September 29 th

1. September 29th • Attendance • Return Journals & Collect A-L at end of class • Lecture Four: Civic Engagement, Social Capital, and the loss of Social Connections • Student led discussion • Homework: • Ritzer, George The McDonaldization of Society (CR) • Annual Editions Reading #3 The Atrophy of Social Life

2. Civic Engagement • Civic Engagement: individuals and groups that come together through organizations and networks to address community and social issues • Civic participation: actions and behavior of individuals and groups • Civic structure: organizations and groups that facilitate networks

3. Civic participation quiz

4. Journal Writing #6 • What were your results on the civic participation quiz? • How do you feel about your results in the quiz? • How do you compare to others in your age group? • Do you think your local communities (Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and Hollister) encourage or discourage civic engagement? • How do you think we can encourage a “culture of engagement” in our society and communities?

5. Social Capital • Social capital: the social knowledge and connections that enable people to accomplish their goals and extend their influence • Social networks • Mutual obligation • Trustworthiness

6. September 29th • Attendance • Return Journals • Lecture Four: Civic Engagement, Social Capital, and the loss of Social Connections • Student led discussion • Homework: • Annual Editions Reading #29 Who Rules America? • Annual Editions Reading #30 Inside the Hidden World of Earmarks

7. Types of Social Capital • Bridging Social Capital – outward looking and inclusive • Unifies people across social boundaries • Ex: Interfaith religious groups • Bonding Social Capital – inward looking and exclusive • Reinforces identities among homogeneous groups • Ex: Fraternities and Sororities

8. Social Structure • The social structure of a society – how society is organized – shapes how we are connected to others • Social institutions – family, economy, education • Patterns of behavior and expectations • Social Groups: • Primary: strong, intimate ties (family, friends) • Secondary: weak, superficial ties (work, school)

9. Modern Social Structure: Rationalization • Rationalization: process by which thought and action are no longer rooted in emotion, tradition, but become rooted in ‘value-rational’ thought and action • Value –system (culture) • Institutional Organization • The Cow • Hindus – symbol of everything alive • McDonalds – “means to an end”

10. McDonaldization of Society • McDonaldization: “process by which the principles of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of society” – George Ritzer • Efficient • Quantification • Predictability • Non-human Technology

11. Efficiency • Efficiency is the choosing the fastest means to an end, with the least amount of cost or effort. • The idea of efficiency is specific to the interests of the industry or business, but is typically advertised as a benefit to the customer. • Examples: the drive-up window, self-serve gasoline, ATM's, • The customer often ends up doing the work that previously was done for them. • We end up spending more time, being forced to learn new technologies, remember more numbers, and often pay higher prices

12. Quantification & Calculation • Quantification “involves an emphasis on things that can be calculated, counted, quantified. Quantification refers to a tendency to emphasize quantity rather than quality. This leads to a sense that quality is equal to certain, usually (but not always) large quantities of things." (Ritzer 1994:142) • Examples of this element include: the "Big Mac," the Whopper,""Big Gulp," Wendy's "Biggie Meals," • The credentialing process.

13. Predictability • Predictability refers to the attempt to structure our environment so that surprise and difference do not encroach upon our sensibilities. Rational people need to know what to expect. • They want to be sure that the fun, satisfaction, taste, and benefits they received last week in Cincinnati will be repeated next week in San Diego. A Big Mac is a Big Mac is a Big Mac.

14. Non-human Technology • Non-human Technology: Everything is pre-packaged, pre-measured, automatically controlled. The human employee is not required to think, just follow the instructions and push a button now and then. • "The next step in this development is to have the customer do the scanning,..." (Ritzer 1994:150). • What this means is that the skills and capabilities of the human actor are quickly becoming things of the past. Who we are and how we interact is becoming defined by our dependence upon and subordination to the machine.

15. Irrationality • Rational systems → irrational outcomes • "Most specifically, irrationality means that rational systems are unreasonable systems. By that I mean that they deny the basic humanity, the human reason, of the people who work within or are served by them." – George Ritzer

16. A social problem? • How do you think McDonalidization affects our connections social capital and connections to others? • Bridging & Bonding Social Capital? • Do you think McDonaldization is a social problem? • Does it create any social problems?