Social InstitutionsA complex of positions, roles, norms and val.docx

Social Institutions
“A complex of positions, roles, norms and values lodged in
particular types of social structures and organising relatively
stable patterns of human activity with respect to fundamental
problems in producing life-sustaining resources, in reproducing
individuals, and in sustaining viable societal structures within a
given environment.”
Turner, Jonathan. (1997). The Institutional Order. New York:
Longman.
Social Institutions
· A complex of positions, roles, norms and values
· lodged in particular types of social structures and
· organising relatively stable patterns of human activity
· with respect to fundamental problems
· in producing life-sustaining resources,
· in reproducing individuals, and
· in sustaining viable societal structures within a given
environment.
Social Institutions
· Sociologyguide.com: “A social institution is a complex,
integrated set of social norms organized around the preservation
of a basic societal value.”
· Five primary social institutions in every society and the values
that they regulate:
· Economy/Work: regulation of money and goods (exchange)
· Family/friends: regulation of kinship and connection
· Government: regulation of power
· Religion: regulation of the supernatural
· Education: regulation of knowledge
Marriage as an Institution
· A complex of positions, roles, norms and values
· lodged in particular types of social structures and
· organising relatively stable patterns of human activity
· with respect to fundamental problems

· in producing life-sustaining resources,
· in reproducing individuals, and
· In sustaining viable societal structures within a given
environment.
Social Institution: Economy/Work
· Marx and other Conflict Theorists studied class differences
and exploitation- sociologists still use this framework for
understanding some avenues of employment
· Poverty (causes and consequences, perceptions)
· Racial biases in hiring practices (we’re reading an article for
the next Module)
· Gender experiences in the workplace (Gender capital, sexual
harassment and the #metoo movement)
· LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace (does the Civil Rights
Act cover LGBTQ protections?)
Social Institution: Family
· Role of the family in socialization and identity development
(George Herbert Mead- family is the first “generalized other”)
· “Institution of marriage”- multiple institutions exist within
these broad categories; some of them are more abstract
· This secondary institution has evolved over time
· “The Second Shift” The intersection of work and economics
with the family and intimacy
· The Second Shift: Working Parents and the Revolution at
Home (Arlie Hochschild, 1989)
· The “Second Shift”- the extra shift of “housework” that
working women have to take on at home
· Found that despite their entrance into the workforce, women
still performed the majority of the housework and child rearing;
this often caused conflict in the marriage and the household
· However, while it wasn’t common, she did observe couples
that functioned in a more egalitarian way- split the second shift
work
· The Second Shift: Working Parents and the Revolution at

Home (Arlie Hochschild, 1989)
· The revolution towards gender equality was stalled due to 3
reasons:
· Women were doing the majority of the “second shift” work
· Workplaces were not accommodating towards working women
with families
· A lack of public benefits that supported families (paid parental
leave)
· Blair-Loy et al. (2015) “Stability and transformation in
gender, work, and family: insights from the second shift for the
next quarter century”
· Update on the original work of Arlie Hochschild (25 years
later)
· Examines the ways that the gender structure has remained
stable
· Examines areas of transformation
Social Institution: Government/Politics
· Criminal justice system
· Primary focus of the field of criminology
· Large focus on mass incarceration and police/community
relations (esp. police violence against civilians); school
violence and mass shootings (and gun control)
· Civic Engagement
· Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American
Community (Robert Putnam, 2000)
· Based on “Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social
Capital"
· “the quality of public life and the performance of social
institutions are indeed powerfully influenced by norms and
networks of civic engagement” (Putnam Reading, 1)
· Argues that the American public has seen a decrease in civic
engagement since the 1950s, particularly in the 1970s and later
· Major drop in voter participation
· Increase in distrust of the government

