Lesson 5

Essential Questions:What are the main sources of social

change?What factors lead people to resist social

change?

Define:Ideology, social movement, technology,

diffusion, reformulation, cultural lag

Pace of change is closely related to the total number of culture traits that a culture has at a particular time.

The more culture traits the faster the culture can change.

Invention of the carNew form of transportationNew employmentNew patterns of shoppingNew patterns of urbanizationNew leisure time activities

Values and beliefs Technology Population Diffusion Physical Environment Wars and Conquests

Society is a system of interrelated parts A change in one part of the system

forces changes in another Ideology: system of beliefs or ideas

that justifies the social, moral, religious, political, or economic interests held by a society

Social Movement: a long-term conscious effort to promote or prevent social change; usually fueled by ideology

Social movements usually involve large numbers of people.

Prohibition, women’s rights, peace, civil rights, gay rights, environment

What impact did these movements have on our society?

How has our culture changed as a result of these movements?

Social change also occurs when people find new ways to manipulate their environment

2 ways new technology comes about: discovery and invention

Discoveries: atomic fusion, chewing gum, oil shale

Inventions (material objects, ideas or patterns of behavior): Material: gadget to take the pits out of cherries Nonmaterial: political movements, new

hobbies, religious movements

A change in population may bring about changes

Since the early 1990s the U.S. population has been increasing

Population increases and decreases affect the economy

An increase in population also means that there are more people occupying the same space

Change in the age of the population brings about cultural changes

People often borrow ideas, beliefs, and material objects from other societies

The more contact a society has with other societies the more culture traits it will borrow.

Constant diffusion takes place through radio, television, the telephone, and the internet

In general, societies accept material culture and technology more freely than beliefs and ideas

Reformulation: borrowing cultural traits and then adapting them to fit their needs

The environment provides unscheduled events that affect culture

Drought, flood, earthquake, tornado, tidal wave, hurricane

Change in the supply of natural resourcesGas pricesCementGroceries

These bring about the greatest changes in the shortest amount of time

Loss of lives Destruction of property New cities and towns Changes in economy Advances in technology and medicine Changes in government and new rules What happened to our country directly

after Sept. 11, 2001?

Cultural change rarely happens without some opposition

Social change often results from a compromise between opposing forces

Over time, some people may accept a change they initially rejectedThe role of women in the work place

Ethnocentrism Change that comes from outside a

society usually meets with strong resistance

“Buy American” campaign of the 1970sTarget was the importation of Japanese carsPromoters claimed buying imported cars

put Americans out of workThey would demolish Japanese cars in

demonstrationsToday, some Japanese cars are made by

American workers on American soil

Some cultural traits take a long time to be accepted

Material culture changes at a faster rate Often, technological change results in cultural

lag The traditional school year had a long summer

break so children could help with the harvest; today year-round schooling is still met with resistance

Computer and technology has a lot to offer schools; the price tag is too steep for some school districts and many schools are deficient in technology

Privacy issues are not a heated debate because the internet can store information about users

If a person is satisfied with the way things are now, they are likely to resist change; specifically if they perceive the change will threaten their security or standard of living

Workers may oppose technology if they fear the technology will replace them

The oil companies are notorious for protecting their “vested interests” and keeping us dependent upon them so they can earn billions

Using the information from this lesson, write an essay about how the U.S. has changed in reaction to one of the following: Natural disaster Act of war or terror Corporations with vested interests (i.e. oil) Immigration to certain regions

Your essay should be about two pages long, double spaced, TNR, 12 pt font. Use a comparison/contrast format. Use at least two sources in addition to your experiences and memories. The sources should be listed at the end of the paper.