SI - Social Institutions Lesson
Social Institutions Lesson
Just as a family has a presence in all societies, so too have the other social institutions in every society. As you have studied the specific details involving religion, government, economics and have personally experienced education in other courses, the approach to these social institutions will be within the confines of the field of sociology. Let's look at those now....
Education
Education is the social institution that allows society at large to pass its knowledge, including basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms and values, on to the next generation. Education can come in both formal and informal forms. Schooling is the formal adaptation of education that provides formal transmission of knowledge from specially trained teachers to their students. While there is a definition for schooling that applies in all societies, there is no one method of schooling that is universal. Those societies located in more developed nations do, however, tend to require more schooling than societies located in lesser developed nations. This statement reveals that elements of different social institutions can affect one another- in this case, an economy or politics is creating a standard in education.
Naturally, sociologists use many different approaches and have many different opinions on the effect of education as a social institution on the societies they study- especially when comparing them to other effects of education in other societies. Just as with the study of family, sociologists rely on the major theoretical approaches to guide their work.
Education and Schooling
Watch the Video on Education and Schooling.
Religion
Religion, in all societies, is a social institution involving beliefs and practices based on recognizing the sacred. Faith, which is a belief rooted in conviction rather than scientific evidence, is fundamental to all religions. As you already know, there are many different religions in the world. Before we continue on religion, let's return to a concept mentioned in the first lesson of this module- groups.
When we discussed groups earlier, we limited the discussion to primary and secondary groups. Now it is time to mention the difference between formal and informal groups. To repeat, groups are the collections of people who interact with one another and think of themselves as belonging together. However, not all groups are organized in the same manner. Informal groups occur naturally in response to an interest or a need and they lack the formality found informal groups. Formal groups, however, form to achieve specific goals and are characterized by a division of labor, a hierarchy of authority, a system of rules and procedures, record-keeping of work and activities, and often promotion within the group based on merit and qualifications.
Religions fall under the category of formal groups as they share characteristics with formal groups. The influence of these formal groups on society is often determined by the level of religiosity or secularization found within the society. Yet, there is no doubt that religion has historically and currently had an effect on the elements of culture found in the variety of communities in the world. Religious instruction guides the development of beliefs, values, and mores. Religious rituals establish norms. Religious symbols convey meanings that unite people. As to the degree religion does all of this, sociologists argue.
Theoretical Approaches to Religion
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According to the Structural-Functional Approach, religion is the channel through which people broadcast the power of society. During his study of religion, Émile Durkheim named three functions of religion:
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| According to the Social-Conflict Approach, religion perpetuates social inequality due to many of the reasons Durkheim listed as religion's functions. Karl Marx thought that by promoting conformity, uniting communities, and providing big questions on the meaning of life, religion distracted attention away from the social injustice people experienced daily. Later social-conflict theorists pointed out the patriarchal traditions within religion as a source for gender discrimination. | |
| According to the Symbolic-Interaction Approach, religion provides the language and symbolism people use to convey their understanding of the extraordinary meanings of life. Due to the idea that people often seek religion as a source of understanding and comfort during their most puzzling or darkest experiences, religion has special meanings for people. This approach is especially interested in religious rituals as a source to uncover the symbolism used by people to express their attitudes and beliefs. |
While sociologists debate the contribution of religion to the development and traits of society, they must practice cultural relativism as part of their profession. It is not the job of the sociologist to determine which religion is better or more right. Instead, they use the same type of scientific methods and evidence to explore how and why religious groups emerge and what that means for our societies at large as they do when investigating other social institutions for the same answers.
Function of Religion
Watch the Video on the Function of Religion.
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