4/24: Social Structure and Socialization (Sociology – Lecture 1) A. C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination B. Social Structure C. Peter Berger: 1. The Individual in Society 2. Society in the Individual D. The Self as Mutable – Social Conformity C. Wright Mills (1916-1962) Mills: The Sociological Imagination (1959) Biography and history (incl. social structure) “The sociological imagination enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society. That is its task and its promise.” Troubles (personal) and issues (social) Age of indifference and uneasiness (no cherished values and either absence or presence of threat); as opposed to crisis or wellbeing Mills on social values/threats: the 1950’s in the U.S. as a time of unease and indifference Values No Values Threat Crisis (public or personal) Unease No Threat Well-being Indifference or apathy Social Structure Social structure as external forces – particularly, social hierarchies, roles, norms and institutions – that provide the context for individual and group action. Durable, resistant to change. Class Exercise #1: Social Structure Growing Up Social Hierarchies Social Roles Social Norms/Values Social Institutions In College Berger: The Individual in Society Social location – “location tells an individual just what he may do and what he can expect of life… one ignores these forces at one’s peril.” Social control – concentric circles of coercion and voluntary compliance (force, norms, values) Social stratification Role of institutions in defining behaviors/practices Definition of the situation – conceptions of reality matter (often inherited) – taken for granted assumptions Class Exercise #2: Definition of the Situation Q1. What is your definition of the situation? Why are you interacting in class in this way? What is this really all about for you? Q2. In what ways has your definition of the situation been shaped by social structure? Berger: Society in the Individual Socialization/internalization of norms, values, rules Role theory – “a typified response to a typified expectation” (socially pre-determined and unconsciously embraced) Sociology of knowledge – ideas have social origins Reference-group theory – peers/significant others matter Self as mutable, socially constructed: “Man is not also a social being, but he is social in every aspect of his being.” The Self is Mutable Consider obedience and conformity experiments – Solomon Asch (1955) – lines on index cards and group pressure – Stanley Milgram (1974) – mock electrocution – Philip Zimbardo (1971) – Stanford prison experiment, ended early on day 6 Asch conformity experiment Milgram experiment (I) Milgram experiment (II) Milgram experiment (III) The Game of Death (French Documentary mock “game show” 2010 trailer) http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/video/11 747907579/The-Game-of-Death-Trailer Zimbardo Stanford Prison Experiment And some contemporary real life examples… 4/26: Socialization and Social Interaction A. Socialization 1. Social Capital (Coleman) 2. Changes in Work, Family, Community 3. Adolescent Society (Coleman) 4. Changes in School Authority 5. Cultural Capital (Bourdieu) B. Social Interaction (Goffman) Social Capital ◼ Advanced in sociology by James Coleman (1987) as explanation for differences in public/private school performance. ◼ “Social networks have value. Just as a screwdriver (physical capital) or a college education (human capital) can increase productivity (both individual and collective), so do social contacts affect the productivity of individuals and groups". -Putnam, Bowling Alone (2000) ◼ Class exercise #1 Q1. Which of these things would be hardest for you to take? (multiple choice) A. Parent’s disapproval B. Teacher’s disapproval C. Breaking with your best friend Q2. The best thing that could happen to me in school this year is . (fill in the blank) Q3. What does it take to be popular and part of the leading crowd at UCI? (group discussion) James Coleman, Adolescent Society (1961) ◼ Which of these things would be hardest for you to take? Parent’s disapproval Teacher’s disapproval Breaking with your friend 53% 3% 43% Class exercise #2 Q4. What are your rights as a student in school? (group discussion) Changing Context for Socialization in Schools ◼ Half century of Supreme Court case law concerned with school discipline and students’ rights, for example: ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ◼ Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District (1969) Goss v. Lopez (1975) Wood v. Strickland (1975) Ingraham v. Wright (1977) New Jersey vs. T.L.O. (1985) Bethel v. Fraser (1986) Morse v. Frederick (2007) Police and zero tolerance policies replace traditional teacher and educator authority in school Legal Understandings – Goss due process rights framework Understandings of Due Process Rights Percent reporting that various forms of minor day-to-day school discipline require formal due process protections or cannot be administered. All Students Af.-Am. Students Teachers & Admin. In-school suspension 42% 45% 40% Grade reduction 43% 43% 65%b Extra-curricular suspension 41% 46% 38% 59% 64%a 79%b Any of the three above forms Student reports of perceived due process rights also associated with gender (M>F), greater parental education, higher grade level, and state location (NY+CA>NC). Educator reports of perceived student due process rights associated with gender (F>M), administrator status, and inversely with education. a=different from white students, b=different from students, p
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