• Unit 4: Institutions

    This unit will introduce you to some of the most powerful and influential social institutions: family, religion, education, and government. First, you will study the institution of family. Did you know the number of unmarried couples in the United States grew from fewer than 1 million in the 1970s to 6.4 million in 2008? Now, cohabiting couples account for 10 percent of all opposite-sex couples in the United States! This information is significant to sociologists (and you) because these numbers indicate dramatic changes in the structure of the American family.

    Next you will take a look at religion. Religion, like family, is yet another significant indicator of social structures within a culture. It is important to note that you will be studying religion from a sociological perspective, not a religious perspective. For instance, sociologist Émile Durkheim studied the functions of religion within a society. Durkheim found that some people use religion for healing and faith, others use it for communal bond, and even others may use it for understanding "the meaning of life." All of these functions of religion will affect the society's structure and balance.

    You will also study the American school and educational systems. In sociology, we understand education to be both a social problem and a social solution. You will learn how schools can be agents for social change - tools that can break even poverty or racism - as well as how education can be a social problem, like when schools become drop-out factories due to low funding or high levels of institutional disorganization. In addition, we often observe political and religious opposition to specific curriculum in schools, such as adequate sex education or the concept of evolution. These are the kinds of questions sociologists consider when studying schools and education.

    Finally, you will learn about government and politics as well as work and the economy from a sociological perspective. In these sections, you will be challenged to define power - is it something you are born into? Is it something you earn? Who decides your level of social power? You will study power, work, and economy (one of the world's earliest social structures) by exploring various types of economic systems and their functions in societies.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 21 hours.