intro to sociology 101 Rutgers dr dowd

the systemic study of human behavior and social groups

sociology

is "why is Joe depressed" a sociological question? why?

it depends on how you answer - if you answer it scientifically "chemical imbalance" then it's biological but if you answer "maybe from homophobia" that is sociological

can an individual's experience explain greater social patterns?

no; social facts can

what do social facts act as?

good but not automatic predictors of individual choices/behaviors/outcomes

can unemployment rates and divorce rates be correlated sociologically? how?

yes, unemployment makes money problems makes fights makes divorce; or, the other way around, divorce makes depression makes slacking off makes unemployment

a question that deals with social phenomena, not individuals, values, or biology

sociological question

how were sociological questions answered in the past?

with supernatural determinism or free will

how does sociology answer sociological questions?

it does not deny individual agency but it takes into context the culture and structure of the society as the main objects of study

what does social context (i.e. culture) help us do?

explain larger social phenomena and provides context for the "big picture"

three different ways of contextualizing society and individuals in sociology

structure, culture, agency

example of structure affecting society

obesity rates rising because of unhealthy foods being more readily available and cheap

example of culture affecting society

obesity rates rising because of the cultural acceptance of high sugar foods being considered normal as breakfast foods

an individuals choices and decisions that affect their individual lives; keyword CHOOSE

agency

a causal process that connects dependent variables to independent variables

mechanisms

requirements of research

a hypothesis, and observation that avoids confirmation bias (in tandem with observation w/o bias is a representative sample)

a falsifiable claim that can be measured and potentially found to be incorrect

hypothesis

ignoring evidence that go against your point and only taking evidence or a sample that will prove your hypothesis

confirmation bias

can crowdsourcing a research sample provide legitimate research?

no

a sample that has an equal amount of varying demographics/is proportionate to the amount in a given population

representative sample

how does the wheel of science go?

begins with a theory/question that is formed into a formal hypothesis

a representative sample is gathered and experimented on to make observations with

you generalize your findings to the population and pose a new theory/question to further your research

number-based and concrete information i.e. statistics

quantitative data

abstract data based on qualities, such as interviews and surveys

qualitative data

what does data depend on?

context and perspective

judging by the standards of one's culture

ethnocentrism

judging by the standards of the culture being studied

moral relativism

how do you know if old research is still relevant

by retesting it

our personality that does not exist individually, only exists in relation to other people, and develops over time

mead's self

how is the self developed

by consequence of your social surroundings and your communities

does having a certain perspective/agenda immediately invalidate their research?

no

should we distrust everything because "nothing can be unbiased"

no, we should avoid empty cynicism and distrust

what should be embraced in research and beliefs at large

complexity and change; we need a comfort level with uncertainty in science because it's never 100%

concrete aspects of ourselves that cannot be changed i.e. race, gender, sexual orientation

ascribe status

aspects of ourselves that develop over time that we can adopt/change as we freely desire i.e. occupation, religion, politics

achieve status

are ascribed and achieve statuses inherent to ourselves or are they social constructs

social constructs

why are ascribe and achieve statuses social constructs

because the social contexts of each status has changed over time; the number 18 for an age is arbitrary and indicates varying levels of maturity between cultures and time periods

are ascribe and achieve statuses linked or related?

yes; ex. one of the greatest predictors for a persons religion is their parents religion

imagining ourselves/our personality from the standpoint of other people

the generalized other

example of the generalized other in action

preparing possible questions and responses for a job interview

does our self-identity in the context of the generalized other exist outside of the presence of others

yea

what is social interaction like

it is a performance/interaction ritual

what is the purpose of interaction rituals in social interactions

to help maintain social face and help others maintain theirs

what aspects of the social face are there? what purpose do they serve?

there is a front stage and a backstage

front stage is the public presentation of ourselves we display for others

backstage is our private selves which is not directly influenced by the interaction ritual

what does the phrase "situations don't define themselves" mean?

you don't know from the rip what is and isn't appropriate in a social situation, you have to feel it out through interactions and familiarity

what does the phrase "institutions exist only in people's minds" mean?

institutions have no value except the value that we tie to it; a definitive relationship exists because we all agree it exists and has value

what purposes do corrective practices serve in the interaction ritual

avoid embarrassment

compensate for discrediting occurrences

defensive (save face)

protective (maintain others face)

jokes (disruptions)

what do individuals tend to do in social situations/interaction rituals

co-manage our interactions in order to protect ourselves i.e. work with the other to maintain face

what is the common misbelief in America about social class

it is rooted exclusively in individual success and any failings are due to personal failings, not from the cards you're dealt

why do our ascribed and achieved statuses matter more than any individual characteristics

because they are the "cards" we are "dealt" and often predict our opportunities later in life

interpreting personal experiences by placing them in a broader social context in order to understand the full picture of a society or an individual

