This document discusses the key elements and structures that compose communities from a sociological perspective. It addresses societal structures like social status, roles, and theoretical frameworks like functionalism, Marxism, and symbolic interactionism. It also outlines societal dynamics and processes such as social exchange, competition/conflict, and cooperation/accommodation. Finally, it provides an activity for students to analyze how a news article reflects elements of community and how it may impact or change the community.

1. Community
Engagement,
Solidarity &
Citizenship
Arellano University
Renante
A.
Rogador 09264178636
conan.rogador
@gmail.com
SHS
Faculty Member
Soc. Scie. Dept.

2. Elements
of the
Community

3. {
SOCIETAL STRUCTURE
Communities are
composed of multiple
layers of people, groups,
and structures. As such
they create a network of
parallel, intersecting,
overlapping and
diverging interactions
that, in its totality, create
the social milieu we have
at present.

4. Social Status and Roles
Social Status - is all about the dynamic of individual identity
relative to its social environment. This
interaction between the self and the
community equates to the individual’s stature
in said setting.
Roles - is a set of defined and expected behavior or
norms that is ascribed to a certain social
status.

6. Theoretical Perspective

7. Functionalism
For a functionalist,
society is like a
machine that has
individual parts where
each part has
functions and roles
that then contribute to
the bigger picture of
society.

8. (Karl Marx one of the fathers of
communism)
Working class is the workers that
toil to earn their wages. Marx uses
the term for industrial worker
which, during his time, were the
only means for an individual to
earn within the capitalist structure.
Bourgeoisie is the primary enemy of the
people due to the exploitation that is
inherent in the system. Marx points out
several arguments that emphasize his
view of the class struggle through
various aspects of alienation against the
workers. There is alienation when the
workers are taken out from their
ownership and the means of production.
A. Alienation from Production
B. Alienation from Process
C. Alienation from Others
D. Alienation from the Self

9. Symbolic interactionism looks
at how every individual will
give everything in their society
a different meaning depending
on their past experiences and
expectations.
- society and its core characteristics
are, in itself, a product of the
ongoing consensus held by the
members of the commune. It
concentrates on the individual and
the interactions that create the
meanings that are shared,
reinforced, and debunked constantly
by people. Interaction and
communication are the basic
premises of symbolic interactionism.

10. Social Structures - pertains to the interrelation of behaviors,
roles and statuses which constitute a stable network of social
interactions and relations.
Political Structures - politics have already been
established as one of the main cogs that have influence
over institution. Politics is about power, governance,
administration, and decision-making.

11. Economic Structures - societies run on production and
consumption. The economic system we have is called “laissez –
faire” (from French word means “allow to do”) which does not have
any central group or institution that can determine the means of
production and control the market as a whole.
• Perfect competition
• Monopoly
• Oligopoly
• Monopolistic competition
• Monopsony

12. Sociocultural Structures - composed of various institutions,
assemblies and actors.
a. Political Trends
b. Cultural Trends
c. Economic Trends
Technological Structures - discoveries and innovations
Environmental Structures - pertaining to the
environmental concerns that put the community at risk.

13. {
People make
dynamic
exchanges and
interactions
that give life
and vibrancy
to our
communities.
SOCIETAL DYNAMICS
AND PROCESSES

14. Social Exchange and Rational Choice Theory
- society cannot exist without interaction among its members.
Competition and Conflict
- in competition there are various actors that vie for limited number of
opportunities present, or in some instances, only one can be selected. Conflict is
more deliberate and more violent coercive tactics may be employed by the actor.
Cooperation and Accommodation
- cooperation happens when people come together and pitch in to achieve a
common task or goal while accommodation represents neutrality in social
interactions whereby the individual merely ascribes to an agreement to keep the
status quo.
Social Change
- society is ever changing. Social change refers to the fluctuations or deviations
in the order of the society.
Community Structure, Process and Dynamics
- community structure is represented by the social hierarchies that are inherent
to each collective. The various social issues and roles all are part of the social
system we are all in. For community dynamics, the actors are the individuals,
civil society groups, pressure groups and movements who all contribute to the
communities in the creation of meaning.

15. Rubric: Presentation 25 – Quality of the contents 20 - Teamwork – 15 – 60 points
and a grade as project for 3rd Grading in the Performance Task
Group Activity/Exercise
Each group will find a news article that you think important
and essential in your community.
Discuss the elements of a community that were observed
(from Societal, theoretical perspective and any of the societal
dynamics and processes). Describe how the content of the
news article may affect, suggest or change particular
deviation in your community. Group presentation will be
done during our Google Meet Discussions.