· Extends “civic engagement” beyond just political engagement
· Drop in Church attendance, union membership, PTA
participation, and volunteering
· Increase in total number of bowlers in the U.S., but decrease
in bowling in leagues (hence, “Bowling Alone”)
· Counterpoint (presented by Putnam): membership in these
traditional forms of civic engagement are being replaced by
“mass-membership” organizations
· “In America, at least, there is reason to suspect that this
democratic disarray may be linked to a broad and continuing
erosion of civic engagement that began a quarter-century ago.
High on the nation's agenda should be the question of how to
reverse these adverse trends in social connectedness, thus
restoring civic engagement and civic trust.”
· Change in voting participation of UD students
· Increase in UD voting rate: 15% in 2014 to 42% in 2018
· Increase in voter registration rate 66% in 2014 to 84% in 2018
· UD (Center for Political Communication) made a strong effort
before the 2018 election to increase civic engagement and
engagement with the “Make It Count” campaign
Social Institution: Religion
· Weber- religion as the cause for the rise of capitalism
· Durkheim- the role that religion plays on social integration
and regulation (Suicide)
· Contemporary: Perceptions of non-Western religions
(terrorism in a post-9/11 world; massive rise in violence and
discrimination against anyone that looks middle eastern, not just
Muslims)
Social Institution: Education
· School to Prison Pipeline
· Criminalizing childhood deviance; replacing informal control
(detentions, suspension, time-out) over school-related deviance
(such as starting fights, missing class, throwing tantrums, etc.)
with formal, legal sanctions

· Student loan debt- major topic in sociology of education,
political science, and economics
· “The Cult of Rich Kid Sports”
· The institution of sports- this one crosses into many of the
broad categories (education, family, work)
· Information Technological Revolution: a fundamental shift in
the way that we share information
Social Institutions
· All of these institutions can be studied through each of the 3
theoretical perspectives
· E.g., Technology as a secondary institution
· Structural Functionalism: Society is a complex system of
interrelated parts who come together to achieve stability
· Conflict Theory: Society is made up of groups competing for
limited resources
· Symbolic Interactionism: Society is composed of symbols that
people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the
world, and communicate with others
Technology as an Institution
· One of my participants (Dorothy, 90s) explaining why she
does not currently use a computer”
· “No. I never took the time to do that. I never had the time,
frankly, and at this point in my life, I’m not going to worry
about a computer. I can figure it out myself [laughter].”
10/3/2019 Sample Content Topic
https://purdueglobal.brightspace.com/d2l/le/content/99039/view
Content/8167323/View 1/3
A First-Person Perspective
The activism of the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s
reflected women’s desire for improvement in their

lives.
Topic:
For this Unit 7 Assignment, you will examine women’s
involvement in one of the activist movements critical to
these decades, the civil rights movement, Asian
American activism, Chicana activism, or AIM. Once
you have identified the specific activist movement, you
will want to address how the second wave of feminism
impacted women’s experiences in your selected
activist movement.
There are two parts to this Assignment: An analysis
portion in which you will provide an analysis based on
your Unit 7 Reading about women’s activism during
the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s, and a reflection
portion in which you will reflect on the
accomplishments of women in the activist movement
you have selected.
Content:
The first step for this Assignment is to determine
which activist effort you would like to emphasize in this
Assignment. Select one activist effort from the
following list: AIM (American Indian Movement), Asian
American activism, Chicana activism, or the civil rights
movement.
Once you have selected your activist effort, you will
follow the guidelines below.
Part I: Analysis portion of the Assignment:
Assignment Details

What were the main issues that women were fighting
for as part of the activist movement you have
selected? To what degree were they successful? What
was the impact of the second wave of feminism on the
activist movement you have selected? Address the
Unit 7 Reading material, emphasizing material
regarding the activist movement you select and the
second wave of feminism.
Part II: Reflection portion of the Assignment:
Reflect on the impact women’s participation in activist
movements would have on their personal lives.
Consider the impact of the second wave of feminism
on women’s experiences. Consider one particular
individual involved in the activist movements of the
1960s, 1970s, and 1980s whose experiences inspired
you. Consider, too, how you may be able to relate to
the determination of women involved in the activism of
the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
Word Count:
The Assignment should be at least 500 words and
should employ connections to the Unit 7 Reading
material. You should follow the Unit 7 Assignment tem
plate in Course Documents.

