consensus is a general or widespread agreement

among all members of a particular society. A concept

of society in which the absence of conflict is seen as
the equilibrium state of society based on a general or
widespread agreement among all members of a
particular society.

Conflict is a clash or disagreement between

ideas, principles and people

Mead and Cooley examined the ways in which

the individual is related to society through ongoing
interactions.

This theory attempt to make the

commonplace strange by turning on their heads
everyday taken-for-granted behaviors and
interactions between students and students and
between students and teachers.
Basic Forms of SOCIAL INTERACTIONS

Consensus theories see shared norms and

values as fundamental to society; focus on social
order based on tacit agreements, and view social
change as occurring in a slow and orderly fashion. In
contrast, conflict theories emphasize the
dominance of some social groups by others, see
social order as based on manipulation and control by
dominant groups and view social change as occurring
rapidly and in a disorderly fashion as subordinate
groups overthrow dominant groups (Ritzer, 2000). It
is a theory or collection of theories which places
emphasis on conflict in human society (Jary and Jary,
2000:105).
Conflict theory
According to Horton and Hunt (1984), conflict
theory focuses on the heterogeneous nature of
society and the differential distribution of political
and social power. A struggle between social classes
and class conflicts between the powerful and less
powerful groups occur.
.
What is structural functionalism?

States that society is made up of various

institutions that work together in cooperation.

Structural functionalism was for many years

the dominant sociological theory in the works of
Talcott Parsons, Robert Merton and their students and
followers. However in the last 3 decades it has
declined dramatically in importance (Chris, 1995).

Parsons Structural functionalism has 4

Functional Imperatives for all ACTION SYSTEMS,
embodied in his famous AGIL scheme. These
functional imperatives that are necessary for all
systems are:
1. Adaptation- a system must cope with external
situational exigencies. It must adapt to its
environment and adapt environment to its needs.
2. Goal attainment- A system must define and
achieve its primary goals
3. Integration- a system must regulate the
interrelationship of its component parts. It must also
manage the relationship among the other 3
functional imperatives (AGL).
4. Latency- (pattern maintenance) a system must
furnish, maintains, and renews both the motivation of
individuals and the cultural patterns that create and
sustain the motivation
What is Interaction Theory?

Interactionist theory has its origin in the social

psychology of early 20th century sociologists George
Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley.

Symbolic interaction which require mental

processes and views the self as socially constructed
in relation to social forces and social structures.
(Ritzer, 2000)
Meads approach to symbolic interaction rested
on 3 basic premises:
1.
People act toward the things hey encounter on
the basis of what those things mean to them.
2.
People learn what things are by observing the
things they encounter people respond to them that is
through social interaction.
3.
As a result of ongoing interaction, the sounds
(or words, gestures, facial expressions and body
postures we use in dealing with others acquire
symbolic meanings that are shared by people who
belong to the same culture.
Freemasonry has its lodges throughout the free
world. You'll find Masons meeting in almost every
town and village and - except where repressive
governments make their existence difficult - they're
readily found. None of these lodges was ever
organized as a result of any type of 'missionary'
work: they came into existence because a group of
Masons wanted to share the friendship and fraternity
with others in the area.
What is SO often misunderstood is a simple fact:
there are few but important requirements to become
a Freemason!
While they are stated in slightly different words in
various jurisdictions (and a few jurisdictions may
have one or two requirements beyond these), they
basically are as follows:
Being a man, freeborn, of good repute and wellrecommended;
A belief in a Supreme Being;
Ability to support one's self and family;
Of lawful age; and
Come to Freemasonry of their "own free will and
accord".
Freemasonry is an initiatic experience. You can't
become a Mason by reading a book or by hanging
out on the internet.
Let's examine the requirements for becoming a
Mason individually:
Being a man, freeborn, of good repute and
well-recommended
Masonry began as a male organization. There
are women's groups and groups of mixed malefemale membership who use rituals similar to that
of the major body of Freemasons throughout the
world. Some of these groups receive
acknowledgement (but not 'recognition') due to
their adherence to high moral principles etc. while
others are frowned upon. It is, after all, quite easy

for anyone to claim that they are the head of a

Masonic group and begin to obtain members.
(Check our list of regular/recognized Grand
Lodges here and you may wish to browse our
section on Fake Masonry here.)

The requirement of being "freeborn" harkens back

to the earliest days of Freemasonry. It became a
requirement since only those free from indentured
service as an apprentice or bondsman (as many
were in 17th century England, for example), could
truly make decisions for themselves.

Being of good repute is another essential

requirement. Masons do not wish to encourage
membership by those whose actions would stain
the reputation of the fraternity. In some
jurisdictions this is specifically stated but in all, it
is practiced!

