The document discusses various topics related to social change and futures studies. It covers:
1) Theories of social change that recognize both slow evolution and rapid evolutionary jumps. Society can develop through consensus or conflict.
2) Four traditions in futures inquiry: empirical, cultural, critical, and integral. The integral tradition incorporates different ways of knowing.
3) Challenges of decision-making in a changing social reality where established rationalities may no longer apply. New models and institutions are needed.
4) Technologies are shaped by social factors and their effects can be seen as social properties. Rapid technological and social changes blur understandings of cause and effect.
- Anthony Giddens' 1991 book "The Consequences of Modernity" argues that modernity created unprecedented discontinuities from traditional societies due to the pace, scope and nature of changes in institutions like the state and urban settlements.
- Giddens analyzes modernity's "double-edged" impacts of both opportunity and danger due to developments like industrialization, totalitarian states and industrialized war.
- He critiques classical sociological perspectives for limiting understanding of modern institutions and argues for analyzing how modernity separates and recombines time and space in ways that dynamize social relations.
Understanding the concepts of culture, society and politicsMaryjoydailo
This document discusses key concepts related to culture, society, and politics. It covers:
- Aspects of culture including that culture is learned, symbolic, integrated, shared, and all-encompassing.
- Three sociological approaches to studying society: structural-functional, social-conflict, and symbolic-interaction. The structural-functional and social-conflict approaches have a macro-level orientation while symbolic-interaction has a micro-level orientation.
- Definitions of politics including that politics involves the activity of making, preserving, and amending the general rules that people live by, which inevitably leads to conflict and cooperation.
This document discusses several dominant approaches and ideas in the social sciences. It outlines microlevel approaches like rational choice theory and symbolic interactionism, which focus on individual behavior and decision-making. It also discusses macrolevel approaches like structural functionalism and institutionalism, which examine larger social systems and structures. Structural functionalism views society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote stability. Institutionalism studies how formal and informal institutions influence social behavior by constraining and empowering individuals. The document provides overviews of the key concepts and premises of these different theoretical perspectives in social science.
The document discusses several ways that modernity has impacted society. It describes how modernity has led to a more fluid society where people can change jobs and identities easily. Both positive and negative effects of modernity are provided, such as increased communication but also a loss of privacy. Modernity is shown to affect social adaptability, encouraging societies to change over time. Different economic systems like capitalism and socialism are also compared in the context of modernity's influence.
This document provides an overview and analysis of Anthony Giddens' Structuration Theory. It begins with an introduction to Giddens and his rejection of views that see social structures as either completely determining human agency or views that see humans as completely free. It then examines key aspects of Giddens' theory, including the duality of structure, the types of social structures, and the concepts of agency and the relationship between micro and macro levels of analysis. Finally, it discusses connections between Structuration Theory and human geography, particularly in understanding urban environments and the complex relationships between individuals and social forces within cities.
CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE AND ITS APPLICATION TOMurray Hunter
CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE AND ITS APPLICATION TO
ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITY AND ETHICS
Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice Vol. 4, No. 1. 2012
- Anthony Giddens' 1991 book "The Consequences of Modernity" argues that modernity created unprecedented discontinuities from traditional societies due to the pace, scope and nature of changes in institutions like the state and urban settlements.
- Giddens analyzes modernity's "double-edged" impacts of both opportunity and danger due to developments like industrialization, totalitarian states and industrialized war.
- He critiques classical sociological perspectives for limiting understanding of modern institutions and argues for analyzing how modernity separates and recombines time and space in ways that dynamize social relations.
Understanding the concepts of culture, society and politicsMaryjoydailo
This document discusses key concepts related to culture, society, and politics. It covers:
- Aspects of culture including that culture is learned, symbolic, integrated, shared, and all-encompassing.
- Three sociological approaches to studying society: structural-functional, social-conflict, and symbolic-interaction. The structural-functional and social-conflict approaches have a macro-level orientation while symbolic-interaction has a micro-level orientation.
- Definitions of politics including that politics involves the activity of making, preserving, and amending the general rules that people live by, which inevitably leads to conflict and cooperation.
This document discusses several dominant approaches and ideas in the social sciences. It outlines microlevel approaches like rational choice theory and symbolic interactionism, which focus on individual behavior and decision-making. It also discusses macrolevel approaches like structural functionalism and institutionalism, which examine larger social systems and structures. Structural functionalism views society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote stability. Institutionalism studies how formal and informal institutions influence social behavior by constraining and empowering individuals. The document provides overviews of the key concepts and premises of these different theoretical perspectives in social science.
The document discusses several ways that modernity has impacted society. It describes how modernity has led to a more fluid society where people can change jobs and identities easily. Both positive and negative effects of modernity are provided, such as increased communication but also a loss of privacy. Modernity is shown to affect social adaptability, encouraging societies to change over time. Different economic systems like capitalism and socialism are also compared in the context of modernity's influence.
This document provides an overview and analysis of Anthony Giddens' Structuration Theory. It begins with an introduction to Giddens and his rejection of views that see social structures as either completely determining human agency or views that see humans as completely free. It then examines key aspects of Giddens' theory, including the duality of structure, the types of social structures, and the concepts of agency and the relationship between micro and macro levels of analysis. Finally, it discusses connections between Structuration Theory and human geography, particularly in understanding urban environments and the complex relationships between individuals and social forces within cities.
CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE AND ITS APPLICATION TOMurray Hunter
CREATIVE INTELLIGENCE AND ITS APPLICATION TO
ENTREPRENEURIAL OPPORTUNITY AND ETHICS
Contemporary Readings in Law and Social Justice Vol. 4, No. 1. 2012
Foresight and Innovation Culture Alicante 4.dec. 2009anita rubin
The document discusses the changing nature of change and technology in society. It argues that technological change is non-linear and shaped by social factors. As information becomes more ubiquitous, new tools and institutions are needed to cope with constant change and new information. However, ubiquitous technology both expands and limits individual possibilities by enabling new forms of community but also risks numbing emotions or commercializing intimacy.
