Chapter 4 and 5: Social structure and Social Interaction:

Chapter 4. Social Structure and Interaction

 Study Objectives:

     This chapter examine society from both the macrosociological microsociological points of view, through class discussion, students should learn the concept of social structure and its basic components, understand structural arrangements of different types of societies and what hold people together in these societies;  Students also should be able to understand how people interact in society and the social construction of reality.          

 1. Terms to be learned:

     social structure                     role conflict                 social status                         role strain

     ascribed status                      gemeinschaft 

     achieved status                     gesellschaft

     master status                      status inconsistency            organic solidarity                  mechanical solidarity

     social groups                      social institutions                

     social interaction                ethnomethodology

     impression management             dramaturgical approach

     background assumption             the Thomas theorem

2. Topics to be discussed:

   ---- Social structure and its basic elements

   ---- different types of society and the respective social order

   ---- what holds society together     

   ---- Social interaction and the presentation of self

   ---- the Thomas Theorem and the social construction of reality

Chapter 5: Social Groups and Formal Organizations

 Study Objectives:

    Through class discussion, students learn the definition social groups and understand group dynamics. Students should be able to distinguish between and describe characteristics of primary and secondary groups, formal organizations and bureaucracies.

Topics to be discussed:

1. What is a social group? social aggregate? social category?

2. Primary groups vs secondary groups

   in-groups vs out-groups

   reference groups

3. formal organizations: voluntary associations

                          coercive organizations

                          utilitarian organizations

4. the Iron Law of Oligarchy

5. The dominant type of formal organization in modern times:  BUREAUCRACY.

6. Max Weber and Rationalization of society

 7. Karl Marx and alienation

 8. group dynamics: group size: dyad, triad, social networks 

      group conformity,  groupthink

 9. Terms to be learned:

     alienation                      group dynamics

     bureaucracy                     group conformity 

     hierarchy                       groupthink

     goal displacement               social groups

     social network                  primary group

     social loafing                  secondary group

     oligarchy                       formal organization

     reference group            bureaucracy 

     rationalization                 the Iron Law of Oligarchy

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