Relating Social Structural Abstractions to Sociological Research

Abstract

One of most difficult problems for students in introductory sociology class is seeing the big picture-i.e., understanding how various components of sociological analysis at micro and macro levels fit together into a larger pattern. Being unable to recognize this larger pattern, students often are confused about where and how certain types of sociological relate to specific concepts or levels of analysis. To help students grasp concept of social structure and related to that structure, I have constructed a chart which has proved to be an effective teaching tool (see Table 1). At top of chart are listed basic institutions of society, with common components. Below, with institution of education as a model, specific examples of institutional components and related types of and projects are listed. Because college students are experienced regarding behavior and organization within institution of education (although they might not recognize their experience in quite those terms), education lends itself readily to illustration. The students first should read about social structure and sociological from their text; in addition or as an alternative, instructor should have given an introduction to both topics in class. With this background knowledge, when their ideas are elicited, students usually come up easily with examples of each component of educational institution and with a type of design for gathering data about each. In class instructor diagrams top portion of Table 1 for students. Then a student or instructor jots students' suggestions and ideas on chalkboard. Depending upon class size, students can be divided into buzz groups and can elicit examples among themselves before sharing them with whole class. If instructor and students are comfortable with a discussion format, bottom part of Table 1 can be constructed with help of students in both small and mediumsized classes. This method is more problematic but is not necessarily precluded in a class of 100-plus; degree of success in very large classes depends on facilities such as seating arrangements, acoustics, and audio-visual equipment, as well as on instructor's special talents. I introduce chart early, about two or three weeks into course, as an explication for sociological methods and as a preview of basic social institutions. Then, as students progress through course, we review outline of society (as shown in Table 1), applying each structural component to each of institutions studied. In addition, throughout rest of semester students are assigned exercises from Levin (1984), in which they apply basic sociological concepts. When learning about symbolic interaction, for instance, they are required to act as participant observers and to submit an outline of what they observed, according to guidelines given in Levin (1984, pp. 57-62). The chart itself can be expanded and made much more complex. For example, one can expand model to include cultural and personality systems, a more intricate distinction between macro and micro levels of analysis, processes of institutionalization and socialization, and consensus and conflict perspectives (see Zito 1975, pp. 14, 50). I find it easier, however, to sustain students' enthusiasm by keeping diagram simple initially. Gradually, as concepts are studied in depth, many more are added to chart and examined. It is apparent-in students' written exercises, in classroom discussions in which students share their research experiences, and on examinations-that it is beneficial to be introduced early to an overview of social structure and and to connection between two. (Equally important is review throughout course.) Students are better able to see where and how divisions of information fit into a comprehensive whole and to differentiate between macro and micro levels of analysis. By end of semester