And in the end…

Architects of Change: Reconstructing Society

©Pine Forge Press, an imprint of Sage Publications, 2008.

What are some of the sources of change in our society?

Single dramatic event Cultural and technological

innovations Shifting population size Environmental pressures Diffusion from other

cultures Media Others?

©Pine Forge Press, an imprint of Sage Publications, 2008.

Major source of change: Technological advancement

Technological change may be one of most accelerated

Computers have become indispensable

Convenience and access to information

Negatives? Loss of privacy Blurring of traditional lines between

work and home

©Pine Forge Press, an imprint of Sage Publications, 2008.

Major source of change:Social Movements

social movement Continuous, large-scale, organized collective action motivated by the desire to enact, stop, or reverse change in some area of society

Types of movements Reform Movement – define? Countermovement – define? Revolutionary Movement- define?

©Pine Forge Press, an imprint of Sage Publications, 2008.

Rising Expectations

When conditions at their worst, many solely focused on survival

People more likely to seek social change when living conditions have improved somewhat

Chance for change seems possible

©Pine Forge Press, an imprint of Sage Publications, 2008.

Sociological Imagination

We re-create society not only through acts of defiance and organized social movements but also through our daily interactions

society is simultaneously a human creation and a phenomenon that exists independently of us, influencing and controlling our private experiences

Through sociology, we can be “aware of the chains that restrict our ‘movements,’ but we also have the tools to break those chains”