Section 6.5: Social Change [Learning Resources]

Fundamentals of Sociology - Adam McKee and Scott Bransford

Section Overview

The section provides an overview of social change, emphasizing its definition, importance, and transformative nature. It explores major theories of social change, including evolutionary, conflict, functionalist, and cyclical perspectives, offering different insights into the mechanisms behind societal transformations. The section outlines the driving forces of social change, such as technological innovations, social movements, economic factors, and environmental conditions, and highlights their significant impact on propelling societies into new eras. It discusses the consequences of social change, acknowledging both positive and negative outcomes, including technological progress, increased equality, social disruption, and exacerbated inequality. The section presents a case study on the rise of social media in the 21st century, demonstrating the application of theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios and underscoring the complexity of social change. It reflects on the role of social institutions in facilitating or hindering social change and considers the potential future of societal transformations. Understanding and anticipating social change are crucial in an evolving world.

Section Level Student Learning Outcomes

SLO 1: Students will understand the definition and importance of social change as transformative alterations in human interactions and societal structures over time.
SLO 2: Students will analyze major theories of social change (evolutionary, conflict, functionalist, cyclical) to gain insights into the mechanisms behind societal transformations.
SLO 3: Students will identify the driving forces of social change (technological innovations, social movements, economic factors, environmental conditions) and their significant impact on propelling societies into new eras.
SLO 4: Students will evaluate the consequences of social change, recognizing both positive (technological progress, increased equality) and negative outcomes (social disruption, exacerbated inequality).
SLO 5: Students will apply theoretical concepts to a case study on the rise of social media in the 21st century, understanding the complexity of social change and its multifaceted nature with both benefits and challenges.

Modification History

File Created:  05/07/2023

Last Modified:  06/26/2023

[Contents]


This work is licensed under an Open Educational Resource-Quality Master Source (OER-QMS) License.

Open Education Resource--Quality Master Source License

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.