Unit III Scholarly Activity Introduction to Sociology

SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 1 Cou rse Learning Outcomes for Unit III Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to: 4. Evaluate patterns of behavior through sociological skills and theory. 4.1 Evaluate behaviors of consumerism. 4.2 Connect statuses and roles by explaining digital footprints. 5. Using micro theories of self, assess one’s own digital footprint. 5.1 Integrate impression management techniques with online personality. 5.2 Interact with online structures in the maintenance of self -impressions. 5.3 Use elements from Dramaturgy to analyze digital footprint. 6. Explain how social structure shapes an individual’s life chances. 6.1 Determine when decisions are mad e using free will and when they are made based on the confines of social status and role. 6.2 Explain how social structure shapes self -expression, which in turn shapes life -chances. Reading Assignment Chapter 5: Social Structure & Interaction Unit Lesson Status and Role How much of your life is free will, and how much is socially determined? This is a good question to ask as we begin our unit on social structure, “the underlying framework of society consisting of the positions people occupy and the relati onships between them” (Witt, 2015 , p.103). Structure consists of things such as social position or status, as well as social roles or patterns of behavior that we follow when we occupy a social status. An easy way to differentiate between status and role is to remember that a person occupies a status and plays a role. For example, one social status that you occupy is that of a student. When you became a student, did you define the role you would play, or was there already a skeleton of that role in plac e within the system of education? Society already set up the behaviors associated with being a student, because student is a social status and not an individual one. By becoming a student, you tacitly agreed to certain behaviors such as reading course mate rials, studying, writing papers, and taking exams. When you became a student, you already knew what the university expected from you because of the social role attached to the status of student. The status of student and the roles attached were in place lo ng before you enrolled, and they will remain in place long after you exit the student status (graduate). Now, ask yourselves, how much of what you do as a student is free will, and how much is due to the expectations of the status and role set up by soci ety? This is not to say that you have no free will. You can decide not to read the chapters and unit lectures and not to take the exams. However, should you choose to do this, you will not fulfill the role of student and therefore will not have a successfu l semester. Thus, there is societal pressure to accept the predetermined status of student and the roles attached to that status. The constraints of free will are even larger than our status of student. Your position in society shapes many of the choices you make on a daily basis. For example, think about your hobbies. Does your social class shape UNIT III STUDY GUIDE Social Structure: Macro Components SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 2 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title your hobby choices? Which sports interest you most —do you fence, or do you bowl? Which card game do you play — Euchre or W hist, Poker or Canasta? W hich type of mus ic do you listen to — country, rock, classical, or opera? Our social class shapes most of the activities in which we engage. We even choose our life or work partners from within the constraints of our social structure. People are more likely to choose part ners from within their own class, race, and neighborhood. We generally choose them from what sociologists call an in-group . In-Groups To which in-groups do you belong? In -groups produce loyalty and a sense of belonging by creating an “us - them” condition. Oftentimes, in -group members are encouraged to feel a sense of superiority over people who belong to out -groups. This leads to rivalry and competition in sports, the ability to see others as the enemy in the military, and discrimination in society. In fac t, the sense of superiority leads people to view in -group traits as virtuous and out -group traits as vices, even if the groups share the same trait. For example, during WWII, Germans viewed themselves as intelligent citizens. However, the same characteri stics Germans viewed as proof of their intelligence were seen as proof of scheming or being sly when seen in Jewish people. Similarly, in today’s society, we view men who are aggressive as assertive and women who are aggressive as pushy. A man who does n ot speak up for himself knows ‘ ”when to keep his mouth shut. ” Conversely, a woman who does not speak up for herself seems too timid in a business or political setting. Gender also shapes our lives in ways we may not see at first. The notion of gender its elf is socially constructed. Our society tells us that women are expressive, warm, caring, and nurturing, while men are instrumental, assertive, competitive, and stern. Yet these are not biologically determined facets of being either female or male. Rather , these are characteristics taught to us through the process of socialization. From the time we are born, our parents encourage us to act in ways that are consistent with the gender roles set forth by society. Girls are encouraged to play gently with their dolls and scolded if they repeatedly hit the doll on the coffee table. Boys ar e taught to be tough and discouraged from crying, even when hurt. Even the way we hold babies teaches them to be either independent (we hold boys