CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

SOCIAL SCIENCE 2º ESO

WHAT IS A SOCIETY? SOCIETY is a group of people living in the

same geographical area, and sharing customs and laws.

Elements that differ societies:- CULTURE- TYPE OF SOCIAL STRATIFICATION.- ECONOMIC SYSTEM.- POLITICAL SYSTEM.

WHICH OF THESE ARE SOCIETIES?A B

C

DE

TYPES OF SOCIETIES – Traditional Societies Prehistory – 19th century. Thoughts and very strict rules. Little amount of goods. Primitive production techniques or little

use of technology. Hunting, fishing and gathering. After

8000 bc, farming and stockbreeding. Families; tribes; social inequality. Now it keeps in some areas of Latin

America, southeast of Asia and Africa.

Thai farmers

Charcoal production in Brazil

TYPES OF SOCIETIES – Industrial Societies Western Europe around 1780 (Industrial

Revolution). During 19th and 20th centuries it spreads to other areas in world due to colonisation.

Different ways of thinking, more freedom.

Bigger amount of goods. Social classes differ because of the

wealth. Social inequality between owners and

workers. Industry and services. States, borders, rise of democracy.

Industry in China.

TYPES OF SOCIETIES – The information or post - Industrial Societies Arose in 1970 with information and

telecommunication revolution. Many different ways of thinking and

lifestyles. Massive production of goods thanks to

high – tech. Middle class. Information, High – tech, services. Welfare state. EEUU, European Union, Japan, etc.

People using technology both at work and at school

HOMEWORK. 1. DEFINE SOCIETY. 2. LOOK AT THE PICTURES ON YOUR WORKSHEET

AND SAY WHICH TYPE OF SOCIETY EACH OF THEM SHOWS, AND EXPLAIN WHY.

3. GIVE EXAMPLES OF EACH TYPES OF SOCIETY GIVING NAMES OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD.

MODERN - DAY SOCIETIES Today’s civilisations are classified into 4 large groups,

also called civilisations: WESTERN CIVILISATION. MUSLIM CIVILISATION. AFRICAN CIVILISATION. EASTERN CIVILISATION.

CIVILISATIONS. WHICH OF THESE PICTURES REPRESENT EACH

CIVILISATION?

MODERN - DAY SOCIETIES They differ in their

culture, language and religion.

There are more than 4000 languages in the world nowadays, but their importance depends on the amount of people who speak them: Only 6 languages are

considered “international” and officials by the UN (ONU): mandarín Chinese; English; Spanish; French; Arabic; Russian.

MODERN - DAY SOCIETIES There are three main types of religions:

Those which believe in the nature, and are the oldest. Historic western religions – Christianity; Islam; Judaism.

They believe only in one God. Historic eastern religion – Hinduism; Buddhism;

Confucuianism. They don’t believe n a God, but in a way of life.

HOMEWORK 1. COMPLETE YOUR WORKSHEETS WITH THE

WORLD’S MAPS.

SOCIAL CLASS AND INEQUALITY. Societies nowadays are classified into social

groups called classes. Each class share lifestyles and standards of

living, and are structured in a hierarchical way, according to the social power they hold.

The factor that stablishes whether a person belongs to one or another social class is the personal wealth.

SOCIAL CLASS AND INEQUALITY.

SOCIAL CLASS AND INEQUALITY.

SOCIAL CLASS AND INEQUALITY.

SOCIAL CLASS AND INEQUALITY.

SOCIAL CLASS AND INEQUALITY. DEVELOPED COUNTRIES:

Social differences tend to be less severe. Society is divided into three main groups:

SMALL UPPER CLASS: very rich and powerful people, and sometimes, a small number of other proffessions.

VERY LARGE MIDDLE CLASS: small to medium business owners and high – ranking professionals (doctors, lawyers, teachers); middle – ranking professionals (office workers)

VERY LARGE WORKING CLASS: skilled manual workers (electricians, plumbers) and unskilled workers and labourers.

SOCIAL CLASS AND INEQUALITY. DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

Rigid social divisions. Powerful ruling class that controls the nation’s

power and wealth. Small middle class. General population: labourers and urban poor,

who live in poverty in marginalized areas of big cities and have no participation in government affairs.

HOMEWORK. 1. READ THE THREE PARAGRAPH ABOUT

SOCIAL CLASSES ON YOUR TEXT BOOK, PAGE 74, AND DRAW YOUR OWN DIAGRAM SHOWING AND EXPLAINING THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOCIETIES. (YOU CAN TAKE SOME IDEAS FROM THE DIAGRAMS WE HAVE JUST SEEN).

II. READ THE TEXT ABOUT THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.

III. GO TO PAGE 75, AND DO ACTIVITIES 9 AND 10.

SOCIETY AND STATE. Societies organise using political power, and this is

carried out through the framework of the state. The state is the governing body of a country or

territory and the highest authority over a population. There are more than 200 states in the world.

SOCIETY AND STATE. WORLD’S DENSITY.

SOCIETY AND STATE. – WORK ON YOUR OWN THE SPANISH STATE.

READ PAGE 78 FROM YOUR TEXT BOOK. COMPLETE THE MAP OF THE TERRITORIAL

ORGANISATION OF THE SPANISH STATE. DO ACTIVITIES 18, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28.

SOCIETY AND STATE.

EUROPEAN UNION. It was founded in

1957. In the beginning,

only six countries fromed it: France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

Nowadays 28 countries are part of it.

EUROPEAN AND SPANISH SOCIETY. Both European and Spanish societies share

three features: They are organised in three social classes: upper

(5%); middle class (most of population); working class – they have more purchasing power than in the past.

Most european countries have democratic governments, and societies that guarantee basic rights and political participation.

They are post – industrial societies: The majority of people are employed in the

service sector. High standard of living, although poverty is

still an issue.

EUROPEAN AND SPANISH SOCIETY. LINGUISTIC PLURALITY.

EUROPEAN LANGUAGES ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO MAIN GROUPS: WESTERN

EUROPEAN: predominance of Romance and Germanic languages.

EASTERN EUROPEAN: Slavic languages.

EUROPEAN AND SPANISH SOCIETY. RELIGIOUS PLURALITY.

Main religions practised in Europe: Catholicism; Protestantism; Orthodoxy.

EUROPEAN AND SPANISH SOCIETY. MULTICULTURALISM.

Due to inmigration to Europe and to Spain, their societies are more diverse.

Coexistence of different cultures. Cultural enrichment. Social problems: xenophobic attitudes towards

immigrants.

HOMEWORK. DO ACTIVITIES 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 AND 22

FROM PAGE 77.