Prospecting Socially-Aware Concepts and Artefacts for Designing for Community...COMRADES project
This document discusses concepts from the Socially-Aware Design approach that could help inform the design of technologies to boost community resilience for refugees. It introduces the Semiotic Onion model, which views a design problem across technical, formal, and informal sociocultural layers. It also discusses Edward Hall's Basic Building Blocks of Culture as a way to understand cultural aspects that may influence design. The document argues these concepts could help identify important values, threats, and resilience factors for refugee communities to ensure designs are aligned with their needs and context.
An ethics of becoming in a pedagogy for social justice - by Dirk PostmaBrenda Leibowitz
This document discusses a posthumanist perspective on pedagogy for social justice. It begins by discussing how protests are part of an ongoing revolution against neoliberalism and capitalism. It then discusses how posthumanism can enhance humanistic pedagogies by decentering the human and emphasizing becoming, affects, desire, and power. A posthuman pedagogy would focus on students' becoming-minoritarian through expanding their capacities to affect and be affected by others. The goal is to awaken students' desires and wills to become different than what is prescribed under neoliberal subjectification, in order to challenge exclusion and dominance.
2013 ws creativity & attention-creativity and the management of attention wit...Thierry Nabeth
Social media has transformed the web into a hyper-connected social space that is inundated by a flood of social signals that reflects the activities of the members, and contributes to the dynamic of the interaction. In this context, the participants decode, process and emit information for making sense of this social world, and for acting upon it. The objective of this paper is to explore the implication of this setting for an application in the context of supporting creativity online, and in particular taking into consideration effects such as social facilitation (people’s performance is affected positively or negatively when they know they are being watched). More specifically, we examine the effect of the different conflicts (e.g. arousal versus distraction) induced by this massive social transparency on the online creative process, and we look at how attention management systems can help at supporting more effectively creativity with social media.
This document discusses social innovation and the role of research in promoting it. It defines social innovation as changes that lead to better social inclusion, such as innovations in social relations and institutions. Research from various social science disciplines can contribute by developing interdisciplinary frameworks and involving stakeholders. Policy should promote social innovation by supporting initiatives through funding and institutions, using multi-level governance, and orienting education and R&D policies towards social goals. Research can also catalyze social innovation through participatory methods, studying links between social, technological and organizational change, and addressing concerns about how some recent innovations have threatened social cohesion in Europe.
Socially Just Pedagogies through the lens of 'new pedagogy studies' and in th...Brenda Leibowitz
This document discusses how affect theory can inform theories of socially just pedagogy. It outlines three tenets of new pedagogy studies: 1) relationships are central to pedagogy, 2) culture and power relations shape pedagogy, and 3) pedagogy occurs in public spaces. The "affective turn" acknowledges that affects and emotions are shaped by power and politics. Incorporating affect theory into socially just pedagogies raises questions about the relationship between private and public spheres, and pedagogy's transformative potential regarding embodied and cultural norms. All pedagogies essentially structure emotions and are implicated in how knowledge transforms people within social contexts.
A socio-cultural perspective of creativity for the design of educational envi...eLearning Papers
Authors: Françoise Decortis,Laura Lentini.
Creativity has long been a topic of interest and a subject of study for psychologists, who analyse it from several perspectives. From the cognitive perspective, researchers attempt to identity the specific processes and structures which contribute to creative acts, whilst from the socio-cultural perspective they try to demonstrate that artistic innovations emerge from joint thinking and exchanges among people. According to the latter, creativity indeed does not happen only inside our heads: the interaction between people's thoughts and a socio-cultural context is fundamental.
Indigenous knowledge and cognitive justice: Towards a co-production of knowle...Carina van Rooyen
Presentation to SOTL@UJ on 11 September 2014. This was the third leg of the presentation; the other two was by Thea de Wet and Gert van der Westhuizen.
1. Andrew Light argues that environmental ethics should take a more pragmatic approach and embrace both biocentric and anthropocentric views to engage the public on environmental issues. This will make environmental ethics more accessible and allow environmental philosophers to better persuade people.
2. Ramachandra Guha provides a developing world perspective on environmental ethics, arguing that Western conservation models can harm indigenous communities. Sustainability approaches must consider how local human populations interact with nature.
3. Brian Walker and David Salt introduce resilience thinking, which focuses on systems' ability to withstand disturbances rather than optimization. Considering interconnected social and ecological systems can increase nature's value and support sustainability.
This document summarizes key concepts and theorists related to social capital. It discusses the work of Pierre Bourdieu, James Coleman, and Robert Putnam, who view social capital as the advantages generated by social networks and relationships. It also covers network perspectives that focus on measuring individuals' social ties and potential access to resources. The document outlines theories of social capital and studies that have tested relationships between social networks, accessed and mobilized social capital, and socioeconomic outcomes.
The Meaning of Value Consideration in Futures Studiesanita rubin
The document discusses several key topics related to futures studies and consideration of values:
1. Futures studies aims to explore possible, probable, and desirable futures in order to help decision-making and diminish unwanted consequences. It does this by considering values that guide choices.
2. Values play a role in selecting ideal outcomes and means to achieve them. However, determining what ought to be done based on factual statements about what is can be challenging.
3. Living with constant change and technology dependence has increased social vulnerability and weakened the meaningfulness of decisions as traditional social structures change. Reconsidering ethics and values is important in guiding choices with less routine guidance.
The document discusses several dominant approaches in the social sciences including:
1) Microlevel approaches like rational choice theory and symbolic interactionism that focus on individual behavior.
2) Macrolevel approaches like structural functionalism and institutionalism that examine larger social systems and structures.