further away from our bodies) or dependent (we hold girls against our bodies). Parents teach girls to be obedi ent and to play quietly. On the other hand, parents expect boys to get into trouble and “raise a ruckus. ” As the saying goes, “Boys will be boys.” Bureaucracies Many formal organizations in society are bureaucracies. All bureaucracies include five charac teristics that work together to keep the system running efficiently: division of labor, hierarchy of authority, written rules and regulations, impersonality, and employment based on technical qualification . In division of labor , each position requires specialized skills, and each worker fixates on his/her own specific tasks. Therefore, if you are the receptionist at a tire company such as Goodyear, you answer telephones and manage the office flow. You do not know how to do the ta sks associated with other positions in the company. Similarly, if you are the CEO, you concern yourself with the “big picture.” You do not know anything about working a switchboard, extruding rubber, or x -raying tires. By having someone dedicated to one se t of tasks, workers fulfill their jobs. The problem with this is that each section of the company does not know what the other sections are doing. The hierarchy of authority means that everyone has a superior. Workers with questions use this hierarchy, o r chain of command, to get answers to questions and for complaints or suggestions. This is useful in light of our discussion of the division of labor. Imagine going to the CEO of Goodyear if you have questions about how your machine operates. He/she would not be able to answer the questions or offer any useful suggestions because the position of CEO operates in the big -picture arena and not in the technical arena of manufacturing. Having written rules and regulations is very helpful in providing uniformit y to every task , regardless of which individual completes it. These rules provide clear expectations and standards of performance, as well as a SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 3 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title sense of continuity when workers come and go. For workers, this is helpful in letting them know that no matter who their coworker or supervisor may be, things will remain much the same. However, overzealous conformity to the rules leads to loss of creativity among workers and a lot of red tape. In a fast -food environment, workers are discouraged from being creative. Even the scripts used discourage any creative talking. For example, the question “Do you want fries with that?” hardly needs to be asked if a person orders a salad and a diet coke. Yet supervisors often write up their employees when they repeatedly neglec t to ask that question of their customers. Impersonality in bureaucracy is twofold: impersonality to fellow workers and impersonality of the work itself. Most people within a bureaucracy know that their coworkers are replaceable. Because of this, people are less inclined to engage in in -group activities with those with whom they work. Think about your own workplace — do you get together with people who work in other areas of the company? When do you get the chance to meet them? What do you have in common wi th your fellow workers other than work? The impersonality of the work itself stems from being responsible for only a small portion of the finished product. If you work on a bicycle factory line, you may be responsible for simply tightening a bolt on the bi ke. In this way, you do not even see the finished product. Thus, employees are often alienated from their coworkers and the products they produce. Employment based on technical qualification is beneficial to workers because people earn raises and promotio ns based on merit. As people demonstrate complete expertise in their area, they earn promotions to the next position. The Peter Principle argues that a person climbs the ladder of promotions until they achieve the promotion they are not qualified to perfor m, and then stay there for the rest of their time at the company. McDonaldization of Society According to sociologist George Ritzer (1998) , McDonaldization is the increased rationalization of the routine tasks of everyday life. Ritzer believes there are four dimensions to the McDonaldization of society: 1. Efficiency: This means choosing the best possible means to a given end. In the case of McDonaldization, the means and ends are not personal choices. Rather, these are the choices that are patterned and i nstitutionalized. Examples of this include fast -food restaurants and walk -in clinics. Fast -food restaurants have spearheaded the push for efficiency by simplifying goods and services and getting the customer to do the work paid employees once did (such as picking up their own food, filling and refilling their own drinks). Another example is walk -in clinics. These have been called “McDoctors” or “Docs in a Box.” Why? They serve patients who want medical care with maximum efficiency. How? The demand for reduc ed medical care has brought about faster in -and -out times for these clinics, so that they see more patients in the same amount of time. Further, advances in technology have made medical practice more user -friendly. 2. Calculability: This is the dimension that involves calculating, counting, and quantifying. In McDonaldization, it is quantity over quality. For customers of fast food, this means getting larger portions of mediocre -tasting food, eating on the run (or in the car), and feeling rushed. For employees , it means having no personal satisfaction with their work. It means always watching the clock or counting the pieces you have made. Computers make calculability possible on large scales.

