social institutionseducation, religion, politics and

state, economy and work

education

education: its functions according to functionalist

perspective, the functions of education are: teaching knowledge and skills enhancing social mobility promoting national unity providing custodial care

education & inequality conflict theorists contend that

education supports the capitalist system by producing an array of skills and attitudes appropriate for maintaining social inequality

religion

religion: its definition although there is some disagreement about how

to define religion, most sociologists accept Emile Durkheim’s classic definition of religion:

religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices regarding sacred things that unites its adherents into a single moral community

three classifications of religion theism: define the sacred as one or more

supernatural things, they center on the worship of a god or gods; there are two subtypes of theism: monotheism and polytheism

ethicalism: ascribe sacredness to moral principles; the heart of these religions is the set of principles they offer as guides for living a righteous life, i.e. buddhism, confucianism, taoism, shintoism

three classifications of religion animism: its basis is the belief that spirits

are capable of helping or harming people; rituals such as feasting, dancing, fasting, and cleansing are often performed to appease the spirits, so that crops can be harvested, fish caught, illness cured, or danger averted, i.e. shamanism, totemism

religion & societyWhy do religions vary from one

society to another? Does religion merely reflect the structure of a

society, or can religion influence that structure?

religion & society Society as God

Emile Durkheim argued that if religion were an illusion, it would have disappeared in modern societies.

…If religion is both real and superior to us, then what is God? Durkheim’s answer: society. Society is more powerful than any of us and beyond our personal control. It is separate from us, yet we are part of it and it is part of our consciousness.

religion & society People’s Opium

Karl Marx considered religion an illusion – a real and an oppressive illusion, one that helps the ruling class perpetuate its domination of the masses

religion, marx declared, is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, the soul of soulless circumstances

religion’s functions & dysfunctions supportive function: religion provides

consolation, reconciliation, and relief from anxiety or fear

dysfunction: if it offers too much support and consolation, it can impede useful social change – why? Many religions urge their believers to see all worldly things as trivial compared with the life of the spirit

religion’s functions & dysfunctions social control function: religion may

sacralize the norms and values of society dysfunction: if religion completely sacralizes

the norms and values of a society, it may help preserve unjust laws and harmful values, such as those supporting racial and sexual inequality

religion’s functions & dysfunctions prophetic function: religion may be a

source of social change, i.e. Dr. Martin Luther King based his fight against racial discrimination on the ethical principles of Christianity

dysfunction: may produce fanaticism, i.e. some 20,000 peasants in Russia were inspired to burn themselves as a way of protesting liturgical reforms in their Russian Orthodox Church

religion’s functions & dysfunctions identity function: religion can tell believers

who they are, what they are, and what the purpose of their lives is

dysfunction: if people identify too strongly with their own religion, social conflict may be intensified

power & state

power and the state Politics: the type of human interaction that

involves one party acquiring and exercising power over the other

State: a political institution that regulates conflict and allocates resources among the citizens of a country

power and the state Nature of power: the most basic difference

of power are: Illegitimate power: control that is exercised over

people who do not recognize the right of those exercising the power to do so – coercion

Legitimate power: control that is exercised over people with their consent; its two kinds are influence and authority

types of authority traditional authority: government is based

on tradition, on long-standing customs, and it was handed down from parent to child, maintaining traditional authority from one generation to the next

charismatic authority: people may also submit to authority, not because of tradition, but because of the extraordinary attraction of an individual, i.e. napoleon, gandhi, mao zedong

types of authority legal authority: it derive legitimacy from a

set of explicit rules and procedures that spell out the ruler’s rights and duties

authority is vested in those offices, not in the individuals who temporarily hold offices; thus, a political system based on legal authority is often called a “government of laws, not of men”

politics and economics totalitarian state: tries to control the

economy, the government owns industry and other means of production, it plans economic goals, determines how much is to be produced of what, sets wages and prices, and so on

democratic state: allows at least a significant part of their economies to be determined by the market – by the decisions of countless individuals who buy and sell without government control

political participation & violence Voting: the most popular form of political

participation and the easiest Revolution: the violent overthrow of the existing

government and drastic change in social and political order a group of rather well-off and well-educated individuals

feel extremely dissatisfied with society revolutionary leaders rely on the masses’ rising

expectation to convince them they can end their oppression by bringing down the existing government

a sudden economic crisis triggers peasant revolts and urban uprisings

the existing government is weak

economy & work

the economy and work economic institutions: systems for

producing goods and services and distributing them

sociologists are more interested in the social aspects of the economy – in how people work, how their occupations affect their lives, and how the economy is related to other aspects of society

the economy and work industrial revolution: with the invention of

steam engines, spinning jennies, and other machines, mass production became possible, and the industrial revolution was underway.

it began in England around 1760, and during the following century it profoundly changed the economic structure of Western Europe and North America

the economy and work consequences of industrial revolution:

Changes the nature of work – blue-collar jobs to white-collar jobs

Demographic changes – rural to urban living Human relations – intimate to formal Changes the values of a society – brings dynamism

into society

the economy and work Capitalism: at the core of capitalism lies a

belief about the psychology of human beings: we are inherently selfish and act to serve our own interests

Two key characteristics of capitalism are: Private ownership of property Free competition in buying and selling goods

and services

the economy and work Socialism: Marx believed that contradictions

of capitalism would lead to communism, to a classless society that would operate on the principle of “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs

in a socialist economy the state owns and operates the means of production and distribution, such as land, factories, railroads, airlines, banks and stores