Major Assignment 2 Part 3 and 4

3

Social Change Discussion Paper

Name

Institution

Course

Unit

Professor

Date

Social Change Discussion Paper

Part I: Social Change

Social change is a process involving the transformation of societal social order. It involves institutional social changes, changes in social relationships, and the social behaviors of the people. It is synonymous with the process of social progress or evolution, which brings about new perspectives on the perceived behavior of a people. From a social perspective, social change is embedded in human interactions, relationships, behavior patterns, and cultural values over time (Akujobi & Jack, 2017). In other words, from a social perspective, social change focuses on how human beings interact with each other in society with the hope of transforming their social order. From this perspective, social change borders on how human interactions, relationships, and general behavior impact society. According to Becker (2020), social change is initiated through interaction with others. He opines that people learn new concepts, ideas, perceptions, and beliefs through interaction with others. Acquisition of such new concepts inspires the development of new ideologies that can play a critical role in transforming a people's general reasoning, political perception, or even economic status. Lewis (2018) suggests that social change is thus perceived as a revolutionary process that starts from the bottom and works its way up. It is often an initiation by the public through mobilization for a common course before eventually reaching out to the activists, civil societies and lawyers, and those in leadership positions (Lewis, 2018).

Social change is also attached to policies and opinions of leadership in such instances when the leadership initiates social change. When social change follows a wave of leadership transformation pegged on ideological transformation proposed and implemented by the leader, social change is said to be a top-down initiative where the leader suggests and recommends changes to social order (Schatzki, 2019. Another important concept about social change as a social issue is that it is a ubiquitous process. Social change is an ongoing process and does not have a definite end. Changes are occasioned by different geographical periods. The bottom line is initiations aimed at changing social order through listening to the views and perspectives of others (Akujobi & Jack, 2017).

Social change can also be looked at as a research problem. Under this lens, social change is seen as a sociological and scientific inquiry into the factors that contribute to the change of order in a society. It examines the role social structures play in transforming our societies. For instance, the endemic social problems that affected Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries led to remarkable social changes that ravaged Western Europe. Therefore as a research problem, sociologists are interested in understanding how different social elements integrate to contribute to social change(s) (Becker, 2020). For instance, in the 18th/19th centuries, the enlightenment era contributed immensely to social order changes following enlightenment and improved intellectual understanding. The European intellectuals felt a need to transform their social order.

Most studies have concentrated on social change as the desired outcome brought about by the transformation of social order. However, it is imperative to note that even in the process of initiating social change, there are likely negative effects that social change may create: social problems. Thus, the gap in the study of social change is the relationship between social change and social problems. There is a need to investigate the interdependence between social change and social problems. In other words, it is important to create an understanding that the existence of a social problem necessitates a social change strategy. At the same time, a social change can create some social problems.

Part II: Role of the Researcher

A researcher is an important component of any research activity. The findings of any research work depend on a researcher's efforts (Schatzki, 2019). For scholars in the echelons of academic studies, research work is part of every student's requirements. As a social scientist, I have the onus to complete my academic research on social change. In preparation for the research, I gathered data through interviews and questionnaires; I designed analytical memos and field notes to aid my discussion and analysis of my research problem. Looking back at my research interviews and questionnaires, I feel satisfied with my level of organization. I administered questions that were relevant to my study problem. From my professor's remarks, I feel satisfied with a well-done job. My field notes are well documented, highlighting every step of action/activity that was taken during the study. The analytical memos reveal my prowess in analytical studies. The quality of these resources reflects my level of competence and experience in research.

A scholar conducting academic research often wears several hats. I experienced the same in my studies. My main identity remained as a graduate student, considering that my research was part of the fulfillment of the requirements of my graduate degree. I thus sought responses based on conducting academic research. But at the same time, I found myself in the field of social research. I saw a social researcher in me. As I tackled issues relating to unemployment and government policies on resource allocation and distribution, I sounded like a social scientist investigating the filth of government in matters relating to unemployment and resource distribution. As a researcher, my main mandate was to gather relevant information from my respondents. I did this through interviews and questionnaires that were administered online. As a researcher, I had to analyze the responses and make a recommendation. Finally, I also played the role of interviewer, asking questions on matters relating to social change and the determinants of a positive social change. In a nutshell, I wore different hats during the process.

I chose to work within my hometown for convenience and economic purposes. However, this posed a lot of challenges. I discovered that most of my respondents were insecure about revealing some pieces of information to me for fear of being victimized. I also faced opposition from the political class, who felt I was doing this research to gain political mileage. Such resistance made it difficult to gather adequate information.

References

Akujobi, C.T & Jack, J. (2017): Social Change and Social Problems. In Abasiekong,

E.M, Sibiri, E.A, & Ekpenyong, N.S (eds.) Major themes in sociology: An introductory text.

Benin City, Mase Perfect Prints

Becker, J. C. (2020). Ideology and the promotion of social change. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 34, 6-11.

Lewis, M. C. (2018). A critique of the principle of error correction as a theory of social change. Language in Society, 47(3), 325-346.

Schatzki, T. R. (2019). Social change in a material world. Routledg