For instance, when starting college years ago, we used to register i n person, with pen and paper. Could you imagine even a relatively small university doing this? Talk about not getting the classes you wanted! (Incidentally, in the past, students would wait in line at the department table, oftentimes for two hours, just to discover that the class they wanted in that department was closed.) In our culture, bigger is better. From restaurant meals to flower arrangements, we expect large portions. We see this easily in fast food. When McDonalds first opened, an adult meal consi sted of a hamburger, a small fry, and a child -size coke. Now, people order two “Big” Mac meals supersized with a humongous -sized drink. Burger King’s fish sandwich is called a “W haler,” and their hamburger is called a “W hopper.” W hy? Because , we value big. “Docs in a Box,” AKA walk -in clinics, are interested in seeing the most patients in the least amount of time. Thus , the clinics are set up to get ‘em in and get ‘em out. They also utilize more physician assistants (rather than MDs) in order to treat the m ost , using the least amount of money. 3. Predictability: This dimension emphasizes discipline, systematization, and routine so that things are the same from one time to the next . We know what a Big Mac will taste like before we arrive at the drive -in window. W e know how many patties will be on it, what the special sauce will taste like, and what it will look like, right down to the sesame seed buns. Even in Russia, the Big Mac is the Big Mac. SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 4 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title 4. Control: Replacement of human with non -human technology — that is the goal of the control aspect of this process. McDonaldization seeks to control humanness , to eradicate mistakes , to make it mechanical. Many stores nowadays have checkout aisles that use non -human interfaces to check out and receive payment for purchases. Why does Ritzer suggest our society is becoming McDonaldized? Do you agree with him? Why, or why not?

What are some examples of areas in your own life that are becoming McDonaldized? References Ritzer, G. (1998). The McDonaldization thesis: Explorations and extensions. London , England : SAGE. Witt, J. (201 5). SOC 2014 (3rd ed. update). New York, NY: McGraw -Hill Education. Suggested Reading Learn more about this week’s topics by researching in the databases of the CSU Online Library. The following sources can be found in the General OneFile database: Jackson, W. A. (2005). Capabilities, culture and social structure. Review of Social Economy, 63 (1), 101 -125. Levy Jr., M. (2000). Some implications of Japanese social structure. American So ciologist, 31 (2), 18 -32. The following sources can be found in the Academic OneFile database of the CSU Online Library: Lin, N. (1999). Social networks and status attainment. Annual Review of Sociology, 467 -487. Villier, A. (2012). The benefits of soc ial networks. PSA Journal, 78 (3), 15. What is the homophily principle? How does it impact our relationships? That question and others are answered in the following article, which can be found by searching online: Cook, J., McPherson, M., & Smith -Lovin , L. (2001). Birds of a feather: Homophily in social networks. Annual Review of Sociology. 27 (1), 415 -445. Learning Activities (Non -Graded) SocThink Your textbook provides several opportunities for you to explore relevant topics, from personal self -ex ploration to challenging questions concerning topics being studied in this unit. Taking the time to read and respond to these opportunities will help you learn and apply the information being studied. These opportunities can be found on the following pages :  Chapter 5 o Page 105 o Page 106 o Page 107 o Page 109 o Page114 o Page 117 o Page 120 SOC 1010, Introduction to Sociology 5 UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title Check Your Learning Quizzes are a way to self -test to see if you understand what you are studying. The textbook provides a brief “Pop Quiz” for each chapter. Take advantage of this learning tool to enrich your learning experience! The answers are provided, so you can check and see how well you did. For this unit, the quizzes are available on the following page:  Chapter 5 Pop Quiz, Pg. 127 The se are non -graded activities , so you do not have to submit them . However, if you have difficulty with any concepts, contact your instructor for additional discussion and /or explanation.