspond with what you imagine to be a larger national culture?

3. How have the three agents of socialization (Family, Peers, and School) helped to shape your life today? Did you find as you grew older you began to challenge your early socialization to acceptable roles?

Lesson 2: Reflect on Yourself

Use your Learning Journal to reflect on your answers to the following questions:

1. Before completing this lesson, did you believe there was such a thing as "American culture?"

2. How did this lesson strengthen or weaken your previous view?

3. What are the positives and negatives of viewing American culture as the "norm?"

Lesson 2: Participate in the Discussion: Home Schooling

Today, home schooling has become more common than it was decades ago. Some would argue that with the violence in schools and small school budgets, home schooling offers children a superior education than they would receive in public schools. However, sociologists believe that the process of home schooling could be detrimental to a child because of how important school is as an agent of socialization.

Referring to your readings to back up your assertions, discuss with your classmates whether or not home schooling could have negative consequences due to poor socialization. Use the following questions to guide your discussion. Remember, this is a discussion, so keep your initial posts succinct and to the point. Be sure to make time to give thoughtful, constructive responses to a number of your classmates.

1. What do sociologists mean by "socialization"?

2. How might home schooling hinder socialization?

3. Is school a good place to help children become better socialized?

4. What are other strategies parents can use to help their children be better socialized?

Note: This is not the place for you to post your personal thoughts on home schooling, merely to discuss whether it hinders socialization.

Lesson 2: Final Project Part 1: Culture and Socialization

One of the most basic skills that may be required of the social scientist is perceptive observation. When we informally examine the social world, we bring to our observations many preconceptions that result from our culture, background experiences, education, and even language. Often such preconceptions blind us to the obvious, and one skill social scientists try to master is being able to see the world that is often hidden behind cultural blinders. Being a good social scientist may involve paying attention to things you have never even noticed before.

The social world we live in is composed of, among other things, thousands of rules, norms, and laws. Some of these are perfectly explicit (in America we drive on the right hand side of the street by custom and law). Others are so implicit that we rarely articulate them (we shake hands with the right hand). Some norms are explicitly taught (various rules of politeness), whereas others are probably not taught explicitly at all but are simply passed along through observation (generally applauding at the end of a musical piece, but not applauding hymns in church services). Some norms apply almost universally (say hello -- or something equivalent -- when you answer the phone), while others may apply only to individual social groups (Jane washes dishes on the nights she doesn't cook).

Norms can be defined in at least two ways. The first is the pressure we feel to behave in certain ways; for example, that you would be criticized if you spit on someone at dinner. On the other hand, even when there is no such explicit knowledge of pressures, norms may exist when there are regularities of behavior; for example, students tend to sit in the same seats in a given class even though they may not feel any particular social pressure to do so.

In the first part of your Final Project, you are to create a list of unwritten rules and regulations that are followed within the context of one social situation -- a classroom, a concert, a restaurant, a bus, an elevator, etc. Be creative, but be specific. Remember, these rules must be unwritten. "No shirt, No shoes, No Service" is not an example of an unwritten rule. In your observation of the social situation, you must come up with five rules that must be clearly defined and described with respect to your social situation. You must also include a literature review of at least three sociological resources of which two must be from academic journals that discuss the significance of unwritten social norms.

Your project consists of two parts. The first part is the listing and defining/describing of your chosen unwritten norms, while the second part is a 500 word essay on the significance of unwritten social norms.

Directions for Submitting Your Project

Prepare your project as a Microsoft Word document. Save it on your computer in a location and with a name that you will remember. When you are ready to submit the project, return to the lesson page. Click on the Submit Final Project: Part 1 link under Project Submissions and follow the instructions. Keep a copy of your saved project through the end of the term.

Lesson 2: Wrap-up

Take a few minutes to work in your Learning Journal. Summarize what you have learned in this lesson. Has anything in this lesson changed your outlook? Why or why not?

Lesson 3: Social Structure

Purpose

This lesson details the roles of individuals, groups and institutions in a society. We will explore how these roles contribute to social problems.

Lesson Objectives

After this lesson, you should be able to:

• Describe the significance of roles and status

• Identify why social groups are necessary for our social structure

• Explain how different sociological theorists view social institutions

Assignments

Review the Introduction

Begin Your Readings

Prepare for the Seminar

Reflect on Yourself

Participate in the Discussion: Social Institutions

Wrap Up

Lesson 3: Review the Introduction

We will begin this lesson with a look at the prisoner abuse that occurred in Iraq during 2003. The abuse of prisoners raised a number of important questions for people working in the fields of ethics, public policy, human rights, and political science. However, as you read through the accounts below, you will be asked to think about this event as a sociologist. Ask yourself why the military personnel involved, especially those implicated in torturing prisoners, behaved as they did. The questions that follow the story can help guide your thinking.

Those watching a broadcast of 60 Minutes II on CBS last April were warned that the images about to appear were graphic. Even partially blurred, the photographs from the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq stirred shock and outrage around the world.

