G671 Sociology

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Explain what is meant by ‘socialisation’
Identify six agents of socialisation

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Socialisation is the process of learning our culture.
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Through this, it is also the process by which we are raised to be functioning members of our society...
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...And as a result of this process, our identities (of which we may each have more than one) are created and reinforced.

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Feral children demonstrate that we cannot socialise ourselves (into human societies/cultures). We require external influences to socialise us.

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Family
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Mass Media
Religion
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Education
Peer Group
Workplace
(‘Primary Socialisation’)
(‘Secondary Socialisation’)

LO: Identify and explain ways in which children are socialised within the family.

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What is a ‘family’?
What is the purpose of a family?
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On your mini-whiteboards, identify at least three different types of family present in the contemporary UK?

How might the following have an effect on relationships in the family?
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Work/life balance of parents
Number/age/gender of siblings
Increasing life expectancy
Geographical issues (e.g. Where family live /
Distance family members live from one another)

Socialisation by the family is the foundation of all civilised behaviour. We learn:
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Language
Body control (e.g. Toilet training)
Emotional control (e.g. “don’t hit your sister”)
Rules of public conduct (e.g. “don’t throw your food”)
Moral values (e.g. “lying is wrong”)
Discuss: How do we learn these things?

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Role-Modelling values)
(inc. Instilling basic norms and
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Imitation (e.g. table manners)
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Positive and negative sanctions (e.g. Punishments and rewards)
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Gender roles (e.g. gender roles within the family)
Ensure you can clearly define each of the above.

Quality
To use a toilet
To eat a balanced diet
To show thanks
Example 1
Potty training; rewards to reinforce positive achievement
Example 2
Imitation of adult use
To believe in free speech
To be a vegetarian

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Traditionally, the parental role has been to care for and stimulate their children.
Nowadays, many parents see their role as protecting their children from danger
(accidents, paedophiles, terrorism etc)
Furedi believes parents have become paranoid; that the risk to children is exaggerated and the focus on protection unhealthy (e.g. The parents of Daniele Duval, who fitted her with a microchip so they could track her if she was ever kidnapped).

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Write a paragraph explaining how the process of socialisation works in a family. Include the following concepts:
Gender
Sanctions
Imitation
Role-modelling

LOs:
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Identify and explain two ways in
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which the media socialises people.
Describe three models of media effects.

What do we mean by the term ‘mass media’?
What different areas of the mass media are there?
Calculate: How much of your day is spent engaging with the mass media?

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The dominant agent of socialisation for young people in the UK.
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The mass media is predominantly used for entertainment, communication and for accessing information.
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The mass media is largely responsible for creating popular culture, subcultures, consumer culture and for globalisation.

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Representation of social groups

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Hypodermic Syringe Model
Media images inject directly into the brain having an immediate effect on behaviour.
Cultural Effects Model
Constant repetition of media images having a gradual effect on attitudes and behaviour.
Uses & Gratifications Model
Individuals seek out specific media content to fulfil specific needs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZkC_fNxm
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Discuss (small groups):
Could you live a month without all of the following?:
Mobile Phone
Internet
Television
Music
Video Games
Films
Newspapers

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Research Online and find an example of a case in which the media has been accused of influencing behaviour (positively/negatively).
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On your blog/as a written report, link to the case you’ve found and write a very brief (500
Word) summary of your views on it, referring to some of the concepts we’ve studied.
Due: Next Lesson

Identify and briefly explain at least two ways in which religion socialises people.

In pairs, list a minimum of TEN religions present in the contemporary UK.

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It provides written moral codes that reinforce the values of our society e.g.
Thou shalt not kill
Thou shalt not commut adultery
Thou shalt not steal
(from The Ten Commandments)
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This means betraying society is also betraying a God/Gods.

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It provides authority figures who can act as role models.
The way it treats people by gender, sexuality etc. can impact society’s views on these issues.
It has strong links to ethnicity. Many people consider their religion to be a central part of their ethnic identity.

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Many sociologists believe that religion is losing influence in the UK (‘secularisation’).
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...Others believe it is still important but is becoming more privatised.
Early religious socialisation usually comes through the family, as part of primary socialisation.
For many people in the UK then, religion may not be as influential an agent as it once was.

LOs: 1. Differentiate between the formal and informal curricula.
2. Identify and briefly explain two ways in which the school system socialises people.

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In pairs, list as many different types of schools found in the contemporary UK as you can.
Ext:- What other institutions/areas of society are involved in educating people?

In school, we are socialised through two different social learning processes:
The Formal Curriculum (e.g. the subjects we study)
The Informal Curriculum a.k.a. The ‘Hidden’
Curriculum (e.g. The rules and regulations of school life)
What sorts of things might be part of the ‘informal curriculum’?

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Punctuality
Attendance
Expectations
Where to go during breaks/lunch (and where not to go!)
How far boundaries can be pushed (e.g.
School uniform policy)
Valuing success
Etc.

In small groups:
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Design a ‘perfect’ formal curriculum for socialising young people. Consider the following:
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Which subjects should be mandatory?
Which subjects should be optional/scrapped?
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What new subjects could be added?

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What we learn in our subject choices should help us learn the culture of our society.
The values and behaviours we learn at school should equip us for functioning in the wider world e.g.
If you don’t learn to turn up on time for lessons, you won’t last long in a job.
If you don’t appreciate the value of education for yourself, you won’t succeed and won’t pass this value on...therefore it may become lost from our culture.

LOs:
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Identify and explain two ways in which
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peer groups socialise people.
Define the concept ‘cultural comfort zone’.

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A peer group is a group of people who share a similar social status (and are usually of a similar age group).
Early peer interaction is usually monitored by parents, so just reinforces socialisation by the family.
From the age of 5-18, peer groups become particularly influential as agents of socialisation and can challenge the role of the family.

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Discuss:
In what ways have you been influenced by your peers throughout your life?
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Is it possible to not be at all influenced by peers? Is that a good or bad thing?

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Subcultures
Develop around shared views, beliefs, tastes, styles etc.
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Resistance/rebel groups
Develop in opposition to the ‘norm’
These two are often interchangeable

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Peer Pressure
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Bullying
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Hierarchies/significant figures
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Sense of belonging

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Used the concept cultural comfort zones to describe how peer groups form around shared identities: We seek out people who we perceive as ‘like us’.
Sewell focused on ethnicity e.g. Noting how kids of the same ethnic origin ‘hang around’ with each other outside of class...
...But the term can equally be applied to factors like social class.

LOs: Identify and briefly explain two ways in which the workplace socialises people.

How do the following jobs influence the lives of those doing them:

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The workplace resocialises people; it teaches us new codes of behaviour. We undergo a process of resocialisation every time we change our job.
The influence of the workplace touches
(nearly) everyone at some point in their lives.
The nature of work is changing; 9-5 is no longer the norm in the contemporary UK.

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Resocialisation
Training programmes
Written and unwritten rules
Dress codes/uniforms
Imitation, role-modelling and peer-pressure.

Agent
Family
Media
Peer Group
Education
Religion
Workplace
1 st Way 2 nd Way

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Resocialisation
Cultural Comfort Zone
Hidden Curriculum
Secularisation
Hypodermic Syringe Model
Positive & Negative Sanctions

Write a short (500-1000 word) blog or essay on the following, incorporating concepts from your learning so far:
The most influential agent of socialisation in my life so far has been…
Due: This time next week