Sociology (1)

sociology

scientific study of human social relationships, groups, & societies (“systematic study of human society”)

* aims to understand human behavior, social relations, & social institutions
* scientific approach
* rigorous research methods

systematic

scientific discipline that focuses on patterns of behavior

human society

group behavior; how groups influence individuals and vice versa

principle of social embeddedness

idea that economic, political, & other forms of human behaviors are fundamentally shaped by social relations

the “sociological imagination”

the ability to see the relationship between individual lives & larger social forces that shape them

* relationship between personal troubles & public issues
* where biography & history intersect

examples of sociological imagination

an unhappy couple → national divorce rates

a person loses his or her job → unemployment trends

agency

ability of individuals & groups to exercise free will & make social change on a small or large scale

structure

patterned social arrangements that effect agency

what happens to our choices?

they are enabled or constrained by structure

what was Emile Durkheim’s famous study?

the classic study of suicide and who was more likely to commit suicide

who is most likely to commit suicide?

wealthy, unmarried, male Protestants

who is least likely to commit suicide?

poor, married, male Jews & Catholics

what was the basic finding of the suicide study?

“social integration” : those with strong social ties had less chance of committing suicide

social solidarity

bonds that unite members of a social group

collective conscience

common beliefs and values that bind a society together

suicide rates across the US

in the Plains and Mountain regions of the country, where population density is very low, people are more isolated and have a higher rate of suicide

rate of death by suicide (race & sex)

white men are almost 11 times more likely than black women to commit suicide

critical thinking

ability to evaluate claims about truth by using reason and evidence

* recognizes poor arguments
* rejects statements NOT supported by evidence
* questions our assumptions

what is the development of sociological thinking rooted in?

4 interrelated major historical developments

what are the 4 interrelated major historical developments?

1. scientific revolution
2. the enlightenment
3. the industrial revolution
4. urbanization

scientific revolution

belief in science & reason

the enlightenment

new ideas - equality, liberty, human rights

the industrial revolution

shift from small-scale agriculture production to more efficient, profit-driven manufacturing based in factories

urbanization

mass migration from rural farms to urban factories

August Comte (1798-1857)

argued that social relationships consisted of 2 forces

who coined the term “sociology”

Auguste Comte

what 2 forces make up social relationships?

1. social statics
2. social dynamics

social statics

the way society is held together

social dynamics

the laws that govern social change

what did Auguste Comte favor?

positivism

positivism

knowledge based on scientific reasoning & facts alone

Harriet Martineau (1802-1876)

conflict theorist

who was the first English female sociologist and who wrote the first sociological methods book?

Harriet Martineau

what did Harriet Martineau do?

* studied how economy, law, trade, health, & population impact social problems
* spoke out on women’s rights and emancipation of slaves

what type of theorist was Emile Durkheim?

functionalist

according to Emile Durkheim, what holds society together?

mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity

mechanical solidarity

traditional, bonds based on similarity

organic solidarity

modern industrial, bonds based on specialization and interdependence

anomie

a social condition of normlessness

* individuals feel confused & anxious because they do not know how to interact with others
* can arise as a society transitions from a traditional, agricultural state to a modern, industrial state

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

conflict theorist

* economic & political thinker
* inspired communist revolutions in Russia, China, Vietnam, Cuba, etc.

according to Karl Marx, how was society characterized by?

class conflict

how was society divided?

by 2 classes: bourgeoisie and proletariat

bourgeoisie

own the means of production & exploit the proletariat for their own gain

who wrote the Communist Manifesto?

Karl Marx

what did Karl Marx argue?

working class should overthrow the existing class system

Max Weber (1864-1920)

symbolic interactionist

what did Max Weber do?