The photos showed Iraqi prisoners in scenes of abuse and sexual humiliation. One infamous photo showed a hooded prisoner standing on a box, with wires attached to his hands. He had been told that if he stepped off the chair, he would be electrocuted. Other photos showed cowering, naked prisoners being menaced by dogs, and male prisoners forced to simulate having sex with each other. Another showed a prisoner with a chain around his neck like a dog.

In the foreground of these photos were U.S. soldiers, gleefully pointing at the prisoners, smiling and waving to the camera.

Taken during October and November of 2003, the photos were copied and traded among computers in the military command, according the New Yorker. In January, a military policeman presented Army investigators with a computer disk containing the graphic photographs. Later, another military member provided CBS news with a disk of photos.

Military officials put responsibility for the abuse on “a few bad apples” at the prison. Seven service members have been charged in relation to the abuse.

Staff Sgt. Ivan Frederick, sentenced to eight years in prison for his role, said that he was following orders to “soften up” prisoners for interrogation. His attorney, Gary Myers, also blamed Frederick’s command for not providing proper training.

“The elixir of power, the elixir of believing that you're helping the CIA, for God's sake, when you're from a small town in Virginia, that's intoxicating,” Myers told CBS. “And so, good guys sometimes do things believing that they are being of assistance and helping a just cause.”

In a report compiled by Army Maj. Gen. Antonio M. Taguba, a military psychologist asserted that stress from the physical danger in Iraq may have contributed to the abuse. The report also blamed the lack of command structure.

“A lack of training and supervision was present… contributing to a mentality that ‘I can get away with this,’” wrote the psychologist.

Another factor may have been a lack of understanding and respect for Islamic culture, “a culture that many were encountering for a first time. Clearly there are major differences in worship and beliefs and there is the association of Muslims with terrorism. All these causes exaggerate difference and create misperceptions that can lead to fear or devaluation of a people.”

Think about what you learned in Lessons 1 and 2, and reflect on this introduction by reviewing the following questions:

1. How would a functionalist explain what happened in this situation?

2. How would a symbolic interactionist explain what happened in this situation?

3. What does this event seem to indicate about the culture of the US military? What differences do you think exist between military culture and American culture overall? Why would these differences exist?

4. Why did some soldier’s participate while others did not? Why did some soldiers document their participation? Why did only some soldiers report the behavior?

You should also begin to think about the following questions that we will explore in this unit:

1. How do you think the abusive soldiers would rationalize their behavior?

2. To what extent did status influence the behavior of the soldiers, including those that reported the abuse?

Lesson 3: Begin Your Readings

For this week, read eText Chapter 4.

As you read, be sure to note these key terms and make sure you understand the meaning of them:

• Social Structure

• Ascribed Status

• Achieved Status

• Role Conflict

• Role Strain

Also, as you read, check how you can apply what you have learned to the Iraq prisoner abuse case. For instance, how do you think the military as an institution influenced the way the soldiers acted? Would they have acted in the same way if they were not in the military? What part did status and roles play in the situation? Why might status and roles have less influence on some soldiers than others?

Role Strain

Read the article Gender Role Strain in Men. How does this apply to other situations in which roles are strained? To what extent were soldiers in Iraq experiencing “role strain” in deciding how to respond to prisoner abuse? Why are roles so important?

Stanford Prison Experiment

One famous sociological experiment on social structure and use of power was the Stanford Prison Experiment. Phillip Zimbardo has developed an entire site dedicated to examining this experiment. While observing the website, be sure to pay close attention to the importance of social structure in the experiment. Would the results have been different if the social structure had been different? You can also find a section called Related Links which includes a section on "Parallels with Prisoner Abuse in Iraq."

Lesson 3: Prepare for the Seminar

For the Seminar, review the introduction and any readings you have been able to complete so far. Come prepared to discuss how you think the following influenced the behavior of the soldiers in the prisoner abuse cases in Iraq:

• Social roles

• Status

• The military as an institution

What changes to these elements might have resulted in very different behavior on the part of the soldiers?

Lesson 3: Reflect on Yourself

Use your Learning Journal to reflect on your answers to the following questions:

• Has a group or organization you belonged to ever convinced you -- or tried to convince you -- to do something you believed or came to believe was wrong? How did they convince you? Why did you behave the way you did?

• Alternately, can you think of a time when a group or organization convinced you to do something worthwhile or significant that you might otherwise not have done? How did the group go about influencing your behavior?

• What seem to be the similarities and differences between the times a group convinced you to take what you think was the right step and the time a group convinced you to take what you think was the wrong step?

• Which sociological perspective (interactionism, conflict, functionalism) best explains the influence these groups had on you?

Lesson 3: Participate in the Discussion: Social Institutions

Review the Stanford Prison Experiment site and read over Dr. Zimbardo’s editorial on prisoner abuse in The Boston Globe. Using your readings for this and previous lessons as your sources, discuss the following questions on the Discussion Board. Remember, this is a discussion so keep your initial posts succinct and to the point and be sure to leave plenty of time to make thoughtful responses to a number of your classmates.

• Using what you have learned about social roles and social structure, how do you think the guards were able to maintain control in a make-believe prison system?

• Again, using what you have learned about social roles and social structure, what do you think might have prevented non-abusive guards from stopping the prisoner abuse?

