Lesson Exemplar About Social Action Theory Lesson Plan for 12th Grade Example Students

Topic: Social Action Theory by Max Weber

Objectives & Outcomes

• Understand the basic concepts and principles of Social Action Theory elaborated by Max Weber.
• Appreciate the role of social action in bringing about social change.

Content:

• Introduction to Social Action Theory
• Three Principles of Social Action:

1.Gesamtrationalität: Overall rationality

2.Zweckrationalität: Purposive rationality

3.Handlungsrationalität: Action rationality

• The categorical-ideal type
• Conclusion

Warm-up

• Ask students to share their prior knowledge about Social Action Theory.
• Discuss major concepts and figures in the field of sociology, such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber.
• Ask students to brainstorm and list the ways through which social change can be brought about in society.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of Social Action Theory and explain its main tenets.
• Emphasize the importance of understanding the various factors that influence human action, such as values, norms, and interests.
• Provide examples of how these factors can be applied to real-world cases of social action and social change.

Activity 1

• Divide the class into small groups and provide each group with a real-world case of social action or social change.
• Have the groups analyze the case using the concepts of Social Action Theory and present their findings to the class.

Activity 2

• Have the class brainstorm a list of factors that may have influenced the actions taken in the case presented in Activity 1.
• Have the class rank the factors in order of importance and explain their reasoning for each ranking.
• Bring the class back together and discuss the findings from Activity 2 in order to reinforce the concepts of Social Action Theory and its application to real-world cases of social action and social change.

Activity 3

• Have the class work in small groups to create a hypothetical case of social action or social change.
• Have each group present their case to the class and have the class use Social Action Theory to analyze and critique the case.
• Have the class come together and discuss the findings from Activity 3 in order to reinforce the concepts of Social Action Theory and its application to hypothetical cases of social action and social change.

Closure

• Review the main points of Social Action Theory and its application to hypothetical cases of social action and social change.
• Ask the students to reflect on the material covered in the lesson and discuss how they can apply the concepts of Social Action Theory to their own personal and professional lives.

Assessment

• Student presentations on the hypothetical cases of social action and social change.
• Class participation and small group discussions during the lesson.
• Written reflection of the lesson by the students (informal or formal).