3) Interdisciplinary approaches such as the human-environment system that integrate ideas across fields.
It then provides more details on specific theories under the microlevel and macrolevel categories.
New, Better Human Beings? The Role of Values in Futures Studiesanita rubin
Flechtheim believed futurology could create a better future by solving problems, eliminating hunger/misery, fighting exploitation, democratizing society, and creating "Homo Humanus." His insights were that some problems are global, systems thinking is needed, understanding the present affects the future, and research requires normativity. Predictability, transformability, and desirability are three dimensions in approaching the future regarding values. Technocratic futures studies focused on predictions while humanistic studies emphasized alternative futures and values. Different knowledge interests in futures studies aim at technical, practical, critical, or intuitive understanding.
Urban Hub 11 : Co Creating Emergence - a meta-pragmatic approachPaul van Schaık
Co Creating Emergence a meta-pragmatic approach to the creation of thriveable cities
This document is not about clicking our links and following our path of discovery but about engaging and searching your own path in collaboration with us and others and developing pathways for our combined action.
CHAT (Cultural Historical Activity Theory) was developed by cognitive psychologists to understand how people develop understandings of the world and create learning from those meanings. It combines systems, learning, and developmental components to allow meanings to expand towards action. Connectivism describes learning in a digital age as occurring through connections within networks, where learning resides outside of individuals and in diverse opinions. Both theories see disturbances and contradictions as opportunities for expansive learning through cycles of activity.
Bjmc i, cp, unit-iii, effect of mass mediaRai University
Media effects can be psychological, social, cultural, or political depending on the perspective. Parents are concerned about the effects of excessive media consumption on their children's behavior and attitudes. Effects can be short or long term, superficial or profound. Influences and effects are complex phenomena that depend on individual personality and social/cultural context. The interaction between media and audiences is extremely complex given the variety of media, content, and social environments. The only safe conclusion is that some kinds of media communication have some kinds of effects on some kinds of people under some conditions.
Urban Hub 19 : Deep Drivers - An Integral Theory of Change and a framework fo...Paul van Schaık
Deep Drivers An Integral Theory of Change and a framework for action. A series of books from integralMENTORS Integral UrbanHub work - on Wellbeing and Thriveable Cities
Integral theory is simply explained as it relates to these themes see UH 2 & UH 3 for more detail.
This volume is part of an ongoing series of guides to integrally inform practitioners.
Foresight and Innovation Culture Alicante 4.dec. 2009anita rubin
The document discusses the changing nature of change and technology in society. It argues that technological change is non-linear and shaped by social factors. As information becomes more ubiquitous, new tools and institutions are needed to cope with constant change and new information. However, ubiquitous technology both expands and limits individual possibilities by enabling new forms of community but also risks numbing emotions or commercializing intimacy.
Prospecting Socially-Aware Concepts and Artefacts for Designing for Community...COMRADES project
This document discusses concepts from the Socially-Aware Design approach that could help inform the design of technologies to boost community resilience for refugees. It introduces the Semiotic Onion model, which views a design problem across technical, formal, and informal sociocultural layers. It also discusses Edward Hall's Basic Building Blocks of Culture as a way to understand cultural aspects that may influence design. The document argues these concepts could help identify important values, threats, and resilience factors for refugee communities to ensure designs are aligned with their needs and context.
An ethics of becoming in a pedagogy for social justice - by Dirk PostmaBrenda Leibowitz
This document discusses a posthumanist perspective on pedagogy for social justice. It begins by discussing how protests are part of an ongoing revolution against neoliberalism and capitalism. It then discusses how posthumanism can enhance humanistic pedagogies by decentering the human and emphasizing becoming, affects, desire, and power. A posthuman pedagogy would focus on students' becoming-minoritarian through expanding their capacities to affect and be affected by others. The goal is to awaken students' desires and wills to become different than what is prescribed under neoliberal subjectification, in order to challenge exclusion and dominance.
2013 ws creativity & attention-creativity and the management of attention wit...Thierry Nabeth
Social media has transformed the web into a hyper-connected social space that is inundated by a flood of social signals that reflects the activities of the members, and contributes to the dynamic of the interaction. In this context, the participants decode, process and emit information for making sense of this social world, and for acting upon it. The objective of this paper is to explore the implication of this setting for an application in the context of supporting creativity online, and in particular taking into consideration effects such as social facilitation (people’s performance is affected positively or negatively when they know they are being watched). More specifically, we examine the effect of the different conflicts (e.g. arousal versus distraction) induced by this massive social transparency on the online creative process, and we look at how attention management systems can help at supporting more effectively creativity with social media.
This document discusses social innovation and the role of research in promoting it. It defines social innovation as changes that lead to better social inclusion, such as innovations in social relations and institutions. Research from various social science disciplines can contribute by developing interdisciplinary frameworks and involving stakeholders. Policy should promote social innovation by supporting initiatives through funding and institutions, using multi-level governance, and orienting education and R&D policies towards social goals. Research can also catalyze social innovation through participatory methods, studying links between social, technological and organizational change, and addressing concerns about how some recent innovations have threatened social cohesion in Europe.
Socially Just Pedagogies through the lens of 'new pedagogy studies' and in th...Brenda Leibowitz
This document discusses how affect theory can inform theories of socially just pedagogy. It outlines three tenets of new pedagogy studies: 1) relationships are central to pedagogy, 2) culture and power relations shape pedagogy, and 3) pedagogy occurs in public spaces. The "affective turn" acknowledges that affects and emotions are shaped by power and politics. Incorporating affect theory into socially just pedagogies raises questions about the relationship between private and public spheres, and pedagogy's transformative potential regarding embodied and cultural norms. All pedagogies essentially structure emotions and are implicated in how knowledge transforms people within social contexts.
A socio-cultural perspective of creativity for the design of educational envi...eLearning Papers
Authors: Françoise Decortis,Laura Lentini.