• As an outside observer, what changes would you make to the situation to reduce abusiveness? What social structures might make these changes difficult to bring about?

Keep in mind that this is a forum for discussing these issues in sociological terms. Stay focused on how sociologists would look at and suggest changes to the situation rather than focusing on personal opinions you or others may hold on prisons or criminal justice.

Lesson 3: Wrap-up

Take a few minutes to work in your Learning Journal. Summarize what you have learned in this lesson. Has anything in this lesson changed your outlook? Why or why not?

Lesson 4: Social Stratification, Race, and Gender

Purpose

In this lesson, we will discuss how society is divided into social layers. We also will explore different sociological perspectives on why these divisions exist.

Lesson Objectives

After this lesson, you should be able to:

• Define social stratification

• Explain how different sociological theorists view inequality and gender

• Analyze what role race, gender and hierarchy play in social norms

Assignments

Review the Introduction

Begin Your Readings

Prepare for the Seminar

Reflect on Yourself

Participate in the Discussion: Group Versus Group

Project: Submit Your Learning Journal

Final Project Part 2: Social Stratification, Race, and Gender

Lesson 4: Review the Introduction

“Well when I was nine years old Star Trek came on… I looked at it and I went screaming through the house, ‘Come here, mum, everybody, come quick, come quick, there's a black lady on television and she ain't no maid!’”

According to actress Nichelle Nichols, who played the role of Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek, the young woman in that story grew up to become an Academy Award winning actress herself: Whoopi Goldberg. According to Nichols, Goldberg even went so far as to say that the role of Uhura so inspired her that she specifically asked to have a part in Star Trek: The Next Generation (creator Gene Rodenberry created the role of Guinan for her).

Nichols likes to tell that story in interviews, but Goldberg is only one of many black women to mention Nichols as an important influence on her career. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space, has said that watching the character of Uhura inspired her to become an astronaut.

In 1966, when Star Trek first appeared on the air, there were not many positive roles for African-American women on television, and Uhura was a military officer in a command position. When Nichols announced that she might step down from the role in order to return to stage acting, Martin Luther King Jr. himself asked her to remain with the show.

Based on what you have learned in Lessons 1 through 3, think about the following questions:

1. How would proponents of each of the three major sociological theories interpret the effect of Nichelle Nichols’ portrayal of Uhura on the various women who credit her as an influence? For instance, what would a symbolic interactionist say about the influence she had over Whoopi Goldberg?

2. How might a sociologist measure the overall influence of the casting of Nichols in the Uhura role over the culture of the time?

3. Several southern families forbade their children to watch Star Trek. Why might Nichols’ character have been threatening to white, Southern culture in the 1960s?

4. In terms of roles and status, why might have seeing Nichols on television each week been so important to young, black women? What about the role and status of her character, Uhura, would have been so challenging to some parts of American society?

Also begin to think about the following questions, which we will discuss in this unit:

1. Why was it so revolutionary for Star Trek to include a black woman as a military officer? How do you think some parts of American society came to regard women and racial minorities as having limited or negative social roles?

2. To what extent did society’s notions of women’s roles seem to have influenced Nichols herself? Why might some see this as a problem?

3. Does society today still have some of the same notions about race and gender? If so, where have you encountered them? If not, what do you believe has changed? To what extent do we still see problems related to race and gender roles?

Lesson 4: Begin Your Readings

For this week, read eText Chapter 5.

As you read, be sure to note these key terms and make sure you understand the meaning of them:

• Social Stratification

• Caste System

• Social Class

• Prejudice

• Discrimination

Also, as you read, check how you can apply what you have learned to the case of Nichelle Nichols’ role in Star Trek. Why might it have been revolutionary for some people to see a black woman in a prominent role?

Racial Stratification and Hate Symbols

The Anti-Defamation League (ADF), an organization devoted to combating anti-Semitism, racism, and bigotry, maintains a database of hate symbols. Review the information here. How do these symbols help one group align against and denigrate other groups? Why might members of groups who have been victims of stratification be especially sensitive to the presence of certain symbols? Are there more subtle “symbols” to which members of stratified groups may also be sensitive? The symbols that you will view are concrete examples of hate in our society. Many believe that the support of the Nazi party ended after World War II and many are surprised to see that it still exists today in America. How does the existence of these symbols make you feel? Do you think that your feelings of these symbols are altered because of your race? Why or why not?

Gender and Society

Michael C. Kearl at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX maintains the Gender and Society page, providing an overview of sociological thought in this area. The AllRefer reference site explores the stratification of gender roles for Japanese women.

Alternative viewpoints

These websites offer a different view from the other website and what is generally presented in the media. In response to the women’s rights movement, a number of movements sprung up around the United States that centered on the problems that men actually face, claiming that women were not the only ones who were discriminated against. Each of the following websites offers information on this doctrine of thought.

• Read Glenn Sack's column Male-Female Wage Gap Largely Reflects Male Sacrifice, not 'Discrimination'

• Go to Discrimination Against Men on the UK Father and Men's Rights homepage. Choose a few topics and read the articles. Click the links at the top to navigate the page. Each of the topics is quite short and presents men as the object of discrimination instead of women.

