1. Social Interaction & Social Structure
How is reality shaped by social interaction?
What are the elements of social structure?
What are the main kinds of society throughout history?
What are the major explanations of the rise of modern industrial societies?

2. Question: How do we spend most of our time?
Answer:
Performing roles…
…that are attached to statuses…
…that we occupy as members of a group or organization.

4. Social Status
Status: socially defined position within a group or society
Types: ascribed, achieved, master
Question: What are your statuses?

5. Social Roles
Roles: sets of expectations for people who occupy a given status
Problems: role conflict, strain, change

6. Groups
Group: any number of people with similar norms, values, and expectations who interact with each other on a regular basis
Society is composed of many groups in which daily social interaction takes place
Influence of group norms and sanctions on social interaction

7. Social Networks
Social network: series of social relationships that links person directly to others and indirectly links him or her to still more people
Advances in technology linked to growth of social networks

8. Social Institutions
Social institutions: organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centered on basic social needs
Examples
Differing theoretical views

9. Social Structure: Putting It All Together
Example of institution: Economy
Organizations: businesses, TUSIAD
Groups: management, production
Statuses: managers, supervisors, workers
Roles: planning, designing, producing

10. Some Things to Remember
Institutions are linked and change together
Institutions are the sites of social problems
Historical shifts: From small groups to large formal organizations to new “networks”

11. Types of Society (Lenski)
Preindustrial societies
Hunting & gathering
Horticultural & pastoral
Agrarian
Industrial societies
Post-industrial/postmodern societies
* Social change linked to “sociocultural evolution”, especially technological developments
Get pictures to illustrate types

12. MINI-BREAK QUESTION:
What are the social implications of computerization?
Positives?
Negatives?

13. Explaining Modern Industrial Society: Key Questions
How do societies of the past and present differ from one another?
How and why does a society change?
What forces divide a society? What forces hold it together?
Are societies getting “better” or “worse”?

14. The Rise of Modern Industrial Society: Classical Sociological Views
Marx ( )
Weber ( )
Durkheim ( )

15. Karl Marx: Society & Conflict
Key concepts: material forces, class conflict, alienation
How modern society emerged:
New forces of production undermined feudal society and the capitalist mode of production emerged
Capitalism gives birth to new classes and new struggles
Basic features of modern society:  
Conflict between capitalist & workers
Culture and society reflects interests of ruling class
Alienation via capitalist domination

16. Max Weber: The Rationalization of Society
Key concepts: ideal forces, rationality, Protestant ethic, bureaucracy
How modern society emerged:
Industrialism is a legacy of Calvinism
A new culture based on ethic of work and thrift
Basic features of modern society:  
Increasing rationalization of life
Rise of large bureaucratic organizations
Industrial capitalism reflects rationality applied to economy
Alienation via bureaucracy dehumanization

17. Emile Durkheim: Society & Function
Key concepts: mechanical solidarity, organic solidarity, anomie
How modern society emerged:
Changing division of labor and types of solidarity
Traditional societies: low division of labor & mechanical solidarity
Modern societies: high division of labor & organic solidarity
 Basic features of modern society:
Highly specialized and extensive division of labor
Organic solidarity
Anomie

18. What holds societies together?
Marx: social division & conflict mark societies; ruling class domination
Weber: members of a society share a distinctive world view
Durkheim: solidarity holds societies together

19. Where is society headed?
Marx: capitalism will fail & revolution will usher in a socialist utopia
Weber: modern society is an “iron cage” of rationality
Durkheim: new forms of association can bind people together

20. Modernity and the Idea of Progress
What do you think?
Is society getting better or worse (or both)?
What evidence would you cite to support your argument?