Lecture I, Week I
I. Setting a Common Vocabulary (A
refresher, so we’re all on the same page)
A.
Education is a Social Institution
B. Sociology, of
course, is the scientific study of patterned social interaction, aka “social
structures”
1. Social
Structure = Repeated & more or less predictable patterns of behavior
C. Social
Structure is the genus
1. of which, social institution is one
type
2. the second
most complex form of social structure
D. Types of
Social Structure
1. Society
2. Institution(s)
3.
Organizations
4.
Groups
5.
Statuses (& Roles)
Coordinated
social action and interaction is assured by way of a combination of informal (norms) and formal (written school
policies for behavior) rules and an accompanying system of sanctions. Norms, of course, are “rules for how
things out to be”; sanctions, in
turn, are rewards or punishments for, respectively, abiding by or violating the
norms and/or policies.
II. The Four Major Institutions (and the
problems for which they have historically provided solutions)
A. Kinship (Family)
B. Religion
C. Economy
D. Polity
or
To
Lecture2 or To Lecture Outlines