sociological imagination

example of sociological imagination

a person raised during the Great Depression being extremely frugal and resourceful despite now living in financial stability

does economic opportunity come from cultural pathologies (ex. laziness, determinism, etc)

no; it typically comes from class structure

what is the main characteristic of each class structure

a legitimizing ideology that facilitates its existence

example of a legitimizing ideology

the bourgeoisie and the proletariat in capitalism (according to Marx)

what is the inherent conflict between the bourgeoisie and proletariat in capitalist class structure

wages (proletariat) and profit (bourgeoisie) are in a constant push-pull relationship with either side wanting more to the other side's detriment

max weber's ideas of social, cultural, and economic capital

class/weath=economic capital

status (prestige/knowledge)=cultural capital

party/connections=social capital

capital that comes from relationships/connections that transmits from generation to generation; it is "who you know"

social capital

what opportunities do social capital open the gate for

educational, occupational, and economic opportunity through relationships with others

an individual's knowledge of social norms, values, beliefs, and practices that certify eligibility for membership in social and economic groups

cultural capital

examples of cultural capital

formal degrees and informal knowledge of manners

what kinds of capital can be/are inherited from prior generations

social and cultural capital

how has class mobility evolved in the us

over the past 30 years it has significantly declined; it is now lower in the us than in Europe, and most economic gains go to the top 10%

example of social capital

learning about an internship through a family member that works at the company offering

what is the distinction between individual merit and social capital

don't really know; the line between them is blurry and undefined

how does inherited capital affect social class

it increases the importance of it and provide the wealthy with more access to opportunity, thus hoarding it

how were public spaces devalued in favor of private spaces in america

proposition 13 (tax cuts that slashed educational funding)

gated communities where the "poor" weren't allowed to live or even enter

how were public spaces devalued in the 70s and 80s as a result of civil rights backlash

public pools closed rather than be desegregated, even in extremely hot cities, and private/charter schools only admitted white children

how do zoning laws devalue public spaces in favor of private spaces.

housing laws are manipulated to discriminate against the poor

residential land is constricted to almost only single-family homes

excluding the poor from high-opportunity communities, enriching the lives of those within it and degrading the lives of those outside it

opportunity hoarding

is it possible for society as we currently know to exist in equality

no; this country exists in a violent state of poverty despite gov't wealth

what created racial categories? how?

the social order; only after black people were designated slaves were they declared black

is race a black and white (both figuratively and literally) system universally?

no; in countries like Brazil, there is an in-between category (in Brazil it's called mestizo)

were race relations linear

no; it was a push-pull; black people gained all freedoms, lost them, gained some, and then gained some etc

how was the reconstruction erased from history

civil rights laws were pulled back and hit film birth of a nation empathized with the confederacy. history textbooks were rewritten to portray the confederacy in a better light

how were reconstruction laws pulled back

southern whites incited race riots after union soldiers withdrew from the south, killing black people and running black elects out of office

why does racism persist

inequality was legitimized by justifying racism through biological means; though this has long since been debunked, it is still socially real and present, and black people are constantly discriminated against in some capacity

how did wealth in America come from

the baby boomers inheriting 9 trillion from their parents by the modern age

is there wealth inequality in the baby boomer generation

yes; for every day white boomers inherited, black boomers only inherited 13 cents

how did zoning laws and banks widen the wealth gap

neighborhoods were redlined and made racially homogenous, forcing black people to rent. banks also often refused loans to black families thus barring them from making down payments on homes, both widening the wealth gap

the capacity of unearned, inherited wealth to lift a family economically/socially beyond where their own achievements, jobs, and earnings would place them

transformative assets

possible ways to alleviate the wealth gap

free college tuition

redraw district borders for education equality

increased public service funding

biology and sexual characteristics inherent to that biology

sex

the social context, including social behaviors and attributes, surrounding a sex

gender

is gender inherent to our identities

no; it is learned and not inherently biological

how does gender function in culture

things associated with certain assigned genders are cultural (feminine associated things are related to motherhood despite fatherhood also being a parental role)

the process by which individuals learn culturally accepted behaviors for one's gender

gender socialization

examples of gender socialization

girls being rewarded for meekness while men are congratulated for being bold/tough

how are gender roles reinforced

by "doing gender" (acting in the socially accepted manner for our gender)

is gender just a categorical separation of sexes

no; it is a hierarchy of inequality that puts men above women

example of gender pay gap

bank tellers were once male-dominated and a respected profession but once it became female-dominated the salary tanked and it became looked down upon

how many sexualities are there

infinitely many; sexuality is a social construct

how is sexuality affected by social constructions

their classification and meaning can change based on context, and they also must be socially accepted into becoming formal terms

is sexuality a choice, or is it an individual choice

it is neither; there is a false dichotomy that it can only be one or the other when it isn't really

is there evidence linking sexuality to biology

no; sexuality is a category that is constantly evolving and shifting, influence by identity, desire, and behavior