Creativity has long been a topic of interest and a subject of study for psychologists, who analyse it from several perspectives. From the cognitive perspective, researchers attempt to identity the specific processes and structures which contribute to creative acts, whilst from the socio-cultural perspective they try to demonstrate that artistic innovations emerge from joint thinking and exchanges among people. According to the latter, creativity indeed does not happen only inside our heads: the interaction between people's thoughts and a socio-cultural context is fundamental.
Indigenous knowledge and cognitive justice: Towards a co-production of knowle...Carina van Rooyen
Presentation to SOTL@UJ on 11 September 2014. This was the third leg of the presentation; the other two was by Thea de Wet and Gert van der Westhuizen.
1. Andrew Light argues that environmental ethics should take a more pragmatic approach and embrace both biocentric and anthropocentric views to engage the public on environmental issues. This will make environmental ethics more accessible and allow environmental philosophers to better persuade people.
2. Ramachandra Guha provides a developing world perspective on environmental ethics, arguing that Western conservation models can harm indigenous communities. Sustainability approaches must consider how local human populations interact with nature.
3. Brian Walker and David Salt introduce resilience thinking, which focuses on systems' ability to withstand disturbances rather than optimization. Considering interconnected social and ecological systems can increase nature's value and support sustainability.
This document summarizes key concepts and theorists related to social capital. It discusses the work of Pierre Bourdieu, James Coleman, and Robert Putnam, who view social capital as the advantages generated by social networks and relationships. It also covers network perspectives that focus on measuring individuals' social ties and potential access to resources. The document outlines theories of social capital and studies that have tested relationships between social networks, accessed and mobilized social capital, and socioeconomic outcomes.
The Meaning of Value Consideration in Futures Studiesanita rubin
The document discusses several key topics related to futures studies and consideration of values:
1. Futures studies aims to explore possible, probable, and desirable futures in order to help decision-making and diminish unwanted consequences. It does this by considering values that guide choices.
2. Values play a role in selecting ideal outcomes and means to achieve them. However, determining what ought to be done based on factual statements about what is can be challenging.
3. Living with constant change and technology dependence has increased social vulnerability and weakened the meaningfulness of decisions as traditional social structures change. Reconsidering ethics and values is important in guiding choices with less routine guidance.
The document discusses several dominant approaches in the social sciences including:
1) Microlevel approaches like rational choice theory and symbolic interactionism that focus on individual behavior.
2) Macrolevel approaches like structural functionalism and institutionalism that examine larger social systems and structures.
3) Interdisciplinary approaches such as the human-environment system that integrate ideas across fields.
It then provides more details on specific theories under the microlevel and macrolevel categories.
New, Better Human Beings? The Role of Values in Futures Studiesanita rubin
Flechtheim believed futurology could create a better future by solving problems, eliminating hunger/misery, fighting exploitation, democratizing society, and creating "Homo Humanus." His insights were that some problems are global, systems thinking is needed, understanding the present affects the future, and research requires normativity. Predictability, transformability, and desirability are three dimensions in approaching the future regarding values. Technocratic futures studies focused on predictions while humanistic studies emphasized alternative futures and values. Different knowledge interests in futures studies aim at technical, practical, critical, or intuitive understanding.
Urban Hub 11 : Co Creating Emergence - a meta-pragmatic approachPaul van Schaık
Co Creating Emergence a meta-pragmatic approach to the creation of thriveable cities
This document is not about clicking our links and following our path of discovery but about engaging and searching your own path in collaboration with us and others and developing pathways for our combined action.
CHAT (Cultural Historical Activity Theory) was developed by cognitive psychologists to understand how people develop understandings of the world and create learning from those meanings. It combines systems, learning, and developmental components to allow meanings to expand towards action. Connectivism describes learning in a digital age as occurring through connections within networks, where learning resides outside of individuals and in diverse opinions. Both theories see disturbances and contradictions as opportunities for expansive learning through cycles of activity.
Bjmc i, cp, unit-iii, effect of mass mediaRai University
Media effects can be psychological, social, cultural, or political depending on the perspective. Parents are concerned about the effects of excessive media consumption on their children's behavior and attitudes. Effects can be short or long term, superficial or profound. Influences and effects are complex phenomena that depend on individual personality and social/cultural context. The interaction between media and audiences is extremely complex given the variety of media, content, and social environments. The only safe conclusion is that some kinds of media communication have some kinds of effects on some kinds of people under some conditions.
Urban Hub 19 : Deep Drivers - An Integral Theory of Change and a framework fo...Paul van Schaık
Deep Drivers An Integral Theory of Change and a framework for action. A series of books from integralMENTORS Integral UrbanHub work - on Wellbeing and Thriveable Cities
Integral theory is simply explained as it relates to these themes see UH 2 & UH 3 for more detail.
This volume is part of an ongoing series of guides to integrally inform practitioners.
This document discusses the key concepts of social science. It defines social science as the unique study of human relationships and society. The scope of social science is as broad as human history and worldwide interactions between people. Social science emphasizes social structures, human actions, individuals, culture, and the relationship between society and the natural environment. It observes social phenomena through the dual elements of empirical analysis and the study of society. The overall aim is to characterize human nature and experience.
The document provides an overview of a social science module, including its aims to introduce students to core social science concepts and research methods. It discusses what social science is, noting it systematically studies human social behavior and society through disciplines like sociology, psychology, politics, and economics. The document also outlines the module's structure, assessments, expectations, and origins of social science from the natural sciences during the Scientific Revolution.
This document discusses collective gender identity as represented in various media such as magazines, television advertisements, and music videos. It examines how media helps shape and reinforce ideas of gender identity and stereotypes. Some key points made include:
- Media such as ads in magazines and television portray and help create a collective sense of gender identity.
- Different media sources reinforce gender identities and stereotypes in similar ways.
