Society, Agency, Structure

Question 1

human goal

Answer 1

survival and procreation

Question 2

survival

Answer 2

getting resources (ie. Food, clothing, shelter)

Question 3

resources

Answer 3

anything that allows you to live better and live longer

Question 4

how do humans accomplish survival and procreation?

Answer 4

• Human groups work with what nature (ecology) provided as well as the characteristics of its own group (demography)
• Places with more resources and good ecology are more desirable and attract bigger, more diverse populations
• Humans develop tools (technology) and method (culture) to acquire and distribute resources (economy) for survival

Question 5

technology

Answer 5

anything that makes work better

Question 6

culture

Answer 6

• a way to solve problems

- Ex. In nomadic villages, the culture of sharing food helps solve the problem of food scarcity

Question 7

society can be described by

Answer 7

• Nature/environment (ecological factors)
• Population characteristics (demographic factors) -> Ex. Male-dominated society
• Material available (technological factors)
• Problem-solving (cultural factors) -> Ex. religion
• Acquire and distribute resources (economic factors) -> Ex. wages

Question 8

societies differ by…

Answer 8

their mode of production

Question 9

society

Answer 9

• Society is only possible through social interaction that is regulated and stabilized
• Such social patterns can include routine, common expectations, predictable behaviours, ways of thinking, etc.
• These patterns are important because ongoing cooperation is needed for society to survival

Question 10

social structure (and an analogy)

Answer 10

• Enduring an regular social arrangements that stabilize social patterns over time
• Looking at a society’s social structure allows to see how society is arranges
• Exists at different levels/scale
• Analogy: if society is an egg, culture is the inside and structure is the shell -> Structure holds society together, culture is fluid

Question 11

levels of social structure

Answer 11

• Macrostructure (ie. State, economy)
• Mesostructure (ie. Social networks, organizations)
• Microstructure (ie. Social interactions)

Question 12

agency

Answer 12

free will

Question 13

agency-structure model -> structure is composed of…

Answer 13

• Social institutions
• Organizations
• Groups
• Social networks
• Roles
• Status
• Agency (you)

Question 14

networks

Answer 14

a series of social relationships that link a person directly to others

Question 15

groups

Answer 15

two or more people who identify with and interact with one another (same status)

Question 16

organizations

Answer 16

collectives purposely constructed to achieve a particular end/goal

Question 17

influence of networks, groups, and organizations on agency

Answer 17

• Networks, groups, and organizations can affect your free will (if you don’t follow the expectations of each social network, you’ll no longer be a part of the social network -> lose resources, gain time)
• Ex. Going to your boyfriend’s friend’s birthday party even though you’d rather watch Netflix (network)
• Ex. Talking to your uncle on his birthday even though you’d rather watch Netflix (group)
• Ex. Working an important shift at work even though you’d rather watch Netflix (organization)

Question 18

social role

Answer 18

• set of expectations for people who occupy a given status

- Ex. Parent (or older sibling) -> set a good example for kid (or younger sibling)

Question 19

what happens when social role expectations aren’t met?

Answer 19

• role conflict
• role strain**
• social behaviours

Question 20

role conflict

Answer 20

• when incompatible expectations arise from 2 or more social positions held by the person
• Ex. When a police officer is scheduled to work on his son’s birthday -> will he honour his father role or his policeman role?

Question 21

role strain

Answer 21

• difficulties that arise when the same social position imposes opposing demands and expectations
• Ex. When a police officer sees a sketchy-looking dude -> does he treat the citizen with respect or be authoritative?
• Ex. Kids Camp Leader -> I have to be fun, but also authoritative

Question 22

social behaviours

Answer 22

• Social behaviour is largely guided by the social position (status) one occupies as well as the expectations (roles) that are attached to the position
• Our decisions are based on minimizing the balance of role conflict and strain and the evaluation of cost and benefit of meeting expectations

Question 23

status

Answer 23

• Refers to any of the socially defined positions within a large group or society; social characteristics
• 3 types: ascribed, achieved, master status

Question 24

ascribed status

Answer 24

• assigned at birth, involuntary

- Ex. Sex, birth order, skin colour

Question 25

achieved status

Answer 25

• assigned after birth, voluntary

- Ex. Legal, occupation, marital status

Question 26

master status

Answer 26

• dominates others and determines person’s general position in society
• Ex. White, Christian, etc. -> can be self-defined or given to you by society

Question 27

social institutions

Answer 27

• Established patterns of beliefs and behaviours centered on basic social needs -> NOT places!
• “Super-customs” that deal with major interests or ongoing situations
• Labelled as “institution” because the way things are done is honoured, regulated, and directed
• Ie. Bachelor’s Degrees – employers honour them, UBC regulates them, profs and departments supervise them

Question 28

society’s needs and how institutions fulfill them

Answer 28

• Replacing personnel/reproduction (ie. Families -> the institution that does this)
• Teaching new recruits (ie. Education -> the institution that does this)
• Producing and distributing goods (ie. Economy -> the institution that does this)
• Preserving social order (ie. State; criminal justice system -> the institutions that do this)
• Providing and maintaining a sense of purpose (ie. Organized religion; mass media -> the institutions that does this)