1. Welcome to SOCI 2160 Marriage and the Family Spring Term 2011
Metropolitan Community College
Fort Omaha
Tuesday and Thursday
2 – 3:55 p.m.

2. Agenda for Class #2 Finish Film clips Chapter 1
Theoretical perspectives
Research Methods
Scenarios

3. Facts about Choices Not to decide is to decide
Some choices require corrections
Choices involve trade-offs
Choices involve a positive or negative view
Choices involve different decision-making styles
Most choices are revocable; some are not
Choices are influenced by one’s stage in the life cycle

4. ROLE STATUS THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE
G R O U P I N S T I T U T I O N S O C I E T Y

5. Social Structure Micro-components = statuses Macro-components = groups
Web of status and role relationships among individuals, groups and societies
Micro-components = statuses
Macro-components = groups

6. Roles Expected behavior Often related to norms
Tied to the positions we fill:
Student, father, employee, etc.

7. Status Positions Achieved - earned by personal “effort”
Ascribed - assigned
Master - identity, consumes your energy

8. Social Group Collection of statuses Regular interaction
Agree on important goals and norms
Feeling of belonging
Distinction between members and nonmembers

9. These Are Not Groups Aggregate
collection of persons in the same place at the same time
Category collection of persons who share common characteristics

10. The Nature of Groups Varies: Continuum
Voluntary
Informal
Primary
Horizontal
Involuntary
(Coercive)
Formal (Bureaucratic)
Secondary
Vertical

11. Group Variation based on degree of attachment Social distance
In-groups vs.Out-groups
Reference groups evaluate progress

12. Institution
System of statuses, roles, groups and behavioral patterns that satisfies basic human needs
Necessary for the survival of a society
Socio-cultural structure and process that guides human interaction in relation to important societal tasks

13. Institutions Examples Marriage Family Education Religion Polity
Economy
New ones emerge:
Healthcare
Sport

14. Society
Largest, most nearly self-sufficient organization to which you can belong
People who share a culture process of patterned interactions

15. Three Basic Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
Structural functionalism
Organic analogy
Consensus on the norms of society
Manifest, latent and dysfunctional aspects
Conflict theory
Competition for resources and power
Change
Symbolic interactionism
Socially shared meanings

16. Theoretical Frameworks for Marriage and the Family
Structural-Functional
Views the family as an institution with values, norms, and activities meant to provide stability for the larger society.
Conflict
Recognizes that family members have different goals and values that result in conflict.

17. Theoretical Frameworks for Marriage and the Family
Symbolic Interaction
The process of interpersonal interaction.
Feminist
Women and men will experience life differently because there are different expectations for the respective genders.

18. Theoretical Frameworks for Marriage and the Family
Family life Course Development
Emphasizes the process of how families change over time.
Systems Framework
The basic premise is that each member of the family is part of a system and the family as a unit develops norms of interacting, which may be explicit or implied.

19. Theoretical Frameworks for Marriage and the Family
Human ecology
The study of ecosystems, or the interaction of families with their environment.
Biosocial Framework
Emphasizes the interaction of one’s biological/genetic inheritance with one’s social environment to explain and predict human behavior.

20. Scientific Method Identify and define the problem Formulate hypothesis
Select a population and sample
Identify the research design
Collect and analyze the data
Report results

21. Hypothesis
Statement of the relationship presumed to exist between the variables
What the researcher predicts will be found
Correlation – two events vary together
Causation – one event causes the other to happen
Variables
Independent – influencing variable; cause
Dependent – result; what is counted; effect

22. Sample Hypothesis
Age of individual will influence his/her concept of the ideal wedding.
Younger individuals will prefer more adventurous and/or larger weddings.
IV = age of individual
DV = concept of ideal wedding; size of wedding; adventurous quality of the wedding

23. Family scenarios http://www.quia.com/sv/5080.html

24. Assignment for Wednesday
Chapter 2 – Gender