Unit 5: Social Change and Social Issues
In Unit 5 we explore great social issues, such as those surrounding healthcare, urbanization, and social movements.
The sociology of healthcare encompasses social epidemiology, disease, mental health, disability, and medicalization. How we perceive and treat medicine and health care is constantly evolving. What does health mean to you? How do you feel about legalized drugs? Why are so many Americans addicted to prescription pain medicines? We discuss population, urbanization, and the environment. Why have people tended to migrate from rural areas to urban areas? How have these population shifts affected our environment.
Finally, successful, large-scale social movements can have great social impact, become institutionalized, and evolve into a fixed and formal part of the social structure. For example, the "second wave of feminism," originated as a grassroots movement in the 1960s to protest inequalities between the sexes. Most of the original participants did not belong to formal organizations, but publicized their cause through conscious-raising groups. For example, in 1966, 28 women created the National Organization for Women, which is now a prominent political and social voice for women's rights with a membership of more than 500,000. How does collective behavior affect social change? How does social change differ at the state, national, and global levels? How do different theoretical perspectives interpret social movements?
Completing this unit should take you approximately 6 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- explain what sociologists mean by the social construction of illness;
- apply functionalist, conflict theorist, and interactionist perspectives to health issues;
- describe social epidemiology;
- describe a variety of demographic theories, such as Malthusian, cornucopian, zero population growth, and demographic transition theories;
- describe current population trends and patterns;
- describe the process of urbanization in the United States from various sociological perspectives;
- discuss real-world instances of environmental racism;
- describe different forms of collective behavior;
- define a social movement; and
- give an example of a social movement.
5.1: Health and Medicine
Read this chapter for a review of health and medicine.
As you read each section, consider the following topics:
- Should parents be forced to immunize their children?
- What might sociologists make of the fact that most of the families who chose not to vaccinate were of a higher socioeconomic group?
- How does this story of vaccines in a high-income region compare to that in a low-income region, like sub-Saharan Africa, where populations are often eagerly seeking vaccines rather than refusing them?
- Take note of the term medical sociology as well as the difference between the cultural meaning of illness, the social construction of illness, and the social construction of medical knowledge
- Take notes of social epidemiology and various theories of social epidemiology used to understand global health issues. What are some of the differences between high-income and low-income nations?
- Take note of the application of social epidemiology to health in the United States. Also focus on the disparities of health based on gender, socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity. Lastly, be able to define the terms stigma and medicalization.
- Take note of the different types of health care in the United States. How do these health care systems compare with those of other countries?
- Explore health care issues through conflict, interactionist, and functionalist perspectives.
- Should parents be forced to immunize their children?
Use this quiz to help you check your understanding of subunit 5.1. Once your score has been calculated, review your class notes and resource materials to better understand any questions you answered incorrectly.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.
5.2: Population, Urbanization, and the Environment
Read this chapter for a review of population, urbanization, and the environment.
As you read each section, consider the following topics:
- What are your initial reactions to 12-year-old Todd Domboski? What might your reaction be if this was your son or brother?
- Focus on demographic measures such as fertility and mortality rates. Then, familiarize yourself with current population trends and patterns.
- Take note of the process of urbanization in the United States. Also focus on the function of suburbs, exurbs, and concentric zones and urbanization from various sociological perspectives.
- Take note of the bold terms in this section. On a separate piece of paper, be sure to make a list of challenges presented by pollution, garbage, e-waste, and toxic hazards. Also focus on real-world instances of environmental racism.
- What are your initial reactions to 12-year-old Todd Domboski? What might your reaction be if this was your son or brother?
Use this quiz to help you check your understanding of subunit 5.2. Once your score has been calculated, review your class notes and resource materials to better understand any questions you answered incorrectly.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.
5.3: Social Movements and Change
Read this chapter for a review of social movements and change.
As you read each section, consider the following topics:
- The text asks: "What do Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the anti-globalization movement, and the Tea Party have in common?" Answer this question for yourself.
- Take note of the different forms of collective behaviors. Also take note of the different types of crowds.
- Take note of social movements on a state, national, and global level. Be able to distinguish between different types of social movements, and explore the theoretical perspectives on social movements, such as resource mobilization, framing, and new social movement theory.
- Take note on how technology, social institutions, population, and the environment can bring about social change. Also note the importance of modernization in relation to social change.
- The text asks: "What do Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the anti-globalization movement, and the Tea Party have in common?" Answer this question for yourself.
Use this quiz to help you check your understanding of subunit 5.3. Once your score has been calculated, review your class notes and resource materials to better understand any questions you answered incorrectly.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.
Unit 5 Discussion and Assessment
After reviewing the unit materials and completing the assessments, post and respond to the following topics on the course discussion board. Feel free to start your own related posts and respond to other students' postings as well. If you haven't done so already, you will need to create a free account at the link above to participate in the discussions.
- Compare and contrast the cultural meaning of illness, the social construction of illness, and the social construction of medical knowledge.
- What are some disparities of health based on gender, socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity?
- What are some real-world examples of environmental racism? Provide examples to support your answer.
- Where do you think one would expect to find the greatest urban growth rate in the world?
- What are some effects of migration from rural areas to urban centers in the United States?
- Describe different forms of collective behavior. Provide some contemporary examples of these forms.
- Explain how technology, social institutions, population, and the environment can bring about social change. Provide some examples.
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.