Social Institutions
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Welcome to Social Institutions. This class is designed as a continuation of Introduction to Sociology. But, if you have not taken Intro to Soc., don't worry. It will make sense quick.
"Each society has its own social institutions. These are not buildings or places, but structures of relationship, obligation, role and function. These are social concepts and practices, but also involve cognitive structures. Members of a society have a similar mental concept of right and wrong, order and relationships, and patterns of good (positive values)." - Dr. Orville Boyd Jenkins
We will be looking at our society, which we'll define over the course of the marking period, as well as comparing ours to other societies. We will read theory and see if we can put that theory into practice.
One can study the concept of social institutions in a variety of ways, and for this course, we will be looking at how media portrays these institutions and how we then reflect what we absorb. We will use the great television show, The Simpson's as our main frame of reference. Yes, we will certainly have fun, watching some episodes and discussing them but we will also be pairing them with sociological research and theory. So, be prepared to analyze as well as enjoy the show.
Some of the social institutions that we will be looking at will be:
Family
Education
Religion
Government
Marriage
Home
and More...
Here are some Important Links:
www.wtso.net - Watch any show online. You'll need this.
www.snpp.net - Tons of information about every episode and more.
http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/main.html - Make your own simpsons character. Nice.