UNIT 4: Social Groups & Formal Organizations
A social group is a collection of two or more people who interact often, share an identity and have a feeing of interdependence. Charles H. Cooley differentiates between primary groups and secondary groups. Primary groups are are characterized by intimate face-to-face association and those are fundamental in the development and continued adjustment of their members. The primary group plays a crucial role in linking individuals to the larger society made up of secondary groups. Secondary groups are large impersonal groups whose members pursue specific goals or activities. We identify the family, the child's play group, and the neighborhoods or community among adults as primary groups.
Source: http://www.sociologyguide.com/basic-concepts/Primary-Groups.php |
Max Weber believed that bureaucracy was the most rational and efficient way to attend organizational goals. Along with their efficiencies come problems.
Groupthink is a fascinating process. It is through groupthink that members of a group arrive at a decision, that individually the members would believe is unwise. Click on the arrow below to listen to the audio introduction to Unit 4 - Groups & Organizations.
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ObjectivesStudents will be able to distinguish between social groups, aggregates, and categories.
Students will be able to define bureaucracies and identify their strengths and weaknesses. Students will be able to describe the significance of group size. Students will be able to demonstrate, via the voice thread assignment, their understanding of the experiments and what we learn about conformity and behavior. |
Readings / LectureColburn, Kenneth (2012). Introduction to Sociology/Groups from the wiki book
Cheney, Paul (2009). Chapter 7. Society and Groups from Intro to Sociology Bureaucracies Weber: Rationalization & Bureaucracies Weber: Bureaucratic Form Pros & Cons of Bureaucracy Social Idenitity Social Identity Theory and the Organization Blake E. Ashforth and Fred Mael The Academy of Management Review Vol. 14, No. 1 (Jan., 1989), pp. 20-39 Published by: Academy of Management Social Identity and Cliques in Detroit Video By Joshua Mandel, Psy.D.Social Life in Middle and High School: Dealing With Cliques and Bullies NYU Child Study Center Experiments Hawthorne Effect What is the Hawthorne Effect? Video 1 Testing the Hawthorne Effect Miligram Experiment Video 1 Original Experiment Asch Experiment Description: Conformity Experiment Video Influences of Social Forces |
AssignmentsDiscussion Question
Bureaucracy Blog Assignment: Primary Groups Voice Thread Assignment: Cliques/GroupThink Google Docs Assignment: Experiments and Human Behavior |