An Introduction Ms Dahl Social Change Social change can be defined as transformations in the beliefs social interactions practices organization and structure of society We will be using the three social sciences of ID: 392040
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Slide1
The Social Sciences and Social Change:An Introduction
Ms. DahlSlide2
Social Change
Social change can be defined as transformations in the beliefs, social interactions, practices, organization, and structure of society.
We will be using the three social sciences of
Anthropology
,
Sociology
and
Psychology
to understand what causes social change, and the impact that it has on individuals and societies.
Hmk
: Read P. 10 – 19 in
Challenge and
Change
and complete the organizer
The Social Sciences and Social Change.
Slide3
The Social Science Inquiry Model
Used to explore an issue or change in a disciplined way.
Develop a Research Question
Explore Alternative Perspectives
Formulate a Hypothesis
Collect Data
Assess the Hypothesis
Arrive at a Conclusion
Evaluate the Research
*
See page 4 in
The Challenge of ChangeSlide4
Flash Mobs and Robs
Read pages 6 – 7 in
The Challenge of Change
Using the S.S.I.M., develop a strategy for learning more about the phenomenon of Flash Mobs and/or Flash Robs.
In your table groups, write your research steps on chart paper. Be prepared to share your work with the class.Slide5
The Three Social Sciences
Anthropology
Psychology
SociologySlide6
Anthropology (p.11 – 13)
Definition/Areas of interest:
The scientific study of humans, including their origins;
behaviour
;
and physical, social and cultural development.
Assumes that to understand human
behaviour
and social organization, we must look at our origins as a species.
Broken into two broad categories:
Physical Anthropology
and
Cultural AnthropologySlide7
Research Methods
Ethnology (the detailed, long term study of a culture)
Field Research
Participant Observation
Statistical Analysis
Analysis of ancient bones/artifactsSlide8
Key Terms
Culture
Ethnology
Participant observation
Qualitative and Quantitative data
Acculturation
Diffusion
Marvin Harris
Bronislaw
Malinowski
Question:
What are some examples of social change in Canada that has been influenced by acculturation? Diffusion?Slide9
Schools of Thought - Anthro
Cultural Materialism
Infrastructure: the technological, economic, and demographic factors of a culture.
Structure: how the culture is organized, such as political systems, laws and families.
Superstructure: the ideology of a culture, its beliefs and values, such as religion or gender roles.
Question: How can we describe the impact of the car on Canadian society using C.M.?
(Hint: describe the car at each of the three levels)Slide10
Schools of Thought - Anthro
Functionalism
The function of beliefs and institutions in a society is to meet the needs of the majority of its members
Each part of society has a specific role that helps meet needs and maintain equilibrium (
eg
. Family brings in new members, Legal system makes and enforces rules, School prepares you for the workplace, etc.)
Shared values and norms are passed on through generations maintaining some continuity in society
Question: What is the role of
poverty
to a Functionalist? Slide11
Read pages #12 -13 on
Rites of Passage, Tattoos and Culture
.
Answer questions #1 – 3 in your notes.
Discuss your answers with a partner.Slide12
Psychology (p. 14)
Definition/Areas of Interest:
The study of the human mind,
behaviours
, emotions, cognitive processes and personality.
Understands
behaviour
as both learned and innate. To understand why humans behave the way we do, we must understand the impacts of both the environment we grow up in (nurture), as well as our instincts, personality and mental processes (nature).
Broken into two broad categories:
Clinical
and
ExperimentalSlide13
Methods of Research
Interviews
Case Studies
Experiments
Secondary ResearchSlide14
Key terms
Nature vs. Nurture
Personality
Behaviour
Cognition
Learning
John Watson
BF Skinner
Sigmund FreudSlide15
Schools of Thought: Psych
Learning Theory
Learning can alter the way an individual interprets the world around them and can lead to
behavioural
changes.
Important to understand childhood as this is the time when most
behaviour
is learned
If you understand what motivates
behaviour
, you can predict and control it
Question: How has modern technology like the TV or internet impacted learning and
behaviour
?Slide16
Bandura’s BoBo Doll Experiment
The
Bobo
doll experiment
was the collective name of the experiments conducted
by Albert Bandura
in 1961 and
1963. The goal was to study
children's
behaviour
after watching an adult model act aggressively towards a
Bobo
doll. There are different variations of the experiment. The most notable experiment measured the children's behaviour after seeing the model get rewarded, punished or experience no consequence for beating up the
bobo
doll
.
http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zerCK0lRjp8Slide17
This experiment is the empirical demonstration of
Bandura's social learning theory
.
It shows that people not only learn by being rewarded or punished itself
(behaviourism) they
can learn from watching somebody being rewarded or punished, too
(observational learning).
These
experiments are important because they sparked many more studies on the effects of observational learning and they have practical implication, e.g. how children can be influenced watching violent media.Slide18
Schools of Thought - Psych
Psychoanalysis
Believes that there are 2 parts of the mind – the conscious and unconscious.
