Society and Culture

Revision

With questions to print out and answer 

  • Fundamental Concepts

Fundamental Concepts / Definition
Persons / People are individuals who interact with others to form varied human relationships such as groups, institutions, networks and social systems.
Society / Society is people and their social relationships; society integrates the small scale (micro) world with the large scale (Macro) world
Culture / Culture is the complete set of learned and shared experiences; it is reflected in language, customs, values, laws, arts and technology.
Environment / Environment is the setting for human interaction; societies have learned to survive within the wide range of world environments
Time / Time is a constant of our culture.
Time is made up of:
  • Past
  • Present
  • Future
Through time all people societies and cultures change; the response to change will vary from one individual to another and one society to another

Minor Concepts

Minor Concepts / Definitions
Power / Is the capacity to influence others to a point of view they would not normally follow often by using some sort of force
Authority / Authority is a concept frequently linked with power. Authority is the legitimate use of power. It involves the right to determine, adjudicate or otherwise settle issues and disputes in society. Someone in authority has the accepted right to make decisions; while someone in power would make decisions regardless of what those affected by the decisions think.
Gender / A term to describe the socially constructed differences between men and women, referring not only to individual identity and personality, but also at the symbolic level, to cultural ideals and stereotypes of masculinity and femininity and, at the structural level, to the sexual division of labour in institutions and organizations
(Personal – Symbolic – structural)
Technology / The Technology of a culture reflects the skills and adaptability of its people. Technology can be a source of major social changes and there is usually significant borrowing of technological innovations between groups and between cultures. Technology makes tasks easier and enhances the natural ability of persons to perform those tasks.

Examples

Power: for someone to have power they must have the ability to force someone to do something or have the ability to make an event occur with ought any opposition, for example Hitler had the Power to make large decisions about the government or war with ought any opposition, people listened to him and he used force to get what he wanted regardless of their position on the decision. They had no choice but to do what he said

Authority: an example of authority is your parents (HOT TIP: this could be an example of how this relates to your micro or macro world) they have the right to take items away from your or ground you, although it may seem this is an example of power (which it may be) it is also an example of authority because they have the accepted right to do so. A different example could be people such as, The Queen, Ghandi and the pope all of whom have the ability to sway people’s decisions including those who have the power to make those decisions.

Gender: is based on society’s views of the differences between a man and a women for example men are meant to work while the women are meant to stay at home and look after the children, gender has in some way or form affected everyone’s lives for example everyone has at one time been subjected to discrimination be it either major or minimal like girls not being able to do the same jobs as men in the workplace and vice versa.

Technology: depends on what culture you live in and which environment your society is a part of for example different countries such as Africa may have certain technologies such as TV and mobile phones but not to the extent as developed countries such as America and Britain.

How have these affected you?

  • Power:
  • Authority:
  • Gender:
  • Technology:

Micro/Macro worlds

Micro Worlds - This refers to your immediate world of family. Peers school and work. It is the world you know through personal experience.

Macro Worlds –This refers to the broader world beyond your micro world. It may consist of your country, the international community or ideas you receive through the media. It is the world you know through access to public knowledge.

Personal Experience –refers to those experiences you have as you grow and develop as a human being. This personal experience is unique to you as an individual.

To make this experience valid, you need to engage in personal reflection. That requires you to think about who you are, what you do and why you are the way you are. This will also require reflection about the type of society you are living in, the nature of the culture you are experiencing and the specific environmentyou experience.

Public Knowledge – is a collection of knowledge assembled through research and analysis of a wide range of personal experiences. It includes the work of social and cultural theories, which may apply to your experiences, but doesn’t have to. Its the knowledge found in books, lectures documentaries and using computer technology.

Social and Cultural Literacy

A socially and culturally literate person:

  • Is self aware with a sense of personal, social and cultural identity
  • Interested in, observes & asks question about their micro & macro world
  • Shows critical discernment towards media
  • Is capable of informed decision making and takes considered action on social issues
  • Shows concern for the welfare, rights and dignity of all people
  • Understands continuity & change and the implication for the future in a global context
  • Communicates Effectively
  • Researches effectively and ethically
  • Empathise with people of different societies and culture

How could you demonstrate Social and cultural literacy in your PIP?