Lesson 4: Prepare for the Seminar

In preparation for the Seminar, review your introduction and as much of the readings as you are able. Come prepared to discuss the introductory questions, especially the following:

• How would sociologists explain the significance of Star Trek’s inclusion of a black woman as a military officer?

• How do you think some parts of American society came to regard women and racial minorities as having limited or negative social roles?

• Does society today still have some of the same notions about race and gender?

• Using what you know from this and other units, what types of television characters might be equally powerful for various groups now?

Lesson 4: Reflect on Yourself

For your “Reflect on Yourself” Learning Journal entry for this lesson, visit the U.S. Census Bureau website. The site includes "timely, relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the United States." Surf the site to read about census information broken down by groups. Review at least three census reports broken down by race, sex, and age group.

In your Learning Journal reflect on the following:

Choose one of the hyperlinks from this site and report on findings. What made the greatest impression on you? Why? Explain. How does the information in the reports you read compare to the situation in your own neighborhood and community? Do you think your own attitudes about race and gender can account for this information? In your response, draw on what you have learned about stratification theory.

Note: You need Acrobat Reader to view this information. You can download it from the U.S. Census website by clicking on the Acrobat Reader icon.

Lesson 4: Participate in the Discussion: Group Versus Group

Whether on the playground or in the office, basketball court or ballet class, social hierarchies exist. Describe at least one situation in which you have seen members (or even just one member) of a particular group try to establish power over members of another group in a way that caused problems. Perhaps this happened in your workplace or in your school or in your neighborhood. Detail the situation and post it to your Discussion Board.

Then, review the posts of at least two other students and, drawing on your readings, detail what you see as the problem and realistic steps that might be taken to begin solving the problem. What small, realistic steps could people involved in the situation engage in that would alter the social dynamics of the situation for the better?

Try to choose students whom no one else has responded to yet. Take time to comment on the posts of those who have responded to your scenario.

Lesson 4: Project: Submit Your Learning Journal

Save a copy of your Learning Journal so that you can continue adding entries after its submission. When you are ready to submit the Learning Journal, return to the lesson page. Click on the Submit Learning Journal link under Project Submissions and follow the instructions.

Lesson 4: Final Project Part 2: Social Stratification, Race, and Gender

In the initial part of the project, you uncovered five unwritten social norms for a single social situation. In the second part of the project, you are to observe the social situation you first described. Remember, in this part, you are a nonparticipating observer. Try observing for at least an hour on two separate occasions. During your observations you should take detailed notes concentrating on expressions and actions. Also be sure to pay attention to the different social norms as they apply to individuals of different races, gender, and even social class.

In a 500-word essay, describe your observations in detail and relate them back to the unwritten social norms you discussed in Part One. Remember, saying "He seemed distant" does not give enough detailed information. What made you think he seemed distant? Be sure to concentrate not only on the actions of those you are observing, but also see how race, gender, and social class may play a part in what social norms each individual follows.

Directions for Submitting Your Project

Prepare your project as a Microsoft Word document. Save it on your computer in a location and with a name that you will remember. When you are ready to submit the project, return to the lesson page. Click on the Submit Final Project: Part 2 link under Project Submissions and follow the instructions. Keep a copy of your saved project through the end of the term.

Lesson 5: Family and Religion

Purpose

The focus of this lesson is on family and religion. We will explore different sociological perspectives on the role of family and religion in society.

Lesson Objectives

After this lesson, you should be able to:

• Define family

• Explain how different sociological theorists view the role of family in society

• Explain how different sociological theorists view the role of religion in society

Assignments

Review the Introduction

Begin the Readings

Prepare for the Seminar on Family and Religion

Reflect on Yourself: Your Family

Participate in the Discussion: The Lost Boys

Wrap Up

Lesson 5: Review the Introduction

In the 1950s, Arizona cracked down on the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, a strict sect that broke away from the mainstream Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). The crackdown was due to the sect's practice of polygamy, which violated state marriage laws. The motivation was economic: the numerous children of these polygamous, single-income families were straining the state’s resources for education and child welfare.

However, when news audiences across America saw pictures and heard stories of families broken apart in police raids, the state backed down, issued a few citations, and largely left the polygamous families alone.

But more pictures and stories released in the summer of 2004, over 50 years later, have tilted public sentiment the other way.

Over the past years, there have been more and more stories of forced marriages for young girls (some reports claiming they were under 17 years of age) to older men. Former members of the sect report that its current leader, Warren Jeffs, has forced families to break up, excommunicating the men, and “reassigning” their wives to himself and his inner circle.

Then came growing stories of the Lost Boys phenomenon. Over the past four years, during which time Warren Jeffs came to power, more and more teenaged boys and young men have been excommunicated and expelled from Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints and cut off from their families. Many of the young men were guilty of relatively minor infringements: seeing movies, listening to secular music, asking to attend public school, talking to people outside the sect, or having a secret girlfriend. But many observers think the excommunications have happened because older members of the sect do not want to have to compete with the young men for wives.

