History, Theory, and Methods of Sociology

Sociology 100 (Unit 1), History, Theory, and Methods of Sociology.

What is Sociology?

The scientific study of human interactions and human societies

What is the Sociological Imagination

The ability to understand the link between individual lives and larger social forces.

Social Work v.s Sociology

Social Work: applied sociology, working with people, using knowledge from sociology.

Sociology: more academic, using research.

Anthropology v.s Sociology

Anthropology: Physical (discovery of human species, forensics) and Cultural (Societies and Cultures)

Sociology: Conducts surveys, focused on industrialized cultures

History v.s Sociology

History: Looking at people in the past

Sociology: History is needed to study things like race

Economics v.s Sociology

Economics: Only studying the economy

Sociology: Can study the economy but also other concepts.

Political Science v.s Sociology

Political Science: Only studying political science

Sociology: Can also study political science, but can also study other concepts.

Psychology v.s Sociology

Psychology: Studies of the individual person

Sociology: Studies on the group as a whole, society

Comte (Martineau)

Founder of sociology who emphasized social physics, exploring social status and dynamics.

Spencer

Created social Darwinism and the organic analogy.

Durkheim

Conducted the ‘la suicide-empirical’ study and developed concepts of social integration and social facts.

Social Darwinism

The fittest rise to the top of society.

Organic Analogy

Human society operates like the human body. Human society is made of social systems that work together to make society better/worse.

“La Suicide-Empirical Study”

Found that they were a correlation between social integration and likelihood of suicide

Anomic

State of normlessness: social integration went down, suicide is up

Altruistic

You’re more willing to die for the group if they believe strongly in the society. Social integration is up, suicide is up

Egoistic

Individual person feels disconnected from other people so they commit suicide. Suicide is up, Social integration is down.

Fatalistic

So socially integrated that you feel like there is no escape. Social integration is up; suicide is up.

Social Facts

General statements about society that can be made based on empirical evidence.

Mechanical Solidarity

Connections come from a homogenous set of values, norms, and traditions

Organic Solidarity

Connections come from a common sense of interdependence and respect for diverse norms and cultures.

Marx

Society is driven by competition and conflict over scare resources. The two groups: bourgeoise vs. proletariat.

Bourgeoise

Owners of, means of production (business owners).

Proletariat

have nots, workers of society

Weber

Socialists should be unbiased observers. You should turn over your research to someone, like a politician

Protestant Ethic

What is believed to be the start of capitalism. More people started becoming protestant rather than catholic

Measure of class

You can measure people’s class by their prestige, power, and property

Mead

Introduced the I and me theory, the preparatory + play stage + game stage, introduced generalized and significant others.

Stages of development

1) Preparatory stage: child is just copying what they see

2) Playing stage: starting to recognize your role in the world

3) Game stage: you know your role and the role of others

Generalized and Significant Others

Generalized - a role

Significant Others - a role (a specific person known to you playing that role)

Looking glass self

We get our sense of self based on our interpretation of others responses to us.

Functionalism

Society is made up of interrelated and interdependent parts that work together to create stability, harmony, and order

Conflict Theory

Society is driven by competition and conflict. Over scare resources which created inequality.

Symbolic Interaction

In order to understand society we need to understand shared meanings, values, perceptions, interactions, signs, and symbols.

Ethnomethodology

Everyday things being taken for granted, breeching norms.

Dramaturgical Approach

Life is like a play and we are all actors playing a role.

Feminism

Gender and gender inequality are real and should be challenged.

Exchange Theory

Benefits = Rewards - Cost