A well-recommended person is one for whom

another is willing to vouch. Those who become
Freemasons have been recommended by a
proposer and then examined by lodge members to
ensure that the candidate will benefit from his
membership.
Belief in a Supreme Being
The major 'bone of contention' for some
detractors, Masonry does not attempt to define or
delineate how a person should pray or to whom
worship should be addressed.
The term "Great Architect of the Universe" (or
"Grand Architect of the Universe") is used to
permit offerings of prayer in a non-offensive
manner regardless of the varied religious beliefs of
those present. All Masons understand this concept
and when a prayer is said in lodge (a blessing
before a meal, a word of prayer for the sick, for
example), they understand that regardless of the
person speaking the words or the usual form of
prayer of others present, the prayer is addressed
to theirSupreme Being.
Once a candidate professes such belief, no further
investigation or interrogation is made. This fact
stymies Freemasonry's detractors who seem to be
constantly engaged in wars of 'religious
correctness' and who consequently wind up in
contradiction with each other as a result.
Ability to support one's self and family
Although not specifically stated by all jurisdictions,
this 'requirement' comes from a time when many
would join fraternal organizations in the hope
there would be financial and other benefits
available for them in their old age. Masonry did
not want to become a benevolent association
(some sort of group which would provide a handout, strongly desired by those seeking 'free'
assistance in a time without any type of social
support systems) and thus the requirement
appeared. Now, this is important to ensure that
those who seek membership understand the
priority of Freemasonry is secondary to religious
and family obligations!
Of Lawful Age
It's a simply understood concept: if you are not old
enough to make legal commitments, then the
concepts and precepts of Freemasonry might be a
bit too much for you to comprehend. Although this
isn't always true, there is a conceptual basis for
separating 'adults' from 'children'.
In most US jurisdictions, this age is now 18. There
are, however, some jurisdictions where the age
might be 19 or 21. Canadian and other
jurisdictions vary as well. Check with your local
Grand Lodge. A quick summary of US/Canada ages
can be found here.
Own Free Will and Accord"
You won't find recruiting posters or 'membership
bars' on a medal although one jurisdiction has put
'advertisements' on various web locations
including search engines like Google. Masons
simply don't get awards for bringing in new
members. It's a voluntary organization, sought
out by those with a positive impression of the
organization.

Masonic membership has always been an

intensely personal experience and in times when
"feelings" weren't discussed publicly by men, the
need for a person to ask for membership was
often not communicated to those who might
otherwise be interested in the
fraternity. Accordingly, there are many who
became Masons much later in life than necessary:
they had thought the proper thing to do was to
wait to be asked to join!
Some grand jurisdictions, recognizing the problem
arising from false perceptions ("I must be asked
to join such a good organization."), have begun to
loosen prior strict prohibitions. They may
now have a provision for Masons to let those who
they may feel would be appropriate candidates
know that they are 'welcomed' to join. This does
not, however, in any way mitigate or diminish the
requirement that a man make the choice to join
under his 'own free will and accord' not actuated
by unworthy motives!
These basic principles have been the means of
attracting the most highly respected persons to
Masonry for over three centuries. Their simplicity
confounds and confuses those who see a conspiracy
lurking behind every bush; those who want 'religious
purity' and those whose own motives are constantly
self-oriented. As a result, this quiet fraternity
continues - as do its detractors.
Noli me tangere
Noli Me Tangere is a novel by Filipino polymath Jos Rizal
and first published in 1887 in Berlin, Germany. Early English
translations used titles like An Eagle Flight and The Social
Cancer, but more recent translations have been published
using the original Latin title.
Though originally written in Spanish, it is more commonly
published and read in the Philippines in either English or
Filipino. Together with its sequel (El Filibusterismo), the
reading of Noli is obligatory for high school students all
throughout the archipelago.
References for the novel
Jose Rizal, a Filipino nationalist and medical doctor,
conceived the idea of writing a novel that would expose the
ills of Philippine society after reading Harriet Beecher
Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin. He preferred that the
prospective novel express the way Filipino culture was
backward, anti-progress, anti-intellectual, and not conducive
to the ideas of the Age of Enlightenment. He was then a
student of medicine in the Universidad Central de Madrid.
In a reunion of Filipinos at the house of his friend Pedro A.
Paterno in Madrid on 2 January 1884, Rizal proposed the
writing of a novel about the Philippines written by a group of
Filipinos. His proposal was unanimously approved by the
Filipinos present at the party, among whom were Pedro,
Maximino and Antonio Paterno, Graciano Lpez Jaena,
Evaristo Aguirre, Eduardo de Lete, Julio Llorente and
Valentin Ventura. However, this project did not materialize.
The people who agreed to help Rizal with the novel did not
write anything. Initially, the novel was planned to cover and
describe all phases of Filipino life, but almost everybody
wanted to write about women. Rizal even saw his
companions spend more time gambling and flirting with

Spanish women. Because of this, he pulled out of the plan of

co-writing with others and decided to draft the novel alone.