- Considering media as a whole, what identities or stereotypes does it suggest for different genders?
The document then discusses concepts like collective identity and how participating in social activities can provide individuals a sense of belonging and identity beyond their individual selves. It examines the rewards and risks of social networking and participation
Images of the future in identity buildinganita rubin
This document discusses images of the future and identity building. It notes that images of the future are mental constructions composed of knowledge, perceptions, beliefs, and expectations. These images are shaped by traditions, social knowledge, personality, and general knowledge. Contradictions can arise between individual and group images of the future. Coping and decision-making are influenced by one's images of the future. Identity is represented through determining differences from others and is dependent on interactions and relationships. Individualism has become an important source of meaning but can also lead to feelings of loneliness and insecurity. The challenges of living in an information society with constant information inflows are also discussed.
Creativity and Inclusiveness, Well-Being, Socio-Emotional SkillsEduSkills OECD
This presentation was given by Hannah Grainger-Clemson at the international conference “Fostering creativity in children and young people through education and culture” in Durham, United Kingdom on 4-5 September 2017.
- Sociology is defined as the systematic study of human society and social behavior. It examines how society influences individuals and how individuals influence society.
- A key concept is C.Wright Mills' "sociological imagination," which refers to understanding the relationship between personal experiences and wider social influences/structures.
- Sociology uses scientific methods like quantitative and qualitative research to study social patterns and interactions at both the micro and macro levels. The goal is to develop theories to explain social phenomena.
The relationship between communication and culture is complex. Communication enables the sharing of behaviors and ideas that form common cultures within groups. Worldviews, values, and norms shaped by a culture influence communication patterns. Scholars like Kluckhohn and Strodbeck studied how cultures develop differing answers to questions about human nature and social relationships. Hofstede identified dimensions along which cultures vary, such as individualism vs collectivism and power distance. These dimensions reflect how societies handle inequality, social goals, and relationships between individuals and groups.
This document provides an overview of sociology as a field of study. It defines sociology as the systematic study of human society and social behavior, from large institutions to small groups. It discusses key concepts like social behavior, society, and the sociological perspective. It also outlines some of the main topics studied in sociology like socialization, culture, groups, inequality, and social institutions. The document emphasizes the importance of developing a sociological imagination to understand how individual experiences are shaped by broader social and historical forces.
This document provides an overview of sociology as a field of study. It defines sociology as the systematic study of human society and social behavior, from large institutions to small groups. It discusses key concepts like social behavior, society, and the sociological perspective. It also summarizes some of the main topics covered in sociology like socialization, culture, groups, inequality, and social institutions. The document emphasizes that sociologists study people and society objectively using methods like participant observation, surveys, and the scientific method to collect both quantitative and qualitative data.
MAX WEBER Key Concepts I Sociology is a science which at.docxandreecapon
MAX WEBER: Key Concepts I
Sociology is a “science which attempts the interpretive understanding of social action to arrive
at a causal explanation of its course and effects.” While the subject matter of sociology
may overlap with history, it focuses on generalizable uniformities in social action
rather than the explanation of particular events, actions, and personalities.
Verstehen, meaning “understanding” in German, is the name Weber gives to the method of
interpretive sociology. He advocates studying social life by way of understanding the
subjective meanings that people give to their own social actions and those of others.
In fact, he considered this method of understanding the subjective states of mind of
individuals the basis for a scientific sociology. He identifies two kinds of understanding:
1) direct observational understanding of the subjective meaning of any given
individual act, its intention and 2) explanatory understanding, which looks at the
context of actions to discover the complex sets of meanings that comprise the
motivation behind individual actions in particular circumstances. He calls this complex
set of meanings a motive. Though this method of understanding is continuous with
the ways we constantly interpret other people’s behavior in our everyday lives,
sociology aims to do so in a more rigorous and systematic way—and often on a larger
scale. As it’s not feasible to interpret what’s in many heads all at once, to approximate
this method for understanding collective social life, Weber believes we need to employ
ideal types to classify different kinds of social action and their results according to the
similarities of individuals’ meanings and motivations.
Ideal Types are idealized concepts formulated by sociologists to capture a part of social reality,
which is much too complex to be understood in its entirety. Since actual situations
vary more or less in innumerable different ways from case to case, ideal types simplify
a messy reality by isolating certain aspects of institutions or social practices that are
relevant to a particular study and allow for analysis and comparison. Due to their
complexity, you should not expect to find ideal types in their pure form in real
situations. Rather, they act as simplifications that are useful for classifying and
comprehending significant parts of social reality. They can offer a window onto reality
that helps us understand the patterns within the messiness. For instance, Weber’s
notions of traditional, charismatic, and legal-rational forms of authority are ideal types:
SOC 260 Classical Social Theory Drexel University
Fall 2015 Professor Howard
authority figures will rarely fall neatly in any one of these categories but will probably
fall somewhere in between (in a grey area). Still, by constructing these ideal types,
Weber hopes to generalize about how authority ope ...
This document discusses the nature of social problems from a sociological perspective. It provides definitions of key concepts, including that sociology is the scientific study of human social relationships and groups. It outlines four criteria for something to be considered a social problem: 1) a real objective condition must exist, 2) people must subjectively perceive the condition as a problem, 3) it involves a gap between social ideals and realities, and 4) it must be seen as capable of collective solution. The sociological approach to analyzing social problems uses theory and research methods like case studies and surveys. Different theoretical perspectives like social disorganization and value conflict are also discussed.
The document discusses systems thinking and key concepts about systems. It defines a system as (1) created by nature or humans, (2) physical, abstract, or composed of humans, (3) separated from its environment by a border, and (4) either open or closed. Systems are hierarchical and composed of subsystems. Open systems receive inputs from their environment, transform those inputs, produce outputs, and self-regulate to maintain homeostasis. Feedback loops are important for self-regulation and development. Learning systems can change over time based on experiences, while non-learning systems lack this ability.