Methodologies

Quantative Vs. Qualative

Quantative: Enable a researcher to analyse and present their findings numerically in the form of graphs or statistics

E.g. Surveys or questionnaires

Qualitative: Provide deeper, more subjective experiences of a research topic

E.g. interviews, Focus groups, observations

Strengths / Weaknesses
Qualitative / - More detailed information gained
- Logical, descriptive and systematic in presentation / - Subjective, value judgements may occur
- Cannot be produced in numerical form
- Not always accurate
- Can be time consuming
Quantative / -Mostly reliable
-Objective
-Lack of Bias
-Data can be measured and graphed / - Doesn’t reflect individual opinions
- Doesn’t focus on human aspects
- Greater caution needed in collection of data
Methodology / Description / Adv. / Dis.
Survey / Uses observation or a questionnaire. It is a process of conducting a study from a representative sample of specific populating. Must be comprised of closed questions, multiple choice and rating scale. / Closed questions
Open questions
 Easier to interpret
 Minimal cost
 Many responses
 anonymity /  Can't elaborate
 little flexibility
 May misinterpret
 survey not returned by certain time.
Case Study / Case Study involves the collection of data related to an individual or small group through observation, interviews or evidence. / - Fairly detailed accurate info
 can get very involved /  research may be bias
 limited by the resources available to researcher
Participant Observation / Researcher is immersed in the action being observed but their role, as researcher is not obvious. Researchers must be aware of ethical implications / - Requires researcher to reflect
- in-depth, detailed / - Participant may be self conscious
-Difficult for researcher to get involved
-alter behaviour
Content Analysis / The study and interpretation of written and visual material. / -Useful for range of cultural data
-Very current info / -Material shows bias
-very time consuming
Focus Group / A small group who (in-depth) discuss a topic. Researcher records information. It is similar to interview but with up to eight people / -Provides good qualitative information.
- Dynamic responses
-Lots of ideas / - Difficult to select right participants
- Difficult for group to trust each other
Action Research / Informal, qualitative, requires all participants to be collaborative researchers. People who recognise a problem in a workplace situation and devise a solution. / -Very accurate
- Many ideas, updated
- Researcher very involved /  Time consuming
 Confusing
 difficult to obtain conclusions.
Interview / Interview may be structured, semi structured or unstructured in-depth or conversational. This is a one on one situation that is time consuming. /  quick and easy
 detailed and in-depth
 can change questions to suit situation
 flexible, quick /  time consuming
 not in-depth
 difficult to analyse
 may be confusing
 difficult to analyse
Personal Reflection / Requires the researcher to reflect upon and evaluate his or her own experiences, memories, values and opinions in relation to specific issue or topic. /  Reflecting on own experiences
 Evaluating personal matters /  may cause friction with difficult issues
 personal bias
Observation / Involves watching and recording behaviour within a clearly defined area. The researcher may be passive observer and outside the actions being observed and recorded. /  identity of person is known
 researchers reflect on situation /  participants alter behaviour
 self conscious
Ethnographic study / Systematic collection of data derived from direct observation of everyday life of a particular society, group or subculture. This requires researchers immersion in the culture under study and is interactive process. The researcher is interested in understanding the customs and beliefs or this social group in the way of engaging in everyday life. /  indepth detailed
 researcher becomes very involved /  very time consuming
 researcher may be bias or make incorrect judgement.
Statistical
Analysis / Examining data to interpret meaning, make generalisations and extrapolate trends. Often data come in graphical form and analysed by statistical procedures /  easy to graph and present /  info can date quickly
 inaccuracies when transferring info
Questionnaire / Collecting data from a large and diverse sample of people. It is impersonal and contains clear questions worded simply to avoid confusion. Should be brief, logical sequence of questions /  minimal cost
 wide responses quickly
 anonymous /  Failure to receive responses
 little flexibility
 Misinterpret question

Continuity and Change

Continuity – Persistence of social & cultural elements in a society. New ideas are slowly grafter & developed into old ideas. Continuation of social groups forms of interaction, customs, and beliefs e.g. Alphabet, process or papermaking.

Continuities with Australia include:

 Anzac Day, Australia day

 Melbourne Cup

 Vegemite

 Schoolies week

 Year 12 formal

Some societies with strongly held traditional beliefs, continuities are dominant, conformity is encouraged. Few elements are added e.g. traditional societies based on strong religious beliefs.

Continuities persist because;

We need to preserve our language, laws, morals, ethics, and behaviour so that our traditions last into the future. This is done through the socialisation process, we pass social continues onto generations. In the micro world this happens through family, in the macro world it is through media, government, law, education and religion.

 Continuities (traditions) provide security for a society to help maintain links to the pasty so there is a sense of continuity for the future.

 Continuity brings stability to society; it prevents chaos followed from massive change.

Change - a constant element in life, significant alteration in patterns of culture & social structure that are reflected in social behaviour. Some societies, like small tribes change slowly due to isolation, while other like the United States change rapidly.

Factors that influences change include;

 Environmental conditions

 Isolation

 Available resources

 Population

 Political organisations

 Cultural factors

 Leaders and entrepreneurs

No society can successfully prevent change; some societies are more resistant however. The rates, nature and direction of change different from one society e.g. Australian compared to traditional pygmy society of Africa.