APA formatting:
Connections to the Unit 7 Reading material are
required for this Assignment. Be sure to include APA
parenthetical citations and references; formatting for
citations and reference entries should follow the APA
6th edition style guide, which is available under
Content / Academic Tools via the Academic Writer
link.
Submit the Assignment to the Unit 7 Dropbox when it
is complete.
https://kapextmediassl-
a.akamaihd.net/genEd/RUBRICS/1901C/SS360Unit7_assignmen
t_template_1901C.docx
SOCI201-012
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Organizations and Social Institutions
Leadership
Leadership styles
Authoritarian- leads by giving orders

group members become dependent on and hostile towards leader
Democratic- leads by trying to reach a consensus amongst the
group members
groups continue to function without direct contact with the
leader
Laissez-faire- leads by letting the group do what it wants
often does not result in an efficient group
Groupthink
When the thoughts of a group’s members narrow into one
collective thought, and any variation from that thought is
considered disloyalty to the group
The degree to which a group suffers from groupthink depends
on the leadership style and the susceptibility of the group
members
Mean Girls
How did Regina George become the leader of the Plastics?
Which leadership style does Regina use to control the
Plastics/the school?
What are some examples of groupthink from the movie?
Stanley Milgram - The Effect of Authority

Conducted an obedience experiment in the 1960s
Recruited 40 men aged 20-50 to participate in an experiment
about learning and the effect that punishment has on learning
The participants were assigned to be the “teachers,” and his
colleagues pose as “students” in the experiment
The “teachers” were instructed to deliver an electric shock when
the “student” got an answer wrong on the memory recall test;
the shock got increasingly worse for every mistake
None of the participants stopped before 300V
When the learner did not give verbal feedback; 65% pushed the
levers all the way to 450V
When the teachers could see the learners, 40% pushed it all the
way to 450V
When a second “teacher” was planted, who refused to continue
with the experiment, only 5% of the participants administered
the 450V
What effect did “responsibility” have on the process?
What effect did “authority” have on the experiment?
Bureaucracies
A formal organization whose members have highly specialized
tasks arranged in a hierarchy of authority
The defining structure of the modern organization
The most efficient type of formal organization

Bureaucracies
Five Characteristics of bureaucracies (according to Weber)
Separate levels; task assignments flow down the levels,
accountability flows up the levels
A division of labor
Formalized rules
Written communication and records
Impersonality and replaceability
Bureaucracies
Dysfunctions of Bureaucracies
Red tape: formalized rules within organizations that often seem
unnecessary and can prohibit decision-making
Alienation: repetitive tasks, being disconnected from the work,
office workers filling out endless forms
How do we resist alienation?

The McDonaldization of Society (George Ritzer)
Standardization of everyday life
Uses the metaphor of the assembly-line production of the fast
food industry
Efficiency, calculability, predictability/standardization, and
control
Originally referred to shopping malls, travel agencies, mass
produced news (1993)
Now, much of our standardization comes from Amazon
(shopping), Social Media (information), big Tech companies
(entertainment)
SOCI201-012Tuesday, October 8, 2019Bureaucracies in Formal
Organizations
1. Bureaucracies
a. A formal organization with a hierarchy of authority and a
clear division of labor
i. Weber studied them over a hundred years ago, but we still see
the bureaucratic organization everywhere (look at higher ed, the
Army, or any business organization)
ii. They are the defining structure of the modern organization;
they are the most efficient type of formal organization
b. Four Characteristics of Bureaucracies (according to Max
Weber)