The abandoned young men are often left without money or jobs, and many turn to crime in nearby communities. In the summer of 2004, advocates for the boys gathered in Salt Lake City to rally with the Utah attorney general and businessman Dan Fisher, both active in helping these young men call attention to the problem.

As you begin working this week, think about the following issues from previous units, as they relate to what we will cover this week:

1. If both religion and family are important for socialization and culture, would excommunication from the community be potentially traumatic for some of the Lost Boys?

2. How could what you previously learned about socialization help explain why women and girls in this community were willing to let religious leaders dictate who they would marry?

3. What type of social structure seems to be in place in the FLDS community in Colorado City? Is there evidence of social stratification?

In addition, we will look at the following new questions during this week:

1. Why is family so important in society?

2. How does religion shape American society?

3. How do the institutions of religion and family interact with each other?

Lesson 5: Begin the Readings

For this week, read eText Chapter 6

As you read, be sure to note these key terms and make sure you understand the meaning of them:

• Nuclear Family

• Endogamy

• Exogamy

Religious Freedom

Return to the Anti-Defamation League's website, this time to read about religious freedom. Go to Anti-Defamation League's Religious Freedom page. Select at least two articles. As you read, think about this article’s social relevance. How does this information you read relate to what you have read in your textbook about religion and sociology? These days, religion as a formal doctrine is on the decline. In your opinion, what does/did religion offer people? How do those people who do not participate in formal religion receive what formal religion offers? Why is religious freedom important in society?

Prayer in Schools

Visit the website American Atheists’ FAQs About Prayer in Schools. As you read, think about your own stance on prayer in schools. Prayer in schools is one area where religion and family sometimes come into conflict? Why is that? What does this site suggest about the power of religion in the United States? Atheists and proponents of school prayer debate the results of a lack of prayer in public schools, but how would a sociologist examine these issues?

Lesson 5: Prepare for the Seminar on Family and Religion

Before the Seminar, make time to review your eText, as well as the ADL site and the Prayer in Schools FAQ. Before the Seminar, be sure you make notes on the following questions:

• What role do religion and the family play in society?

• Can religion play a positive role in helping society build better families? How? Is it possible for religion to play a negative role?

• With issues such as prayer in schools, how should society go about resolving differences in what one family wants from what another family wants?

Lesson 5: Reflect on Yourself: Your Family

This journal entry will require you to: 1) profile your family in terms of demographic events and characteristics, and 2) use census information to compare your family's demographic profile with U.S. averages.

1) Profile your family. This section is intended to be an exercise in thinking about your family in terms of social demography. Therefore, although they are important components of family life, emotional or psychological components, or relationship satisfaction aspects of your family should not be included in this profile. Instead, you need to list 5 family demographic events/characteristics, including your religious background. Examples of some family demographic events and characteristics are as follows: divorced parents; the death of one or both parents; the parents' cohabitation before marriage; the mother's participation in the labor force; whether either divorced parent is living with mother or father; the death of a sibling during childhood; coming out to one's parents; and whether the household consists of varying racial or ethnic groups. You can also concentrate on your own family's demographic events/characteristics, such as your age at marriage; whether or not you cohabitated before marriage; whether you have any kids; or anything else that is relevant to your life.

2) Compare your family with the United States 2000 averages and trends: For this section, you need to use the Web-based census information on demography of U.S. families in the year 2000. You can use the following site to find your information: or .

The information from sections 1 and 2 should be presented in table format, including the event/characteristic, relevant information about that event/characteristic, and how your family compares to the average US family. Here is an example:

|Event/Characteristic |Description |Comparison w/ US in 2000 |

|Parents divorced |No |Comparison |

|Age parents married |Mom 24, Dad 27 |Comparison |

|Parents' education |Mon 14yrs., Dad 14 yrs. |Comparison |

|Age at own marriage |Wife 22 , Husband 22 |Comparison |

In a short paragraph, discuss how your event/characteristics compare to the US 2000 census.

Lesson 5: Participate in the Discussion: The Lost Boys

After your reading earlier this unit on the “Lost Boys,” consider the following questions based on your readings for this and previous lessons. If you would like to find out more about the “Lost Boys” phenomenon, you can check out this story.

Remember that this is a discussion, so keep your initial responses succinct, and be sure you make time to post meaningful responses and ask questions of your classmates.

Discussion Questions

1. In what ways did religion affect their family lives? Why was it so important to the families of these young men?

2. How will these young men be socialized into the society into which their families have led them? How will their experiences shape their future interactions with families they form or religious communities they join?

Lesson 5: Wrap-up

Take a few minutes to work in your Learning Journal. Summarize what you have learned in this lesson. Has anything in this lesson changed your outlook? Why or why not?

Lesson 6: Politics and Education

Purpose

In this lesson, we will discuss the role of education and politics in society. We will explore different sociological perspectives on why education can be a divisive political issue.