The document discusses systems thinking and key concepts about systems. It defines a system as (1) created by nature or humans, (2) physical, abstract, or composed of humans, (3) separated from its environment by a border, and (4) either open or closed. Systems are hierarchical with different levels that influence levels below but cannot be directly derived from higher levels. The document contrasts mechanistic and systemic worldviews and discusses open systems, feedback, homeostasis, and learning systems.
The document discusses the Delphi technique, which is used to structure group communication to understand complex problems and future developments. It involves a panel of experts who evaluate a topic through multiple rounds of questionnaires and feedback. The technique aims to dig out new viewpoints rather than consensus. It allows anonymity, iteration of arguments, and learning as experts' views change in response to feedback. The document provides details on how Delphi studies are conducted, including selecting experts, conducting rounds of questioning and feedback, and analyzing responses. It traces the history and evolution of Delphi from its origins in ancient Greece to its development and modern use.
Temple of Asclepius in Thrace. Excavation resultsKrassimira Luka
The temple and the sanctuary around were dedicated to Asklepios Zmidrenus. This name has been known since 1875 when an inscription dedicated to him was discovered in Rome. The inscription is dated in 227 AD and was left by soldiers originating from the city of Philippopolis (modern Plovdiv).
it describes the bony anatomy including the femoral head , acetabulum, labrum . also discusses the capsule , ligaments . muscle that act on the hip joint and the range of motion are outlined. factors affecting hip joint stability and weight transmission through the joint are summarized.
Leveraging Generative AI to Drive Nonprofit InnovationTechSoup
In this webinar, participants learned how to utilize Generative AI to streamline operations and elevate member engagement. Amazon Web Service experts provided a customer specific use cases and dived into low/no-code tools that are quick and easy to deploy through Amazon Web Service (AWS.)
Main Java[All of the Base Concepts}.docxadhitya5119
This is part 1 of my Java Learning Journey. This Contains Custom methods, classes, constructors, packages, multithreading , try- catch block, finally block and more.
Gender and Mental Health - Counselling and Family Therapy Applications and In...PsychoTech Services
A proprietary approach developed by bringing together the best of learning theories from Psychology, design principles from the world of visualization, and pedagogical methods from over a decade of training experience, that enables you to: Learn better, faster!
Walmart Business+ and Spark Good for Nonprofits.pdfTechSoup
"Learn about all the ways Walmart supports nonprofit organizations.
You will hear from Liz Willett, the Head of Nonprofits, and hear about what Walmart is doing to help nonprofits, including Walmart Business and Spark Good. Walmart Business+ is a new offer for nonprofits that offers discounts and also streamlines nonprofits order and expense tracking, saving time and money.
The webinar may also give some examples on how nonprofits can best leverage Walmart Business+.
The event will cover the following::
Walmart Business + (https://business.walmart.com/plus) is a new shopping experience for nonprofits, schools, and local business customers that connects an exclusive online shopping experience to stores. Benefits include free delivery and shipping, a 'Spend Analytics” feature, special discounts, deals and tax-exempt shopping.
Special TechSoup offer for a free 180 days membership, and up to $150 in discounts on eligible orders.
Spark Good (walmart.com/sparkgood) is a charitable platform that enables nonprofits to receive donations directly from customers and associates.
Answers about how you can do more with Walmart!"
LAND USE LAND COVER AND NDVI OF MIRZAPUR DISTRICT, UPRAHUL
This Dissertation explores the particular circumstances of Mirzapur, a region located in the
core of India. Mirzapur, with its varied terrains and abundant biodiversity, offers an optimal
environment for investigating the changes in vegetation cover dynamics. Our study utilizes
advanced technologies such as GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and Remote sensing to
analyze the transformations that have taken place over the course of a decade.
The complex relationship between human activities and the environment has been the focus
of extensive research and worry. As the global community grapples with swift urbanization,
population expansion, and economic progress, the effects on natural ecosystems are becoming
more evident. A crucial element of this impact is the alteration of vegetation cover, which plays a
significant role in maintaining the ecological equilibrium of our planet.Land serves as the foundation for all human activities and provides the necessary materials for
these activities. As the most crucial natural resource, its utilization by humans results in different
'Land uses,' which are determined by both human activities and the physical characteristics of the
land.
The utilization of land is impacted by human needs and environmental factors. In countries
like India, rapid population growth and the emphasis on extensive resource exploitation can lead
to significant land degradation, adversely affecting the region's land cover.
Therefore, human intervention has significantly influenced land use patterns over many
centuries, evolving its structure over time and space. In the present era, these changes have
accelerated due to factors such as agriculture and urbanization. Information regarding land use and
cover is essential for various planning and management tasks related to the Earth's surface,
providing crucial environmental data for scientific, resource management, policy purposes, and
diverse human activities.
Accurate understanding of land use and cover is imperative for the development planning
of any area. Consequently, a wide range of professionals, including earth system scientists, land
and water managers, and urban planners, are interested in obtaining data on land use and cover
changes, conversion trends, and other related patterns. The spatial dimensions of land use and
cover support policymakers and scientists in making well-informed decisions, as alterations in
these patterns indicate shifts in economic and social conditions. Monitoring such changes with the
help of Advanced technologies like Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems is
crucial for coordinated efforts across different administrative levels. Advanced technologies like
Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems
9
Changes in vegetation cover refer to variations in the distribution, composition, and overall
structure of plant communities across different temporal and spatial scales. These changes can
occur natural.
Beyond Degrees - Empowering the Workforce in the Context of Skills-First.pptxEduSkills OECD
Iván Bornacelly, Policy Analyst at the OECD Centre for Skills, OECD, presents at the webinar 'Tackling job market gaps with a skills-first approach' on 12 June 2024
Strategies for Effective Upskilling is a presentation by Chinwendu Peace in a Your Skill Boost Masterclass organisation by the Excellence Foundation for South Sudan on 08th and 09th June 2024 from 1 PM to 3 PM on each day.