i. Separate levels; with assignments flowing downward and
accountability flowing upward
ii. A division of labor
1. Each worker is assigned a specific task and only that task;
their completion of that task contributes to the overall function
of the organization
iii. Written rules
1. Policies that are institutionalized (e.g., student handbooks; I
also have policies that I follow as a staff member. Since I work
with data on campus, I have to sign data privacy agreements)
iv. Written communication and records
1. Written reports, end of the year evaluations; everything gets
documented so it can be passed onto the next person
v. Impersonality and replaceability
1. Workers are replaceable units; the good of the individual is
sacrificed for the good of the organization
2. This class was originally scheduled to be taught by a
different lecturer- she had to step down, so I was asked two
months before the semester to step in and teach it
vi. These five characteristics help bureaucracies function
efficiently and reach their goals; they help the organization
grow and perpetuate
c. Dysfunctions of Bureaucracies
i. Red tape: rules for the sake of rules (even if they don’t make
sense; maybe they served a purpose at one point, but they no
longer do)
1. E.g., The UD Registrar’s new system of automatically
creating a waitlist for full classes- when my numbers drop, if
there are people stuck on the waitlist, other students can’t join
my class without first joining the waitlist (this was meant to
increase efficiency, but it ends up causing more problems)
ii. Alienation: repetitive tasks, being disconnected from the
work, office workers filling out endless forms, etc.
1. How do we resist alienation? We form primary groups at
work (establish a group of work friends that can help give
meaning to the routine)

d. McDonaldization of society (George Ritzer- sociologist)
i. Update on Weber’s concept of bureaucracy
ii. Does not just refer to the assembly-line production of the fast
food industry; Ritzer is referring to society as a whole,
specifically the standardization of everyday life
iii. Original examples included shopping malls, travel agencies,
mass produced news, etc.
1. Efficiency, calculability, predictability/standardization,
control
iv. Now, much of our standardization comes from Amazon
(shopping), Social Media (information), and big Tech
companies (entertainment)
v. Additionally, we have consistently been threatened with the
impending doom of robots taking over not just our jobs, but
every aspect of our lives
1. Example: Over-reliance on Google Maps has decreased our
spatial and geographical awareness; what happens when
technology fails us?
SOCI201-012Thursday, October 3, 2019Organizations and
Social Institutions
Leadership
· Leadership styles
· Authoritarian- leads by giving orders
· group members become dependent on and hostile towards
leader
· Democratic- leads by trying to reach a consensus amongst the
group members
· groups continue to function without direct contact with the
leader
· Laissez-faire- leads by letting the group do what it wants
· often does not result in an efficient group
Groupthink

· When the thoughts of a group’s members narrow into one
· The degree to which a group suffers from groupthink depends
members
Mean Girls
· How did Regina George become the leader of the Plastics?
· Which leadership style does Regina use to control the
· What are some examples of groupthink from the movie?
· Conducted an obedience experiment in the 1960s
· Recruited 40 men aged 20-50 to participate in an experiment
about learning and the effect that punishment has on learning
· The participants were assigned to be the “teachers,” and his
colleagues pose as “students” in the experiment
· The “teachers” were instructed to deliver an electric shock
when the “student” got an answer wrong on the memory recall
test; the shock got increasingly worse for every mistake
· None of the participants stopped before 300V
· When the learner did not give verbal feedback; 65% pushed
the levers all the way to 450V
· When the teachers could see the learners, 40% pushed it all
the way to 450V
· When a second “teacher” was planted, who refused to continue
with the experiment, only 5% of the participants administered
the 450V
· What effect did “responsibility” have on the process?