Lesson Objectives

After this lesson, you should be able to:

• Discuss the relationship between politics and education

• Explain how different sociological theorists view the role of education in society

• Explain how different sociological theorists view the role of politics in society

Assignments

Review the Introduction

Begin the Readings

Reflect on Yourself: Politics and Education

Prepare for the Seminar on Politics and Education

Participate in the Discussion: The Politics of Education

Wrap Up

Lesson 6: Review the Introduction

In Texas in the late 1980s, the schools were in crisis. The Edgewood school district, which could not afford textbooks, chalk, or toilet paper, sued the state government, arguing that the state’s reliance on local school funding violated its constitutional guarantee of “an efficient system of public free schools.” The Texas Supreme Court agreed that the state had failed to provide equal education for students from poor areas, and ordered the legislature to find a remedy.

After an early effort was rejected by the court as inadequate, the legislature approved a bill creating large County Education Districts (CED) that grouped together poor and wealthy districts, mandated certain minimum tax rates, and required that money be shared equally within each CED. Democratic Governor Ann Richards, who began in office that January, signed the bill.

This time, the wealthy districts sued the state government. These districts were upset about the distribution of wealth, and by the fact that in some cases their tax rates had doubled. The Texas Supreme Court agreed that the CED minimum tax rates created a de facto state-wide property tax, specifically prohibited by the state constitution. The court gave the legislature 16 months to create a constitutional system. If they failed to do so, the court threatened to suspend all money going to the school system.

Aided by the Republican head of the Senate Education Committee, Gov. Richards devised a bill that was soon dubbed the “Robin Hood” plan by opponents. The proposal called for a constitutional amendment that would allow the state to collect money from wealthy districts and distribute a portion of it to low-income areas. Supporters noted that all alternatives to the plan -- a state personal income tax, a state tax on business property, or consolidation of school districts -- had already been rejected as undesirable or politically unfeasible. 

Residents of wealthy districts vociferously opposed the amendment. Though it was strongly supported in the poorest school districts, the constitutional amendment was soundly defeated in the rest of the state.

With only a month remaining until the court-ordered deadline, Richards and the legislature re-wrote the bill, with a complicated work-around that allowed the government to redistribute a smaller amount of money, without requiring a voter-approved constitutional amendment. This bill passed the legislature and was signed with one day to spare before the deadline. It remains the law as of 2004.

Consider the following questions, which you will discuss later in this lesson:

1. Why is education an important issue for so many people?

2. Poor school districts and wealthy districts had very different understandings of their rights and the state’s responsibility. How would a conflict theorist explain the differences between poor school districts and wealthy school districts? How would other theorists explain these differences?

3. How would a sociologist go about exploring the effectiveness of the Robin Hood amendment?

During this lesson, we will look more closely at the insights sociology can give us about education and the political process.

Lesson 6: Begin the Readings

For this week, read eText Chapter 7

As you read, be sure to note these key terms and make sure you understand the meaning of them:

• Latent and Manifest Functions of Schooling

• Hidden Curriculum

• Standardized Testing

Lesson 6: Reflect on Yourself: Politics and Education

Education is one of the political issues that divides our society today. What are your views on education? Pick a topic that is important to you and reflect on the questions below. Check your local media for an issue that is currently under debate or think about an aspect of your education that you personally care about.

 

1. What about this issue concerns you?

2. Why is this an important issue for politicians to discuss?

3. Based on your readings for this and previous units, how do you believe a functionalist, a conflict theorist and a symbolic interactionist would view the issue? How would they view your position on the issue?

4. What kinds of information would a sociologist want to gather about this issue? How would they go about gathering it?

5. What can sociology teach you about this issue?

Lesson 6: Prepare for the Seminar on Politics and Education

In 1972, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, part of the U.S. Department of Defense, publicly launched the ARPANet, a network pulling together universities, research centers, and defense corporations across the country, designed to help them communicate and store information for sharing among researchers.

Later, in the 1980s, The National Science Foundation, another government agency, hoped to increase the capacity of their own network (then called NSFNet) for education and research by connecting it to ARPANet and other similar networks sponsored by other countries, giving birth to the Internet.

In 1993, The National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne, released Mosaic, the first Windows Web browser.

Since the Internet first became widely available to commercial and personal users in 1994, it continues to play a significant role in education, research, and the sharing of communication. In fact, it seems to be playing a much larger role than anyone ever envisioned! Drawing from your readings and personal experiences, think about the following questions as you prepare for the Seminar:

• How would different sociologists describe the role of the Internet in education and research in the world today?

• How would different sociologists describe the role the Internet plays in politics today?

Toward the end of the Seminar, your instructor may ask to develop recommendations on how the government should fund and manage new technological and educational projects based on your discussion.

Lesson 6: Participate in the Discussion: The Politics of Education

Looking at the “Robin Hood” amendment that was described in this lesson’s introduction, respond to the following questions based on what you have learned in previous lessons.

Remember that this is a discussion, so keep your initial responses succinct, and be sure you make time to post meaningful responses and ask questions of your classmates.

1. Why is education an important issue for so many people?

2. Poor school districts and wealthy districts had very different understandings of their rights and the state’s responsibility. How would a conflict theorist explain the differences between poor school districts and wealthy school districts? How would other theorists explain these differences?

3. How would a sociologist go about exploring the effectiveness of the Robin Hood amendment?

Lesson 6: Wrap-up

Take a few minutes to work in your Learning Journal. Summarize what you have learned in this lesson. Has anything in this lesson changed your outlook? Why or why not?

