Announcements:

• Students participating in Thon must bring documentation to the professor before February 18^th so they can take the make up exam, which will take place on February 23.
• Friday there will be a project assigned

1. Stage Theorists (continued)

1. Kohlberg (continued) – 3 General Levels of Moral Reasoning

1. Pre-conventional – see Feb. 8^th notes
2. Conventional – see Feb. 8^th notes
3. Post-Conventional Level – very few people fall into this category

1. Social Contract – implicit and explicit rules Example: Marriage – the one stays faithful to the other because they don’t want to hurt the other person.
2. Reasons for laws and bad laws – They recognize the need for laws but say that bad laws do exist – just because a law is obeyed does not mean it is right. Example: People opposed the draft during the Vietnam War because they felt the war was morally wrong.
3. Universal Ethical Principles – people have higher moral principles that transcend government laws. Use Civil Disobedience to make a stand against human rights injustices. These people include Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Ghandi, etc. This takes an enormous amount of courage – people tend to go along with bad laws.

1. Social Structures

1. Social Structure – a predictable pattern of social relationships as well as interaction in society. This is a stable, enduring, routine, social relationship. Example: Family – it is very predictable how you will act with your family – very routine. Example: Penn State University – Very predictable patterns of behavior among employees, students.
2. The 5 Components of Social Structure

1. Statuses – position in society. Example: Student, son, daughter, teacher, etc.

1. Master Status – the first thing people see in a person. Example: Gender, age, and race… A white male is a master status.
2. Ascribed Status – Things attached to a person; what they have no control over. Example: Born with blonde hair, age, sex, race
3. Achieved Status – Whatever one earns on his own effort Example: A Penn State Graduate earned a degree

1. Roles – a set of culturally defined rights and duties; we occupy a position and we play a role. We play many different roles, which leads to anomie, which is anxiety when the norms of the role we are playing are not clear. Example: A recently married woman has trouble adapting to her new role as a wife as it fits in with her other roles as a teacher, student, etc… Example: People from a small town move to a big university and they are unsure of the new role they have to play
2. Groups – collection of people acting together in an orderly way based on shared expectations. Example: Family – everyone is associated with a group that is based on predictable behavior.

1. CH Cooley defined two different groups:

1. Primary Group – small, social, strong group with lasting loyalties. Example: Family, fraternity, sorority
2. Secondary Group – anonymity, large, impersonal, based on a specific interest, members have little knowledge of each other. Example: A college class.
3. The main difference is that Primary groups are based on personal orientation and who you are, while Secondary groups are based on goal orientation and what you can do.

1. 2 kinds of leadership in groups:

1. Instrumental Leaders – based on combination of tasks that are goal-orientated. Always striving to reach the goal – usually attributed to the father.
2. Expressive Leaders – Any leader who caters to one’s physical needs. Cares about the collective well being and solidarity of the group – usually attributed to the mother.

1. Group Conformity – Group influences the behavior of its members. Imposes conformity to hold group together.
2. Group Think – the negative aspect of group conformity – People subordinate their own interests and give in to the group way of thinking. No alternative methods of thinking are given. Example: Hazing – people drink too much because they are conforming to the group. Example: Hillary Clinton’s health care plan failed because the group did not have any physicians involved which allowed for no alternative methods of thinking.
3. Merton: Reference Group – major life decisions are influenced by the groups we belong to. Example: We take advice from family, friends, and associates – taking the view of the group. Example: People with the same jobs live the same lifestyle because they are a part of that certain group.

1. Institutions – basic features

1. Institutions do not change – The pattern of social behavior is institutionalized and done without question. Example: Teachers come to class each day without having to call their boss up and ask him if they should come in today.
2. Institutions are inter-dependant in all aspects. Other institutions are connected to one another as well. Example: family – education – economy. Values are supported by different institutions. Example: capitalism and democracy are believed by American institutions.
3. Institutions change together – When one changes, another one does. Example: A recession leads to unemployment