Change occurs when people think of new ways of doing something e.g. innovations. Innovations spread by diffusion and acculturation. Change forces societies to consider traditions they wish to keep or discard.

Change in societies is inevitable;

 can be constructive (new medicine)

 can be destructive (pollution)

 may be sudden (war or death)

 evolve gradually (animal extinction)

We need to prepare for change. It is constant element of social life. Some changes are planned, others unplanned. They can be of a short duration (fads and fashion) or long duration (invention of cars). Some changes are readily accepted (improved health care) while othersare controversial (feminist movement).

(I had a bit of trouble with this one so be sure to find your own examples and stuff if you need it)

THE ‘ISATIONS’

Industrialisation: development of methods of production that have been responsible for increasing wealth and creating capacity of modern society compared to traditional systems.

It may refer to manufacturing, agriculture & administration.

Administration:- centralised

  • Geography can make centralisation difficult
  • War lords can restrict democracy

Agriculture:

  • Geography can make agricultural improvement difficult e.g. lack of electricity in rural areas, mountains etc
  • Poverty can also reflect progress

Manufacturing:

  • Relies on investment, which is difficult in a war torn country, often only occurs in more urban areas.

Examples in General:

Examples specific to India:

Modernisation:adoption of new technology, education and ways of thinking process of social change from the adoption of characteristics of an advanced society by less developed societies.

  • Social mobilisation
  • Equality - important
  • Centralised social and political control
  • Acceptance of scientifically, rational norms
  • Transformation of social relationships

On the surface, Modernisation appears inevitable, but its character can be shaped by individual societies and cultures

Examples in General:

rExamples in India:

  • India is democratic
  • India is not modernised because of equality

Westernisation: The adoption of the methods and values of western industrial capitalism, these values include democracy, capitalism, and the adoption of free market industrialisation.

Methods and values of western industrial capitalism adopted:

Methods – foreign investment and influence

Values–traditional values rejected or maintained

-Individualism over collectivism

Examples in General:

Examples in India:

Globalisation:

India has become a major world power with a large standing in the stock market as a massive consumer and trader. Indian has one of the largest populations in the world so many outsource their factories to India to get cheaper labour.

Describes the emergences of a global culture brought about by a variety of social & cultural developments e.g. world information systems. It involves a growing consciousness of the world as a single place.

Examples in General:

Examples in India:

Theories of social change

Conflict theory:

“The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change It.” – Marx

-History is the product of the struggle of different groups for their own advantage

-The impulse to take sides

-Change happens when the balance of power between classes changes

-“Class” is central for conflict theorists; economic allegiances more powerful, lasting, transformative than political or status allegiances

-Economic life is the most important part of society; social and cultural “superstructure” rests on an economic “base”

-Conflict theory sees history as a result of human agency rather than “natural” change

-Tendency to blame. Caricature, ascribe “false consciousness” to other

Strengths; Alot of change does occur through recognizes that side of society. Explains human nature, not everyone always agrees and everyone wants more power.

Weaknesses; Not all change requires conflict in society. Provides little indication of future directions of change.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Functionalist theory:

Functionalism is a macro social theory.

Functionalists see society as being like the human body: people are like individual cells and institutions are like organs, and are interdependent. Institutions are very important for functionalists. They are the formal structures in a society that fill a functional role by responding to a particular social need. For example, the educational institutions (including schools, tutoring, University etc) fulfil the role of completing the secondary socialisation of children and preparing them for the workforce.

This theory says that if change occurs, its temporarily alters the balance in society, brings about adjustment or change to bring about a new equilibrium and balance once again in society. Functionalists Believe social change occurs when internal or external forces upset society's balance e.g unemployment, women returning to the workforce, war etc.

All parts of society have a function, and change is a result of these functions being disturbed. In simple societies there are fewer institutions to perform functions (family, education economic production of food). In more complex societies more institutions perform functions e.g. schools provide education not family.

Strengths; shows how society deals with change and adjusts to it

Weaknesses; More about institutional order. Concentrates on destructive change. Doesn't deal well with technology, or economic change.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

Evolutionary Theory:

Theorist Herbert Spencer and Charles Darwin

The main idea of this theory is that this theory implies that all societies gradually change from traditional and simple to more complex following only one path. Modern socio theorists believe that development and change could occur in a multi-linear way i.e. following several different paths, not just one. They did not believe that industrial societies were necessarily superior to rural based or traditional societies and did not view all changes as progress.

Strengths; It says that societies can develop in many different ways not just one path. It believes that not all change is progress.

Weaknesses; only looks at slow change, evolution and doesn't explain quick change e.g. war, natural disaster.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Apply Conflict/Functionalist theory to India

Futurism

There are 3 different methods of exploring the future they are:

Probable: The most likely outcome given past and current trends