Lesson 7: Deviance and Conformity

Purpose

The focus of this lesson is on how a society defines deviance. We will discuss why people conform to or deviate from a society’s norms.

Lesson Objectives

After this lesson, you should be able to:

• Discuss why deviance does not have a single definition

• Explain the relationship between deviance and the law

• Explain how different sociological theorists view deviance

Assignments

Review the Introduction

Begin Your Readings

Prepare for the Seminar on Deviance and Conformity

Reflect on Yourself

Participate in the Discussion: Deviance Debate

Final Project Part 3: Deviance and Conformity

Wrap Up

Lesson 7: Review the Introduction

Faces from David Lee Csicsko’s mural, Belmont 2000, adorn the walls of the Belmont Red Line stop in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. The smiling faces reflect Lakeview’s diversity of ages, races, and lifestyles.

Lakeview is a community that encompasses longtime Chicago residents, a long-standing punk scene, and one of the largest concentrations of 20-somethings in the nation. It also borders on or encompasses a number of immigrant communities, and includes the smaller neighborhood of Lakeview East, near the parks and harbors along the coast of Lake Michigan, one of Chicago’s busiest gay and lesbian business areas. But the diversity masks a growing problem: gentrification.

Gentrification occurs when workers with higher disposable incomes move into long established urban and suburban neighborhoods, often initially drawn by lower rents, good public transportation, and proximity to urban centers. However, a solid influx of new residents with more money to spend often sends real estate markets and community relationships out of balance. Realtors, who get higher commissions from selling and renting more expensive homes and apartments, stop focusing on low-income and moderate-income housing. The Lakeview Action Coalition, which works for affordable housing in the neighborhood, notes that housing expenses in the neighborhood (either rent or mortgage payments) would cost the average working family more than 30 percent of their household income.

Some observers believe that one of the forces that drives gentrification is the desire among new businesses and residents to get rid of a neighborhood’s more traditional residents, who are perceived as either dangerous or unimportant because they are different. In their own turn, older residents tend to see new residents as threats to the stability of their communities.

As you get ready for this week’s readings, think about the following questions:

1. What would different sociological theorists you have encountered think about tensions between a neighborhood’s old residents and new residents?

2. How might racism or other forms of stratification play a role in resident tensions?

3. What role might culture and socialization play in teaching us to perceive “different” people as threatening?

Also, think about the following questions which we will explore in depth during this lesson:

1. Why is conformity important to communities?

2. Why are certain differences between people considered more “deviant” or dangerous than other differences?

Lesson 7: Begin Your Readings

For this week, read eText Chapter 8.

As you read, be sure to note these key terms and make sure you understand the meaning of them:

• Deviance

• Conformity

• Obedience

Deviance and Criminal Justice

On the Web, read the Introduction to the Sociology of Deviance, which addresses the question of what deviance is and who is deviant. The site is developed by a lecturer of sociology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Read this page and at the bottom of the page, click What Is Deviance? to continue.

Sociologists also use labeling theory in the study of deviance. Follow that link to learn about labeling theory.

Lesson 7: Prepare for the Seminar on Deviance and Conformity

After reading your eText, re-read this week’s introduction story, and think about the following questions in order to prepare for the Seminar:

What is the relationship between deviance and the law? Is everything that is deviant against the law or is everything illegal considered deviant? Is it true that people who conform to societal norms succeed?

Lesson 7: Reflect on Yourself

This Internet Resource Assignment takes you to statistics on criminal offenders maintained by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. The site indicates who is least likely to conform to societal norms, and who has been labeled most deviant in our society.

Use your Learning Journal to answer the following questions:

1. Have you ever been labeled deviant?

2. Would you say you have an easier or harder time deviating from norms? Why do you think that is?

3. How might sociologists you have read about explain your tendency to deviate or conform?

4. Why do we label people as deviant when they break norms?

5. Why do we label some people deviant but not others when they break the same law?

Lesson 7: Participate in the Discussion: Deviance Debate

Using the Discussion Board, debate the following statement:

The most powerful people in a society are the least likely to be labeled deviant in that society.

Using your readings and experiences, decide whether the statement is true or false and develop a short position statement explaining your beliefs. Post this statement on the Discussion Board and consider what your classmates have said.

Your job in the debate is to do two things:

• Explain clearly why you differ from those classmates who disagree with you by carefully examining the arguments for their views, based on sociological principles you have learned. How would a sociologist critique their reasons?

• Carefully examine the arguments of those who agree with you and try to help them eliminate weak arguments and emphasize stronger arguments, based on sociological principles you have learned. How would a sociologist critique the reasons your classmates present?

As you discuss and debate, try to come to some consensus with at least four or five of your classmates about what position to take and what the best reasons are.

Lesson 7: Final Project Part 3: Deviance and Conformity

Now that you have observed how people act similarly in social situations, it is important to understand why people conform and do not deviate from the social norms. In the third part of this project, you are to violate one of the unwritten social norms you described. Remember, this norm violation has to be legal and safe. For instance, if you have been observing riding in an elevator, you could ride an elevator looking at the back wall instead of at the door when the elevator is moving. In this part, you should answer the following questions:

• How did you feel when you were about to break the social norm? Why did you feel this way?

