Sociology Module 1

sociology

the systematical study of human society

the study of the diverse contexts within which individuals lives unfold and social world is created

sociologists (what is there role/goals)

• bound by the rules of evidence

• try to be objective

• ask hard questions

• move beyond generalizations and sterotypes

• questions things we take for granted

the sociological imagination (SP textbook definition)

the capacity to think systematically about how things we experience as personal issues are really social issues that are widely shared with others living in a similar time and place as us

the sociological imagination (Korgen and Atkinson definition)

the ability to connect what is happening in your own life and the lives of other individuals to social patterns in larger society

the sociological imagination (C. Wright Mills definition)

the ability to grasp the relationship between history about biography, the ability to shift from one perspective to another, understanding a personal trouble vs. a public issue

coined the term “sociological imagination”

sociological perspective

• the ability to assess the truth of “common sense”

• the ability to see the opportunities and constraints of our lives

• empowers us to be more active participants in society

• helps us live in a diverse world

social contexts (+ examples)

the social environments, including economic and cultural conditions, that influence people’s lives

EXAMPLES: family, community, identities, groups, schools, organizations, social/economic/historical contexts

Auguste Comte

founder of sociology, coined the term “sociology”

• developed positivism

• believed that sociology should be at the top of the heirarcy of knowledge

Chicago School of Sociology

first sociology department founded in United States by the University of Chicago

W.E.B. Du Bois and Jane Addams

combined sociology research with social activism

development of sociology (influence of social change)

• industrial rev: growth of new factories and large scale production, new tech and innovations, shift from agriculture to manufacturing

• urbanization: growth of cities, social problems expand (poverty, crime, and working conditions), labor laws passes

• monarchies turn to democracies

• shift in role of religion: decline of influence on public

theory

a statement of how and why specific facts are related

social theory

systematic ideas and frameworks,

social theory

systematical theory of ideas and frameworks for understanding society and the relationship between individuals, groups, organizations and society as a whole

Karl Marx (+ historical materialism, models of production)

• believed in the centrality of a societies economic system

• believed in historical materialism: the idea that history moves in response to societies economic foundation

• discussed models of production and conflict theory

Models of production

• forces of production: the technological and productive capacity of a society at a given point in time

• social relations of production: the relationships and inequalities between different kinds of people within the economy

theoretical perspective: conflict perspective

a theoretical approach that sees society as divided by inequality and conflict

• emphasized conflict change and conflicting goals

• explored by Karl Marx, W.E.B. Du Bois, Max Weber, Pierre Bourdieu

Pierre Bourdieu (conflict perspective components)

• habitus: refers to the deeply ingrained habits, skills and disposition of ways of thinking that people aquire through their social environment and upbringing

• cultural capital: the type and or education and knowledge possessed by an individual

• social capital: resources based on who you know and can call on for help when you need it

• symbolic capital: reputation, how a person or group is judged by a particular community

theoretical perspective: structural functionalism

theoretical framework that sees society as a system of many interrlated parts

• social institution: major spheres of social life or societal subsystems, organized to meet a basic human need

  EXAMPLE: education, government, religion

• manifest functions: recognized and intended consequences

• latent functions: unrecognized and unintended consequences

• explored by Emile Durkheim, Herbert Spencer

social facts

• social facts/forces: the regularities and rules of everyday life that exists independently and outside the control of indiviuals

social solidarity

• social solidarity: the social forces that hold any group or society together

  • mechanical solidarity: dominant form of solidarity in “primitive” societies, minimal division of labor

  • organic solidarity: in modern societies, extensive division of labor and mutual dependance

anomie

condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals

social integration

the structure of social relationships surrounding an individual in their social groups of society at large

• egoistic suicides: occur when a society provides insufficient social integration

moral regulation

the guidance that societies culture provides indiviuals through shared norms, values, etc.

anomic suicides

occurs when a society lacks moral regulation

socialization

learning through social interaction how to follow the social norms and expectations of your society