The unconscious mind has a large impact on our
behaviour
, motivations and mental state.
Human
behaviour
is determined by events in early childhood
Question: Give an example of things (motivations, drives, experiences) that may reside in someone’s unconscious mind. How
c
ould it impact their
behaviour
?Slide19
Sociology (p. 15 – 19)
The study of society and social
behaviour
.
Studies the interactions and conflicts within groups to determine how society functions.
Norms, Values, Rules and Sanctions helps to organize society and maintain stability.
Assumes that the group(s) that a person belongs to will determine the roles and expectations that they will value and emulate in their private lives.
Question: How has social media changed the way that we relate in groups, and altered our roles, norms and values?Slide20
Methods of Research
Surveys
Questionnaires
Interviews
Participant Observation
Secondary ResearchSlide21
Key Terms
Roles
Norms
Values
Sanctions
Institutions
Social organization
Cognitive consistency/dissonance
Microsociology
Macrosociology
Paradigm Shifts
Confirmation Bias
Dorothy Smith
Karl Marx
Emile Durkheim
Talcott Parsons
Max WeberSlide22
Cognitive Dissonance
Most people strive for
cognitive consistency
(avoiding attitudes that conflict with each other)
When two attitudes conflict, we feel discomfort, which makes us want to change our attitudes to regain cognitive consistency
This theory is called
cognitive dissonance theorySlide23
Example of C.D.
Ex. Person X smokes, but also believes smoking causes cancer – these attitudes conflict and may lead them to avoid reading articles that discuss smoking and health.
Person X has friends and relatives that nag them about quitting smoking
all the time. After all the pestering, X feels guilty that they smoke and wants to fit in with their non-smoking friends. They start to thing about it, but haven’t decided whether or not to give quitting a try. There is some conflict and dissonance, but not enough to change.
X
has a relative that dies from cancer caused by smoking, this leads to increased conflict and dissonance, which may lead them to quit – a change in
behaviour
!Slide24
Paradigm Shifts
When a new set of ideals, beliefs and values become strong enough to affect and change the way individuals see and perceive reality.
Question: What paradigm shifts have occurred in your lifetime? What caused them?Slide25
Schools of Thought
Structural
Functionalism
According
to structural-functionalism, each society should provide its members with the fundamental requirements for functioning
A system must have a way of fulfilling material needs, a system for socializing and educating the young, a way of regulating human reproduction (usually marriage)
Structural-Functionalists believe their role is to try to explain the role of society’s systems in enabling human society to function
Structural-Functionalists do not concern themselves with change but instead with how society works to meet their needsSlide26
Schools of Thought
Marxism
Marx
believed that economic power led to political power. This is the key to understanding societies
The struggle for economic power means that society is not static but ever-changing – social change is the result of a change made to the economic system
Therefore, if we want to understand society, we must understand the economic system in
place and which groups have access to power
Marxists
believe the economic system creates a rich class of owners and a poor class of workers
They also believe that social institutions (churches, schools, prisons etc.) have been created to perpetuate the division between the powerful and the powerlessSlide27
Schools of Thought
Feminism
Patterns of social inequality are based on gender.
Feminist Theorists focus on sex and gender issues, believing that women have traditionally been disadvantaged in society because men have discriminated against them
They believe that men have made the decisions in society and that they tend to
favour
men
.
Closely related to MarxismSlide28
Schools of Thought
Symbolic
Interactionism
B
elieve
humans have complex brains and little instinctive
behaviour
This means they can interpret for themselves the stimuli they receive in their daily life and attach their own meanings to them
Eg
. One person might pursue fame and fortune while a sibling might dedicate his or her life to charitable work in a developing country
It is essentially how we as individuals process and interpret what we observe in society, not society’s institutions, that form the core of our value system
For this reason, Symbolic
Interactionists
focus their research on the human mind rather than on structures in societySlide29
Activity
Re-read
the article on Flash Mobs and Flash Robs on page 6-7.
How would each of the social sciences explain flash mobs and flash robs?
Use the following headings to help you organize your notes:
Key Assumptions (if
an anthropologist/
psychologist/
sociologist
were to look at this situation, they would assume…)
Possible Research Methods (if they wanted to find out more about the issue they would…)
Explanation
(they would
likely say that flash mobs/robs are a result of…)Slide30
Understanding Social Change
Read the section about Malcolm
Gladwell’s
“The Tipping Point” on pages 8 – 9.
In your notes, answer questions 2 – 3 from page 9.
Share your answers with a partner/the class.
Read p. 22 “Change in Action: Arab Spring” and watch the following video about the Egyptian Revolution.
http://
www.ted.com/talks/wael_ghonim_inside_the_egyptian_revolution.html
Use
Gladwell’s
theory to explain how the revolution in Egypt took place. Use
the graphic
organizer provided.