• What were others’ reactions to you as you broke this social norm? Describe them in detail.

• From your research, what can you determine about the importance of conformity? Why do we conform? Why do you conform?

For some people, it may be easy to break social norms while for others it is not. If you feel you would be too uncomfortable breaking a social norm it is okay to get a friend or family member to help you in this part of the project. But, if you choose to allow someone else to break the norm for you, be sure to add in your essay why you were unable to break a social norm. Your essay should be no less than 500 words.

Directions for Submitting Your Project

Prepare your project as a Microsoft Word document. Save it on your computer in a location and with a name that you will remember. When you are ready to submit the project, return to the lesson page. Click on the Submit Final Project: Part 3 link under Project Submissions and follow the instructions. Keep a copy of your saved project through the end of the term.

Lesson 7: Wrap-up

Take a few minutes to work in your Learning Journal. Summarize what you have learned in this lesson. Has anything in this lesson changed your outlook? Why or why not?

Lesson 8: Social Change

Purpose

We will examine the sources of social change in this lesson. We also will discuss different sociological perspectives on the role of social change in society.

Lesson Objectives

After this lesson, you should be able to:

• Define social change

• Identify the role of social movements in society

• Explain how different sociological theorists view social change

• Identify a sociological approach to a social problem that concerns you

• Analyze the role and impact of social norms in our society

Assignments

Review the Introduction

Begin Your Readings

Prepare for the Seminar on Social Movements

Reflect on Yourself

Participate in the Discussion on Social Problems

Submit Your Learning Journal

Final Project Part Four: Social Change

Lesson 8: Review the Introduction

Before beginning this lesson, take a look at the Globalization Website, sponsored by the Sociology Department at Emory University. Read the section What Is Globalization? and choose at least one other section to explore.

As you think about globalization, consider the following questions from previous lessons:

1. How would you research the social effects of globalization?

2. How would different sociological theorists approach globalization?

3. What effect might globalization have on our culture?

Also think about these questions we will explore in this lesson:

1. How does a change like globalization emerge?

2. Why do people resist social changes?

3. How do social movements affect social changes?

Lesson 8: Begin Your Readings

For this week, read eText Chapter 9.

As you read, be sure to note these key terms and make sure you understand the meaning of them:

• Social Change

• Social Movements

• Reformist Movements

• Revolutionary Movements

• Rebellions

• Reactionary Movements

Lesson 8: Prepare for the Seminar on Social Movements

Before your Seminar this week, be sure to look over your reading and then examine the National Coalition of Free Men website. Pay special attention to the Historical and Philosophy sections. Read the mission statement on the home page. After reading both this site and your eText, consider the following:

• What type of social movement is represented in this Internet Resource Assignment?

• In what ways do such movements help or hurt society?

Lesson 8: Reflect on Yourself

After you complete this week’s readings, consider the following questions in your Learning Journal:

1. How do you approach change in your own life? Do you see change as positive or negative? Explain your answer.

2. Why do we tend to resist change? Do you think that some of our social problems (racism, homophobia, sexism) are a result of this resistance? Explain your answer.

Lesson 8: Participate in the Discussion on Social Problems

Every single day we see things that need to be changed yet few of us do anything to start that needed change. For this research question, you are to answer the question: what do you want to change in society? Your answer can be a specific answer such as getting the drug dealers off your street corner or it can be a more global answer like an end to hate crimes.

You are to find at least two forms of information (articles from the library, Internet sites, etc.) and read about what you want to change in society. Then in a post on the Discussion Board, you are to write about your problem and why you believe that it needs to be changed. Lastly, describe how you would go about changing this problem.

After posting your own thoughts, take time to review and respond to the posts of a number of your classmates. In your response, be specific and refer to how sociology can inform their approach. For instance, point out the strengths or weaknesses in their proposal, and discuss which sociological approaches would support their positions and why.

Lesson 8: Submit Your Learning Journal

Save a copy of your Learning Journal so that you can continue adding entries after its submission. When you are ready to submit the Learning Journal, return to the lesson page. Click on the Submit Learning Journal link under Project Submissions and follow the instructions.

Lesson 8: Final Project Part Four: Social Change

Throughout this term you have been observing social norms in our society. We are socialized to follow these norms with respect to our race, gender, and social class. We are rewarded for conforming to these norms and treated differently when we break social norms. In the final part of this project, you are to answer the following questions in a 500-word essay:

• What did you learn about society from completing this project? Most of all, what did you learn about yourself?

• How do social norms help and hurt members of society? Explain.

• Do social norms inhibit change in our society? Are we so worried about conforming that we forget about change even if the change is for the better?

Be sure to take some time to think about your answers and reflect back on all the work you have done over the term as you prepare to finish the fourth part of the project.

Your Final Project will be due no later than the close date listed on the class homepage.

Directions for Submitting Your Final Project

Prepare your project as a Microsoft Word document. Save it on your computer in a location and with a name that you will remember. When you are ready to submit it, go to the main class page, click on Submit Final Project and follow the instructions.

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