Unit 6: Sociological Institutions
Now, let's study our primary sociological institutions: the family, religion, education, government, and the workplace. Sociologists have witnessed dramatic changes in the structure of the American family, with decreases in marriage and childbearing and increases in cohabitation and diverse family forms. What impact do these changes have on society as a whole? What are some of the challenges families face?
From a sociological perspective, we also look at religious institutions, a second significant social and cultural indicator. Émile Durkheim, the French sociologist, said we use religion for healing and faith, as a communal bond, and to understand "the meaning of life". These social functions affect a community's structure, balance, and social fabric.
Education is another institution that can be a social solution and challenge. For example, many schools serve as change agents to break poverty and racism. They can also create barriers by fostering large drop-out rates and institutional disorganization. Schools have gained national attention and sowed political discord when community members protest a chosen curriculum, such as sex education or scientific evolution. Sociologists consider all of these trends.
Finally, we explore government institutions in terms of their political and economic structure from a sociological perspective. How do you define power? Do you inherit your social status at birth or earn it in the workplace? We end the unit by examining how various economic systems affect how societies function. Karl Marx had a lot to say on this topic.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 7 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- explain the social institution of the family;
- explain the social impact of variations in family life, such as single parents, cohabitation, same-sex couples, and unmarried individuals;
- explain how the major sociological paradigms view religion;
- describe world religions within the United States;
- describe the education system as a local and global social institution;
- discuss recent social perspectives on education;
- differentiate between power, authority, and different types of authority;
- compare forms of government, such as monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship, and democracy;
- compare functional, conflict, and symbolic interaction perspectives on government and politics;
- differentiate agrarian, capitalist, and socialist economic systems and globalization as it pertains to work and the economy; and
- explain social aspects of inequality and poverty in the United States.
6.1: Marriage and Family
First, we examine society's most important primary group, the family. Notice that the definition of family and its functions vary widely by culture. In the United States, families come in many forms – we are seeing an increase in single parents, cohabitation, same-sex couples, and unmarried individuals. Notice that beliefs and values about acceptable family structure differ widely even within American society.
Read this section on different family forms. What is a family? Does our definition only include the nuclear family, or do we count the extended family? How have marriage and cohabitation changed? Notice that cultures have different comfort levels for residential patterns and the number of partners individuals have.
This video provides an overview of the functionalist perspectives on major social institutions such as the family. It explains the important roles traditions play in maintaining order in society.
Read this text on how families are changing in our society. Families have become more diverse with an increasing social acceptance of same-sex marriage, blended families, cohabitating couples, and individuals who prefer to remain single. Figure 14.5 presents a visual representation of this change in status. Pay attention to the different theoretical perspectives according to functionalists, conflict theorists, and symbolic interactionism. How do you view these changes in the family?
Read this article on the definition and classification of the family. How do these views intersect with other social institutions? How do they influence societies and individuals? Why does the definition of family change?
Read this section on the serious problems of domestic violence and child abuse. Domestic violence is the single greatest cause of injury to women in the United States. Figure 14.8 summarizes some of these statistics. Child abuse also touches families of all backgrounds and ranges from neglect to physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. How does child abuse impact our society?
6.2: Religion
Many assume that religion refers to an individual believer, but it is a social institution and a cultural universal. Notice how religion creates sacred beliefs, symbols, and rituals. How do functionalists, conflict theorists, and symbolic interactionists view religion? Has the declining significance of religion, and increasing secularization, affected your community?
Read this section on the sociological view of religion as an institution. Pay attention to the different religious organizations and religious beliefs such as; animism, polytheism, monotheism, and atheism. Can you point to some differences between various religious organizations?
Watch this video on the value of religion to atheism. What is the benefit of religion from a functionalist perspective? How do other social groups fulfill these benefits? Are there societal functions that only religion can realize?
Watch this video on sociological theories of religion. The presenter discusses Max Weber's idea of social facts. How does religion change how we see ourselves, our world, and others?
Read this text on different religious beliefs, such as animism, monotheism, polytheism, totemism, and atheism. Table 15.1 provides an example of this classification system.
