Text 4. Social role. The group structure of society

Task: read the text and say what elements does the sociological role include.

The sociological role includes the following elements:

1. the socially prescribed or ideal role.

The ideal role prescribes the rights and duties belonging to a social position.

2. the perceived role.

What the individual believes he should do in a particular position may not fully coincide with the conventional image or ideal.

3. the performed role.

Actual role behaviour is always subject to the pressures and opportunities of a special social setting at a specific time. It is also conditioned by the individual’s personality and past experience.

An adequate analysis of any social role must take account of all three elements: prescription, perception and performance.

A given social status generates more than one role. When someone enters a new status he/she usually acquires a role set because he/she must meet the expectations of a number of different people.

Text 5. Practical implications of sociology

Task: read and translate the text, answer to the questions given below in written form.

1. One thinks that sociology has to deal with practical life. And for sure sociology has practical implications for our lives. It is policy-making and social reform that sociology can contribute to. Sociologists say that this science can provide clearer and more adequate understanding of what is going on in the society. It can do it in two ways:

• on the level of factual knowledge (giving an answer to the question what in particular is happening), or

• by means of theoretical understanding (giving an answer to the question why it is happening).

2. We can see that a greater propotion of the population is living in poverty. Any attempt to change the situation will be successful only if it is based on accurate rather than false information. The more we understand why poverty remains widespread, the more likely we can change the situation.

3. One can see that sociology aids in practical policy-making. It does it through helping to see the existence of different cultural values in the structure of the society. To make the world better it is necessary to discard prejudices which groups hold towards one another.

4. Changing in our social world for the past two decades has become so rapid that most people are amazed by recent events. The energy crisis has transformed global economies; new technologies have changed the workplace; the communist world is becoming radically reorganized; and a complex interdependent world means that the changes in one country cause changes in other countries. The world turns to sociologists for interpretation, explanation, making prognosis for future.

1. In what ways can sociology contribute to practical policy-making?

2. How can sociology provide clearer and more adequate understanding of what is going on in the society?

3. What proportion of the population live in poverty nowadays?

4. Under what conditions can an attempt to change the economic situation be successful?

5. Do different cultural values exist in the structure of the society?

6. How can we make the world better?

7. What changes have taken place in our social world for the past two decades?