THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE STRUCTURE OF SOCIETY IN TERMS OF SIX ELEMENTS OR LEVELS--(1) VALUES, NORMS, AND BELIEFS, (2) SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS, (3) ORGANIZATIONS, (4) GROUPS, (5) POSITIONS, AND (6) SOCIAL ROLES. THE AUTHOR STATES THAT TO SEE SOCIETY IN ITS TOTALITY IS TO SEE DOWN THESE LEVELS OF SOCIETY AND ACROSS EACH OF THE LEVELS, AND TO LOOK FOR THE NATURE OF THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE MANY PARTS. THE FIRST TWO LEVELS MAKE UP THE SOCIETY'S CULTURAL SYSTEM, AND THE OTHERS ARE ALL PART OF THE SOCIAL SYSTEM. THE LEVELS ALL POINT TO THE PATTERNING THAT CAN BE FOUND IN HUMAN SOCIETIES. IN AN ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORKINGS OF SOCIETY, A FUNCTIONAL SYSTEM IS PRESENTED WHICH EMPHASIZES THE INTERRELATIONSHIP OF THE COMPONENT PARTS (LEVELS) THAT CONSTITUTE SOCIETY AND WHICH ALLOWS THE CONSIDERATION OF BOTH COHESIVE AND INTEGRATIVE FORCES IN SOCIETY, AS WELL AS THE PERSISTENT PROBLEMS AND SOURCES OF TENSION THAT ULTIMATELY TRANSFORM THE MAKEUP OF SOCIETY. THE BASIC INGREDIENT IN THIS VIEW OF SOCIETY IS THE LEVEL OF SOCIAL VALUES. VALUES "SEEP DOWN" TO SHAPE SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND, ULTIMATELY, IMPINGE UPON THE INDIVIDUAL AS THEY SHAPE THE POSITIONS HE OCCUPIES AND MOLD THE ROLE RELATIONSHIPS IN WHICH HE BECOMES INVOLVED. THESE VALUES, HOWEVER, CAN ALSO BE SHAPED BY MAN AND SOCIETY. MEN MOLD THE POSITIONS THEY OCCUPY AND, ULTIMATELY, THE VALUE SYSTEMS OF THEIR SOCIETY. BOTH PERSISTENCE AND CHANGE OF SOCIAL FORMS ARE ACHIEVED BY THIS PROCESS OF MUTUAL INFLUENCE. THIS PAPER WAS WRITTEN AS PART OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCE EDUCATION CONSORTIUM, A CURRICULUM PROJECT TO OUTLINE THE CONCEPTS, STRUCTURE, AND METHODS OF SEVERAL OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES FOR USE OF TEACHERS AND CURRICULUM WORKERS AT ALL ACADEMIC LEVELS. (JH)