Modernization

• Compose a 200- to 300-word response to the following: • Define social change. What are the key features of social change' Give four examples of social movements, current or past, and describe the key features of each movement. • Define modernization. What are the key features of modernization' Give four examples of modernization and describe the key features in each example. Social Change is defined by the transformation of culture and social institutions over time. The key features of social change are culture and change, conflict and change, ideas and change, and demographic change. The four social movements are alterative social movement, redemptive, reformative, and revolutionary. The first example of a social movement is the Christian group Promise Keepers. This group is an example of an alterative social movement because it seeks limited change in a small population. The key feature in the alterative social movement is ideas and change. The Christian group encourages men to be more spiritual and take care of their families. The idea is to bring forth God in these men’s lives, and the change would be to incorporate it and take care of their families. The second example of a social movement would be an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group. This group goes under Redemptive because the people who attend these sessions want to beat their disease of alcoholism. The key feature would be conflict and change. The people who attend AA seek medical help to overcome being an alcoholic. The conflict is trying to beat the disease of alcoholism and the change is staying sober. The third example of a social movement would be environmentalist groups. These groups make the public aware of global warming and the threat we are to the environment we live in. The movement is reformative because it seeks to interest everyone about taking care of the environment. The key feature would be demographic change to help change the environment. The last example of a social movement would be a communist group. Communist groups seek to take away from a utopian society and make it the way they wish to by controlling the environment/society. The key feature would be culture and change. The Communist group looks to change the way we as a culture live by changing the rules. The change is to actually make it happen which leads to modernization. Modernization is defined as a process of social change begun by industrialization. The four characteristics of modernization are the decline of small, traditional communities, the expansion of personal choice, increased social diversity, and orientation towards the future and a growing awareness of time. The first example of modernization (small, traditional communities) is declining communities. Small, rural, areas such as villages and Indian reservations are becoming obsolete due to evolution and geology. The second example of modernization (expansion of personal choice) shows religion as a popular movement. Being an American has many benefits one being freedom of choice. As there is an abundance of everything in the United States so are many religions. One has the right to choose their own faith and worship any way he or she chooses. The third example of modernization (increased social diversity) shows the decline of tradition and more individualistic point of view. In today’s growing world people are opting out of tradition and doing things their way. Perhaps this starts new traditions but only time can tell with that. The last example of modernization (orientation towards the future and a growing awareness of time) shows us that people are looking forward to ways that help make the world better. These Modern inventions (such as fuel-efficient cars) that will perhaps solve some of our problems in today’s world, but would have helped centuries ago.