* studied how Protestantistm fostered the rise of capitalism
* conceptualized the “ideal type”
* important studies of bureaucracy
* taught verstehen

ideal type

an evaluation strategy

verstehen

to understand a setting through contact with the people in it

Robert Ezra Park (1864-1944)

* pioneer of urban sociology & race relations
* champion of racial integration
* personal secretary to Booker T. Washington

what did Robert Ezra Park do?

studied a wide range of Chicago life: movie houses, hoboes, flophouses (cheap housing) dance halls, slums youth gangs, & mobs

W.E.B. Dubois (1868-1963)

* major contributor - studies of urban life
* 1st African American to receive PhD from Harvard University
* helped organize the NAACP

what did Dubois say African Americans experience?

double-consciousness

double-consciousness

an awareness of themselves both as Americans & as blacks, never free of racial stigma

what did Dubois challenge?

the status quo in both academic & political circles

Robert Merton (1910-2003)

functionalist

what main ideas did Merton have?

* manifest function
* latent function
* social dysfunctions
* theory of deviance

manifest function

obvious and intended functions of a given phenomenon or institution

latent function

functions that are not recognized or expected

what are social dysfunctions?

undesirable consequences

what ideas did C. Wright Mills have?

* sociological imagination
* power elite

sociological imagination

a perspective that transforms personal problems into public issues

power elite

military, executive branch, corporations make key decisions

according to C. Wright Mills what is the cause of social problems?

society, not people’s personal failings

what happaned to women sociologists during this time?

* women and minorities excluded from universities
* their writings and ideas often ignored by white male sociologists

who was the founder of Hull House?

Jane Addams

what did Jane Addams do?

* pioneered the study of neighborhoods
* combined intellectual inquiry, social service work, & political activism

Jane Addams

conflict theorist

what was Jane Adams part of?

the sociological period that emphasized social reform and battling corrpution

Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935)

prominent American feminist, sociologist, novelist, writer of short stories, poetry, nonfiction, & a lecturer for social reform

what enables men to produce more wealth then they otherwise could?

labor of women in the house

what is true about women and the economy?

women are economic factors in society but are not economically independent

what is true about sex roles in the family?

they are not natural and inevitable but are social constructs that have the potential to change

theory

logical statements of how & why facts are related; explains social behavior

sociological theories

logical, rigorous frameworks for the interpretation of social life that make particular assumptions and ask particular questions about the social world

paradigm

set of fundamental assumptions that guides thinking; framework for building theory

what are the 3 major approaches to the sociological theory?

1. structural-functional or “functionalist perspective”
2. social-conflict or “conflict perspective”
3. symbolic-interaction or “interactionist perspective”

macro-level paradigm

large scale patterns & institutions


1. structural-functional/functionalist perspective
2. social-conflict/conflict perspective

micro-level paradigm

social relations & interactions in specific, individual situations

* symbolic-interaction/interactionist perspective

functionalist paradigm

explains social organization and change in terms of the functions performed by different social structures

* if it exists and persists, it must serve a function

what does the functionalist paradigm ask?

what is the function of?

what is a weakness of the functionalist paradigm?

fails to recognize inequality and its effects on social relationships

what is an example of functionalist paradigm?

crime and deviance

what did Emile Durkheim argue?

the function of deviance is to define what is “normal,” what is considered right & good

according to Durkheim, what happens when a society punishes deviant behavior?

it reaffirms people’s beliefs in what is right and good

Talcott Parsons

traditional gender roles promote social stability

how are men socialized?

into instrumental roles: rational, work-oriented

how are women socialized?

into expressive roles: sensitive, nurturing, emotional

Robert Merton

social institutions or action can have both positive functions and problematic dysfunctions

* manifest vs. latent functions

conflict paradigm

explains social organization and change in terms of the conflict built into social relationships

* each group in society (class, race, gender, etc.) will act in its own interests

what does the conflict paradigm ask?

who benefits? who loses?

what is a weakness with the conflict paradigm?

overlooks the forces of stability, equilibrium, and consensus in society

what is an example of conflict paradigm?

crime and deviance

feminism

focus shifts from social class to gender power

critical race theory

focus on conflict between racial groups

what did Karl Marx say regarding the Conflict Theory?

conflict between capitalist class and working class over wages and productivity

Theodor Adorno

control of culture serves to uphold class domination

symbolic interactionism

both the individual self and society are the result of social interactions based on langauge and other symbols

* people acqurie a sense of who they are through interaction with others

what does symbolic interactionism ask?

how do we interact? how do we create and interpret symbols?

what is a weakness of symbolic interactionism?

focus on micro-level obscures larger structural context