Read this text on religion's impact on social change. For example, religious institutions promoted the mass production of religious materials with the invention of the printing press and encouraged social activism based on religious teachings. Many countries have experienced an increase in secularization and a decline in religious influence. Individuals view this change positively and negatively.
6.3: Education
While education is a social institution responsible for teaching academic skills such as reading and writing, it also plays a role in instructing children about culture and societal values. The structure and function of educational institutions vary widely. The level of schooling is often linked with economic development, but universal access issues also exist in wealthy countries. Some schools have better funding and resources than others due to their location and population base. What is the difference between the formal and "hidden" curriculum? These are the expectations and norms taught outside of the mandated school curriculum. We also explore the manifest (intended) and latent (unintended) functions of education.
Read this text on education. Pay attention to different school systems. What makes the education system in Finland so excellent? Notice the historical and current issues in American schools.
Read this text for a theoretical analysis of education. Figure 16.2 lists the manifest and latent functions of education. Functionalists discuss the functions of schooling. Conflict theories focus on how schools transform privilege into merit through practices such as tracking. Symbolic interactionism examines how the labels children receive in school can be difficult to shake. Did your teachers give you a label that may have helped or hurt your progress?
Watch this video on the latent and manifest functions of education and formal hidden curriculum. Compare this with the conflict theory view, which believes education perpetuates the status quo by teaching the lower class to accept their position as workers.
Read this text on historical issues in education, such as equal access, mainstreaming, and school choice. Did you experience these issues in school? How did the COVID-19 pandemic impact students?
6.4: Government and Politics
Every society has institutions that deal with power and decision-making. Authority is one type of power that people agree to follow. How the power is organized varies widely from monarchy, oligarchy, and dictatorship to democracy. The world has nearly 200 countries, and each has its own system. Notice that in democratic societies, voter participation is essential. Explore the influence of race, gender, and class issues on the voting process.
Read this text on how governments exert their power and authority. Figure 17.1 elaborates on three types of authority: traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal.
Read this text, which evaluates theoretical and real-life examples of monarchies, oligarchies, dictatorships, and democracies. Notice the similarities and differences in each type of system in theory and practice.
- Read this text on how politics functions in the United States. In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court intended to protect disadvantaged groups in Reynolds v Sims, but many aspects of this decision were overturned in 2013. Democracy requires participation, so why do fewer than 50 percent of Americans vote in most elections? How do race, class, and gender impact voting access and practices?
Read this article, which presents voting statistics from the 2016 presidential election. How do social class and other social factors affect voting practices? How does voter participation influence politics? How can Americans influence the political processes and outcomes in addition to voting?
This text explores politics from the functionalist, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction perspectives. Functionalists study the four positive functions of government, while conflict theorists examine how the power elite control society and government. The micro-symbolic interaction approach focuses on face-to-face interaction and back-door deals that impact our government and policies.
6.5: Work and the Economy
In this section, we study the connection between technological development and economic systems. We explore the theoretical and practical tenets of capitalism. Notice that every system related to producing, distributing, and consuming goods and services has advantages and disadvantages. What are the pros and cons of globalization from an economic standpoint? How have women and immigrants impacted the U.S. workforce? Describe the basic elements of polarization and poverty in the United States.
Read this text on economic systems and the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Notice how technological innovations drove economic change in the agricultural, industrial, and post-industrial revolutions. What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of capitalism and socialism? How does each system operate in practice?
Watch this video on economic inequality. What are some major criticisms of capitalism and socialism? Where does the United States fall on this economic spectrum?
Read this article and infographic, which expand on Piketty's talk in the previous video. What does his insight that wealth is inherited and not earned through work imply about our capitalist economy?
Read this text on the increasing globalization of our culture, economy, work, and technology. Consider how the internet has changed global communication and the ability to work anywhere in the world remotely. What are some other factors that drive globalization? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages?
Read this text on the increasing polarization of jobs at the high and low end of the market. Notice the role of women and immigrants in these jobs. Figure 18.4 examines poverty rates in the United States. What trends do you notice in this infographic?
Watch this video for a sociological examination of the economy. More specifically, it explores what we mean by the economy being a social construction. What is life and work like in a capitalist economy? Pay attention to the pay gap and the college premium. What are the main reasons you chose to attend college?
Unit 6 Assessment
- Receive a grade
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.