1. Groups… All About Groups
Unit 4

2. But First: Society… Because they are GROUPS of people
A group of people who share a defined territory and culture. From a sociological point of view we develop that definition a further by arguing that society is also the social structure and interactions of that group of people. Social structure is the relatively enduring patterns of behavior and relationships within a society. Can include:
Social Status
Socioeconomic Status
Roles that you occupy
Titles
Etc.

3. Hunting/Gathering Societies
~50,000-10,000 years ago
Supported Very Small Population Size:
Technology: Tools of Stone and Wood
Subsistence Economy, Weeks of Surplus
Nomadic (Roaming)
Social Organization around the family
Examples: Tribes on the African Steppe

4. Pastoral Societies Think… Pastures… Farms, open lands
~10,000-5,000 years ago
Population Size: ,000
Technology: Domesticated Animals (not as much manual labor), portable and simple
Economy: Surplus on the hoof (from the tech)
Settlement Pattern: (seasonally) Nomadic; Semi-Nomadic camps
Chiefdoms and marked inequalities. (Chiefdom is a hierarchical organization present in non-industrial societies) where power is held by the senior members of the society of select families/houses. Also known as “the Elders”
Animals as part of the family not just there for work or to be “used,” all by- products are used (hair, wool, etc.)

5. Horticultural Societies
Hand tools are used to grow domesticated crops.
~10,000-5,000 years ago
Population Size: 150-3,000
Technology: Sickle, Hoe, Digging Sticks, handheld instruments.
Economy: Horticulture; several month surplus
Permanent Villages as compared to Pastoralists
Chiefdoms with specialized religious-military roles
Highland Tribes
Number of workers determines how much food is produced. Produce moderate surpluses.

6. Agrarian Societies
5,000 years ago to AD 1750 (JUST BEFORE THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION!)
Population: Millions
Technology: Animal-drawn plow, agriculture, irrigation, domesticated animals
Cities, Development of Empires and Large Urban Populations
Complex division of labor, Complex Economic, Military and Religious Institutions and marked Social Inequality all exert forces on the society
Ancient Egypt, Feudal Europe, 3rd World Countries, etc.
They depend on crops raised with plows, domesticated animals, and intensive agricultural methods!
Large Surpluses can be produced.

7. Industrial Societies
Relies on machines and advanced technology to distribute food, information, goods and services.
18th-20th Century (1700s-1900s)
Population Size: Millions to over a BILLION people
Machine Power, Electricity, Petroleum, Nuclear Power (later in the 1900s)
Economy: Mass Production and Market Economy (usually market)
Settlement Pattern: Vast majority of the population in cities.
Social Organization: Distinct Institutions, clubs, groups, religious entities, etc.
Examples: Brazil, Eastern Europe, Urban Russia

8. Post-Industrial
Information revolution where service industries and manufacture of information and knowledge dominate the economy.
Time: Late 20th and 21st Centuries (Late 1900s, 2000s...NOW)
Population Size: Millions to BillionS
Technology: What do we have today? Computers, Information Technologies, Photonics, Robotics
Economy: Global Information- Service Economy
Settlement pattern: Megaopolises
Social Organization: Growth of science and technology institutions, emerging global classes, social networks and power structures
USA, Canada, Japan, Western Europe