The Role of Social Organizations

Chronology in History One purpose of recorded history is to chronicle developments in the past as a means of discovering an underlying continuity and order in the human condition.

Brainstorm some of the major events in the history of mankind. Place these in chronological order. Complete the timeline activity by recording one important event for each of the time periods listed.

An accurate description of “what has occurred where” is fundamental to an interpretation of why these events have occurred. Name the seven Continents of the world. Complete the Mapping Activities: World Map Europe Map

Social Organizations in History Humans live in society because they can best satisfy their needs and wants by working with other members of society. Because individuals must interact with others within a society, there must be systems which allow for the procreation of life, making decisions, producing goods, creating meaning and purpose (religion, language, and culture), and organizing people into an orderly society.

Many social organizations have been established within Canadian society to deal with the universal problems of ordered social life. Create a web demonstrating many of these organizations and their purpose. Families Provide for needs of children

Social organizations play a significant role in providing order and direction within a society. Social organizations establish norms or values which legitimize sanctions used to regulate human behaviour. The regulations of social organizations discipline human behaviour to conform to some definite, continuous, and organized pattern of behaviour.

The freedom to live one’s life according to the dictates of one’s conscience is a significant value in Canadian society. Social organizations based on the cultural assumptions of one historical tradition may be quite different from the social organizations based on another tradition. Established organizations people live within are part of their cultural heritage.

Canadian society has several major cultural roots: Indigenous, European, and Asian. All of these cultures have different fundamental assumptions about relationships between people and with nature. In a small group, create a list of cultural differences among Indigenous, European, and Asian people.

The organizations established by one cultural group in Canada may be based on very different values than those established by another cultural group. Pluralism is the belief that groups which are distinctly unique should have that distinctiveness recognized and protected.

Every society must determine a set of moral or traditional rules which define rights, responsibilities, and interrelationships. A social contract is an agreement between the rulers and the ruled which defines the rights and duties of each explicitly and implicitly. In a small group, brainstorm some components of our Canadian social contract.

Decision Making within Social Organizations Society is a social organization and it too has to make decisions about how best to reconcile the conflicting interests within itself. Politics is the process of conciliating individuals and groups by giving them a share of valued resources according to the amount of power they wield within society.

Power is the control of resources: Numbers Resources Organization Information Power can be expressed through: The use of force Reliance on authority Through the use of influence