9 th Grade Social Studies Sociology

What is sociology? Sociology is the study of people in groups

What groups do we have in society? In sociology the groups we belong to are referred to as ‘institutions’: The Economy – distribution of goods/services The Government (politics) – allocation of power and authority Education – teaching values and skills Family – teaching values; procreation; affection Religion – high morality

Behavior in groups Norms – agreed upon behaviors on how to act Folkways – less significant; manners; forms of politeness Examples: please, thank you’s, chewing with your mouth full, holding the door open, calling me Mrs. Anderson Mores – behaviors that deal with moral standards; more severe Examples: lying, cheating and stealing Laws – most significant; punishable by law enforcement Examples: stealing, speeding, murder, drugs, arson, jaywalking, wearing your seatbelt, no texting while driving, assault, armed robbery

Priority of groups Primary – small, intimate, close groups Examples would be family and close friends Secondary – larger groups; don’t have as tight of an emotional bond as primary groups; share common values Examples would be co-workers, congregation members, club members, teammates

Social Structure Status – position within a social system Ascribed – characteristics over which there is little to no control (age, sex, race, etc.) Achieved – characteristics which involve personal choice and achievement (job, educational level, etc.) Role – behaviors or norms attached to a specific status Role conflict – competition between different roles (study for a test or go to the beach) Role strain – difficulty adjusting to competing demands of different roles (working mothers)

Power of the group Conformity – willingness to go along and do what the group does Deviance – behavior that is against that of the group norms Could be behavior that is against that of the dominant norms of society

Social Class Upper Class – often inherited wealth; corporate ownership; elite education Upper Middle Class – earned; salaried income; professionals; extensive education Lower Middle Class – median income; white collar sales and clerical jobs; some college Working Class – hourly wage; blue collar jobs; high school education Lower Class – very low income; unskilled or unemployed; lack of education Poverty