Your Skill Boost Masterclass: Strategies for Effective Upskilling
Sorting knowledge out
1. Sorting Knowledge out of the Virtual
World
Researcher´s Point of View
Anita Rubin
Finland Futures Research Centre, University of Turku
www.tse.fi/tutu
3. 3
Both several Western scientific theories of change and
traditional world views and philosophies recognize two
different forms of change:
1) the slow, stable way of evolution towards greater
adaptation, and
2) the rapid, sudden and surprising way of evolutionary
jumps (mutations)
Society develops either through consensus or through
conflict.
The forms of change
4. Consensus:
• Sharing;
• Avoidance of open fights and violence.
• Wellbeing
Emphasis on understanding, communality, shared values through
compromise and (unspoken) agreements.
Culture
Conflict:
• Power relations;
• Contradictions between different interest groups.
Emphasis on the legitimation and stability of society through control
and normative means.
Different institutional models and tools to solve them.
4
Consensus and conflict
5. 5
Consensus and conflict in Futures Studies
1. Forecasting aims at control of the future;
2. Critical research aims at change and
emansipation;
3. Hermeneutical approach aim at visionary
futures studies and through that to new thiking
and reconstuction of old models and ways of
action;
4. Participatory futures studies aims at human
wellbeing and commitment to proactivity
(through the construction of own futures)
Conflict
Consensus
7. 7
1. Empirical tradition: forecasting, scenario working, foresight, trend
analysis, etc. Emphasis on what we think about the future; many
possible futures.
2. Cultural tradition: participatory methods, futures workshops etc.
Emphasis on who makes the future; alternative futures and
proactivity.
3. Critical tradition (eg. CLA): social construction, emphasis on why
we think of the future the way we do; language, worldviews,
values, myths, etc.
4. Intergral tradition: concerned both on the ”inside” (individual)
and ”outside” (collective, social) domains: 1) the self and
consicousness, 2) cultural world views, 3) biology (behaviour,
brains, organisms), and 4) social, technological, geo-political
environment, evolution of social systems.
Four traditions in futures inquiry
8. 8
Integral futures studies
Incorporation of different scientific paradigms (scientific thinking based
on physical-material understanding of reality) to other ways of knowing
(eg. intuitive knowing, sprituality, subjective experience, art, etc.)
Sees reality as manifold, multi-level, subjective and constantly
changing
Recognized cultural interdependence;
Is highly systemic in its basci understanding of the world and its
phenomena.
From participatory paradigm: proactivity
From hermeneutical paradigm: humane point of view, need to
understand
From constructivism: authenticity, enthusiasm
From critical paradigm: need to change
…/…
9. 9
• What we see as happening in the world is in large part conditioned
on what is going on in our own minds.
• We cannot understand images of the future if we know nothing of
the structure and functioning of consciousness.
• Therefore futures inquiry is, by its very nature, a broadly inter-,
trans-, multi-, meta-, counter-, and even anti-disciplinary activity.
• The viewpoint is dependent on actor’s perceptions and perceptions
are dependent on his/her consciousness, values, abiloity to see,
choose what he/she sees, understand and, finally, choose the way
of action.
Integral futures studies
is a meta-paradigmatic point of view
is composed of a plurality of perpectives, and
recognizes multiple ways of knowing (epistemological pluralism)
…/…
11. 11
Theories of social change
Deterministic and non-deterministic theories
Deterministic theories: there is a full causal explanation for each social
change
Eg. Spengler´s theory of causal cycles: Civilizations can be compared to
biological organisms and therefore societies all go through the same
four phases, birth, development, decline and degeneration, and
destruction.
Critique:
1) Do not consider sudden evolutionary jumps;
2) Assume human behaviour as predictable;
3) Do not see causality itself as changing;
4) Lead to behavioristic fatalism
No need for futures studies
12. 29.1.2015 12
time
Evolutionary development
phase of stable
development
new
information
/ energy
new phase of stable
development
development
becomes
unpredictable
predicted
development
actual developmenteg. wild card
development
13. 13
There is no simple and unchanging rational explanation to social phenomena
grades of freedom in choice increase
Many possible futures
Proactivity, possibility to affect the future by intervening the course of
events
Giddens: there is reciprocal effect between human intentionality and
adaptability
human action is purposeful and intentional and aims at control
no ”blind” mutation in social change.
Futures studies (eg. Malaska): unexpected outcomes, complexity, intervening
unrecognized factors
social turbulence and evolutionary jumps, transitionary periods
systemic way of looking ant change
Non-deterministic social theories
14. 29.1.2015 14
• People aim at rational behaviour (= rationally-oriented action
towards one or several goals).
• However, what is regarded as rational is culture-specific and
becomes re-defined by the needs and conditions given by culture.
There is a constant, systemic interaction guiding cultural
development: individuals search rational explanation to their
behaviour from their society and culture, while their choices and
decisions then reinforce and also gradually change the culture.
The dialogue of rationality and culture
16. 29.1.2015 16
“Change is the other name of time.” (Aristotle)
As a phenomenon, contemporary change
• cannot be analyzed as following a fixed, unidirectional path;
• cannot be explained by a mere reference to social, political,
economic or even natural laws or some inner logic, and
• can only be explained by reference to systemic processes with a
number of controversies, non-linear development, antagonisms
which may en up as unintended and non-foreseeable consequences.
The changing nature of change
17. 17
The world in which we live is charged with meanings which are partly
conscious, partly unconcious.
We understand it with the help of symbols (eg. language) with which we
create models of it (representations).
We can act in it with the help of culturally-herited tools and models.
Ability to understand ourseles as a part of the world and act in it in a
logical and rational way.