· What effect did “authority” have on the experiment?
Bureaucracies
· A formal organization whose members have highly specialized
tasks arranged in a hierarchy of authority
· The defining structure of the modern organization
· The most efficient type of formal organization
Bureaucracies
· Five Characteristics of bureaucracies (according to Weber)
· Separate levels; task assignments flow down the levels,
accountability flows up the levels
· A division of labor
· Formalized rules
· Written communication and records
· Impersonality and replaceability
Bureaucracies
· Dysfunctions of Bureaucracies
· Red tape: formalized rules within organizations that often
seem unnecessary and can prohibit decision-making
· Alienation: repetitive tasks, being disconnected from the
work, office workers filling out endless forms
· How do we resist alienation?
The McDonaldization of Society (George Ritzer)
· Standardization of everyday life
· Uses the metaphor of the assembly-line production of the fast
food industry
· Efficiency, calculability, predictability/standardization, and
control

· Originally referred to shopping malls, travel agencies, mass
produced news (1993)
· Now, much of our standardization comes from Amazon
(shopping), Social Media (information), big Tech companies
(entertainment)
SOCI201-012Tuesday, October 1, 2019Social Groups and
Organizations
Social Groups
· A group of people who interact with one another and whose
members share common elements with the rest of the group
· Acknowledge a shared identity
· Provide a sense of belonging
Primary vs. Secondary Groups
· Primary
· Term coined by Charles Cooley (looking-glass self)
· Groups that provide intimate, face-to-face interaction; help
you develop a sense of self and an identity
· Secondary
· Larger, more anonymous groups of people
· More formal and impersonal
· Group membership is based on shared interests or activities
· Voluntary Associations
In-Groups and Out-Groups
· In-Groups: Groups toward which we feel belonging or loyalty
· Out-Groups: Groups toward which we feel antagonism
· Your relationship with in and out groups can help you feel a
sense of purpose, identity, and belonging

Reference Groups and Social Networks
· Reference groups: groups whose standards we refer to as we
evaluate ourselves
· Contradictions: we can experience inner turmoil when our
reference groups (especially ones that we had in childhood)
start to shift as we are exposed to a more socially diverse world
· Social Network: the social ties that radiate out from an
individual that link people together
· Social networks allow for different social groups to be tied
together
Mean Girls [00:00-18:00]
· What are the in-groups and out-groups of the high school?
· What are Cady’s primary and secondary groups?
· What are the reference groups?
· Contradictions?
· Who is in Cady’s social network?
Cady’s Social Network
Group Dynamics
· The ways in which individuals affect groups and the ways in
which groups affect individuals
· Group Size:
· Dyads (2 people, 1 relationship)
· Triads (3 people, 3 relationships)
· Coalitions: 2 vs. 1
· 4 people = 6 relationships
· 5 people = 10 relationships
Effects of Group Size

· Group size and Stability and Intimacy
· Smaller groups have more intimacy (more interaction between
members) but less stability (if 1 person leaves, the groups
collapses)
· Larger groups have less intimacy but more stability- more
relationships, also tend to have more formality
· Group size and Attitudes and Behavior
· Larger groups tend to break into smaller, more intimate
subgroups
Mean Girls [29:00-35:00]
· What happens to the different groups as Cady joins them?
· How do Cady, Janis, and Damian conspire to destroy Regina
George?
Leadership
· Who becomes a leader?
· Sociologists: people become leaders because they are most
closely aligned with the group’s values or purpose
· There are also certain traits that we have identified as being
indicative of a strong leader: smart, outgoing, organized,
persuasive, confident
Leadership
· Types of Leaders
· Instrumental leader (task-oriented): an individual who tries to
keep the group moving toward its goals
· Easy to spot by the members of the group
· Expressive leader (socioemotional): an individual who
increases harmony and minimizes conflict in a group
· Usually not recognized as a leader

Leadership
· Leadership styles
· Authoritarian- leads by giving orders
· group members become dependent on and hostile towards
leader
· Democratic- leads by trying to reach a consensus amongst the
group members
· groups continue to function without direct contact with the
leader
· Laissez-faire- leads by letting the group do what it wants
· often does not result in an efficient group
Groupthink
· When the thoughts of a group’s members narrow into one
· The degree to which a group suffers from groupthink depends
members
Mean Girls [40:15-46:39]
· How did Regina George become the leader of the Plastics?
· Which leadership style does Regina use to control the
· What are some examples of groupthink from the movie?

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