Everyday understanding of what the world is all about.
But what happens when the world changes and our everyday
understanding can no more comprehend it and our logic does not tell
about it in a coherent way?
Changing everyday reality
19. 29.1.2015 19
• Human choice derives from both the knowledge base and from
the value base – from instrumental and intrinsic values.
Values play a role first in the selection of the idealised outcome,
and then the selection of the means to achieve that goal.
• However, we are in trouble every time when we face a situation
where routine methods and the traditional way of conduct do not
work (= bring about the expected outcome) anymore.
The social endorsement on which we could lean for so long and
thus know that our choices and decisions were acceptable and
good, is not self-evident anymore. Instead, there are various
different social groups, cultures, ways of actions, traditions,
practices etc. which we have to take into consideration, evaluate
and perhaps choose from.
Decision-making in changing social reality
20. 29.1.2015 20
Technologies do not take a linear path from theory to application to
introduction in society, because they are influenced by social choices at
every point.
Consequently, technologies bear the imprint of the social processes that
have brought them forth.
a spiral-shape effect: social factors shape technology
the properties and effects of technology can in large be seen as social
properties and social effects.
when we talk about “information society”, we cannot separate
neither information nor the means of its transmission from that
society where information is being used and utilised. In the end they
are the same.
In the form of technology, change
22. 29.1.2015 22
Communication is just one of the aspects in the experience of meaning:
Differentiation,
emergence of lines and borders,
the formation of reality through that,
immediate experience and feedback.
When more and more information is received on a real-time basis, the
understanding the logic of cause and effect tends to blur.
new situations
new challenges
need for the creation of new tools, means, and even language and
concepts for coping, empowerment, creativity, and active
participation
…/…
Challenges
23. 29.1.2015 23
• The limits of “the plausible” are
continuously redrawn at an
accelerating pace and then, after a
while, overridden afresh, when new
information are gained or created.
• This gradually affects commonly-
shared social rationality, starting thus
to change the processes of choice
making both on the personal and
social level.
challenges for totally new models and
institutions for choice-making both
from the social, economic, cultural
and educational point-of-view.
…and more challenges
24. 29.1.2015 24
Spiral development
In many courses and things, development follows
a ”hegelian” thesis – anti-thesis – synthesis –
model and instead of a cyclica or linear model,
creates a spiral.
Spiral is both linear and cyclical development,
and something else, something little more than
that.
Thesis: individualization & privatization
Antithesis: European heritage of communality and
sense of social togetherness; s.c. neo-communality
Synthesis: new forms of doing things together
participation, empowerment, eg. recruiting and
activism through and with the help of social media.
26. 29.1.2015 26
When more and more information is available on a real-time basis, the
understanding of the logic of cause and effect tends to blur.
rapid and unexpected movements in the global
market economy;
constant new innovations in information
technology;
the growth of information on an exponential
speed.
Need for the creation of new tools, means, and even language and
concepts for coping, empowerment, creativity, and active participation.
Need for new tools…
27. 29.1.2015 27
• The limits of “the plausible” are continuously redrawn at an accelerating
pace and then, after a while, overridden afresh, when new information
are gained or created.
• This gradually affects socially-shared rationality, starting thus to change
the processes of choice making both on the personal and social level.
Need for totally new models and institutions for choice-making both from
the social, economic, cultural and educational point-of-view.
the culture of self-actualisation
…and new institutions
28. 29.1.2015 28
Where industrial society emphasises ”the middle of the road” thinking
and aims at balance, convergence and stability, ubiquous society tears
apart, divides, exacerbates, emphasizes diversity and develops through
controversy
Social, cultural and technological schizophrenia
1. New sense of community which is highly sensitive – emotionality of
culture;
2. common emotions through the media/social media create an
iterative phenomenon (actor’s experience and feeling strengthen
just because he/she knows that there are thousands of others
feeling the same at the very same moment.)
From industrial to ubiquous society
30. 30
Discontent on the already existing is the starting point, nature and
grounds of development. On the other hand, the urge for security
creates a need to keep things as they are, unchanged.
Human need to develop vs. resistance to change
The revolution of humanhood: very soon we´ll be able to charge our
minds and consciousnesses to machines/computers/net
eternal life, or
ultra intelligent conscious / self-conscious machine which destroys
the humankind?
What does it actually mean to be conscious? Thinking is more than
the ability to be logical, to combine things and to make
conclusions: it is also the ability to feel and connect emotions to
decision-making.
New challenges to consciousness
31. 31
More and more often the Internet and social
media also enable shared experience which is
multiversal and real-time by nature (eg. the
earthquake in Haiti, the tsunami, 9-11, Princess
Diana’s funeral, etc.)
awareness of millions of people simultaneously sharing the same
experience;
The first steps of true shared consciousness?
The evolution of consciousness
Would eg. Human 2.0 become possible through multiversal
experience faster than as a human-made cyborg? (Ray Kurzweil)
…/…
New and better human beings?
32. 32
Global, local, glocal / indepenence of time and place
discourse of overcoming time
The facilitation of everyday life by developing technology
more machines more time to – what?
Human urge to overcome death and to live forever
eg. research on the aging of cells
Overcoming aging (eg. Plasma cells made of plastic; the use of
stem cells in the construction of new tissue, etc.)
New and better human beings (cont.)
33. 33
Stance to the future
From merely
floating in the
river…
To adaptation……
…and from
avoiding the
problems…
…to innovativity
Sam Taylor:
wood-escape-artist
34. 34
What a futurist mostly needs is
1. Ability to find the correct source of information;
2. Ability to critically combine information coming from very
different channels into a logic and meaningful whole (from the
points of view of good and reliable science, human
empowerment and participation);
3. Ability to combine this information and utilize it in concrete
actions and choices.
– in futures studies, we speak about proactivity.
And the most important: